₦airaland Forum

War games?

Iran should make the first strike - rather than preparing to be struck.

Finance Minister and Coordinator of the Economy Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has promised to unveil the 2012 budget this month, which is expected to show an increase in overall spending, while plans to remove subsidies on petrol beginning next year are also expected to put upward pressure on inflation.

Nigeria's economic growth slowed slightly in the third quarter to 7.4 percent year-on-year as oil output dipped but a rise in headline inflation in October strengthened expectations for an interest rate rise next week, data showed on Tuesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Africa's second-largest economy slowed from 7.72 percent in the second quarter but was in line with expectations.

"While the non-oil sector grew with major contributions to growth coming from agriculture, wholesale/retail trade, telecommunications, manufacturing and finance/insurance sectors, the oil sector output however recorded a negative growth during the third quarter of 2011 arising from a decrease oil production," an NBS document said.

Consumer inflation in Africa's most populous nation rose to 10.5 percent year-on-year in October, up from 10.3 percent the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

Food prices, the largest contributor to the consumer index, rose 9.7 percent year-on-year in October from 9.5 percent the previous month.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which will hold a rate-setting meeting next week, has said it would prefer consumer inflation to remain in single digits.

Analysts expect the CBN to raise rates again next week. It has increased its benchmark interest rate six times already this year to help curb high inflation and support the naira currency, which plunged to its weakest ever against the U.S. dollar in the interbank foreign exchange market last month.

Africa's largest oil exporter produced an average of 2.36 million barrels per day of crude in the third quarter 2011, down from 2.49 million bpd in the same quarter of 2010, NBS said.

The statistics bureau said the non-oil sector increased its contribution to GDP last quarter, rising 8.81 percent from a year earlier, compared with 8.38 percent growth in the corresponding quarter of 2010, "largely driven by improved ,  agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, wholesale/retail trade, finance & insurance and other services sectors."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111161022.html

I think your drunk - go sleep it off.

(Chai)

PHIPEX:
MY NOMINEE: Francis Arthur Nzeribe
PERFORMANCE:
1. In 1993,  Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), an association formed by Nzeribe succeeded, with the diabolical assistance of the military government in power at that time, to truncate irredeemably the transition programme of retired General Babangida

2.Nzeribe floated another association, Union of Democratically Elected Representatives of Nigeria, UDERN, which championed the call for Abacha’s self-succession, on the gratuitous assumption that Nigeria would turn upside down if Abacha did not succeed himself.

3. After tabling a motion for President Obasanjo’s impeachment, "the chameleon" has MONAC to work for the adoption of the incumbent president as the sole presidential candidate of the three inchoate political parties in 2003.

Ordinarily, I would have given it to OBJ but I believe this guy is a more genus than IBB.

Arthur Nzeribe is a living legend.

Yeah - he's done some bad things in his time but in politics he simply played the game of politics the only way Nigerians know how.

Abiola is gone - Nzeribe is alive - So tell me who came out on top between the two men?

When you have dinner with the devil (IBB), eat with a long spoon (Like Nzeribe). (Something Abiola failed to understand)

Goodluck Jonathan:

https://tribune.com.ng/sat/images/stories/feb2010/goodluck_jonathan_new_250.jpg

Reason: He's just clueless, not his own man, weak, indecisive, a hypocrite, insincere, backward, out of his depth,etc

Dangote is involved in some sort of fraud with GEJ.

He's more than likely the conduit through which GEJ is stealing.

He will one day inevitably fall from grace.

The mans not clean and his relationship with GEJ is simply a joint venture in criminality.

Nigeria: Unemployment Rate Hits 23.9 Per Cent -NBS


The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has put the figure of unemployed Nigerians in the first half of the year at 23.9 per cent, up from 21.1 per cent in 2010 and 19.7 per cent in 2009.

Dr Yemi Kale, the Statistician General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the NBS, said this when he briefed newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said that the total number of unemployed Nigerians rose from more than 12 million in 2010 to more than 14 million in 2011, with the figure increasing by 1.8 million between December 2010 and June 2011.

The statistician general said that unemployment was highest among youths aged between 15 and 24, and 25 and 44, adding that the problem was more pronounced in the rural areas.

The NBS data also show that 56.3 percent of the active population which represent 84 million people in the labour force stood at 61.5 million implying that 22.5 million are either unwilling or unable to work for different reasons or they were working for less than 40 hour per week on average.

The NBS boss listed states with the highest unemployment rates as Yobe, 60.6 per cent; Zamfara, 42.6 per cent; and Niger, 39.4 per cent; while Osun, 3.0 per cent; Kwara, 7.1 per cent; and Lagos, 8.3 per cent, recorded the lowest rates by June 2011.

On the performance of some sectors of the economy, Kale said that the Hotels and Restaurants sector employed more than 73,000 people in 2010, with an average monthly emolument of N34,544.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111161006.html

Nigeria's economic growth slowed slightly in the third quarter to 7.4 percent year-on-year as oil output dipped but a rise in headline inflation in October strengthened expectations for an interest rate rise next week, data showed on Tuesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Africa's second-largest economy slowed from 7.72 percent in the second quarter but was in line with expectations.

"While the non-oil sector grew with major contributions to growth coming from agriculture, wholesale/retail trade, telecommunications, manufacturing and finance/insurance sectors, the oil sector output however recorded a negative growth during the third quarter of 2011 arising from a decrease oil production," an NBS document said.

Consumer inflation in Africa's most populous nation rose to 10.5 percent year-on-year in October, up from 10.3 percent the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

Food prices, the largest contributor to the consumer index, rose 9.7 percent year-on-year in October from 9.5 percent the previous month.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which will hold a rate-setting meeting next week, has said it would prefer consumer inflation to remain in single digits.

Analysts expect the CBN to raise rates again next week. It has increased its benchmark interest rate six times already this year to help curb high inflation and support the naira currency, which plunged to its weakest ever against the U.S. dollar in the interbank foreign exchange market last month.

Finance Minister and Coordinator of the Economy Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has promised to unveil the 2012 budget this month, which is expected to show an increase in overall spending, while plans to remove subsidies on petrol beginning next year are also expected to put upward pressure on inflation.

Africa's largest oil exporter produced an average of 2.36 million barrels per day of crude in the third quarter 2011, down from 2.49 million bpd in the same quarter of 2010, NBS said.

The statistics bureau said the non-oil sector increased its contribution to GDP last quarter, rising 8.81 percent from a year earlier, compared with 8.38 percent growth in the corresponding quarter of 2010, "largely driven by improved , agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications, wholesale/retail trade, finance & insurance and other services sectors."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111161022.html

Bloody crooks with no shame - what exactly are they proposing the money is used for?

Do we have a shortage of security personnel?

In Nigeria, federal lawmakers are establishing a special security fund to help the military fight the radical Islamist group Boko Haram.

Senate leaders say the special security fund will enable Nigerian armed forces to better combat violence blamed on the Boko Haram sect. Several joint military task forces have been established in northern states over the last year in response to a series of bombings and shootings

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Defense, Rivers State Senator George Sekibo, says spending on those task forces was not part of the budget.

“We have not envisaged them in the budget. They are not," said Sekibo. "And then the military is coming out to fight about them. Now if you don't make funds available in the budget, and then such challenges continue or other forms [of violence] come up, you have to now apply for money, look for money, destroying other areas of the budget before you are going to tackle those matters.”

Since Nigeria's return to civilian rule, the military has been receiving a smaller part of federal spending. Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Onyeabo Ihejirika says Boko Haram's continuing security threat means that has to change.

“It was expected that the military would be less visible. And that has not been the situation," said Ihejirika. "In fact, it could be argued that we are more visible now than we were even during military regime.”

Boko Haram is believed responsible for coordinated attacks on police stations, churches, and an army base in small towns across northern Nigeria earlier this month that killed more than 100 people. The group claimed responsibility for the August bombing of the United Nations headquarters in the capital Abuja that killed 23 people.

Boko Haram says it is fighting for the establishment of a separate Sharia-led nation in northern Nigeria, and has refused overtures to open talks with the government, citing the military build-up in the north. The group says it recognizes neither Nigeria's constitution nor this year's election of President Goodluck Jonathan.

President Jonathan says Nigeria's character is being tested by unnecessary killing and destruction. He says the government is initiating a “rapid and robust” process to “fight and defeat that evil.”

“We have lost relatives to these crimes, and we shall bring the perpetrators to book. We share in your pain," he said. "We stand united as we confront the inhuman actions of the misguided few who seem determined to violate the core values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence.”

Nigerian security forces say the mastermind behind the bombing of U.N. headquarters in Abuja received training alongside al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants in Somalia. Algeria's foreign ministry says it believes Boko Haram is now coordinating activities with the Algerian-based al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks and kidnappings across the Sahel from Mauritania to Niger.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Nigerian-Lawmakers-Boost-Funding-for-Fight-Against-Boko-Haram-133966348.html

Tinubu syndrome . . . .

LAGOS — Armed robbers in Lagos State went desperate in the early hours of Thursday, as they held residents of Sebotimo Street, Mangoro, Agege Local Government Area of the state hostage and forced those without cash to issue cheques.

The robbers, mainly teenagers, went away with huge sum of money, handsets and other valuables. Other victims were even asked to go to ATM spot to withdraw sum money.

The robbers, according to a victim, who is a photo-journalist with one of the major dallies, stormed the area at about 2 a.m, ransacked almost every building in the street and subjected them to harrowing experience at gun point.

One of the victims (names withheld) told Vanguard that they made frantic phone calls to the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad special number, 767, but there was no immediate response.

“It was after the robbers left that the policemen came blaring sirens,” he said, adding: “The robbers were armed with shotguns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.”

The criminals, he explained, were young men between the ages of 17 and 20, adding that they invaded the area when there was no public power supply.

He said: “When they came into my house, they pointed a gun at me, demanding money. When I told them that I had none and that I am a poor messenger in my office, who will not be paid until end of the month, they forced me to write a cheque.

I started by writing cheque for N30,000 but they asked me to make it N40,000, which they collected and left. In the process of writing the cheque I made several errors as a result of the tension.”

The robbers later escaped through a canal.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/robbers-go-berserk-in-lagos-force-victims-to-sign-cheques/

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has said football does not have a problem with racism on the field, and any incidents should be settled by a handshake.

The Football Association is probing two cases of alleged racism in England.

"There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct," Blatter told CNN. "The one affected by this should say 'this is a game' and shake hands."

The 75-year-old later said his comments had been misunderstood.

Sepp Blatter's gaffesContinue reading the main story In 2004, he suggested women wear 'tighter shorts' to increase the popularity of the women's game.

In 2010, Blatter said man-lover fans going to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, should "refrain from intimate activity".

When John Terry was stripped of the England captaincy in 2010 following an alleged affair, Blatter suggested the player would be "applauded" in Latin countries.

"I would like to make it very clear, I am committed to the fight against racism and any type of discrimination in football and in society," Blatter said in a statement.

"I have been personally leading this battle against racism in football, which Fifa has been fighting against throughout the past years through campaigns in all of our competitions such as Say No to Racism."

The Swiss added: "My comments have been misunderstood. What I wanted to express is that, as football players, during a match, you have 'battles' with your opponents, and sometimes things are done which are wrong.

"But, normally, at the end of the match, you apologise to your opponent if you had a confrontation during the match, you shake hands, and when the game is over, it is over."

Blatter's initial comments provoked immediate reaction, with England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand tweeting: "Tell me I have just read Sepp Blatter's comments on racism in football wrong, if not then I am astonished."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks was equally critical of Blatter's remarks.

"Clearly Sepp Blatter is a man who's never suffered from racism," he said. "I'm shocked and somewhat dismayed.

"Football has to be very careful. It's the one industry that somehow sees itself as above the law. It's not.

"Players, however glorified, are employees and have to abide by the law. Sepp is a man out of time and out of touch."

Professional Footballers' Association chief Gordon Taylor added: "It's ironic that Sepp Blatter should come out and talk like that because we've worked hard to get Fifa to have anti-racism on the agenda.

"As the president of Fifa, he's got to be shouting from the top of the hills that it's unacceptable on the pitch. We want players to set an example to the rest of the world and particularly the supporters."

This is one of Sepp Blatter's worst gaffes, without a doubt. On the day that Blatter says there is no racism in football, the FA has charged Luis Suarez with just that. The FA is taking a tough stance on racism and this could lead to a lengthy ban, potentially. If someone is found guilty of racial abuse the FA will, I'm sure, throw the book at them.
Piara Powar, the executive director of the Football Against Racism in Europe network, was also dismayed with Blatter's comments.

"You just don't expect the world leader of football to be coming out with comments that seem ill thought-out, insensitive and don't set out the sort of perspective you want to hear from someone who should be leading the game and not responding in a reactionary way," he said.

"To simply say that something as serious as racial abuse between players can be settled with a handshake is incorrect and not the sort of thing that footballers at an amateur level, at a pro level - at any level - will want to hear from football's leader."

The remarks from the Fifa president, who has led football's world governing body since 1998 and was re-elected this year, come on the same day as Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was charged by the FA for alleged racist comments towards Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

The accusation is denied by the Uruguayan and his club say he will plead not guilty to the FA charge.

England and Chelsea captain John Terry is also facing FA and police investigations following allegations that he used a racist slur towards QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in a match at Loftus Road in October.

https://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/10/26/1319648325618/John-Terry-and-Anton-Ferd-008.jpg

https://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2011/11/16/1321464358968/suarez-and-evra-007.jpg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15757165.stm

Meanwhile, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, also 　announced it will provide Advisory Services for a new public-private partnership to build a hospital in Cross River State, and that it will explore the financing of a second Niger River bridge project at the request of the government.

Okonjo-Iweala - I'll give you N40 to suck my di.ck until and beyond the point of ejacu.lation.

Seems thats all you may be of use for.

'Western Who.re''

$67 Billion Dollars - Go to hell!


Wy not just admit the agenda is to sell Nigerian infrastructure to 'Western Corporations' and 'Corrupt Nigerian Politicians' and their 'Cronies' to the detriment of the masses.

PPP - My ars.e,

The military takeover may not be unconnected with the controversy trailing reported physical due diligence being conducted on the power stations and installations by Dangote and 134 other power firms

Sounds like 'Fascism' to me . . . . . So GEJ now wants to play 'Mussolini'?

Nigeria's on the brink . . . . . Its on the brink!!!

[flash=400,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr24d2aB3PM[/flash]

Govt Magic . . . .

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Calabar
There are indication sthat the Cross River State government will not continue the payment of N18. 000 to its workforce, rather it may pay N10, 000, following the dwindling fortune of the state resources.

Investigation by Saturday Vanguard revealed that the government and its workforce were back to the negotiating table over payment of the N18,000 minimum wage. Governor Liyel Imoke was among the first governors that accepted to pay the new federal government recommended minimum wage which has attracted commendation to him from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

A labour leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimization, at the governor’s office alleged that the state government has set in motion a machinery to reduce the new minimum wage to N10,000.

The leader said he alongside other labour leaders were invited to the governor’s office last Thursday to dialogue with the state government on how this could be realized without workers resisting it as they are already enjoying the new minimum wage introduced by the Federal Government.

According to him, the meeting was chaired by the deputy governor Mr. Efiok Cobham and the government’s plan was fully revealed but the unionists denounced the move describing it as wicked and capable of disrupting the industrial peace being enjoyed in the state.

At the end of the meeting, negotiators from labour came out with long faces from the office of the deputy governor but Cobham could not be reached for comment and no official statement was made as it was suppose to be top secret for now.

However, one of the labour leaders said both the NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, were ready to exploit all options available to them to resist the planned reduction of the N18,000 minimum wage.

“How can this be possible? Government commenced payment of the N18, 000 new minimum wage in August and now wants to review it downward when every worker now makes his or her budget based on the new pay”, the trade unionist said.

According to him, “this can not be possible and we have told government our mind. In order not to incur our wrath, government should forget the idea in its entirety”.

He maintained that it is unheard of in any place in the world to increase the salary of workers for one month only to start negotiations the following month for its downward review and advised government to drop the plan in view of the high cost of living in the country.

“Politicians are busy amassing wealth, buying cars, building sky scrapers why should the little stipends of the workers be reviewed downwards.

“If there should be any downward review, it should be the salaries of the politicians so that our God given wealth will go round”, they said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/c-river-to-cut-n18000-minimum-wage/

Wasn't this dude showing off his newly acquired vehicles recently?

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-791184.0.html

Na wa for Nigerians -

ABUJA – Popular Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke, was on Friday, docked before a Chief Magistrate Court in Abuja following allegation that he duped a company to the tune of N15 million.

He was charged with criminal breach of trust, criminal force, assault, cheating and criminal misappropriation contrary to sections 312,265,322 397 and 309 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the actor who mounted the dock yesterday, pleaded not guilty to a one count criminal charge that was preferred against him by the Nigeria Police Force.

Specifically, Police alleged that he used fraudulent tactics and acquired 15 per cent equity shares of a music company, Untamed Records Ltd.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/n15m-share-scam-nollywood-star-jim-iyke-docked/


The prosecuting counsel, Mr Chijoke Okezie, told the court that investigation into the case revealed that the accused, a resident of Sunnyville Estate, Abuja, hoodwinked one Habiba Abubakar into granting him access to share documents of the recording company.

He said police was invited into the case after Abubakar who is the manager of the company, discovered that 15 per cent of its equity shares was transferred to Jim Iyke.

Consequently, Abubakar wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IG) on August 8, urging him to investigate the fraud.

Okezie said the accused admitted that the complainant paid the money into his Oceanic Bank account No. 00500173691, deviating from his initial plan of investment and converted the money to his personal use.

He added that when the complainant confronted the accused, he allegedly turned violent, threatening to kill her.

Nevertheless, immediately the actor entered his plea yesterday, his counsel, Esther Uzoma, relied on the provision of section 341(2) of the Criminal Procedural Code, and sought his release on bail.

His lawyer pleaded the court to grant him bail on self-recognition, vouching that he will be available to conclude his trial.

Though the prosecuting counsel objected to the request, however, Chief Magistrate Okeagu Azubike, acceded to the oral application, and granted him bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

The Magistrate stressed that the sureties must be responsible Nigerians who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.

He further adjourned the matter till December 9 to enable the police to complete their investigations.

.

NATO, AFRICOM and the New White Man's Burden

With the era of formal colonialism only recently ended, and only 125 years after the Europeans and the United States formally divided Africa among themselves, NATO has begun the military reimposition of Euro-American rule of the Continent. The conquest of sovereign Libya has encouraged Washington, London and Paris to escalate their armed incursions under "humanitarian" guises, and with the eager participation of native collaborators. "The imperialist powers are obviously up to their old tricks of using treacherous Africans to help in doing their '’dirty work.’''


"Western countries are once again using feigned concern as pretext for invasion and resource theft."

As we watched with bewilderment, NATO's military assault on Libya using "humanitarian intervention" as it's pretext, we are reminded of an earlier period of Western European "civilizing" missions into Africa. Shortly after the Berlin West African Conference of 1884-1885; armed with bibles and bullets, a host of countries: Britain; France; Germany; Belgium; and Portugal, "scrambled" out of Western Europe in a quest to "save Africans from themselves".

With their claim of intellectual and moral superiority echoed by Rudyard Kipling's infamously imperialistic poem, these European powers took full control of the land and lives of their new African subjects. Africa, having not fully recovered from the ravages of both the Trans-Atlantic and the Trans-Saharan Slave Trades, was ill prepared for what was to follow.

With the exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, every scare inch of Africa was to come under the control of European imperialist powers. The result: nearly a hundred years of a brutal occupation; further dehumanization; theft of natural resources while subjecting Africans to internal slavery. The resulting loss of life was so high that no serious effort has ever been made to quantify it. But if Belgian, which controlled only 7% of Africa, could murder 10-15 million Congolese during this period, one could get a close estimate through extrapolation, the number of African lives destroyed by Britain, France, Germany, Portugal and later Italy. Given this history, coupled with the horrific results of NATO's incursion into Libya, what then are we to make of NATO's new identity as ''human rights interventionist.''

"Europe was in desperate need of an answer to rescue it."

At the end of the 19th century, Western Europe was in the middle of an industrial revolution that it could not sustain with the limited resources and markets within it's own borders. Competition for new resources and markets amongst these European powers was high. With the economic challenges resulting from the "Long Depression of 1873-1896''; overpopulation; a high rate of poverty and unemployment, Europe was in desperate need of an answer to rescue it from this malaise. Africa would prove to be the answer a thousand times over.

Today we find Europe, along with the United States, facing serious economic challenges not unlike those faced by Europe in the late 1800s. Like then, Europe and the United States are desperately looking for economic solutions that cannot be found within their national boundaries. With virtually all of the resources required to sustain their economies existing in other parts of the world but particularly in Africa, these Western countries are once again using feigned concern as pretext for invasion and resource theft. With competition now coming from Russia, India and China for these same resources, new and desperate strategies will have to be created in an attempt to justify these invasions. But how new are they?

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a military/security alliance between Western European powers and the United States, was formed shortly after the Second World War in 1949. It came out of the same Atlantic Charter that gave birth to the United Nations. Its stated purpose was to counter what member countries perceived as an expansionist threat coming from the Soviet Union. During it's existence there has never been any direct military engagement with the Soviet Union. Instead, proxy wars, mostly fought in Africa and Latin America, would become the order of the day. While the Soviet Union sought to (at times meekly) aid the various Liberation Movements in Africa and the Americas, the NATO countries on the other hand, were interested in maintaining their sphere of economic influence in these regions.

"New and desperate strategies will have to be created in an attempt to justify these invasions."

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO virtually overnight had become an irrelevant military bureaucracy. Many military and foreign policy experts began to speculate that NATO would soon be relegated to the dustbin of history. To avoid what seemed to be an imminent demise, NATO began looking for new roles to play in world affairs. What has happened as a result, as one foreign policy observer describes, has been "mission creep on a grand scale."

No longer concerned about guarding against the Red Army rushing across its borders, NATO countries have now armed themselves with a host of new missions (pretexts), from: fighting terrorism; saving the environment; crisis management; to "humanitarian intervention (sic)." With a new futuristic $1.38 billion building on a 100 acre site in Brussels, and having expanded from it's original 16 members to 28 (most of the new member states ironically coming from the former Soviet Union), and with the combined military budgets of member states comprising 70 percent of what the world spends on defense, this "new" NATO is riding high with a renewed sense of purpose, anxious to show the world it still has relevance. Africa (and the world) should be worried.

While significantly controlled by the US, which provides 75 percent of it's budget, NATO is headed by the arrogant and opportunistic Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former prime minister of Denmark. With a very aggressive agenda for this made over NATO including offering NATO's services to the United Nations as a "global peacekeeping" force, he has in recent years already overseen NATO's involvement in several conflicts outside of Europe. Most notably, its involvement with the US in Afghanistan where it continues to kill innocent people, and is continuously asked to leave by many distraught and outraged Afghans.

"With the combined military budgets of member states comprising 70 percent of what the world spends on defense, this "new" NATO is riding high with a renewed sense of purpose."

It has also become involved in patrolling the waters off the coast of Somalia to protect foreign vessels from being seajacked by so-called Somali pirates. This campaign has resulted in an avalanche of deaths of Somalis, passengers and crew members of seajacked ships. Keeping in mind, when Somalis started boarding these ships which had illegally begun fishing in their waters seventeen years ago, not one hostage taken by them had ever been killed. All that changed with the Obama administration coming to power in 2009 (the year NATO, with mostly US Naval ships, started patrolling the Somalia coast).

In April of that year, President Obama gave the first orders for snipers to kill Somalis who had boarded the American flagged ship, The Maersk Alabama demanding ransom. France would soon follow with the killing of eight Somalis in another seajacking incident. Now with the U.S. and France with NATO support, seemingly engaged in a full scale war against the Somali nationalist group Al-Shabat, we can only expect the number of dead Somalis to increase even more. This U.S. war in Somalia is also being augmented by troops from Kenya, Uganda and Burundi, with Uganda and Burundi involvement ironically, coming under the auspices of an African Union peace keeping mission. A new U.S. Drone base for this war has just been established in Ethiopia as well. The imperialist powers are obviously up to their old tricks of using treacherous Africans to help in doing their ''dirty work.''

Immediately following the murder of Muammar Gaddafi, Chris Coons, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s subcommittee on African affairs was reported as saying "Muammar Gadhafi’s death and the promise of a new Libyan regime are arguments for the measured U.S. military response in central Africa, ''. Encouraged by the results in Libya, the U.S. has recently sent roughly 100 troops to Uganda to track down members of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). U.S. troops are also being sent to the Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan'.

"This U.S. war in Somalia is also being augmented by troops from Kenya, Uganda and Burundi."

It is obvious Senator Coons made this remark with AFRICOM in mind. This newly created U.S.military command for Africa, conceived by the Heritage Foundation during the Bush administration, could not have come at a more opportunistic time for the imperialistic thinking NATO countries. Working in conjunction with AFRICOM during the Libya campaign, and gloating over it's alledged success, NATO now sees itself as indispensible in this new war to ''save humanity.'' The cooperation between these 2 military packs represent a perilous development for Africa. With the Obama adminstration acknowledging the Libya campaign as AFRICOM's ''first'' undertaking, Africans no longer have to guess what the rest of AFRICOM's endeavors on the Continent will look like.

Like their 19th century predecessors in their mission to take on the ''burden'' of spreading the benefits of European ''enlightenment',' this new generation of marauders from the ''North'' are poised to, once again, impose on Africa the coldness of death, destruction and displacement which so characterized their earlier campaigns of human upliftment on the Continent.

Having failed to effectively respond to NATO's and AFRICOM’s assault on Libya, Africa must at some point show that it has learned the lessons of the past, and resolve itself to remove this ''white man's burden," once and for all.

Harold Green can be contacted at paclwp@msn.com.

REFERENCES:

The Son of Africa Claims a Continent's Crown Jewels

http://www.africaspeaks.com/reasoning/index.php?topic=7635.0

U.S. drone base in Ethi­o­pia is operational

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-drone-base-in-ethiopia-is-operational/2011/10/27/gIQAznKwMM_story.html

Sole Military Super-Bloc: NATO Issues Daily Reprieves To The World

http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=27482

http://uruknet.info/?p=m82998&hd=&size=1&l=e

Op

1) Remove my username from that list.

2) If you cant stand the heat, get your arss.e out of the kitchen.

3) See a psychiatrist about your depression - or just order for yourself some prozac, valium and profanol online.

Authorities in Edo State in southern Nigeria have trained 20 women to work as commuter bus drivers in a bid to promote gender equality, the Vanguard newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Although it is common to have women driving cars in Nigeria, it is however unusual to see them driving public transport vehicles in the West African nation’s bustling cities.

“In February, when this project started, it seemed to many as though it was a complete joke that women who cannot drive a car would be taught how to drive a 42-seater bus,” said Sarah Ashuma, one of the female drivers.

The governor of the Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, who promoted the initiative argued that it would be impossible for any society to be successful if women were restricted to particular tasks and jobs.

“We feel favoured to be part of the female drivers’ initiative aimed at giving meaning to the girl-child,” Ashuma said. “You will not regret the funds spent on this project,” she added, referring to Governor Oshiomhole.

The women bus drivers are part of a wider project (which also included 39 men) to provide safe public transportation in the state given the high rate of road accidents in Nigeria, local authorities said.

A total 29,715 Nigerians were killed in road accidents between 2005 and 2010, while 118,993 of the victims suffered various degrees of injuries in accidents involving 53,000 vehicles, the Vanguard said

http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/nigeria-promotes-equality-with-women-bus-drivers-paper

ABUJA—IN the wake of mounting threats of bomb attacks in the country by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the Federal Government Wednesday maintained that it is able to contain the threats because Nigeria’s security agencies are some of the best in the world.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who was reacting to insinuations that government was losing the war against terror, told newsmen that several covert measures against the terrorists have been successful without making too much noise about them.

He said: “A lot is going on, deployments are being made, arrests are being made, and there is a man hunt for all those involved. So, if the President calls on Nigerians to pray, it is not because actions are not taking place but the truth of the matter is that we also need prayers. Everything is being done to bring this dispensation we have come into under control.”

Asked if the President was losing the fight against Boko Haram and how long Nigerians will continue in this condition, Maku said: “Let me say it very clearly here that sometimes, we pick comments out of context. The President is the Commander-in-Chief and President of Nigeria, the chief security officer of this federation.



All of us in this hall should be familiar with the fact that in the last couple of months since the president was sworn in, in May, nothing has taken the attention of government more than the issue of insecurity in the country. That is brought about mainly by anti-state groups that have continued to attack innocent citizens.”

Maku pointed out that “almost every week the President has held meetings with security chiefs. And let me also say here that the recent attack in Yobe and Borno, the NSA (National Security Adviser) addressed the press and as at yesterday, not only has there been counter offensive but that arrests have been made and those under arrest are in detention for proper investigation. This also has been made available by the security agencies to the media.”

He said: “There have been ongoing security operations in the North-East, particularly in Borno and surrounding states. Also in Yobe, there have been security deployments, this also has been done and the media is also aware of these developments.

“Talking about consistent fight against terror, all of us know that wherever terror raises its ugly head, it is not a conventional war, where the military will go to one side and the terrorists group to the other side for a confrontation. Terrorists use undercover attacks, what you call guerilla welfare. They do not operate under the light of self proclamation of who their identities are. There are several countries like Algeria and Pakistan and several others that have come under terrorist attacks for over a decade and in those countries, you still have isolated attacks in spite of all the deployments that have taken place.”

The Minister however assured that “what is going on is a new phase in this nation, which will not continue for long. Neither the public nor the government or security agencies is used to a situation where innocent citizens will be attacked for a cause that is clearly difficult to reason with or to explain.

“Let me say that since these terror attacks started, this administration has been working round the clock and sometimes there are achievements we cannot just go and proclaim on the pages of newspapers.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/boko-haram-nigerias-wining-the-war-fg/

. . . Until there is electricity, the idea wont work.

In the last couple of months we've heard from GEJ's Govt about:

- Removal of fuel subsidy = hidden tax
- Introduction of toll gates = hidden tax
- Introduction of 5% fuel levy = hidden tax
- ATM Transaction fee = Hidden tax
- Levying of income tax = unhidden tax
- Indirect Taxation = unhidden tax

. . . . it should be apparent what Okonjo-iweala/GEJ's administration is about.

As GEJ would say - just pray.

Another tax on the masses,