₦airaland Forum

SHARE THIS

TAGS
Bukola Joe-OketunmiQatar Airline
A Qatar Airplane coming from Doha has landed safely at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos, after its tyre burst mid-flight.

Airport and security agencies had put apparatus in place for a possible emergency landing after the aircraft made a distress call.

The Qatar owned plane however landed without hitches.

The management of the airline and airport authorities are briefing newsmen on the incident now.

Our aviation correspondent, Bukola Joe-Oketunbi, who inspected the air plane after it landed, said “the tyre lost pressure and the pilot knew he might land and not taxi so he radioed for emergency landing but unfortunately after many trials the tyre retracted and he landed without help”

Joe-Oketunbi said the pilot radioed for emergency as a precautionary measure.

More details soon…

Seriously

Okonjo Iweala Not as Intelligent as Sanusi-Elrufai
Still smarting from the setback of the planned 5000 note which he had endorsed and which President Jonathan has now suspended the pint sized controversial former minister of the FCT, Malam Nasir Elrufai, has dropped another bombshell, this time claiming that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy is not as intelligent as his in-law, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi who he termed as "the only brain" in President Jonathan's govt.

It would be recalled that Mrs. Okonjo Iweala is the Obasanjo era Minister for finance that oversaw Nigeria's exit from the Paris club of debtor nations by paying off the nation's debt. She later went on to become a Managing Director at the World Bank and came close to being elected World Bank President this year. She has a PhD in Economics.

On the other hand, Sanusi Lamido bagged a Masters in Islamic Studies from Khartoum, Sudan and has been a banker at UBA before his appointment by the late President Yar'adua as CBN governor.

Unknown to most Nigerians Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the CBN governor is married to the younger sister of one of Elrufai's three wives.

Elrufai made these sensational assertions on his twitter profile which NaijaPundit brings to you exclusively below;

ciphoenix: Nigeria is not a major market, hence it isn't on the list. To answer your question on pricing, compare the cost of a contract iphone 4s to the unlocked version as at the time of release, that should give you an idea of the price of the i-phone 5

thanks for being civil in ur response which is commendable when u consider whats obtained most times on this site.however i must say that am not much of an I-phone fan and haven't been following much of its pricing before now.but since i acquired an ipad by necessity of my job, am looking at migrating to an I-phone too, so i would appreciate a clear idea of d pricing, pls.

with the 16g i-phone going for $199 in the US which comes with contract purchase, am wondering;
1.how much does it cost to unlock a phone?
2. how much will d unlocked i-phone 5 16 cost in Nigeria?
3. with the huge mobile market in Nigeria,why wasn't the country included in the list of countries where d i-phone will be released?
4. when will we become a major player in such future launch?
5. how soon can these phones get to Nigeria?
i would appreciate useful contributions and responses, please

Its amazing how Nigerian politician will become human right activist only after they leave office meanwhile, when they are in political office, you will never hear of them pushing for people oriented policies. this brings me to Dino Melaye. many of us are familiar with DINO always fighting about corruption in the house. other than that, can we recall him ever moving for any specific bill for the masses. Did we ever wonder why DINO was always the one blowing the whistle? Its been revealed that DINO was usually part of the deal but his greed and dissatisfaction with his share of the money always caused trouble , and he will use his inside knowledge to expose the deal. during his period in the House, Dino amassed huge personal wealth including 10 luxry car all with special numbers from DINO 1 - DINO 10. including Porsche, BMW, Pontiac, and other luxury brands. he also acquired choice property in Maitama, Wuse II and zone 4. apart from being a member of the House of Rep for 1 term ( of which his total salary is known), what other source of income would justify such opulence?
it appears to me that his current move is only to remain politically relevant with the hope of being given an appointment by the Govt. to shut him up. time will tell, but judge for yourself, is DINO really fighting for us or for his own pocket?

Minister of Trade  and Investment, Olusegun Aganga
By Damilola Oyedele


The Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States has provided the sum of $1.5 billion as loans for American businesses interested in investing in Nigeria.


However, only about $300m has been utilised from the beginning of 2012.
The Project Director of the Tricontinental Group (USA), Mr. Funsho Abiri, said this in Abuja Wednesday while briefing newsmen on the August 2012 Nigeria-America Business and Investment Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.


Abiri added that there was a deliberate policy by the American government to provide a soft landing for its firms which are interested in Nigeria as the business environments in Europe and North America are already saturated.


He called on state governors to send delegates to the summit to interact with American businessmen who are interested in investing in Nigeria especially in the transportation sector which the summit would focus on.


On the issue of visas for Nigerians interested in attending the summit, Abiri said the group has already entered into agreements with the US embassy Consulate in Lagos and a day has already been set aside for bloc interviews for those who want to participate.


“The Consulate is assisting because the Americans need Nigerian businesses. So as long as you are a genuine business man, you would be issued a visa. The problem is that Nigeria is not mobilizing its people to take advantage of these opportunities,” he said.


The Acting Director of the Department of Trade and Investment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Okechukwu Muoh, lamented that many Nigerians did not take advantage of last June’s meeting on the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) in Ohio and Cincinnati, USA.


This, he said was because many Nigerian businessmen did not prepare for the trip well ahead of time and so they could not procure visas in time for the trip; delegates from Nigeria were mostly government officials, he said.
He added that AGOA had been expanded to move away from just being an import and export policy, but to include investments in African countries.


Mouh appealed to Nigerians to always be honest when filling out their visa application forms as any inconsistency results in them being banned from procuring visas and therefore missing out on investment or business exchange deals.


“Nigeria’s foreign policy is currently targeted at economic development by attracting investments. Our envoys abroad have that as a mandate in whatever countries they find themselves. The Americans feel more comfortable dealing with Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs believing they know what the international trade standards are,” Muoh said.
Source
Thisdayonline

25 July 2012 Last updated at 10:33 GMT Help
Archaeologists have unearthed a skeleton in a rare state of preservation in Florence.

They believe it may be the body of Lisa Gherardini, the Florentine noblewoman widely believed to have served as the muse for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

It could be a crucial step towards unravelling the mystery of the woman with the world's most enigmatic smile.

Art historian Silvano Vinceti told the BBC: "We are entering the heart of this search, which is the most important moment."

Alan Johnston reports.

l
The former Gunners striker is tight-lipped on returning to the Emirates and also refuses to be drawn on the speculation surrounding the future of Robin van Persie

Getty
Thierry Henry has admitted he would consider returning to Arsenal possibly as a coach after his career has finish hid career.

The 34-year old, who now plays for New York Red Bulls, enjoyed a successful spell on loan at the Gunners in January last season during the MLS off-season.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINISH FOR GUNNERS?
8/13 Arsenal are 8/13 to finish in the top four of the Premier League next season with Bet365 The Frenchman is unsure if there will be a repeat of this next season, but revealed there could be a return to north London in the future as a coach.

"I don't know how, it depends," Henry was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. "Seriously, I don't know. I just want to finish my career [first]. I would go back to England, for sure, with Arsenal. Coaching does interest me but I really don't think about it right now.

"I don't plan to go back [again to play for Arsenal] and I didn't plan to go back and play last time.

"It was only because of the guys [strikers Gervinho and Marouanne Chamakh] went to the African Cup of Nations. They asked if I wanted to play, and that's it. I was there to train."

Henry also refused to discuss the future of former team-mate Robin van Persie as he looks set to leave the Emirates.

He added: "I've nothing to say about it. They have to deal with it and that's just the way it is...It's a hard one. I don't want to get involved into this kind of thing.

"It's a tricky one but obviously I don't know what's happening. It's difficult for me to talk about it."
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25

Its unfortunate that some people hve mde criticing government a big business. And when they have nothing to say they cook up stories just to attack the government. I believe in constructive criticism and i believe that we need a vibrant ipposition to balance our democracy. I want the govt to recieve knocks whenp they fail to live up tp our expectations, but i dont think its right to cook up stories just to attack the govt. The cars in question were imported by Coscharis based on customer demand. It is a tradition world over for major car dealers to offer their cars for govet functions for free in return for port waivers on the said vehicle. After the programme, these companies will sell these cars off at reduced priced since they didnt port duties on them. Thats the arrangement Coscharis has in providing these vehicle for the first ladies. It doesnt belong to the government. Infact, it is coscharis that will provide the drivers for this cars. Feel free to cross check this information. Lets find other areas where we can genuinely criticise and knock the govt. like bad roads, poor electricity supply and general low standard of living

Why do i feel the house ofnRep has the highest congregation of crooks nd thieves. I was listening to Raypower political platform this morning and my eyes were opened. I gathered that these house of Rep members are only kicking for d implementation of the budget cos they have all lined up their companies to get the contract to execute these project. These members have made itba habit of armtwisting the executive and govt parastatals to squeeze money out of them. Maybe we should just scrap these Dishonourable house.

The self proclaimed feather ruffler was seen eating in a popular Abuja resturant this afternoon. Abi the Emir of twitter no be Muslim again? This man way don tire me

We must begin to denounce those who are using the name of God to further their personal and political agenda. Men like Bakare must be seen for who they truly are, as someone who will hide under the name of God to seek self golry. Its unforunate that he has caught the bug of desperation for political office. Even the Bible is full of examples of men like Bakare who use the name of God to pursue personal agenda and we know how they all ended, so i wont be surprised if he ends up the same way. Or how else can u define taking the name of the Lord in vain if not by what he is doing?

Jihadists’ Fierce Justice Drives Thousands to Flee Mali

Lynsey Addario for The New York Times
MBERA, Mauritania — The vast desert expanse of northern Mali has become a magnet for Islamic extremists who have tightened their grip on Timbuktu and other far-flung towns, imposing a strict form of justice that is prompting tens of thousands of people to flee what some are likening to an African Afghanistan.

Rattled recent arrivals at a 92,000-person makeshift camp here at Mauritania’s remote eastern edge describe an influx of jihadists — some homegrown and others possibly from afar — intent on imposing an Islam of lash and gun on Malian Muslims who have long coexisted with Western tourists in the fabled town of Timbuktu.

The conditions here in Mbera are grim, with many of the Malians sick, hungry and bewildered. But that is better, refugees said in interviews Tuesday, than the grueling life turned upside-down that an unexpected Islamist military triumph inflicted on their lives in a vast region in the heart of West Africa.

Refugees from such places as Timbuktu, Goundam, Gao and Kidal described witnessing repeated whippings, beatings and other punishments in the streets, ostensibly for having violated strict Islamic law, and some of those who fled said they had been subjected to this harsh justice themselves.

“They said: ‘You are thieves. Why are you out walking at this hour?’ ” Mohamed ag el-Hadj, a 27-year-old former soldier in the Malian Army recalled. He and a friend out for a stroll at 7 in the evening found themselves surrounded by two carloads of well-armed men. The men tied the friends’ arms behind their backs, bound them to a tree and forced them to kneel, bending forward, for the evening. In the morning, “everything was swollen.”

“It was scary,” Mr. Hadj recalled. “They insulted me, called me a savage, an unbeliever.”

When they found a cigarette pack in his shirt pocket, they beat him about the face. “For nothing,” the young man said. “These are their punishments.”

Living under rows of dirty blue-and-white United Nations tents or under makeshift sheet-and-stick shelters, refugees spoke of heavily armed men of numerous races, nationalities, and languages — “black, brown, yellow, white,” one said — now controlling the streets. One spoke of encountering Afghans, Pakistanis and Nigerians.

American counterterrorism experts express concerns that Mali could turn into a magnet for international terrorists, but they say that such reports have not yet been corroborated. The turmoil in northern Mali has likely drawn extremists from the region, though, experts say.

“The concern is that these local groups will further establish a safe haven in northern Mali to serve as a base of operations,” said a United States official who asked not to be identified while discussing sensitive intelligence matters. “Then maybe northern Mali could become a destination for foreign fighters from the wider region and even further afield, but it isn’t there yet.”

The Islamists in Timbuktu have destroyed at least a half-dozen venerable above-ground tombs of holy men revered in the ancient city, proclaiming them contrary to Shariah, a legal code based on Islam. The destruction provoked outrage among the citizens and in international organizations. “The day they destroyed the mausoleums, they put sentinels everywhere,” said Hassan ag Sidi, a refugee.

Ali ag Diaba, a traveling musician who fled northern Mali last weekend, said he witnessed citizens being whipped and undressed in the streets of Goundam by the Islamists, who are taken aback by the Malians’ Sufi sect. Many Malians follow a line of belief that posits a more mystical, personal relation with the deity. “They persecute and torture people, under the guise of a false religion,” he said.

Speaking in the shade of a tent, he explained that “When they beat people and others approach” to protest, the Islamists “fire in the air to disperse them.”

The extremist ministate in northern Mali is the unexpected fallout from the collapse of what had been regarded in the West — mistakenly — as a stable African democracy with functioning institutions in the capital, Bamako. In late March, army officers angry over the government’s handling of a rebellion by nomadic Tuareg rebels in the north rose up in a coup d’état, installing a military junta under an American-trained officer after two decades of elected governments.

The military junta has since ostensibly stepped down in favor of an appointed civilian government. But it continues to wield undue influence in the eyes of outside governments, and beatings and arrests — particularly of critical journalists — occur regularly in Bamako, while the Malian Army from which the junta arose is in disarray, unable to respond to the loss of half of the country’s territory.

The Tuareg rebels, largely armed by the remnants of deposed Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s arsenal, have since been pushed out by their onetime allies, the Islamists, proving no match for the firepower and determination of the jihadist fighters who now reign uncontested over northern Mali. Some of those Islamists are homegrown members of Ansar Dine, a group that has been supported by Al Qaeda, experts say. Others are believed to be part of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an affiliate known by the initials A.Q.I.M. that has a presence throughout the Sahel.

“A.Q.I.M. is composed of people from all over the world,” said a Tuareg leader in the refugee camp here, Mohamed Toutta. “We can’t fight the whole world.”

His son Mohamed, a soldier in the Tuareg M.N.L.A. army, said the Islamists were fewer in number, but better armed.

Sidati ag Mohamed, who once worked in Timbuktu’s tourism industry, said: “We don’t know these people who have come. There are a lot of Arabs and blacks from somewhere else. It’s like the United Nations. The M.N.L.A. can’t defend us.”

The African Union, through the regional Ecowas group, has discussed sending a military force to reunify Mali. Ramtane Lamamra, the African Union’s peace and security commissioner, told reporters this week that negotiations with terrorists had been ruled out but that officials remained open to outreach with other armed factions. “We do encourage Ansar Dine to distance itself from Al Qaeda and come to the table as a Malian national group,” he said, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the women of northern Mali are particular targets. Aishatta Abdou, a 30-year-old mother of six who left a week ago, was chased off the street at gunpoint in Timbuktu for walking without her husband. She described them as “well armed.”

“It was after that that we decided to leave,” she said. “When I understood that I could not go out anymore, I said, ‘Life is not possible for me here.’ ” Her friend, Fadimata Ouallet, seated near her under a tent, was forced out of a car by gunmen because she was the only woman in it, even though the men were relatives. They pointed a gun at her and said, “Get out or we will kill you,” she said. “I trembled all night, with the fear,” she said. “I can still see them.”

A young couple, whipped in the street in Timbuktu for walking unmarried, “were in tears,” recalled Hassan ag Sidi, a merchant who arrived in the camp in recent days. “But the Islamists didn’t stop,” he said. “In the end, they had to be taken to the clinic.”

For now, what refugees are describing as an Islamist reign of terror runs unchecked. Western and African governments cannot make up their minds on whether to intervene, despite repeatedly denouncing the situation in the north. The Malian government and the Tuareg rebels are similarly frozen in place. “They have completely turned our way of life upside-down,” Mr. Sidi said. “They have imposed a kind of religion on us we have never seen. You can’t even walk with your wife. We’re like prisoners.”

There is something i dont understand about we Nigerians and nairaladers in particular. When we have a positive report about the Nigeria, we beat it down, criticise it and question the rational or the credibility of the organisation that released the report. But when its a negative report, we swallow it hook, line and sinker. We dont even bother to cross check the veracity of such reports or the credibility of the body making such negative report, we simply accept it and broadcast it over and over again. I find it disheartening that we are more interesting in running down our own land while citizens of countries with worse socio-economic woes are busy defending theirs and projecting the poitives, we celebrate the negative. Am just wondering, why are we so eager to destroy our own country?

doublecross: parents are not supposed to be blamed. you all should put the blame on the society. the parents have to clear bills. the whole problem lies on the society and a very week governing policy. Our Governments are a bunch of trash.

You are obviously one of the teenagers we are worried about. We should blame society and not parents abi? So who is this society? If parents are not part of the society then who is? Its people like you who prefer to blame others rather than take responsibility for your action or inaction.....such persons never do well

Visited and slept in the following States;
Akwa Ibom
Rivers
Bayelsa
Delta
Edo
Abia
Imo
Enugu
Anambra
Oyo
Osun
Lagos
Ondo
Niger
Kwara
Nasarawa
Kaduna
Plateau
Benue
Kano
Bauchi
Yobe
Borno
Passed though the following states:
Jigawa
Ekiti
Ogun
Gombe.
With this, i can rightly say am a true Nigerian. How many if u have done better?

I've been fortunate to have visited most places in the south and north and i can say tht the north enjoy better road network than the south. First one thing, the soil, weather and other factors makes it easier and cheaper to contruct road in the south. Lets also not forget that the north has enjoyed power and positions more than other regions , especially the PTDF which did lots of roads in the north. So in terms of road, i think the south should get more attention than the north north....just my opinion

I just called a cousin serving in Bauchi State and he said nothing of such happened? Please lets not encourage the spreading of false rumors and panic.

Bakare is one of those men who hide under the name of God to pursue personal glory. In all the teachings of christ, he preached love and said pray for ur enemy. The utterenaces of Bakare does not depete that of a follower of christ. In any case what is he doing in Nigerian politics? Has he finished winning the soul he claims to have been called to win? If so called men of God becomes psrtisan by aliging themselves to a particular political party, then how can they play the role of bringing us together. In my opinion, its either he has lost his vision or he was never called in the first place.

Moderator, can we have this in the fron page please. This could form the basis of possible future interaction with the President in ay of his media chat. As for me, i think the recent appointment of the new NSA is a step in the right direction. Nobody Knows the north and its culture better than a northerner. I also think thatelements within the PDP should be engaged in tackling the menace. Finally, emplyment should be provided for unemplyed youth or the government should institutute an unemployment benefit to pay uneployed Nigerians till they can provide job for them. Bump

The Declaration by Shehu Sani that he knows who can end the Boko Haram menace got me wondering if he is the public face of the sect hiding under the guise of human right advovate. The man Shehu Sani first caught my attention on BBC Hard Talk. This man spoke so eloquently on the Boko Haram issue and held Stephen Sackur spellbound. Although this acclaimed human right activist makes so much logic during his presentation, he always finds a way of blaming the Federal Govt for the menace of the Boko Haram. I was perplexed last Friday when this “dialogue advocate” did the unimaginable on Focus Nigeria. Gbenga Aruleba asked Sani “why is Boko Haram attacking churches, where innocent worshippers are killed with impunity”. Surprisingly Sani responded by saying that he can’t speak on that. Then l realized Sani is the Face of Boko Haram. That man is dangerously wicked. If Govt must dialogue, northern leaders must call a spade a spade and prepare to compensate innocent Nigerians for the damage they suffer from BH. Do you think Sani or any of his protégés should lead the call for dialogue with BH?

For some time now i have been exploring the option of buying a car and other items from ebay. I just finisheed my registrations and they actually have provision for shoppers from Nigeria. Am just wondering if there is anyone in the house who can educate me on the process and possibility of buying and shipping cars purchased on ebay to Nigeria. I would really appreciate advice from those who have tried it, please. Thanks.

its amazing how soon we forget. This man was indicted by a tribunal set up to review his tenure as BPE boss and they recommended that he be barred from holding any piblic office. Am shocked that El-rufai can still stand in d public and make noise and sound like public advocate despite the attrocities he committed as BPE boss and FCT minister. Now he is making noise and some of us have suddenly developed amnesia and we are still listening to him... Such men should be lynched.

Why Sanni had initially come off as au concerned citizen, his later comments has revealed him as probably the spokesman of the group or the elusive Abu Dada, aabu Qaqa or Abu Kiki , whatever they call him. In my opinion, Sani should be arrested and questioned, he is the one man who knows the group more than any other.

In his last outing in in Oslo, Norway,prof. George Ayittey has advocated the use of social media as a means of taking over government. Malam Nasir El-Rufai's online activism on facebook and twitter, targeted at the President, is an obvious pointer that his aim is to utilize this strategy in undermining the current administration.

Patriotism is not about bringing down those in power so that you can replace them, neither is about destroying the country so you can take over and start rebuilding, its about doing your best for the country irrespective of who is in power. El-Rufai's activities in recent time does not portray patriotism but desperation by a man seeking to return to the corridor of power.
While am not here to defend Some of the President's policies ( God knows am still angry that i have to pay almost double to fill my tank), i am however weary of the implication of belittling the office of the president. The truth is that the ascension of President Goodluck Jonathan to the presidency have proved that any one of us can become the leader of this great country tomorrow. If we are not mindful, we may have destroyed that office before our turn.  President Jonathan may mot be an articulate leader or an orator in an era of 'efizzy', but even our parents are not all as erudite as President Barack Obama. Does that disqualify them from aspiring to the highest position in the land? Let us criticise his policies, let us make useful suggestion, but we must stop ourselves from being tools in the hands of political jobbers like El-Rufai and his cohort who can only function in the corridor of power. Or how do you explain that since they vacated their political office, they have not made any meaningful contribution to our development as a country in their private capacity, but have continued to scheme to return back to power, moving from one political party to the other. Be wise, use your head and shine your eyes.

Dont mind othe political jobber. We now know who he truly is: useless and idle outside the cooridor of power.

International
The World's Worst Economies
Daniel Fisher, 06.09.10, 06:00 AM EDT
These countries aren't unlucky--they're poor by design.


In Pictures: The 10 Worst Economies

Ghana has the world's largest manmade lake and the 1-gigawatt Aksombo Hydroelectric Plant, built to supply electricity to Africa's largest aluminum smelter. But the smelter has been idle since 2009, a casualty of low aluminum prices and persistent electricity shortages that have forced the government to divert the power elsewhere.

Ghana is a typical example of the world's worst-managed economies: It's a country that shouldn't be poor, but it is. The West African nation's gross domestic product per capita fell 9% last year to $621, ranking it 154th out of 184 countries tracked by the International Monetary Fund, below resource-impoverished Haiti. With a $3 billion trade deficit last year and $4.9 billion in external debt, Ghana is struggling to pay its bills even as it sits on some of the world's biggest reserves of gold and bauxite, as well as considerable amounts of offshore oil, which is being developed by Anadarko Petroleum ( APC - news - people ) and others.

Article Controls

"Ghana's problems are mostly homegrown," said Peter Allum, the IMF's mission chief to Ghana, in February. Forbes ranks Ghana ninth on our list of the world's worst economies.

In Pictures: The 10 Worst Economies

As the world focuses on Greece and the rest of the so-called PIIGs--Portugal, Italy and Ireland--in their fight to reverse years of irresponsible fiscal policies, another group of nations make them look positively well-managed. Forbes screened IMF data for countries that have low and declining per-capita GDP, high trade deficits and high inflation, all indicators of bad economic management regardless of the country's inherent wealth.

All have at least one trait in common: Their governments discourage private investment--and economic growth--through policies of crony capitalism, expropriation or arbitrary enforcement of the laws. That makes it hard to generate hard currency to pay off government debt and discourages citizens from investing in education to improve their own economic lot.

"Most of these vulnerably low-income countries are in a trap," said Otaviano Canuto, vice president and head of the World Bank's Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network. "The climate is not conducive to investments, not only in factories and agricultural improvements, but in education."

No surprise as to the winner of this race to the bottom: Zimbabwe, a country where the annual inflation rate hit the surreal level of more than 500 billion percent in late 2008 as the government of dictator Robert Mugabe tried to print his way out of his own mistaken economic policies. Before the fever broke last year, Zimbabwe restaurants felt compelled to post signs reminding patrons not to use the nearly worthless dollar bills as toilet paper. Zimbabwe's inflation rate has since dropped to around 5% as the country abandoned its currency and allowed transactions to be conducted in U.S. dollars and other currencies. But it still was forced to import 500,000 tons of maize last year to make up for shortfalls in its once-bountiful agricultural sector.

Ranking fifth on the list is Nicaragua, the only Latin American country to show such a poisonous combination of poverty and stagnant growth. Nicaragua's inflation-adjusted GDP fell 1.5% in 2009 and foreign investors have shunned the country since 1980s socialist President Daniel Ortega returned to office in 2007. Textile manufacturers have closed and European aid agencies balked at supporting the Ortega government after flawed elections in 2008. One reliable source of income in this socialist paradise: remittances from expatriates, which represented 13% of GDP in 2008.

In eighth place is Liberia, another resource-rich nation that has mismanaged its way to poverty through decades of corruption and civil war. The country has been relatively stable since 2005 and may achieve 6% GDP growth this year. But that's a GDP of less than $900 million, with rubber exports the single largest source of foreign currency at $170 million. Registrations of foreign ships brings in another $18 million, hardly enough to make a dent in the country's $3.4 billion debt. Last year commercial creditors agreed to call it even at 3 cents on the dollar, possibly allowing Liberia to begin the cycle of borrowing and defaulting anew. Some economic growth is expected after Arcelor Mittal ( MT - news - people ) begins shipping iron ore from the Yekapi complex in 2011.

AFTER INSULTING NIGERIA'S LEADER, FORBES MAGAZINE EXPOSES PROFESSOR AYITTEY'S HYPOCRISY.
Written by Alaba Johnson (Reporter for NaijaPundit) on 29 June 2012.

After Insulting Nigeria's Leaders, Forbes Magazine Exposes  Professor Ayittey's Hypocrisy.

After thoroughly insulting Nigeria's leader for the state of Nigeria, 2nd rate Ghanaian Professor of Economics must now be embarrassed that perhaps the world's pre-eminent economics magazine, Forbes, has listed Professor Ayittey's country Ghana as a nation that has one of the world's worst economies. According to American published Forbes Magazine, Ghana is poor by design.

Professor Ayittey had insinuated that President Jonathan was of unsound mind and urged Nigerians to remove him. He also made uncomplimentary  pronouncements  about Nigeria's economy. However, Forbes rated the Nigerian economy as better ran than the Ghanaian economy and described the Ghanaian economy as not just badly run, but "poor by design".

Ayittey, who is a paid consultant who speaks the minds of his clients has surprisingly been celebrated by the likes of Bashir Yusuf, and Elrufai suggesting that his comments on Nigeria were procured.

Please read what Forbes Magazine wrote here (CLICK HERE). See full text below;

The World's Worst Economies: These countries aren't unlucky--they're poor by design.

Ghana has the world's largest manmade lake and the 1-gigawatt Aksombo Hydroelectric Plant, built to supply electricity to Africa's largest aluminum smelter. But the smelter has been idle since 2009, a casualty of low aluminum prices and persistent electricity shortages that have forced the government to divert the power elsewhere.

Ghana is a typical example of the world's worst-managed economies: It's a country that shouldn't be poor, but it is. The West African nation's gross domestic product per capita fell 9% last year to $621, ranking it 154th out of 184 countries tracked by the International Monetary Fund, below resource-impoverished Haiti. With a $3 billion trade deficit last year and $4.9 billion in external debt, Ghana is struggling to pay its bills even as it sits on some of the world's biggest reserves of gold and bauxite, as well as considerable amounts of offshore oil, which is being developed by Anadarko Petroleum ( APC - news - people ) and others.
Article Controls

"Ghana's problems are mostly homegrown," said Peter Allum, the IMF's mission chief to Ghana, in February. Forbes ranks Ghana ninth on our list of the world's worst economies.

As the world focuses on Greece and the rest of the so-called PIIGs--Portugal, Italy and Ireland--in their fight to reverse years of irresponsible fiscal policies, another group of nations make them look positively well-managed. Forbes screened IMF data for countries that have low and declining per-capita GDP, high trade deficits and high inflation, all indicators of bad economic management regardless of the country's inherent wealth.

All have at least one trait in common: Their governments discourage private investment--and economic growth--through policies of crony capitalism, expropriation or arbitrary enforcement of the laws. That makes it hard to generate hard currency to pay off government debt and discourages citizens from investing in education to improve their own economic lot.

"Most of these vulnerably low-income countries are in a trap," said Otaviano Canuto, vice president and head of the World Bank's Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network. "The climate is not conducive to investments, not only in factories and agricultural improvements, but in education."

No surprise as to the winner of this race to the bottom: Zimbabwe, a country where the annual inflation rate hit the surreal level of more than 500 billion percent in late 2008 as the government of dictator Robert Mugabe tried to print his way out of his own mistaken economic policies. Before the fever broke last year, Zimbabwe restaurants felt compelled to post signs reminding patrons not to use the nearly worthless dollar bills as toilet paper. Zimbabwe's inflation rate has since dropped to around 5% as the country abandoned its currency and allowed transactions to be conducted in U.S. dollars and other currencies. But it still was forced to import 500,000 tons of maize last year to make up for shortfalls in its once-bountiful agricultural sector.

Ranking fifth on the list is Nicaragua, the only Latin American country to show such a poisonous combination of poverty and stagnant growth. Nicaragua's inflation-adjusted GDP fell 1.5% in 2009 and foreign investors have shunned the country since 1980s socialist President Daniel Ortega returned to office in 2007. Textile manufacturers have closed and European aid agencies balked at supporting the Ortega government after flawed elections in 2008. One reliable source of income in this socialist paradise: remittances from expatriates, which represented 13% of GDP in 2008.

In eighth place is Liberia, another resource-rich nation that has mismanaged its way to poverty through decades of corruption and civil war. The country has been relatively stable since 2005 and may achieve 6% GDP growth this year. But that's a GDP of less than $900 million, with rubber exports the single largest source of foreign currency at $170 million. Registrations of foreign ships brings in another $18 million, hardly enough to make a dent in the country's $3.4 billion debt. Last year commercial creditors agreed to call it even at 3 cents on the dollar, possibly allowing Liberia to begin the cycle of borrowing and defaulting anew. Some economic growth is expected after Arcelor Mittal ( MT - news - people ) begins shipping iron ore from the Yekapi complex in 2011.

Now who has more credibilty, Forbes Magazine or a second rate opposition paid economics Professor?

Some days back, a document credited to a Ghanian professor George Ayittey, calling president Goodluck jonathan a joke was released. The article was widely circulated and read and most of us here saw nothing wrong with it. Some saw nothing wrong with a Ghanian insulting our president. Some found it funny, but i know that any right thinking Nigerian will not think it is funny. In my opinion, it is similar to an outsider calling your father names in your presence and you find it amusing. Such a man will question your paternity. 

Since the release of that article, a lot of facts have come to limelight. A close analysis of the article revealed that it was actually written by some Nigerians and released under the name of Prof. George Ayittey. The use of words like "GEJ", "clueless" and similar words are consistent with label which we have come to identify with the Nigerian opposition and even here on nairaland. The deep knowledge of our constitution exposed the ploy by those behind the article, unless ofcourse Prof. George Ayittey is a not a professor of economics but in Nigerian Affairs.
http://www.naijapundit.com/news/who-pays-the-ghanaian-prof-george-ayittey. 

Similarly, a background check on Prof Ayittey revealed that that he is a member of African Oil Policy Initiative Group (AOPIG), an American lobbying group set up to promote greater American extraction of African oil. In other word, Ayittey is an agent of the U.S government working to protect American interest in Africa under the guise of African development. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=George_Ayittey

In his last outing in in Oslo, Norway,prof. George Ayittey has advocated the use of social media as a means of taking over government. Malam Nasir El-Rufai's online activism targeted at the President, is an obvious pointer that his aim is to utilize this strategy in undermining the current administration.

Patriotism is not about bringing down those in power so that you can replace them, neither is about destroying the country so you can take over and start rebuilding, its about doing your best for the country irrespective of who is in power. El-Rufai's activities in recent time does not portray patriotism but desperation by a man seeking to return to the corridor of power.
While am not here to defend Some of the President's policies ( God knows am still angry that i have to pay almost double to fill my tank), i am however weary of the implication of belittling the office of the president. The truth is that the ascension of President Goodluck Jonathan to the presidency have proved that any one of us can become the leader of this great country tomorrow. If we are not mindful, we may have destroyed that office before our turn.  President Jonathan may mot be an articulate leader or an orator in an era of 'efizzy', but even our parents are not all as erudite as President Barack Obama. Does that disqualify them from aspiring to the highest position in the land? Let us criticise his policies, let us make useful suggestion, but we must stop ourselves from being tools in the hands of political jobbers like El-Rufai and his cohort who can only function in the corridor of power. Or how do you explain that since they vacated their political office, they have not made any meaningful contribution to our development as a country in their private capacity, but have continued to scheme to return back to power, moving from one political party to the other. Be wise, use your head and shine your eyes.
(Modify) (Quote) (Report)

WHO PAYS THE GHANAIAN PROF. GEORGE AYITTEY
imaginasion@gmail.com
Before yesterday the name Prof. George Ayittey did not ring a bell in West Africa, he was probably only known in his country Ghana, and maybe in some parts of Ethiopia where he has been a regular presenter of papers. He is an economist, not exactly a sophisticated brand like the Okonjo-Iwealas or Soludos, he has managed to sustain his job at The American University in Washington DC as a professor of Economics.
 

Just a few days ago, he launched his trade into the Nigerian political sphere; lashing out at President Goodluck Jonathan is a manner which he will not dare to council chairman in Ghana. As a right thinking Nigerian, I felt badly insulted, that a Ghanaian will be so bold to disparage the president of Nigeria in such a scathing way. As I write, I am not entirely happy with President Goodluck Jonathan, especially with his surrender to the Boko Haram politicians of Northern Nigeria, and consequential sacking of General Andrew Azazi. However, I felt deeply miffed by the statements of the Ghanaian professor whose online statements appeared suspicious to me.

His use of language was so entirely familiar and the flow seemed too much like a script written by either Mallam Nasir Elrufai or Dr. Aliyu Tilde, both die hard revilers of the president. I immediately sought to know who exactly this ‘renowned economist’ really was. My curiosity was further stirred when I observed speed with which the Ghanaian professor had learnt the constitution of Nigeria in just a few hours, and he was quoting sections of the Nigerian constitution. He also, in his interview kept referring to President Jonathan as ‘GEJ’. GEJ is not the name foreigners call Jonathan; he constantly lashed the president as ‘clueless’ a tag operatives like Mallam Elrufai want on Jonathan’s neck.
 
According to his faculty profile available online, Prof. Ayittey holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Ghana, Legon, an M.A. from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba. He has taught at Wayne State College and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
 
He held a National Fellowship at the Hoover Institution in 1988-89, and then joined The Heritage Foundation as a Bradley Resident Scholar. He founded The Free Africa Foundation in 1993, to serve as a catalyst for reform in Africa
 
Almost immediately he got the Heritage Foundation as a resident scholar, Babangida was honoured by the Heritage Foundation, a US right wing front whose philosophy is total world domination, economically, politically and militarily.
 
Nana Apau, a Ghanaian journalist, in his article titled - Ghana oil: seeking national or some personal selfish interests?- described Prof. George Ayittey as a major and well known African lobbyist in Washington DC. Prof. Ayittey was member of the African Oil Policy Initiative Group (AOPIG). It is the AOPIG that formed the US-Africa Energy Association, members of which included a number of serving and former Bush administration and several oil companies such as BP, Chevron, Texaco, Marathon, Shell and Anadarko. AOPIG and the US-Africa Energy Association lobbied the Bush Administration for the creation of AFRICOM. Nana accused Prof. Ayittey of lobbying for oil companies – inn particular Prof. Ayittey was accused of pushing Anadarko, a company that has become a player in the Ghana oil find.
 
Clearly, the president was right when he said “criticizing Goodluck Jonathan has become a big business in Nigeria”. Who paid this lobbyist to disparage the president?
 
Washington lobbyists like Prof. George Ayittey work hard for their money, but the nature of their work is to use their position and influence to push the interest their paymasters. This is exactly what Prof. George Ayittey has done – to amplify the mutterings of General Ibrahim Babangida his paymaster and friend. Ayittey’s sponsors belong to the same circle with the sponsors of Boko Haram, and their objective is to adequately embarrass the president internationally, so much so that the United States and our Western allies will see the Jonathan as a weak president. The end game however is the next elections in 2015. The sponsors of Ayittey are fraudulently building up a strong case against the president and his party.
 
SourceWatch, an international magazine exposed Prof. Ayittey as one the major West African lobbyist in Washington. See: CLICK HERE Prof. Ayittey has consistently used his status as an African frontline economist to push the interests of his clients.
 
The Centre for Media and Democracy (CMD) publishes SourceWatch, this collaborative, specialized encyclopaedia of the people, organizations, and issues shaping the public agenda. SourceWatch profiles the activities of front groups, PR spinners, industry-friendly experts, industry-funded organizations, and think tanks trying to manipulate public opinion on behalf of corporations or government. SourceWatch also highlights key public policies they are trying to affect and provide ways to get involved.
 
With his strong conservative leaning, being an associate of the Heritage Foundation, a fundamentally Republican think tank with long standing IBB affiliations, Prof. Ayittey’s comment on Goodluck Jonathan must not be taken lightly by this administration. It is an indicator that if US Republican candidate Mitt Romney wins in the coming US elections, right-wing lobbyists like Ayittey will drop rapid punches for their paymasters. This government must seek to counter this now, or else risk irreparable embarrassment in Washington DC.