Category: Opinion

African Princess, Anta, Became Wealthy, by Elizabeth Ofosuah Johnson

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date November 12, 2018

Sketch of Princess Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye by Elizabeth Ofosuah Johnoson

African Princess, Anta, Became Wealthy, by Elizabeth Ofosuah Johnson

Princess Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye was captured in her Senegalese kingdom and sold into slavery, and it took more than two centuries for her people to relocate her

In many African traditional cultures, it is believed that an African never strays too far from home and that he or she will surely find his or her way back either in the world of the living or the dead. It is the reason why the rites of passage are taken very seriously in the African traditional setting and why during the slave trade, many traditional ceremonies were held to bid farewell to the captured Africans and to give them strength until they make it back home again.

Princess Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye was captured in her Senegalese kingdom and sold into slavery, and it took more than two centuries for her people to relocate her and welcome her spirit back home through grand celebrations in 2018.

One day in 1806, King Buri Nyabu, the ruler of the Wolof Kingdom, popularly known as Jolof Kingdom of Ancient Senegal and his wife Queen Madjiguène would be devastated with the news that their daughter, Princess Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye Jie had mysteriously gone missing. After a few searches in the kingdom as well as neighbouring kingdoms, all hope was lost in ever finding Princess Anta, and a ceremony to guide her spirit was held.

Princess Anta was born in 1793 in the powerful Wolof Kingdom in modern day Senegal, West Africa. She lived a royal life and had guards and servants that followed her to protect her from the many raids by the Tyeddo raiders from the nearby Foula Tooro Kingdom. Unfortunately, in 1806 she was captured by the raiders along with two young girls who could have been her servants. Anta was only 13 years old at the time of her capture, and it is very unlikely that the raiders were aware of her social status.

After her capture, she was taken away to Goree Island along with other slaves and kept in hostage until slave merchants purchased her after being displayed at the slave market. She was then sold to a European slave ship before sailing off to Cuba. After a few days in Cuba, Anta was sold to Zephaniah Kingsley, a wealthy plantation owner, businessman and slave ship captain from Florida.

Zephaniah fell in love with Anta, and by 1811 they were married with four children. By then, Anta was 18 years old and was now known as Anna Kingsley. Many of Zephaniah’s friends were against his marriage to Anna and many laws in Florida at the time did not permit that a white married a slave; but Zephaniah went ahead with a traditional wedding in Cuba and granted Anna her freedom giving her authority over his property in his absence before moving back to his plantation in Florida. Anna thus became a wealthy former slave in a matter of 5 years.

Anta and her family relocated to Haiti after the Spanish sold Florida to the Americans who made their marriage illegal and their life difficult because Anna was left in charge of his businesses. While in Haiti, Anna set up a new plantation with the help of her husband and started new businesses. She also purchased slaves and set up a colony for free Blacks.

Anna’s husband died in 1843 and left a will leaving all his property for her and his sons. Anna returned to Florida to fight for her property and won after a few years of battling in court.

Anna Kingsley amassed more wealth and helped set several slaves free in north Florida by purchasing their freedom and giving them work to do on her several plantations. She was much celebrated in north Florida, Cuba and Haiti but hated by the westerners.

In 2003, Daniel L. Schafer, a History professor at the University of Florida published his book Anna Madgigne Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner based on the life of Anna. A few years later, after more than two centuries the story of the lost princess travelled home to Senegal.

In 2015 and 2017, mayors, lecturers and royals from the Wolof kingdom visited the Kingsley Plantation and cemeteries where their Princess ended up to reconnect with their daughter. Today parts of the lands that Anna once owned now exist as Jacksonville University, Florida.

In 2018, Mayor Niang and the city council organised a celebration to mark the return of Princess Anta. In her honour, her story was retold to complete its history, and a street from the city hall that leads to the market and sea where Anta was sold and carried off to Cuba was named “La Rue de Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye/Anna Kingsley.”

The story of Anna is a captivating one. It is believed that she was destined to live a life of wealth and comfort and that is why she ended up with Zephaniah Kingsley after being captured into slavery and stripped off her royalty.

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Editorial Latest News

There is no sanity in kidnap of Cameroon school children

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date November 6, 2018

There is no sanity in kidnap of Cameroon school children

It is now more than 24 hours after at least 79 pupils from Bamenda’s Presbyterian Secondary School in the English-speaking part of west Cameroon were kidnapped while they were in school. Some of their teachers were also said to have been kidnapped too. 24 hours later, those kids, ages 10 to 14 are still under the hostile anguish of isolation and ill-weather.

Reports point to the direction that those kidnappers are the ‘Ambaboys’ short for Ambazonia boys—the separatist group who want political independence for the minority English-speaking part of the country. Regional governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique blamed separatist militias for the kidnapping, although this has not been confirmed.

While the separatist group are entitled to their opinions and they are by law entitled to their rights for self-determination under the legal confines, those little children in captivity do not deserve that ill-treatment. It is a misplaced priority and wrongful decision for the ‘Ambaboys’ to vent their anger on wrong people.

Cameroon: Army kills three in Anglophone area as tensions mar return to school

Between 2017 and now when the separatist movement gained momentum, a number of stone-wielding agitators have been killed and maimed under the superior firearms of the state forces. But those boys have continued to pursue their campaign fervently. Now, Ambazonians’ campaigns are getting international reckoning. It is the right time for the movement to define the objects of their agitations and package it properly and reasonably. Kidnapping the school children is surely not a good branding for the separatist movement. More so, it looks untidy and tardy for the Bamenda boys to turn around and eat their own flesh by kidnapping their own children and taking them into isolation. Its smacks of animalistic tendency, even saner animals do not eat their own type. Bamenda is the stronghold of the separatist movement. Those children are their children.

A video of some of the children, believed to have been filmed by one of the kidnappers, is being shared on social media. The students, all boys and crammed into a tiny room, all look nervous as the person holding the camera orders them to say their names and where they are from.

They also repeat the phrase: “I was taken from school last night by the Amba boys, I don’t know where I am.”

One student, who managed to avoid capture by hiding under a bed, told the BBC that events unfolded quickly as the kidnappers entered the school.

“One of my friends, they beat him mercilessly. All I could think about was to just stay quiet. They threatened to shoot some people… all the big boys they rounded up, and the small ones they left them behind.”

A teacher at the school described what she saw as she entered the principal’s office after students had been taken from different dormitories.

“The military came in and went to the principal’s house where we realised that her door was bashed and entered into, the glasses are still there on the ground,” she told the BBC.

It is our view that the kidnapping of the children is ill-motivated and wrongful action. The action does not serve any good interest of the people of Bamenda whose interest the ‘Ambaboys’ claim to be fighting. It is our considered opinion that the boys should immediately release those children immediately, unconditionally and unharmed while they are entitled to their rights to pursue their dream of self-determination.

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Editorial

The NLC that is designed to fail

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date October 4, 2018

The NLC left its members high and dry

The NLC that is designed to fail

On Thursday, September 27th, 2018, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) embarked on a warning strike to push for government attention to issues that have been affecting them for long. There are so many issues that affect the ordinary worker in Nigeria: the issue of fuel price which is currently officially N145; high school fees in the public higher institutions; high cost of living and sundry insecurity across the country.

But at the bottom of all these issues is the Minimum Wage for the worker which is currently meagre N18, 000, about 50USD per month. The NLC is proposing N50, 000 Minimum Wage. If the Minimum Wage is considerably manageable, the Nigerian worker can manage to pay school fees for their children, afford two or three square meals a day and also pay transportation from one to the other. But in the case where the Minimum Wage is N18, 000 and the average worker is faced with the abundant economic problems, certainly something will go wrong. That was the background to the discussion between the labour unions and the Federal Government.

The strike that was declared on Thursday was long overdue. In earlier negotiations, the government said the N50, 000 Minimum Wage will take effect from the end of the last quarter of 2018. But along the line, towards the end of the quarter, the government shunned tripartite negotiation meetings.

The NLC raised the hopes of its members that it was going to tackle the government decisively over the condition of its members. But the Unions merely left the workers high and dry at the end of the day. One would have thought that the NLC was serious with strike action. If they were, the NLC could have held on, no matter any harassment or inducement. There was a report that the NLC leadership was pressured to call off the strike to allow the government observe a hitch-free Independence Day celebration on October 1st. Then the NLC hurriedly convened a meeting on Sunday, September 31st and announced the suspension of their four days national warning strike but said the face-off with government is far from over.

On Sunday, they said they were suspending it in order to enable a conducive environment for a crucial meeting of the tripartite committee involving the unions and government next week October 4 and 5.

“We have received a firm and formal invitation to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for 4th and 5th of October, 2018,” the unions said at press Sunday afternoon.

Wabba, who addressed the briefing, said next week’s meeting will be the final session of the tripartite committee after which a final report will be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Organised Labour has, after obtaining the mandate of their necessary organs, decided to suspend the strike action with effect from today, Sunday September 30, 2018,” Wabba said

“We urge all our unions and state councils to maintain a high level of mobilisation and readiness until the struggle for a reasonable minimum wage is achieved,” he stated.

The National Minimum Wage Committee was inaugurated November 2017 but commenced work March this year and drew timelines to deliver a new national minimum wage by August/ September.

“We are resuming next week, precisely on Thursday, October 4 and the meeting may split over to October 5, as we normally use two days for the meeting,” he said.

“The labour leaders have been informed about it and are expected to communicate to their members. We do not need to have any strike in the country,” Mr Ngige said following the declaration of the warning strike.

The NLC missed the point by hurriedly calling off that strike. It is immaterial the kind of inducement the NLC received from any quarters. It is disappointing to the Nigerian worker that the Union which its voice used to be stern and loud could succumb to wilfully to any antics of the government to the detriment of its members. At the end of the day, the NLC did not achieve anything.

This Ayuba Wabba led NLC has failed. It has not achieved anything since its inception. It is merely tied to the apron of the government. And the NLC must sit up to make a mark.

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Editorial Latest News

The NLC that is designed to fail

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date October 2, 2018

The NLC left its members high and dry

The NLC that is designed to fail

“We have received a firm and formal invitation to a reconvened meeting of the tripartite committee scheduled for 4th and 5th of October, 2018,” the unions said at press Sunday afternoon.

Wabba, who addressed the briefing, said next week’s meeting will be the final session of the tripartite committee after which a final report will be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Organised Labour has, after obtaining the mandate of their necessary organs, decided to suspend the strike action with effect from today, Sunday September 30, 2018,” Wabba said

“We urge all our unions and state councils to maintain a high level of mobilisation and readiness until the struggle for a reasonable minimum wage is achieved,” he stated.

The National Minimum Wage Committee was inaugurated November 2017 but commenced work March this year and drew timelines to deliver a new national minimum wage by August/ September.

“We are resuming next week, precisely on Thursday, October 4 and the meeting may split over to October 5, as we normally use two days for the meeting,” he said.

This Ayuba Wabba led NLC has failed. It has not achieved anything since its inception. It is merely tied to the apron of the government. And the NLC must sit up to make a mark.

Tags NLC

Contributors Opinion

Buhari has left Nigerians in doubt of his good intentions, by Edet Umo

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date September 4, 2018

Rev. Edet Umoh says that Buhari has left Nigerians in doubt of his good intentions

Buhari has left Nigerians in doubt of his good intentions, by Edet Umo

By Edet Umo

We could recall vividly the excitement that heralded the birth of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015. Buhari’s new personality was standing tall overboard. The campaign promises were apt with the best desires of the people: revive the economy and make Naira equal to the United States’ Dollar, fight corruption and provide security.

Spate of intolerance to freedom of expression in Nigeria is reprehensible

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date August 20, 2018

Spate of intolerance to freedom of expression in Nigeria is reprehensible

In the past few days, there have been at least three cases of first-degree assault on Nigerian journalists and media organisations. Their sin is that they publicised news items and expressed their opinions on matters of national importance. This is not the first time such demonstration of intolerance to press freedom is being forced down on Nigerians. Nigeria has had a number of assaults on the media and media practitioners especially in the military administration. But our worry is that the spate of intolerance to press freedom in the country today is increasing on daily basis and the government is not showing any sign of abating it.

Last week, a reporter of Premium Times, an online media outfit based in Abuja Nigeria was arrested by the Police alongside some senior staff of the firm in connection to a story about the Security Service’s siege of the National Assembly recently. The reporter, Samuel Ogundipe, was being pressured to reveal the source of his story, which he rightly objected to. He was arrested and detained for days. It took the intervention of notable individuals and organisations within and outside Nigeria to get the Police to release Ogundipe after some days.

On Sunday, the government of Oyo State, South-West Nigeria demolished a media house, Fresh FM, owned by a gospel musician, Yinka Ayefele. The government had accused Ayefele and the radio station of airing a particular political programme in a manner the government of the day considers offensive. There has been a running battle between the radio station and the government. The state government had threatened to demolish the radio station on ground that it is not properly situated according to the development plan of the city. However, Director of Ayefele Nigeria Limited, David Ajiboye, told reporters that the station had all the documents obtained from the state government for the establishment of the radio station on the plot it was built on and revealed that a commissioner in the government was behind the demolition saying he had approached the station to stop certain programmes. But the station had to reply the commissioner that it was only Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) that had the power to sanction a radio programme on air or close the station down the station.

The Oyo State government did not bat an eyelid demolishing that media house. This is reprehensible and sadistic.

Although released only last week after two years in detention without trial, Jones Abiri, Publisher of a Bayelsa State based newspaper, Weekly Source, is still facing trial. On July 21, 2016, heavily-armed agents of Department of State Services arrested Mr Abiri, outside his office at 288 Chief Melford Okilo Expressway, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He was accused of being a militant.

Premium Times recalled that John Angese, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Bayelsa State, in an interview in March recalled how at gunpoint the SSS threatened everyone, including journalists, not to cross a parameter line. The SSS spent hours searching Mr Abiri’s office before carting away his computer and documents, sealing his office, and taking him handcuffed into custody.

“I was personally there when he was taken away. I tried to ask what was the problem but I was rebuffed with their guns. I was threatened to be shot if I went any closer. Everybody was scared,” Mr Angese recalled.

Today in Nigeria, the government has deployed numerous strategies to check the media profession especially as it observes widespread criticism from the people through the traditional and new media.

These are clear affront to media practice and general freedom of expression which is a constitutional fundamental right of the people. The Nigerian government at all levels are increasingly intolerant of the media. It is unfortunate that the government and their agents pretend to be friends to journalists only when the journalists are their praise-singers. But these agents turn against the same journalists when they become critical. For how will this continue?

The right to freedom of expression is guaranteed and protected in Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria in the following terms: 1. Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights provides as follows: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinion without interference and to seek, receive and impart information, and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Similarly, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides for the right to freedom of expression as follows. 1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. 2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or print in the form of art or through any other medium of his choice. Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights also provides for the protection of the right to freedom of expression in the following terms: 1. Every individual shall have the right to receive information. 2. Every individual shall have the right to express and disseminate his opinion within the law.

The people of Nigeria voted to be governed democratically with adherence to their democratic Constitution. It is wrong for the elected government to thrash the Constitution and choose to govern the people with military style.

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OPINION: What is Yemi Osinbajo waiting for? By Fatoumata Oumar

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date August 16, 2018

Nigeria’s Vice President, Oluyemi Osinbajo

OPINION: What is Yemi Osinbajo waiting for? By Fatoumata Oumar

It is worrying that a lot of Africans do not consider good governance in their choice of political representation. But on the flipside, everyone yearns for good governance.

In Africa, I have observed that people are madly attached to politicians. It does not matter what the politician does with them, the only thing they know is that ‘this is our man for life’. I do not understand the cause. The best guess I can hazard is that Africans are madly attached their religious or spiritual affinity and ethno-cultural considerations. And this is dizzyingly worrying.

I have been following events in Zimbabwe closely. The theatre which eventually brought to end, the 37-year rule of a single man, Robert Mugabe, was miraculous as it was also scientific. Despite his huge failings on the economy and democratic tenets, Mugabe was everything in Zimbabwe. People who might not have benefited anything directly from him still chanted solidarity songs and you dare not say no to him. It took the military to stage a sort of a coup to force Mugabe to resign.

In Cameroon, you would be surprised to see Paul Biya’s crowd of supporters. He is 85 going to 86 and he has declared his intension to run for re-election. Biya has not been able to stem the Southern Cameroon secession crises which has turned almost into a civil war. But people have resigned to fate that as long as Paul Biya wishes to remain in power, they would have no choice than to support him.

Then in South Africa, no matter the sins that Jacob Zuma committed: heightened corruption and sexual scandals, until his forced deposition last February, Zuma had clout, controlling some huge crowd of supporters. A State Governor in South-East Nigeria, Rochas Okorocha, who undoubtedly admires Zuma even erected a statue worth more than 500 million Naira to honour Zuma.

It is like this across Africa. People like to support ‘our own person’ irrespective of the capacity of the person. For us to move forward, we must get weaned of this nepotist tendencies.

2019 is election year in Nigeria. Nigeria’s election is important to the world, particularly Africa because it will shape a lot of things in Africa either positively or negatively. But I have heard some Nigerians say that they do not have an option than to re-elect Muhammadu Buhari. It is not in question that Buhari has performed poorly as a President. Nigeria’s economy has dipped. Insecurity has heightened. The country has been divided further along ethnic and religious lines. The Naira fell from about 180 Naira to a one USD in 2014/2015 when Buhari became president to about 360 naira to one USD today. The government has tried to re-float the economy by injecting huge amounts of money into the economy but underlaying poor economic policies have not allowed to economy to rebound.

It is not correct to say that there is no alternative to Buhari. Saying so would be undermining the enormous human capital in Nigeria. When you ask for competent people that can run the political affairs of Nigeria, one person that readily comes to mind is Yemi Osinbajo, the incumbent Vice President. Osinbajo has gradually and easily sneaked into the minds of many Nigerians. Osinbajo does not appeal to Nigerians from both North and South just because he is a Christian; not because he is Yoruba or that he is diminutive or a technocrat. He has been able to appeal to Nigerians because he is humble and focused. He has listening ears and he can take actions that cut deep.

Osinbajo’s decisions as Acting President during the leeway Buhari went on medical vacation have helped stabilised Nigeria. The newest is the order to rejig the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the Nigerian Police Force. If you are living in Nigeria, you’ll understand why a rejig of SARS was long over-due. People yearned for it because the SARS team slipped from their official roles and started inflicting some violations on people under the cover of the Police. Second, the immediate action to relief Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, of his job was also apt. Daura had become too controversial. No matter the love you have for him, in the interest of the national unity, Daura needed to step aside. That singular act has brought calm to the country which was at the verge of implosion following some actions or alleged actions of the former DSS boss.

Osinbajo represents a unifying factor for all Nigerians. When the Niger Delta militants incessantly sabotaged the Buhari administration at the early life of the regime, Osinbajo’s official trip to the Niger Delta region where he spent days, consulting with the Niger Delta stakeholders helped brought calm to the region. After the visit, it is on record that Nigeria’s oil out-put improved.

Osinbajo has been able to take far reaching decisions that represent good governance even as the Vice President on acting capacity. Then, one can imagine what Osinbajo would be able to do when he becomes the President and Commander in-Chief.

I do not understand the political undercurrents in Nigeria. But from an observer’s point of view, a lot of Nigerians are yearning for Osinbajo and he is not a bad market. It won’t be difficult to sell Osinbajo to Nigerians if he decides to run for the highest office in the land. But, like I have said, I do not know what Osinbajo is waiting for.

Fatoumata Oumar is a journalist and Editor at Discover Africa News

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Business Opinion

Akwa Ibom: Sustainable Development in Nigeria’s Prime Investment Destination, By Udeme Etukeyen

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date July 17, 2018

Akwa-ibom state Governor, Udom Emmanuel

Akwa Ibom: Sustainable Development in Nigeria’s Prime Investment Destination, By Udeme Etukeyen

Seen from afar, Nigeria is one large African nation and the continent’s most robust economy, but within the powerhouse that Nigeria represents there are several engines that drive the economy. Best known is Lagos State, which includes Nigeria’s largest city and economic capital, but beyond there a less known success stories that merit global attention.

Of Nigeria’s 36 states, debatably the most impressive is Akwa Ibom state, led by Governor Udom Emmanuel, elected only three years ago. Just last month Governor Emmanuel commissioned seven new roads with 34 additional roads planned to provide over 2000 jobs to the state and stimulate commerce among Akwa Ibom’s population of four million.

A noted adherent of impact investing, Emmanuel selects projects for his state that add value beyond the sums marked on contracts or the profit margins racked up by contractors. Public benefit must be calculated in far more sensitive and inclusive terms, and Governor Emmanuel’s Sustainable Development Agenda over the last 1096 days does just that.

AGRICULTURE

With Africa’s 65% of its land still unexploited and food imports debilitating local economies, Akwa Ibom’s developmental finance strategy included a technical committee on agriculture and food sufficiency which broadened the “Dakkada” mindset in youth people, women and the elderly. With increased acreage of cultivated land growing by over 40,000 hectares comprising now 11,000 hectares earmarked for an ongoing coconut plantation, 24,000 hectares for new rice projects including two rice mills, 3,000 hectares of cassava lantations with rehabilitated processing facilities for garri, cassava pellets, flour, and ethanol, and the rehabilitation of competitive oil palm and cocoa estates, Akwa Ibom’s position as a leading food producer and exporter in Nigeria is assured.

The state government has facilitated thousands of high yield seedlings of oil palm, plantain suckers, maize and citrus seeds to ensure optimal source of farm input for its local population. The state policy on agriculture is firmly hinged on mitigating food scarcity, ensuring food sufficiency and security which impacts over a million households.

The Ibom Greenhouse Project has induced export capabilities for vegetables, tomatoes, cucumber, encouraging a massive response by young farmers to take up various forms of agriculture as a new economic mainstay. The government via partnerships with investors has also established a fertilizer blending plant at Abak, a meat processing facility project at Itam, a cattle ranch at Adadia, and an Akwa prime hatchery at Mbiaya and other strategic agribusinesses and related technical services.

To date over 20,000 hectares of land have been cleared providing businesses and economic activity for equipment owners, farmers, input producers and direct/indirect jobs for households within the state and beyond. Akwa Ibom is positioned to feed her people and indeed the nation, making Akwa Ibom an attractive investment destination for those interested in the agribusiness sector.

INDUSTRIALIZATION

The innovative industrialization policy of Akwa Ibom State merits some comment too. Leading a much-needed and highly progressive departure from an epoch of oil revenue dependency and federal allocations Akwa Ibom state has understood that the key to industrialization is increasing power generation. The governor has seen to this by securing additional licensing for the state-owned power company increasing capacity from 190MW to 685MW, unlocking distribution via massive investment in substations and feeder lines, and installing a network of new power infrastructure around the state enabling parts of the state capital with 15-18 hours of power per day.

Dedicated lines and infrastructure have targeted special projects such as the airport, the Ibom Specialty Hospital and the industrial clusters in Onna, Uyo and Itu.

With both road and power infrastructure being addressed, the state government has pursued its first phase of its ambitious industrialization agenda by delivering an Electric Digital Metering Plant providing metering solutions that unbundle the legitimate concerns of investors, namely tracking power tariffs.

The state is also proud of its strategic investment in syringe manufacturing with capacity large enough to cater to Africa’s 2.4 billion-strong demand for syringes by producing 350 million units with capacity to upscale to 1 billion, adequate to cater for both local and international markets.

The state has also increased progress in a proposed flour mill within the Onna Industrial Cluster.

Hundreds of Akwa Ibom daughters and sons have been trained abroad to take up various technical and managerial aspects of these investments as part of the 350-strong human-power needs of the cluster.

As part of the overall vision, companies like the Peacock Paints Factory in Etinan have received fresh funding and rehabilitation, several state-owned enterprises and assets have become the prize possession of new investors who’ve encouraged that resources be assigned to business development from the state’s investment structure.

The recent establishment of the Itu Cluster which houses the Akwa Ibom Enterprise and Employment Scheme (AKEES) has promoted the creation and opening of a state-of-the-arts toothpick factory, pencil production and particle wood processing facility as well as bamboo conversion facilities increasing economic impact with 200 new, direct jobs and 400-500 indirect jobs, and creating foreign exchange opportunities with these products as exports.

With several MOUs and EOIs in place, the state continues to be the second highest destination for FDI in Nigeria, and prospects for growth in the SME sector look promising. International development agencies and the private sector are both positioned to forge the development of the state’s growing MSME sector. As negotiations result in executable action the huge FDI gap between Lagos and Akwa Ibom states lessens while under-developed opportunities in the later promise to render Akwa Ibom an increasingly attractive investment destination.

OVERALL SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT

In creating the Economic Strategy and Investment Plan, Governor Emmanuel has been clear in stating that a major plank of his government would be to harness developmental projects that would deliver maximum returns on investment and create employment opportunities for the people of the state while catalyzing food production. His vision for the future is “to transform the economy of our state via industrialization and sustain public-private-sector initiatives, and thereby opening up opportunities for growth and improved living standards,” the governor stated, “and to continuously develop, mobilize, and empower our women and youth via planned and well-articulated capacity-building programmes…” The state’s target, he said was to “provide trade, commerce and tourism between Akwa Ibom and the rest of Nigeria, and in fact, the rest of the world.”

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Editorial Latest News

EDITORIAL: Ramaphosa’s half-hearted answer to illegal killing of Nigerians in South Africa.

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date July 13, 2018

L-R: South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa and his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari during Ramophosa’s visit to Nigeria recently

EDITORIAL: Ramaphosa’s half-hearted answer to illegal killing of Nigerians in South Africa

Protection of lives and property which is the foremost responsibility of the state power seems to have been relegated to the background especially in Africa. Under their noses, people get killed and they look elsewhere. Whether killings are politically, economically or socially motivated, the government should be able to stem them in order to give account any life under its boundaries.

While reacting to attacks and killings of foreigners, including Nigerians more especially, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that South Africa does not hate Nigerians; that the killing of Nigerians by South Africans is a matter of criminality. Ramaphosa in Abuja told Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians were not specifically targeted. Full stop.

One would have expected Ramaphosa to go ahead and tell world, on Nigeria’s instance, how far the government of South Africa has gone to bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice. Yes, Ramaphosa is barely five months in office but within the few months, more than five Nigerians have been reported killed illegally in South Africa and their businesses destroyed in Rutenberg. Ramaphosa should have been able to explain how far his government has gone either stop these killings or punish their perpetrators.

There should be statistics. On the killings in February, March and May and in July, this is what the government has been able to do. This will go a long way to assure foreigners in South Africa that the government is making effort to stem xenophobic attacks. It will also serve as caution to South Africans who take delight in killing and maiming people from other countries.

The government of South Africa should let its citizens understand that just the way Nigerians are living in South Africa, South Africans are also living in Nigeria. South Africa even have some of the most thriving businesses in Nigeria—the MTN and DSTV. What if Nigerians start killings South Africans and destroying their businesses in Nigeria to balance the terror? The result would be catastrophic.

Ramaphosa should be interested in ascertaining how many South Africans who have been killed in Nigeria in similar circumstances? Are there no criminality and criminals in Nigeria?

The South African President came to Nigeria, to among other things persuade Buhari to sign the African Free Trade Agreement, a fine document that could foster economic prosperity in Africa. Free trade in Africa should also embody free movement of African citizens to at least other African countries without being molested. To the ordinary citizens who may not understand the intricacies of international trade relations among African countries, their only concern would be their protection in any African country they have pitched their tent. These citizens need to be assured of the protection of their lives and their hard-earned property.

African leaders should sharpen their sense of protection of, not only Africans, but also other nationals in their countries.

Ramaphosa said: “I want to state here and now that South Africans do not have any form of negative disposition or hatred towards Nigerians and there are many Nigerians in South Africa and in a number of places, in our country, they live side by side (with South Africans). They cooperate very well and some are in the corporate structures of our various companies and some are traders and some are into a number of things.

“So, I want to dispel this notion that when a Nigerian loses his or her life in South Africa, it is as a result of an intentional action by South Africans against Nigerians. That is simply not true.

“You will know that South Africa has a number of challenges, one of which is criminality and which is all pervasive. We have over a number of years been bringing down a number of crimes in our country and we are working on a concerted basis to ensure that crime does come down. And the criminality that we have is borne out of a number of factors – one of those is unemployment among people.

“Twenty seven per cent of South Africans are unemployed which amounts to about nine million and most of these are young people. Poverty is still all pervasive in South Africa and this emanates from our very sad history of apartheid misrule.

“There is still inequality in South Africa, a few people are extremely rich and majority of our people are very poor and all these factors and other social factors have contributed to the high levels of crime. And criminality is something like I said that we are focusing on, doing everything to bring it down.

“And on top of everything else, people in various parts of the country who get engulfed in acts of criminality, majority of them are South Africans and some of them will be foreign nationals and will either be Nigerians and other people from other countries.

“These are acts of criminality and I want to end by saying that, when we were involved in our struggle, we said that the South Africa that we are fighting for is the South Africa which will regard everyone who lives in South Africa on the basis of equality, respect for human rights. And we said that South Africa belongs to all the people who live in it.

“So, Nigerians who are in South Africa are also part of our community. They can never be targeted on an intentional basis as people who must either be attacked or killed and when that happens, l will like all of us to see that as an act of criminality which in the main affect many South Africans in the various parts of our country. In that regard, and we will like that you should never think that it is being done against Nigerians intentionally.

“It is an act of criminality and our government is determined to bring the levels of criminality down and also to go after those who perpetrate these acts of criminality so that anyone who attacks anyone in South Africa will be pursued with the might of the law to make sure they are brought to justice.”, he said.

Nothing in Ramaphosa’s answer to the killing of not less than 120 Nigerians in South Africa in less than three years is satisfactory. The government must wake up to its responsibilities to stem retaliatory and ripples attacks on African citizens anywhere they find themselves.

Tags Nigeria, ramaphosa, South Africa

Editorial War/Crisis

Ramophosa’s half-hearted answer to illegal killing of Nigerians in South Africa.

Post author By Kings UBA
Post date July 13, 2018

L-R: South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramophosa and his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari during Ramophosa’s visit to Nigeria recently

EDITORIAL: Ramophosa’s half-hearted answer to illegal killing of Nigerians in South Africa.

While reacting to attacks and killings of foreigners, including Nigerians more especially, South African President, Cyril Ramophosa, said that South Africa does not hate Nigerians; that the killing of Nigerians by South Africans is a matter of criminality. Ramophosa in Abuja told Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians were not specifically targeted. Full stop.

One would have expected Ramophosa to go ahead and tell world, on Nigeria’s instance, how far the government of South Africa has gone to bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice. Yes, Ramophosa is barely five months in office but within the few months, more than five Nigerians have been reported killed illegally in South Africa and their businesses destroyed in parts of South Africa. Ramophosa should have been able to explain how far his government has gone either stop these killings or punish their perpetrators.

Ramophosa should be interested in ascertaining how many South Africans who have been killed in Nigeria in similar circumstances? Are there no criminality and criminals in Nigeria?

African leaders should sharpen their sense of protection of, not only Africans, but also other nationals in their countries.

Ramophosa said: “I want to state here and now that South Africans do not have any form of negative disposition or hatred towards Nigerians and there are many Nigerians in South Africa and in a number of places, in our country, they live side by side (with South Africans). They cooperate very well and some are in the corporate structures of our various companies and some are traders and some are into a number of things.

Nothing in Ramophosa’s answer to the killing of not less than 120 Nigerians in South Africa in less than three years is satisfactory. The government must wake up to its responsibilities to stem retaliatory and ripples attacks on African citizens anywhere they find themselves.

Tags Nigeria, South Africa