0monnak0da:


UI is not foreign . Your Englishis atrocious I a afraid . It is 100% Nigerian. Nigeria is a creation of Britain that initially was part of Britain fro day one .

The question of foreignness does not arise.
Nigeria WAS British

Sorry for that. I meant to write UCI.

As for my English, I have checked and couldn’t find any problem with it. I suggest you check your level of comprehension.

Nigerians were not BRITISH. The colonial authority was Britain. They determined all the standards that Nigerians had to adhere to.

0monnak0da:


So all those secondary schools doing Cambriddge GCE were Foreign

Any school can decide on the standards to adhere to.

The schools may be Nigerian but the Cambridge Qualification is Foreign

UCI was not a NIGERIAN establishment at all. It was ESTABLISHED BY FOREIGNERS AND RUN BY FOREIGNERS. The qualifications were foreign too. So, it wasn’t Nigerian.

If UNN decided to issue a qualification from a BRISTISH UNIVERISTY, it would still be NIGERIAN because the decision would have been made by the University’s senate in Nigeria, not Britain.

CSTR2:
Why would somebody still keep repeating the fallacy that UI is Nigeria's first university.

Is illiteracy a curse?

Historically, UCI (now UI) was indeed Nigeria’s first University. It is just a foreign university.

UNN is the first NIGERIAN University.

0monnak0da:
You have a problem with English

Cambridge GCE O level was the only GAME in town and maybe University of London.


There was no WAEC.

We were a colony and so the question of foreignness could not arise we had not existed as Nigeria before colonization ,

Ou ancestors were NOT NIGERIAN

Britain created Nigeria

Yes, there was no WAEC, there were only FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS at that time.

Nigeria was established as a combination of the indigenes of the territories that was controlled by the colonial authority.

You are right, NIGERIA IS A BRITISH CREATION.

NIGERIANS ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE BRITISH ESTABLISHMENT; NIGERIA.

THESE ORIGINAL OWNERS WERE SUBJECTED TO FOREING STANDARDS IN EDUCATION hence the cambridge and London qualifications.

THESE ORIGINAL OWNERS OBTAINED COLONIAL AUTHORITY IN THE FORM OF BRITISH PASSPORTS TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL OUT OF THEIR LAND.

THE FIRST UNIVERSITY BROUGHT IN BY THE COLONIAL AUTHORITY FOR THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF NIGERIA WAS A FOREIGN UNIVERSITY IN IBADAN

THE FIRST UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED BY THESE ORIGINAL OWNERS WAS UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA.

0monnak0da:

1948
There was no Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1948

You are not telling us anything new.

The Secondary schools in NIGERIA ALL took CAMBRIDGE or University of London GCE

so that peculiarity extended to secondary schools too

By the same logic then they therefore were not Nigerian too.
Kings College Lagos,Government College Ibadan etc were all foreign

There was no FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, but there was NIGERIA as amalgamated by Fredrick Lord Lugard.

As we were under colonial rule, the only acceptable structure was the colonial structure. The FEDERAL REPUBLIC structure only got recognised after the COLONIAL STRUCTURE was removed at INDEPENDENCE.

INDEPENDENCE means separation from COLONIAL authority.

As expected, the COLONIAL authority enforced foreign standards in NIGERIA’s educational system. The Cambridge and London Qualifications that you mentioned were the accepted educational qualifications.

THOSE QUALIFICATIONS WERE BRITISH AND FOREIGN. THEY WERE NOT NIGERIAN.

THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IBADAN was administered under the same theory. THE BRITISH ESTABLISHED THEIR UNIVERSITY IN IBADAN to establish the first UNIVERISTY IN NIGERIA.

The BRITISH UNIVERSITY WAS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA. It was a FOREIGN UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA. All its standards and qualifications were FOREIGN.

0monnak0da:


No it was the only game in town in 1961 ask Buhari you might be too young to know this

But before 1960 the question of foreign did not arise.

our ancestors were British ,going to fight and die in Burma and Europe WW II

Our Ancestors were not BRITISH. They were NIGERIANS. The passport was just a question of standards for leaving the country. They had to have valid passports to leave the country. As we were still under COLONIAL AUTHORITY, the standard identity for leaving the COLONY was the BRITISH PASSPORT.

As for your purported game, I try not to talk based on theories and suspicion.

0monnak0da:


But the First Uniersity in Nigeria was UI in 1948.

In 1948 Nigeria was British territory. in short Nigeria was Britain and we carried British passports
We went to fight their wars all over the world and so on
The question of foreignness therefore could not have arisen in 1948

There was no UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN in 1948. There was only the presence of a British University in Nigeria.

British passports were foreign. It reflected the colonial status of Nigeria. When Nigeria became independent, we obtained NIGERIAN PASSPORTS.

0monnak0da:
We know Buhari took Cambridge O levels in 1961 so when did WAEC start conducting exams?

Those secondary schools in Nigeria before then were they FOREIGN?

Cambridge qualification is just an accepted standard. It is FOREIGN.
WAEC is West African
NECO is Nigerian

0monnak0da:
Tell us the first NIGERIAN secondary school that sat WAEC O levels and not Cambridge

You can make your own set of rules to achieve an EQUATION that fulfils all the criteria that would make you feel good.

The first university in Nigeria was UI

The identity of a University is not determined by the entry requirements. It is determined by;

1. The ownership structure
2. The type of qualification issued
3. The administrative structure
4. The regulatory structure

UCI was owned by a foreign university
UCI issued certificates from a foreign university
UCI was administered by the senate of a foreign University
UCI was regulated by the senate of a foreign university

As soon as UCI became independent from the foreign university, it was renamed University of Ibadan

UNN was owned by Nigeria
UNN issued Nigerian degrees/certificates
UNN’s senate administered the University in Nigeria
UNN was regulated in Nigeria

UNN didn’t need to detach from any foreign institution as it is fully owned and operated by Nigeria.

The first NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY was UNN

The first UNIVERSITY IN NIGERIA was a foreign university administered under UCI

University of Nigeria Nsukka was the first NIGERIAN University i.e. first university owned, operated and degree awarding NIGERIAN University.

University College Ibadan was the first University in Nigeria. It was not Nigerian, and it did not award Nigerian Qualifications.

UNN graduates had Nigerian qualifications before UCI graduates

UCI graduates held foreign qualifications before University of Ibadan was formed.

The name, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA emerged because UNN was the first indigenous University of Nigeria. It would have been UNIVERSITY OF NSUKKA just like UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN.

There is no need for argument.

There are things that should be too obvious for people to use to predict and act accordingly. APC CANNOT WIN IN ABIA STATE EVEN IF THEY DECIDE TO RIG THE ELECTION.

Here are the reasons;

1. What is Orji Uzor Kalu, figure head of APC in Abia state, going to use in convincing Abians? Is it that the PDP under which he ruled Abia state destroyed the state? What will be his punchline?

2. Buhari destroyed any remaining hope, if there was any in the past, with his vindictive Python Dance. Infact, the rally looked like a mockery of those killed by the military. Worst thing is that it is too late to salvage anything now. Not to talk of Nnamdi Kanu and his parents. That is fresh in the hearts of Abians.

3. Okezie Ikpeazu is performing better than Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji combined. He has more punchlines than APC can ever muster.

4. Rochas has proven that APC is a dead and retrogressive party with his performance in neighboring Imo state. His presence is causing more damage than ever.

APC’s attampt to rule Abia is a mission impossicant. Infact, it is a waste of scarce financial resources. They should donate the money to charity instead.

TheHistorian:
6)Gross mismanagement of Public funds by past leaders. . .evident in the life of the Otuoke drunk = GEJ.

You can't recuperate from such financial disasters in a decade.

Such a Clueless man.

Buhari is no better. He has plunged Nigeria into a worse economic quagmire. For example, a serious president can carve roads around Nigeria easily by localising and innovating the process. Botswana is a case study.

1. Difficulty in Electric Power Generation

In most countries around the world, adequate and uninterrupted electric power supply is normal. Infact, if you tell their citizens about erratic power supply, they argue that it is impossible. Yet, inadequate power supply is the reality in Nigeria. This is despite billions of dollars investment in the sector. With so much investments and elusive positive results in the sector, it can be concluded that Nigeria is decades away from development.

2. Difficulty in Constructing and Maintaining Tarred Roads

The world has already moved beyond constructing roads with tarr. In Australia, roads are being built in weeks and in France, solar panelled roads are already being created. While all these are happening, Nigeria is still struggling to build and maintain simple tarred roads. This is surprising considering that Nigeria has got a quality human capital in her over 150 million population. It will take decades for Nigeria to get close to countries like the US, France etc. in road construction. Those countries are no more concerned about road maintenance issues, what they think about sounds like magic in Nigeria.

3. Lack of Benefits for Nigerian Citizens

There are absolutely no government benefits for being Nigerian. Infact, Citizens are treated worse than foreigners. If you fly with Australians to Australia, Citizens are given priority at immigration entry ports, and foreigners are subjected to thorough checks. In Nigeria, the reverse is almost the case. There is no free education, no healthcare scheme, no insurance scheme etc. Nigerians point to government failures like lack of strict tax regimes or lack of strict enforcement of security procedures as benefits over more organised countries. The anarchy that follows shows that Nigeria still has decades to develop.

4. Unaddressed Citizenship Question

Are we all patriotic Nigerians? In truth, there are more patriotic citizens of the Igbo nation, Yoruba nation, Hausa nation, Ijaw nation, Efik nation etc etc than in the Nigerian nation. This is why there is so much disunity in Nigeria. Those that are referred to as Nigerians don’t believe that they are “Nigerians”. This will take decades to address. Until it is addressed, the ethnic-religious based division will persist. This division will continue to make a united electoral front by the masses elusive and politicians will continue to plunder and pillage the country unchallenged.

5. Uncontrolled and Unchecked Capital Flight from Nigeria

The talent and potentials that leaves Nigeria when Nigerians flee to other countries has actually benefitted other countries massively. This is evident in sports, military, technology, education etc. England won the U-20 World Cup with a team made up of a lot of British-Nigerians, yet, Nigeria have never won that trophy. Nigerians are being decorated in the US military for bravery while our own military cannot handle a rag tag Boko Haram group. Nigerians, even those that claim to be patriotic, are seeking for opportunities to flee the country. With the rate of outflow of talents and potentials, Nigeria will always envy the contributions of their own citizens in other countries, and development will remain elusive.

1. Restructuring (ConFederal Political and Economic Structure)- This will eliminate;
a. Inter-Ethnic and Religious Suspicion and Strife
b. A Powerful Central Government that Signifies Dorminace of One Section of Nigeria
c. Reliance on Federal Allocation by Component States
d. Skewed Development by the Central Government
e. Importance Attached to Appointments by Central Government

2. Activation of a Referendum to Redefine Nigerianism- This will help to;
a. Give the Component Ethnic Groups in Nigeria an Opportunity to Consent to Being Part of Nigeria
b. Eliminate the Resurgent Threat of Seccession
c. Open up Discussion on Value of Nigerianism
d. Open up Discussion on How Nigerians Wish to Live and Associate in Nigeria

3. Creation of Multiple Federal Capital Territories- This will help to-
a. Create the Presence of the Central Government in Each Component Units
b. Create Shared Importance in all the Component Units
c. Stem Negative Urbanization in One FCT
d. Control the Suspicion of Favoritism to the Unit with the FCT

4. Instil and Prioritise Accountability As A Nigerian Way of Life- This will hope to;
a. Control Unexplained (Mysterious) Wealth
b. Make National Service more of an Issue of Capability than Enjoyment
c. Expose and Discourage Corruption

5. Make Corruption An Offence Punishable by Hanging- This will help to;
a. Stem the Scourge of Corruption
b. Create Trust

6. Remove Government Involvement in Private Sector Activities (Create Agencies to Control Them), Declare An Emergency on Provision of Basic Social Amenities and Focus All of Nigeria's Resources on Providing Them to Make Them Efficient Once and For All

7. Introduce Local Policing As Part Of The Basic Amenities and Dedicate Adequte Funds in Updating, Modernizing and Enhancing Effective Policing

8. Make the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria the Best in the World And Create Business Incentives (e.g. 20 years tax holiday for massive (billion of USD Income) foreign direct companies), with Long term National Benefits- Create An Agency with Merit Based Seasoned Professionals to Regulate This Sector

9. Create Value Propositions For Nigerian Citizens- Free Health Care, Education, Unemployment Benefits etc

10. Make Ethnic and Religious Bigotry A Punishable Offence (Up To 40 Years imprisonment)

Free healthcare is a fundamental right in Canada. You can even go check your feelings for free

Greatzeus:
Lots
How many mp3 on your phone did you buy? You are lucky to be a Nigerian
If you were to pay for all mp3 on your phone,how much will it be?
All the movies you have watched just this month,how many of them did you pay for or was actually an original
Do you know how much it costs to watch a movie in cinemas or cost of buying a movie? Try Amazon,convert it to naira and see
Windows O.S version you are using,was it the default O.S or you installed the latest O.S,how much did you buy it?
Ms Office on your PC,did you buy it or it was a counterfeit.
You can make money and still not pay taxes,and still be free. Try that with I.R.S.I know a lot of Americans even celebrities who have been to jail for tax fraud,I don't know any Nigerian who has.

In countries like Australia, as an unemployed citizen, you can do all these things that you have mentioned and still be PAID every month by the government for not being able to find a job to afford them. Infact, the quality of free movies and music online is even better and uninterrupted due to the availability of efficient basic infrastructures.

ShyCypher:
The only benefit we have as Nigerians is our Free Space to faint.

Asides that, I don't really see what else we have.

That is sad.

In Denmark and Newzealand, Citizens are PAID to go to school.

In most countries around the world, leaders propose and implement some value propositions for their electorates. For example;

1. Free Health Care- this is free for citizens of some countries. In Nigeria, it is not. In fact, some Nigerians cannot afford the commonest type of healthcare.

2. Subsidized Social Amenities- in some countries, basic social facilities are efficiently provided and heavily subsidised For citizens. Nigerians pay a big price for every social amenity, despite the fact that they are inefficient.

3. Free Education- in most countries, education is almost free for citizens. In Nigeria, it is not. Some Nigerians can't even afford to go to school.

4. Unemployment Benefits- in some countries, unemployment of citizens is a burden for the government. The government pay unemployed citizens every month. This does not happen in Nigeria. The government does not care about the welfare of unemployed Nigerians.

5. Special Treatment at National Airports- in most countries, the transition of citizens through their national airports is seamless. In Nigeria, it is a huge hassle. Infact, Nigerian citizens are harrassed and extorted in Nigeria than abroad.

6. Protection of Citizens in Diaspora- In most countries, the protections and accomodation of citizens in foreign countries is a primary duty of consulates and embassies. For Nigerian citizens, embassies and consulates are used to further extort Nigerians and subdue the integrity of Nigerian citizens abroad. If you go to places like Malaysia, Turkey, India etc., the death of Nigerian citizens mean nothing to the Nigerian consulate/embassy.

The Question Is; WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A NIGERIAN?

1. PDP Destroyed Nigeria

Well, the last time I checked, Growth in Telecom Sector, Banking Sector Transformation, Restoration of Rail Transportation, National Debt Clearance, Agricultural Revolution, Mordernization of Nigeria's Armed Forces, Local Manufacturing of Automobile, Rapid Foreign Direct Investments, Revitalization of the Aviation Sector etc all happened under the PDP. It has been over two years of APC, nothing much has been achieved.

2. Deziani Stole Billions of Dollars

APC has a penchant of throwing around frivolous amounts while pointing fingers at former PDP ministers. Chief among them is Deziani. She has been accused of siphoning over $100 billion US Dollars. That is not true. Nigeria's total GDP is just over $500 billion. Nigeria will sink if such an amount of money is siphoned out of the country, and the locations of the funds would have been conspicuous and retrievable. What APC does is to show a large building that is not worth up to half a billion dollars, and accuse Deziani of owning the building and series of private jets to deceive gullible Nigerians with their spurious figure. Yet, the woman is walking free. That tells it all. Lai Mohammed is a genius when it comes to these spurious accusations and claims.

3. Buhari is Recuperating

President Buhari is experiencing a very chronic health condition that has made him to preside over Nigeria from another country. Yet, APC is trying to convince Nigerians that the man is well. The best thing to do is for Buhari to actually resign and take care of his health. It doesn't matter who takes over from him, he is just not healthy enough to lead Nigeria. APC is driving the elder statesman to his demise. They are lying to gullible Nigerians to buy time for the next election to take place.

4. APC is Not Corrupt

Corruption under APC led government is at a new height. Please, bear in mind that corruption is not only stealing. It also involves wrongful use of political power, favouritism and ineptitude. Nigeria has been plunged into the highest level of corruption that has ever been experienced since democracy was restored in 1999. People like Rotimi Amaechi, Saraki, Timipre Sylvia, Orji Uzor Kalu etc, whose sources of wealth were questioned are walking free and wielding power. Marginalisation and skewed appointments is now normal. Favouritism in appointment and recruitment is at an all time high. Theft of public funds (e.g. the IDP saga) are subdued and erased. APC screams anti-corruption and does exactly the opposite.

5. Economy is Growing

This is the worst of all their lies. The economy is going south daily and the government is doing almost nothing about it. Nigeria has got the professionals to bring the country out of the current economic mess, unfortunately, most of the professionals that can do this seem not to fit the social, ethnic and religious profile of the ruling party. The economy is on a steady dwindle as FDI rate has greatly reduced, domestic manufacturing is being killed by government policies, unemployment rate is on the rise, import is still on the rise etc. Nigerian citizens are passing through untold economic hardship.

Others include;

6- Promise to Restructure Nigeria
7- Promise to Improve the Value of the Naira
8- Promise to Empower Youths
9- Promise of monthly 5000 Naira to the poor and Free meals in schools
10- Promise to annihilate Boko Haram. Instead, more militant groups are springing up

Please, don't attack the messenger. Attack the message of you can prove otherwise.

I am sure that the sleepless e-thugs employed by APC will come at me with insults. I'll respond to only attempts to educate me with contrary facts.

Look at the brands. No basis for comparison.

Innoson is different from Proforce. Shame on tribal bigots.

Remove Quota System, Catchment Area and State of Origin from the Nigerian educational system, then you'll see the meaning of Igbo domination in education in your villages. Those systems are panicky policies to stem that very domination.

humblenature:
YOU JUST SMOKE 70 NAIRA OWN .. AND START WRITING RUBBISH WITHOUT DUE INVESTIGSTION. IF YOU HAD TAKEN TIME TO INVESTIGATE BEFORE WRITING, UR QUESTIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN HALF SOLVED.. TAI TAI NO GOOD O

Now, this is the problem with the Nigerian masses. You left the message and you are attacking the messenger. If you look well, you are one of those motor park touts groaning in absolute poverty and about to be consumed by blind followership. I did my investigation. All those men became "Billionaires" overnight. Prove me wrong.

Hopeful20100:
Remove Orji Uzor Kalu from that list...he was already a billionaire at age 30 before becoming governor. Owned Slok before he became governor. Did he steal government money as Governor? Of course but he was already made and had income source. If he didn't become governor, no doubt he would have been like the Adenugas and Dangotes.

That is not the question. Yes, he became a billionaire before 30. How?

hoMegas:
Akpeteshi is allowed. Tinubu worked in Mobil USA for a substantial period. He was also the one that funded nadeco. Aside that his mother was the iyaloja of Lagos so what are you saying

Ok, let's say Tinubu earned $1million per year in ExxonMobil USA for 50 years (Which is highly unlikely), he would have earned $50million at the time he stopped working there. How did he make the money to fund NADECO? How did his mother being a local champion help him to become a billionaire? How did he make his billions?

Desyner:
Politics is indeed a dirty game. What happened to Anehih, uduaghan, ibori, igbinedion, Akpabio, IBB? So APC men stole at state level more than PDP men at the fed level? Keep attacking APC like a hate-robot. APC supporter will retaliate and in the end the real crooks will walk free.

This has nothing to do with political affiliation. Majority of the people that I mentioned were in PDP. So, take a chill pill and face the main issue. How the heck did they become billionaires?

1. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida - There is no way on earth that this man could have been a billionaire from the salaries that he earned as a Nigerian military official and as a military head of state. He is currently a billionaire, how did he become so rich?

2. Olusegun Mattew Aremu Obasanjo - A combination of his salaries as a military official, military head of state, two times president of Nigeria and a notable career as a farmer couldn't have made this guy a billionaire. This guy is so rich that he owns a billion dollar library in Ogun State. Can someone please tell me how this guy became a billionaire overnight?

3. Atiku Abubakar - This guy's enormous wealth remains unexplained till date. He has no known source of wealth, but he boasts of building investments from the thin air. How did he make his money?

4. Bola Ahmed Tinubu - This guy is one of the richest politicians in Nigeria at the moment. Yes, he was an influential socialite and a renowned politician, but can someone point out how this man became stupendously rich that he commands billions in investments and cash?

5. Orji Uzor Kalu - This one is the most surprising. He emerged from no where and is now controlling billions in investments e.g. Slok. How did this dude make the money that he is commanding?

6. Abdulsalami Abubakar - Apart from his short stint as the head of state, he is relatively unknown to Nigerians. How did this man become a billionaire? How did he make the wealth that he is flaunting with reckless abandon?

7. Dino Melaye - This guy is well known for showing off exotic cars, houses and foreign trips. He is very wealthy. How did he make his money? Can anybody explain?

8. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi - This dude was the governor of Rivers state. He is currently the minister of transportation. He is known to be very wealthy. In fact he flaunts wads of dollars and shares them with ease. He was said to be behind the funding of Buhari's campaign. How the heck did this dude make all the money that he is spending?

9. Rochas Okorocha - This guy is very wealthy. Yes, he is renowned for his social contribution before becoming a governor. How did he make his money. What is the source of his wealth?

10. Peter Odili - This guy is living a very quiet life at the moment, but it is obvious that he is wealthy. He is known for his wealth and investments. How did he make the billions that he owns?

Someone should tell all these criminals that one day, they will account for how they accrued the funds that they are using to flaunt their massive wealth. When that time comes, they will beg for a second chance to correct their mistakes, and we will not give them the chance to do so i.e. If this country survives the massive revolution that is about to happen.

Just imagine these nonentities trying to convince us that Igbos are not being marginalised by Buhari's government. Just look at these people! A national rail project that "barely extended" to two SE cities, as an after thought, is now being used to massage the ego of the SE. Lol! I don die Hahahahahahah...

Now you know...

(CNN)-With his win of the White House, president-elect Trump has made no secret that his electoral college mandate to "make America great again" should apply to US foreign policy as well.

During the campaign and after his victory, Trump has unabashedly and unpredictably turned US policy on its head with a cascade of jaw-dropping statements about Mexico, China, Russia and Putin, ISIS, Muslims, NATO, Israel and more.
There is, however, one area of the world Trump seems to have eschewed altogether, an area where his skittishness could prove a boon.

For the past eight years Africa has been relegated to the back burner of US foreign policy. President Obama, whose father hailed from Kenya, elicited high expectations when he came to office and was seen, initially, as a potential champion for African causes. Yet, aside from his stru[b]ggling "Power Africa," a $7-billion presidential initiative launched in 2013 and aimed at doubling Africa's electrical grid by 2030, Obama has little to show for when it comes to Africa.

Unlike his immediate predecessor, who morphed into a staunch Africa supporter with several African programs to boot (including his Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR), the first black president departed from the White House in January 2017 with a legacy of soaring rhetoric and lofty slogans, but no tangible and successful African signature policies.

Enter Trump: bombastic and volatile, with neither affinity nor proximity to Africa, but a brazen sense of unpredictability. Collective speculation, as echoed by University of Johannesburg professor Peter Vale in a CNN opinion piece, holds that Trump's foreign policy on Africa "is likely to be non-existent."
Because Trump favors protectionism, the argument goes, he will turn his back on Africa and will happily don Obama's mantle to continue Washington's minimalist involvement in African affairs.

Trump, however, might just do the opposite and, just as George W. Bush, surprise many critics by implementing sensible policies vis-à-vis Africa.

One may wonder why. Why would Trump care about Africa? Why should Africa matter to a Trump administration that has pledged to build roads and bridges in North Carolina, not in South Sudan? The answer to these questions is simple: China. If Trump is serious about China, as he has ostensibly touted on the campaign trail and via twitter, if he is determined to flex his muscles against China, he should first challenge the rising power of the Red Dragon in Africa. That's because Africa has served as China's economic launching pad for over two decades. Africa has fueled and will continue to fuel China's booming industries for several decades to come.

With the US economic presence in Africa receding, China has occupied the void and driven competition out, including many European companies and investors. The Chinese are building infrastructures at a dizzying pace, from Cairo to Cape-town, in exchange for Africa's rich mineral ores. Buoyed by state subsidies, Chinese companies are outbidding competition with many shoddy, built-on-the-fly construction projects, and take a disproportionate role in Africa's extractive production and industries.

Thousands of Chinese companies are doing business in 50 African countries, down to some small-scale businesses operating in Africa's remotest villages. Chinese state-owned companies are buying vast swatches of Africa's arable land to set up large-scale agricultural projects. Together, they contributed to the estimated $300 billion generated by China-Africa trade in 2015. In addition to trade, China relies on loans to buttress its presence in Africa. In 2015, during the sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in Johannesburg, Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged a whopping $60 billion loan, aid, and export credit package to Africa.

Then there are America's national security interests that should also matter as Trump is assembling his team.
Islamic terror groups, including Al-Shabaab and Al Qaeda operate cell groups in Africa's rogue states. They are after American soft targets and it's just a matter of time, if the trend is not reversed, until we see the kind of acts that targeted American interests in Nairobi and Benghazi. The Chinese, of course, prefer not to interfere with what they consider to be African states' internal affairs.

African dictators are leery of a Trump presidency, and for good reason.
A new sheriff is in town, and unlike the one he will replace in January he may not be all talk and no cider. With his penchant for contumely and tit-for-tat escalation, Trump might be the game changer that shakes things up in Africa and disrupts corrupt political regimes that have quietly survived and thrived under Obama's two terms in office. They have largely ignored Obama's paper tiger rhetoric, but Trump's iron fist may well be what will compel them to get in line and relinquish their illegitimate power.

Why? Because dictators and failed states are bad for business. They feed on corruption, serve as breeding ground for terrorism, and have no qualms about letting their nuclear raw materials fall into wrong hands.
Democratically-elected African leaders, on the other hand, may find in President Trump an unlikely ally, a more decisive and unfettered leader to work with to advance an economic and political agenda that could benefit both the US and Africa.

As the global spotlight shines on his presidency, Trump might prove his critics wrong by dealing differently with Africa and restoring America's clout on a continent that cannot afford to put its eggs in the same basket and should not let China's monopolistic drive dictate the terms and pace of its development.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/19/africa/trump-africa-gondola-oped/index.html