The Black Thought Reformer

Unity without Understanding - A Logical Fallacy

2012-02-03T14:09:00.002-05:00

PREAMBLE
Those who follow my writings and comments on twitter, Sahara Reporters and this blog are well aware of my mantra: "Nigeria, nay Africa, cannot progress without holding a National Conference".

Some have been upset by my insistence on this point, in particular those who envision a conference where different groups complain and drag up shameful aspects from the past that vested interests would rather see silenced.
Others who are focused on their personal "unity" and "power to the people" projects may - understandably -be concerned that the reopening of old wounds and the potential realignment of 'progressive' forces along tribal-religious fault lines may spell doom for their 'vision'.
Regardless of the reason for avoiding the debate, opponents of independent African nations holding sovereign national conferences are proving to be as blind to the real issues that plague the continent as the leaders they take joy in castigating, reprimanding and upbraiding.

I will use Nigeria - as I often do - as my case study here, but the lessons and suggestions are equally applicable to any African country that has not had a citizen body gather to answer the age-old question that has bothered many a nation - Quo Vadis (Where Do We Go)?

PURPOSE
Ultimately, such a conference would identify and propose implementable solutions to national issues starting with the question: "what does it mean to be Nigerian"?
In answering this question and addressing the issues that divide us, we will be better able to understand our brothers and sisters from various tribes and religions.
So which issues facing Nigeria would be solved by a National Conference - assuming its recommendations are signed into law?
The answer is "all of them".
Seriously.

Let us examine the main issues that would be addressed by this potential conference:

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
Fears of marginalization/domination. This fear led to the counter-coup of 1966, as well as the ongoing security concerns in the Niger Delta and North, inter alia.

Federal Character/Quotas. This is also known as the lack of meritocracy and has caused a decline in the quality of education, healthcare and industry in the country.

Structural Defects in the Federation. Whether you are pro-unitary or pro-confederacy or pro-federacy, I think we can all agree that the existing mishmash of unitarism and federalism does not work.

Nature of Government. Do we want an executive that rules by fiat (a bastardization of the American system it was supposedly modeled after) as exists today or a governing parliament whose membership accurately reflects the diversity of the country and which can be recalled for non-performance?

Injustice. The civil war discussion has never been fully had, including allegations of genocide, forced starvation and illegal acquisition of properties; Ogoniland and much of the Niger Delta is an environmental nightmare while leaders feed fat; Boko Haram and the lack of opportunities for Nigerian youth and the list goes on.

"Wait a second", you may be saying. "What about all the constitutional conferences and how was Nigeria formed anyway if we never sat down at a table?"
We didn't.

Let us examine history.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL GATHERINGS
Pre-Berlin Conference. Until the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, there had been no concept of nations outside of the tribes that existed in the area known as Nigeria today. For that matter, this pattern was repeated throughout the African continent. Ergo, the concept of 'Nigeria' would have been non sequitur.

Post-Berlin Conference. After the Berlin Conference when the British 'right' to the area now known as 'Nigeria' was recognized, the Royal Niger Company was formed. It was in fact this consortium that spent the next sixteen years identifying the tribes and territories to be amalgamated into what became the Southern and Northern protectorates of Nigeria. Again, no one consulted the Igbo woman or the Hausa man or the Tiv woman.

Amalgamation. This much-maligned event took place in 1914, not because the Yoruba man said he didn't like the idea of requiring a passport to visit his Fulani bride. No, it happened because the two protectorates were proving difficult to govern separately from an economic standpoint. Again, no one consulted the local population.

Colonial Conferences. The value of these conferences is hard to gauge. The nationalist leaders, for all their intellect and patriotism, were not necessarily concerned with the details of citizenship and governance. They just wanted the yoke of British rule removed. Warning signs of future conflicts based on utterances by certain party leaders were missed by many in their haste to be independent. After all, it is on record that the north would not have wanted a union with the south if they were an economically viable entity (Governor-General's Report, 1958).

Post-Colonial Constitutional Conferences. All of these were convened by the military regimes in power who appointed mostly self-seeking political and economic jobbers to the conference. The result was a series of incoherent and bland documents, one of which we still unashamedly call a 'constitution' today.

I should note that only the Aburi Conference in 1967, constituted by young military officers, comes close to being called a 'national conference'. If a hastily convened - by men who knew nothing of governing - conference at the height of the nation's division can have such a profound impact nearly 50 years later, how much more one today in this age of social/citizen media!

Ergo, we can conclude that there has been NO independent gathering of Nigerians in a democratic setting to sit down and outline their differences, unifiers and chart a clear path forward.

THE CONFERENCE
I won't go into what I think the composition of the conference should be - those are details that an independent planning committee, made of a combination of unions, political parties and professional groups will determine. Suffice to say that for this conference to be successful it is important that all sessions are open-door with both local and foreign observers given full access to the proceedings. In addition, the resolutions of the conference should be subject to a referendum which every Nigerian will be able to vote in. The plan, if approved, should be passed into law and incorporated into the constitution as ammendments.

If people want to gripe, moan and complain, let them. It is part of the healing process. Once everyone has done that, tackling the issues raised earlier can then be approached with an aware, understanding mind by everyone in the room and will be easier because there will be no pussyfooting or dancing around sensitive issues.
Such an open, independent approach to nation building will do more for Nigeria's future growth than any "let's oust the present corrupt government in exchange for another one which may be just as bad" project. Nigeria needs invasive surgery, not a facelift, as much as some of us may want to hasten the process and get to the utopic future of our dreams as soon as possible.

CONCLUSION
Early in the last decade, the late Beko Ransome-Kuti said "without a Sovereign National Conference, the future of Nigeria remains threatened and monumental pitfalls await the country."
Events of the last 12 years have proved Dr. Kuti right. Right now, our future is threatened and we have evidence of the monumental pitfalls that await us if we proceed along the path we are on.
There can be no real unity without understanding the reasons for the disunity, and there exists no better way to identify and propose the solutions required to heal our ailing continent than the individuals of these countries voicing their fears, concerns and hopes through a gathering that pays no heed to tribe, gender or social stature.
Only a sovereign national conference provides this avenue. In agitating, let that be our cry. A joint cry as an oppressed people. A cry for our voices to be heard.

Of Africa and Leadership

2012-01-22T11:05:00.000-05:00

I started this blog post with no discernible topic in mind, but with an end goal formulating somewhere in my cerebral complex. Let's take stock of some of the happenings over the last week in the political landscape of the African continent:

- The Ethiopian Prime Minister is stealing land from Ethiopian farmers (at least we could quasi-sympathize with Mugabe in Zimbabwe for taking land from white owners). This one? Not so much...

- The Nigerian President's impotency shows no signs of letting up. It's doubtful that even Cialis will be able to revive this man's flagging fortunes.

- The #OccupyNigeria movement cascaded into a series of pointed fingers, 'betrayals' by certain elements in the Save Nigeria group as well as organized labor (although we expected this, we still expressed our righteous rage).

- Democratic Republic of Congo's Joseph Kabila is using his security forces to tackle opposition to his self-declared 'victory' in November's elections.

What is it with Africa and her leaders?

Will a time ever come when Africans will elect and be led by men and women of integrity, honesty and deep gravitas? Or are we to be forever the problem child of the world, stuttering from one crisis to another; constantly looking at the world with the big-eyed, 'help me' visage that those of us in West see in the all the aid agency TV ads?

How is it that the United States, once a bastion of racial intolerance (and still with many pockets of such), can elect an African-American as President while Africans continually look at the tribe and accent of the person who is interviewing for a simple secretarial position, not to mention for any position that exerts influence and authority?

Joseph de Maistre once said "every country deserves the government it elects". If we are to assume that this statement holds true, and I believe it does, what does it mean in the grand scheme of things?

It means that the acts committed by our leaders on a grand scale - and sometimes in full view of the world - are simply magnifications of the ones we carry out in our day to day lives. If we show preference to someone because they come from our part of the country, or were educated at the same schools we were, or are friends of the family - or for any other tie that binds - why should we expect our leaders to not appoint their friends and cronies into positions of trust? Certainly, if I wanted to rig elections and salt away the nation's resources for my benefit, am I not likely to appoint my friends?

For our leaders to change, we have to change. We have to change the way we view those whose views are different from ours and we have to seek the common good, not our own personal agendas. Using the #OccupyNigeria protests as an example, many acts of looting and violence were carried out in the name of "seeking justice". Many politicians and former technocrats who were part of failed administrations used it as a chance to score political points and push personal agendas. In all this brouhaha, is it any surprise that the movement failed to gain the critical mass required for it to become self-sustaining a la those of Egypt and Tunisia.

And what if our leaders are not representative of us?

Then the answer lies in choosing who we want to be our leaders. Not selecting from a godfather-approved list of self-serving vagabonds, but actually choosing the people we want to push onto those lists. It starts at the local government/municipal level. If there is someone who is dedicated to the community, who is selfless and who has accomplished much with little, we should be approaching them and telling them that their candidacy is of importance to the local government. This should be translated to the state and federal levels for both the executive and legislative arms of government.

There is a classic African example of this. When Nelson Mandela came out of prison, the people of South Africa approached him to become President. He was a successful one, especially in uniting a fractured country. When the ANC imposed Jacob Zuma as their candidate, sure he was elected, but how has he fared? South Africa today is more fractured it was in 1996. There's something about being the peoples' choice - invariably you reflect their will, whatever that will is.

Regardless of how one views the leadership in Africa today, it's clear that it requires a major overhaul. Moving this leadership to the 21st century requires paradigm shifts for us as individuals and the way we view those of differing faiths and tribes. It also requires proactivity in going after those we know are proven difference-makers and ensuring that our choices - not selections - are made in general elections.

The choice is ours.

Boko Haram - A Threat to Occupying Africa

2012-01-13T11:50:00.002-05:00

In my post last week, I hinted at the ethno-religious faultline that threatens the total permeation of the #OccupyNigeria movement in the minds of the Nigerian polity. Some have asked me to expand on that idea, while others have forced my hand with their total avoidance of the issue. I'm interested in expantiating further in order to explain why #OccupyNigeria faces greater risks to its success than similar demonstrations in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain; countries which have more homogenous populations. The lessons learned from #OccupyNigeria - whether it succeeds or fails - will be important for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, where tribal and religious faults and the perceptions that come with those go hand in hand with politics. Kenya, South Africa and Uganda are some countries to watch on this front.

If there's one thing we learn growing up as children, it is that hiding that broken lamp or chipped china can only delay its eventual discovery by your parents and your subsequent punishment. As great as it would be to sweep dividing issues under the carpet and pretend they don't exist, every so often the carpet edge will be lifted and the dust laid bare for all to see.

Boko Haram has made a show since 2009 of targeting security installations and security personnel. Most Nigerians were unaffected by these random attacks which did not display any coherence in pattern or targets. Recently however, their attacks have been focused on a combination of Christian or Southern Nigerian targets in the north. The turn of these attacks towards the sectarian has attracted the attention and concern of everyone, understandable given Nigeria's history with civil war, ethnic conflicts and the causes thereof.

In particular, the questions being asked are - are the attacks political but designed to create tribal-religious tensions or are they religious to the full extent of Boko Haram's stated objectives of eliminating Western influences, including Christianity? Who is behind them if they are political? If they are religious, what does that say about the tolerance of Nigerians for different religions, creeds and tribes?

While politicians dance around the Boko Haram issue and the intellectuals and 'progressives' in social media close ranks to prevent any discussion of these senstive issues, the truth is that South-Easterners and South-Southerners cannot continue to bear the brunt of any flare-up in the north, attacked whenever the passions and ire of some northern youth are stoked by selfish leaders intent on causing destabilization in the country. This identity and security issue could explain the "fence" position of Ohaneze in the recent mass protest and the overt support for the government by South-southerners, even those who oppose him on matters of policy. Their positions are not defensible, considering the ineptitude of Mr. Jonathan's government, but how do we bring the masses of these two geo-political zones into the #OccupyNigeria fold?

The intellectuals may not want to address the root causes of the Boko Haram concern, lest they annoy the valiant northern youths who have so far been one of the two major prongs of the #OccupyNigeria movement (the other prong being the Lagos-based twitterati) but the fact that not all Nigerians are safe in every part of Nigeria is a concern. I believe however, that northern youths who are desirous of genuine change want to eliminate Boko Haram as much any other Nigerian, so why not address the pink elephant in the room and be forever rid of it?

Until #OccupyNigeria brings the Boko Haram (and general security) debate to the table, it will be seen by those who have been attacked and told to keep quiet out of national unity as a movement which is "anti-government of the day" as opposed to a movement which is "pro-Nigerians". The differences between those two images are subtle but powerful. It is the difference between a nationwide movement and a movement whose biggest winners are opposition figures (some of dubious reputation) rather than the Nigerian people.

The rest of Africa is watching and waiting.

#OccupyNigeria. Then What?

2012-01-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

This week, Nigerians started doing something they haven't done in several years.
They started pushing back.
This push-back is primarily against a government and a political umbrella (the word "party" or "ideology" does not factor into this monolith's modus operandi) - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - which has dominated the political landscape of the Fourth Republic. On a lesser scale, it is also against the political leadership of Nigeria, highlighted by the financial black hole otherwise known as the National Assembly.

That it took this long to happen is not surprising. Recently, Nigerians have proven to be politically passive until government policies hit their pocketbooks. We can live with fraudulent elections, government corruption and the rape of justice; but make sure food and fuel prices stay the same! Ergo, the removal of the fuel subsidy - a move that makes perfect sense on paper but none whatsoever to a citizen living on $2 a day - was the perfect catalyst for such action.
Not since the annulment of the 1993 elections has there been such a concerted wave of uprisings and civil mass action; welcome development for a country that was beginning to look like its citizens were completely apathetic and willing to roll over for tyrants to trample on in the hopes of being able to "chop one day".

In the midst of this upheaval and social media-driven activism, there are some troubling developments as well as questions that need answering. These include the silence of the nation's religious leaders, the two-faced approach of organized labor and the geopolitical polarization/stratification of the mass action. Until these imbalances are reversed, the #OccupyNigeria movement will not gain the traction it requires to work.

Some might wonder why I have not included the silence of the legislature and the judiciary as causes for concern. However, those with any knowledge of the political landscape in Nigeria know that these two organs, supposedly intended to provide checks and balances for the executive arm of government, are merely appendages of a leprous body. In a country where over 75% of the citizenry live on less than $2 a day, legislators pocket an average of $1.2m a year in salary and allowances. The judiciary is corrupt, with revered justices competing to be the latest lapdog and "endorser" of whichever corrupt and fraudulently elected government is in power. The silence of these lambs is to be expected - why should they "pour sand in their garri" or "kill the goose that lays their golden eggs"?

So let us ignore the three arms of government who have sold themselves for thirty pieces of silver - or millions of dollars a year, whichever suits your fancy.

Where are the religious leaders?

In a country - one of the few remaining in the world - where over 90% of the population still believe in God and belong to organized religion, why aren't the pastors, priests and imams speaking out against the removal of the fuel subsidy? Why aren't they speaking out against the treachery and tyranny of an imposed government (let's call a spade a spade - the April elections were farcical) which is causing untold hardships to millions of their flock? Why haven't they used their important positions as spiritual leaders to drive the people to action, as was done in Egypt and other countries where true revolution was achieved ?

The answers are sad, but simple. In Nigeria, most religious leaders are all about themselves and not their congregation. We have pastors with several private jets, homes in Dubai and the French Riviera, for-profit schools and universities; and luxury cars. We have imams who collect money from politicians to get the youth vote in their favor, but who don't question the same politicians and call them to order when their corrupt practicies drive the people deeper into poverty.

In the famous words of M.I, "God will indict", but people need to start speaking out against these mostly self-appointed religious leaders. They too, should be occupied.

Where is organized labor?

The NLC, since its days as a useful tool in the hands of autocratic military regimes, has graduated to bigger and better things. Despite the fact that representatives of most labor unions sit on the board of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), none of these supposed representatives of the common worker had the sense to mobilize citizens en masse and have them ready for civil action the same day the subsidy was removed, or to sound the alarm if - as I'm sure they'll claim - they were squeezed out of the decision-making/implementation process. Since then, they've been speaking from both sides of their mouth - vowing to resist the changes, but then having some of their sub-union (like the road transport union) leaders voicing support for subsidy removal. Coupled with the lack of coherence in their response and the rumors of secret meetings with no post-press conferences, it is obvious that money has either changed hands or is in the process of changing hands. Who shall occupy them?

Where are the South-East and South-South?

This is not an ethnic discussion - although that topic bears watching as well - but rather a geopolitical one, after all there are Igbos, Ijaws, Efiks, Ibibios, Itsekiris and Urhobos participating in the 'movement' outside the South-East/South. With the exception of Benin, which is practically in the South-West, there is not one South-East or South-South city that has demonstrated a high level of tolerance for the restoration of the subsidy. Certainly not any that can be measured in the number of people hitting the streets.

Is it that they don't care?

I don't think so.

It boils down to education, awareness and opportunity. While it has been relatively easy for the twitterati of Lagos to mobilize as far north as Ibadan and Ilorin, or the folks in Kaduna and Abuja to engage the north; the same cannot be said of many in the South-East and South-South. These areas, despite possessing some of the highest levels of education in the country, also lay claim to being among the most politically apathetic.

What is the solution?

Just as has been done in other parts of the country, the enlightened twitterati and activists need to visit these parts of the country to sensitize them. Even in places like Ibadan and Kano, the average citizen who joined a protest may not have understood the basis for the protest but was mobilized because someone came there, spoke and energized. For the struggle to be far-reaching and impactful, this same proliferation has to extend to the South-East and South-South. They must occupy as well.

Ultimately, the general polity still suffers from lack of education about the subsidy issue, as well as the need for people to stand up to the government when it fails to fulfil its roles. Where religious and organized labor leaders have failed, we the people cannot. This means extending hands of fellowship across the entire country and relying not only on those with an ethno-religious ax to grind with the President, or those who are knowledgeable enough about his government's misdeeds, but even on those who - knowingly or unknowingly - allowed their votes to count for him or who don't care about government. Only then can the real fruits of this movement - national unity, true democracy and transparent governance - be achieved.

Reading for the Nigerian Progressive

2011-12-30T11:56:00.002-05:00

I recently mentioned an interest in getting more Nigerians to read books detailing the history of the nation in a bid to help them understand the hidden and not-so-hidden issues that continue to stifle growth in the country. A couple of people responded with requests for books that I would recommend, hence this blog.
It is my belief that only in understanding our past - the good, the bad and the ugly - can we develop the lessons learned required to improve our present and secure our future. Unfortunately, our present leaders don't read or read without understanding. If this were not the case, we would not have rigged elections, a flawed judiciary, a comatose legislature and an impotent executive arm of government.
This incompetence in government is highlighted by short memories in the polity, and that complex African tendency to "respect" those who lead us. Let us step away from these mental shackles and start using our intellect to challenge those who have failed to earn the right to rule.

Others may have their own favorites, but I hope these 5 book selections juggle memories and re-awaken the fires of nationalism and progression that lie dormant in the hearts of many a Nigerian.

Here goes, in increasing order of relevance to me:

5. My Command by Olusegun Obasanjo.

Those who know me are aware of my latent dislike of General Obasanjo - mostly for gross corruption and lack of accountability while President of Nigeria - then again, there are not too many present and former leaders of Nigeria that I hold in high esteem.
That being said, this work is notable and commendable. Obasanjo, or his ghost writer, does a fantastic job of weaving together the tapestry of the post-Ironsi Nigerian military during the civil war and how it evolved in the space of a few short months into the most fearsome army in Africa (and quite possibly one of the most equipped in the world). This evolution was propelled by both the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, strange bedfellows no doubt, demonstrating the lengths to which the world was willing to go to keep Nigeria - the hope of Africa, apparently - indivisible.
Military and civil war buffs will also enjoy the tales of battle and the subtle power plays that ensued behind the scenes; details that cannot be found elsewhere. All in all, a light and interesting read.

4. Oily Waters by Ikechi P. Ihejirika.
Okay, so I'm a little biased in this one seeing as my father wrote the book. This bias is founded in sincerity and merit, however. As someone who was an insider in Nigeria's oil/gas industry and a pioneer staff and leader in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Ihejirika was well-positioned to witness the power play between oil, national development and politics. His fictional account in this book traces the history of Nigeria from its discovery by Portugese missionary-cum-explorers in the 16th century to the issues that wracked the nation in its nascent years and beyond, in particular machinations by foreign powers greedy for Nigerian oil and their use of certain military and political elites to achieve their objectives. The prose is crisp, and the main character is one that many Nigerians will identify with.
A worthy read for those lovers of consipiracy theories and those with interest in the often murky oily waters of Nigeria who may find out that there is some truth to the myths they grew up with!

3. Why We Struck by Adewale Ademoyega.
The classic story of how and why the first military coup occurred and partially failed. There are many consipiracy theories that surround this coup, including allegations of ethnic bias and selective killings. This book goes beyond mere appearances and explains - in frighteningly lucid detail - the real reasons for the coup. An unabashed socialist/communist to the very end, parts of Major Ademoyega's story tend to get very ideological as he delves into his socialist solutions for Nigeria. While some find these aspects tedious, I found them refreshing. I don't know how many of our current government figures, not to mention social activists and military figures have the intellectual depth that was displayed by the highly astute - and detribalized - trio of Majors Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna and Ademoyega.
A must read for people who seek the truth in strange places and for anyone who has any level of interest in immediate-post-independence Nigeria.

2. A History of Nigeria by Toyin Falola
A true historical account of Nigeria by a leading historian, going back to 9000 BC. Mr. Falola examines Nigeria's pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial pasts with a fluid narrative that makes one feel that they are traveling through the ages, rather than the pages. Like Oily Waters, the book traces the global situations that have shaped - for better or worse - the geographic expression called Nigeria. In a way, one finishes reading his book and wonders how Nigeria can still exist. With the tribal, religious and political differences between the various peoples and groups of Nigeria, it is a minor miracle that the country stands - hope certainly for those who believe that there is greatness yet to be manifested by the Giant of Africa.

1. Nigeria: Oil, Politics and Violence by Max Siollun
In my opinion, this is simply the best narrative of Nigeria between 1960 and 1979. Tracing the genesis of the ethnic and political upheavals the young Nigerian nation faced in the 1960s and ending with the emergence of the second republic, Mr. Siollun presents a very balanced narrative of major incidents in the polity. The political landscape, the young military, the western region crises, the first coup, the counter-coup, Gowon's government and the assassination of Murtala Mohammed are presented with ease and familiarity. Primarily a narrative of the military that would come to rule Nigeria for the majority of its independent years, the book is as unbiased a narrative as can be found. Mr. Siollun has no sacred cows and no taboo topics.
A book about Nigeria for Nigerians by a devoted Nigerian historian.

All these books can be found online on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Happy reading!

Doing Business in Nigeria

2011-10-24T12:56:00.002-04:00

I was going to title the blog "doing business in Africa" till I recognized the fact that doing business in Nigeria is quite different from most other places on the continent, and for the wrong reasons.

We could discourse ad nauseum about the power situation, transportation network, security (or lack thereof) and the big grandaddy of all - corruption - but these are all common knowledge. Which begs the question - if we all know these are the problems, why aren't we doing anything about it? Why do we keep electing nincompoops to run the affairs of state? Why aren't our youth taking over the streets the way everyone else in the world is (for good or for ill)?

Of course, there are many entrepreneurs on the Nigerian scene - and some who are quite successful (I know a few personally) - but even they agree that a guarantee of the basic necessities would make their lives and businesses a lot smoother. It's truly a sad state of affairs when the government cannot deliver on its basic responsibilities.

I was fortunate to meet with one of the Trade Commissioners at the Canadian Deputy High Commission this morning. Trade Commissioners are empowered by the Canadian government to "make the way smooth", as it were, for Canadian companies looking to do business with the host country. Sylvia is a lovely lady and took the time to answer my questions - with healthy doses of both optimism and pessimism.

Normally, people of Nigerian origin are immune to negative comments about Nigeria from people outside the country (whether Nigerian or not). The general excuse is "well, you don't live there so you don't know what it's like".

Haha.

Try listening to a Canadian - we are do-gooders by nature - talk about the ills of the country. And she knows what she's talking about, having lived here for several years! It was an eye opener, and sad in the extreme, even for someone like me who is fairly critical of Nigeria.

After gently steering me away from any ideas I may have had about working with the government, Sylvia was quite helpful in providing me with potential pathways and people who may prove useful. It was quite a fruitful discussion and will help focus my efforts in areas where there is both a need and some level of support.

So how does one improve the environment and communities in it - and make a few bucks doing so - if the government is not a key stakeholder? This is the problem with doing business in Nigeria. The more removed a is from the government (or the less they have to regulate what you do), the easier it is to succeed. No wonder our infrastructure development is worthy of the twitter hashtag #epicfail.

This is a concern I have to overcome or else find another receptive African environment. The idea is great...the environment needs to catch up.

Turning Words into Action

2011-10-21T04:14:00.002-04:00

As I write this quick blog (after a lengthy absence, although I've contributed articles to various media - Sahara Reporters and Think Africa Press - in that time), I'm on my way to Nigeria for what I am calling a "feasibility assessment". I've written a lot about the ills on the African continent, using Nigeria as a bit of a placeholder for all those issues. In my last few posts, I started talking about doing something. I have no idea where this trip will lead, but I'm keeping an open mind as I explore the terrain, seek out fertile ground and hopefully plant a seed or two. A bien tot.

Al Gore, Global Warming and Christianity

2011-08-10T10:07:00.005-04:00

I read this article yesterday and found it indicative of how far Christianity (at least in the United States) is moving away from the Bible and immersing itself unnecessarily in scientific politics.

Al Gore's Global Warming Rant via Christian Post

Christians the world over - including myself - often complain about how the world gives us an unfair rap. We're laughed at for not accepting Darwinism at face value (even though there is no actual proof of his theory as I ably pointed out to my High School Biology teacher, much to her speechless consternation); for believing that there will be an end to this world (even though physical evidence supports our spiritual beliefs); for some modern variations to the Gospel where material wealth is obsessed over and seen as something to be gained on earth (even though the Bible doesn't encourage that tenet).

Moreso than other religions, Christianity is the subject for many a late-night TV gag reel or caricature on "contemporary" shows like Family Guy and the like. So perhaps, you can understand why Christians sometimes have an in-built defense mechanism.

Sometimes, however, we Christians don't make things easy for ourselves. I recently came across this article depicting Al Gore's (latest) rant on global warming and his vitriolic words towards those who don't believe that the world is in imminent danger. I have no problem with that. My issue begins from about halfway into the article breaks down the argument over climate change into a Christian versus Others debate.

I understand that it is the "Christian Post" and they have to try to slant everything (do they really?), but what does the viewpoint of Christians on global warming have to do with Al Gore's rants? Surely, Al Gore wasn't ranting against Christians - he's a confessing Protestant on paper - but against scientists and special-interest groups, which are more likely corporate than religious.

By bringing the argument down to religion, the paper effectively strikes a blow at its apparent position on the topic. Reducing an argument that has significant scientific weight on both sides of the debate to one that supposedly juxtaposes religion with modernity smacks of the kind of silliness that has seen liberalism in the United States turned by the right-wing media (often claiming Christian antecedents) into a haven for druggies, communists and the sexually immoral. Not remembering that there is an element of liberalism that would naturally appeal to Christians - the teachings of Christ on love for one's neighbor, on being peace-loving, on sharing with the poor. Not to mention that the right-wing features in many cases, greedy, racist and judgmental people.

It's the same in the debate over global warming. Many missionaries and people of faith have seen the effect of the earth's warming on indigenous populations the world over and have led the charge for something to be done. In the same regard, many atheist sociologists/anthropologists have denounced further action, saying that the world is just balancing itself, i.e. going through another phase of evolution and change as it always has for millions of years.

In their haste to crucify all progressive theories as being counter to religion, organizations like the Christian Post and the Christian Science Monitor (who I used to be a fan of) are doing more harm to Christianity than the very theories they despise. As long as they continue to present Chrisitianity as a bastion of rigid viewpoints and one-track minded individuals, Christians will continue to get a bad rap and be hindered in their efforts to present Christ's gospel to an increasingly cynical world.

Waiting for Africa's Fifth Estate

2011-07-04T17:05:00.007-04:00

Civil War.
Uprisings.
Corruption.
Drought.
Nepotism.
Rigged Elections.
Dictatorships.

Sounds like the Africa of old, right? The Africa that you grew up learning about in elementary school history classes. The Africa that you were inspired to change as a teenager in a classroom where there were more students than desks/chairs for them. The Africa that as a young adult, you experienced in your daily struggle…pardon me, hustle…to make it.

Actually, that is the Africa of today as events over the last few years have shown. In the midst of an economic growth (estimated 5.8% in 2012 according to the African Development Bank) that is the envy of the developed world, we are still finding ways to shoot ourselves in the foot - sometimes literally. At a time when we should be shining on the global stage, we are the mockery of a world that cannot wait for us to mess up this period of - potentially - exponential growth and high commodity revenues.

Who can blame the West for their pessimism given the situation on the ground in various countries from Angola to Zimbabwe, Egypt to Nigeria?

We have our excuses: western-imposed religion (although countries like Turkey, India and China haven't let that affect them), tribal differences (even though Switzerland, Luxembourg and India have major language breakdowns as well) and poverty-induced greed and corruption (although that didn't stop India, Malaysia or Indonesia).

So what are we waiting for?

We are waiting for Africa's largest resource - it's people - to rise up and take charge of their continent. If there's been one positive on the African landscape over the last few years, it has been the awakening of what I'll call the "Fifth Estate". This group has taken over social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Kliqy (Nigeria's own) and other such outlets. They have largely escaped the shadow of their parents' generation and have become a voice in their own right.

It's not enough to own the social media, however.

In light of the decay of our First, Second and Third Estates (Executive, Legislative and Judiciary) and the increased sectionalism and nepotism of our Fourth Estate (Media), it is up to us to decide for ourselves what is acceptable and what is not acceptable and to move beyond speaking about it to doing something about it.

It's easy to hide behind the cover and relative anonymity of a write-up (as I'm doing and as many political commentators do), but how many are willing to defend their comments if called to do so by security agencies? How many are willing to march on the streets? How many more don't care if they end up in prison? Or lose their means of livelihood?

Getting to this point - to the point where citizen-inspired movements can replace autocracies and demagogues as seen in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya - will require a close look at ourselves and the answering of some pertinent questions because as the famous latin maxim says: "He (or she) who comes to equity must come with clean hands".

- Is it acceptable for a university graduate in the sciences who has a Second Class Upper (or better) to leave school and become a trader in the market or a bus conductor simply because there are no jobs in his/her field?

- Is it acceptable for someone with a barely standard high school education, poor grammar and who hasn't achieved anything professionally (outside of being a hairstylist) to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives?

- Is it acceptable to pay a bribe so that a passport application can be processed quicker?

- Is it acceptable to give a technical job to someone who studied social sciences simply because their parent owns the company?

- Is it acceptable for you to spout off on twitter on facebook about political reform when you were part and parcel of a government that contributed to the decline of your country?

- Is it acceptable for you to jostle for political and corporate jobs on the basis of who you know despite campaigning fervently for meritocracy to be enthroned?

- Is it acceptable for you to point fingers at corrupt elements in government and industry when your parents can't explain how they can afford to send a family of six to London or Dubai for the summer on a combined monthly salary of $1000 equivalent?

For the disadvantaged folks in the scenarios I listed (jobless graduates, overqualified workers), why are you sitting down tweeting and facebooking instead of organizing rallies and demonstrating? Or is that only meant for the election season?

For those who are on the other end of the spectrum - the ones whose parents (or themselves) are part of the corrupt system and the ones who have been given advantage on the basis of who they know - are you being honest in your social media commentary or are you just part of the crowd?

The full awakening of the Fifth Estate - not the half-baked semi-slumber seen so far - will require more than my words and more than the hashtags, wall posts, blog posts and tweets that my generation puts out at an extremely prolific rate. It will require us to ensure that our hands are clean and that we are beyond reproach. What has often derailed the progressive movement in Africa has been the lifestyle or past antecedents of its proponents - from Laurent Gbagbo to Robert Mugabe, Daniel arap Moi to Nuhu Ribadu. The downfall or loss of faith in these men has been caused by their "talking the talk", not "walking the walk".

Our continent's future is bright because of the stance that the African Fifth Estate is taking and because the daily activities of our governments show that they can hear us and are wary of our reaction to their activities, if not afraid of us. Let us not squander this opportunity. Let us be the generation that finally answered the call of our great continent.

As the elders often say: a word to the wise is enough.

Summary of my Europe Trip

2011-07-04T13:44:00.006-04:00

High-speed train and plane trips in Europe have nothing on touring the region by road. By the numbers, 8 countries in 6 days and over 3000km traveled. It was also a major bucket list item of mine that I was able to cross off and in the process, I learned quite a bit about western Europe that even a European-born, self-confessed Europhile like myself didn't already know. From crawling at snail's pace through the streets of Luxembourg City's old town to hitting speeds of up to 160km/h on the A6 leading to Paris (the speed limit, i.e. slowest speed - insert smirk - was 130 km/h, so don't judge, s'il vous plait), traversing the glorious 30-plus kilometers on the Grand St.Bernard overpass/"open" tunnel that links Italy and Switzerland through a stunning tour of the Alps, driving through the Italian and French rivieras, it was a trip that promised much and delivered on its pleasures.

The ingenuity and organization of the Swiss, the absolutely horrid driving but unwavering politeness of the French and Italians, the urbane dignity of the Luxembourgish, the polished cluster of the Monegasque, the quiet efficiency of the Belgians and Dutch...all proved valuable learnings (while I take care not to overly generalize).

Luxembourg Old Town

Lausanne Harbour

Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) from the Lausanne side

The Mediterranean - seen from San Remo, Italy (Where's the sea? Where's the sky?)

The architectural wonder that is Paris by the Seine River

Claudia the Fiat, my partner in crime; close to a thousand pictures - half of which are no good since I took them while driving, the other half of which don't come close to replicating the beauty they sought to capture; memories that will last a lifetime; God granting me the grace to drive safely despite the rigour and exactness of my schedule. It was a first-class experience - in all things.
A bien tot.

(And back to regularly scheduled programming - i.e. my comments and rants on social, political and economic issues related to Africa and Africans in the Diaspora)

Euro Road Trip Day 5 - Paris to Amsterdam

2011-07-04T13:19:00.007-04:00

My amazing road trip was coming to an end, but there was so much more to look forward to with a weekend in one of the most exciting cities in the world - Amsterdam. Driving from Paris to Amsterdam therefore paled in comparison to the potential of the coming weekend, however it was a lot of fun - especially driving through lesser traveled towns that were, nonetheless, famous during the World Wars. An example of this was Arras, a small town just south of Lens, where 240 French Resistance members were executed by the Gestapo during World War II. Another was Antwerp, which as a major Belgian port, was a strategic control point for both Allied and Axis troops during World War II. Being in the presence of that history was amazing - sometimes better than the sanitized view one gets in museums and history books.

The Van Gogh Museum

Amsterdam itself was a lot of fun - it was my first time in the city proper and I must say, it's a marvel of engineering. In almost any other region of the world (except maybe Canada, Australia and Japan), a city like Amsterdam, located a bit of a ways below sea level, would not exist without some sort of periodic natural disaster overunning it. I'd add the United States to the list, but after Katrina I think it's fair to say that they haven't gotten it right when it comes to shoreline protection.

The famous graachts and houseboats of Amsterdam's inner city - very walkable and very historic. You may recognize some of these places from movies and books :-)

Houseboats on Prisengraacht

Anne Frank Museum - the lineups start at 8am

Centraal Station - one of the most iconic terminuses in the world

Leidsegraacht - very close to the world famous Leidseplein

Eastern end of Leidseplein - very close to the Pancake House :-)

Amsterdam was a lot of fun - its residents epitomize the work hard/play harder maxim. The bicycle-riding gets a bit crazy, but I'd take it over the motorbikes of Paris.
Of course, there's a seedy side to Amsterdam - and one that attracts a certain sort of tourist - but overall it's safe and its many historical sites and museums provide valuable learnings for all ages.

Daily Summary - 520km traveled, 3 countries visited: France, Belgium, Netherlands

Euro Road Trip Day 4 - Monaco to Paris

2011-06-15T20:44:00.004-04:00

I didn't think it would take me a couple of weeks to continue recounting my Euro road trip, but c'est la vie. Monaco to Paris was the longest driving stretch of the trip. Almost 9 hours of pure driving, with added time for gas/rest stops - not to mention a side detour into the French town of Viviers, where I managed to pretend I was a native French speaker until the lady at the gas station got excited and let forth a steady stream of unintelligible French. Let's just say that she was disappointed with my patchy response...

I think the natural topography of Europe is what I like about driving there - never a sedate drive like through most of North America (which is comparatively flat), other than the Allegheny mountains in Pennsylvania, which may explain why I always enjoy driving to Washington, DC. The pictures below show some of that...

As a kid who grew up in Nigeria, it's always fun to see how far the Peugeot has developed :-)

Not Your Father's Peugeot - Part 1

Not Your Father's Peugeot - Part 2

The one French town I enjoyed driving through was Lyon. I've never been there before - nor have I desired to do so - but it just seemed like a city with so much character.

Traffic in Lyon

I think I'd like to explore Lyon during a future visit to France. Not to mention, it's in a great location between Paris and the Cote D'Azur region in general.

I will say that the French are some of the worst drivers in the world - and they actually own up to it. Driving on the highways at speeds up to 150 km/h (the speed limit is 130 km/h, so don't blame me!) is edgy enough without a crazy driver behind honking for you to go even faster. Naturally, I obliged...again, don't judge :-)
Then the way they drive in the streets of Paris...let's not even go there...Claudia came out unscathed, that's all that matters.

Paris itself was fun - I didn't spend as much time exploring as I would have liked, owing to the length of my drive, but I still got to enjoy the 11th Arrondissement as well as the Champs Elysses area and all its touristy attractions. In my opinion, Paris is a bit overrated, but then again I've always said so - it just doesn't appeal to me the way Barcelona, Amsterdam and anywhere in Switzerland do. Possibly because its most famous activity - shopping - isn't a favorite of mine.

Overall, another fun day filled with driving, lots of walking, good food and some up close and personal interactions with historical monuments. In retrospect, to save the driving time, I would recommend doing this leg by taking the high-speed TGV from Nice.

Daily Summary - 958km traveled, 2 countries visited (Monaco, France)

Euro Road Trip Day 3 - Lausanne to Monaco

2011-06-03T11:24:00.004-04:00

This was probably - no, definitely - the best drive I've ever taken. It was the sort of the drive where you literally missed something if you blinked. At the start of the trip, I wasn't sure if my route would take me through the Alps, or as a lot of modern highways do, route around them for a quicker journey. Looks like the Swiss have no qualms about constructing fast-moving highways and tunnels - all 100+ of them that I drove through - up, over and under the Alps. It makes for a stunning drive, but one that's at relatively high speed, so I had to watch those corners!

All the tunnels were exciting in their own regard, but the one that takes the cake is the Tunnel Grand St. Bernard, which connects Belfort, Switzerland with Aosta, Italy. Of course, the famous St.Bernard pass (no I didn't see the dogs) encompasses this tunnel - the pass is over 30km long and is sheltered (to prevent overhanging cliffs from shedding rocks onto cars) so it essentially feels like a 30km long tunnel with windows on the side. You can imagine the view - it was breathtaking. Too bad I couldn't take a picture in there - no spots to stop and too fast and winding for control of my in-car camera.

However, you can see some of the sights I saw on the drive up, around and down....

I'm sure you can tell which camera I was using in the car and which I was stopping to go out and use :-)

Driving through Italy - land of my birth - was almost equally stunning. The view as I came south and began to turn east towards San Remo and the French border was amazing. You're driving up a mountain range, then you begin a descent, go around into a tunnel and come out staring at a backdrop of the Mediterranean. It was something special.

The French Riviera is everything you expect it to be - homes on hills, beach front hotels, fast cars, and some really great looking women. I was impressed with the area. They were prepping Monaco for the F1 race taking place the next week - it was fun to semi-race Claudia and pretend I was actually driving in the race, especially going through the famous Monaco tunnel :-).

For my money though, I'd prefer to live somewhere in Switzerland if I had a choice.

Altogether, another perfect day of driving and sightseeing. Well worth it for anyone contemplating a trip to Europe - even if you train it everywhere else, drive through Switzerland.

Daily Summary - 540km traveled, 4 countries visited (Switzerland, Italy, France, Monaco)

Euro Road Trip Day 2 - Luxembourg to Lausanne

2011-05-31T01:37:00.002-04:00

One of the reasons why I picked Luxembourg as a destination on this trip was its relative lack of popularity. This isn't because it's not a fun place - on the contrary, it's phenomenally underrated - but because it's not filled with the tourist traps of London, Barcelona, Rome and yes, Amsterdam.

It was for largely the same reasons that I picked Lausanne, Switzerland as my second pit stop. Long in the shadow of Zurich, Geneva, Berne and Basel; I was curious to see this jewel on Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and she didn't disappoint me.

If the drive from Amsterdam to Luxembourg could be rated a 7/10, this one was definitely a 9/10. Traveling from Luxembourg to Eastern France - in particular, Strasbourg and Mulhouse (one of those German-sounding French towns, really close to the German border) - and then into the organizational and architectural (both natural and human-made) marvel that is Switzerland was especially gratifying.

The picture below is of a small town called Yverdon-les-Bains. It's natural beauty was a harbinger of things to come.

Lausanne itself was everything I expected it to be. I could see the Alps as I drove in to town and I was pretty excited about the prospect of being up close and personal with them. However, the topography of the city is complex to say the least. I practically walked throughout downtown Lausanne by following my limited view of the Alps before I finally made it to the coast and saw some of the most beautiful natural sights I've ever seen (the pictures below show my slow progression south...)

And finally, the Lake Geneva harbor...

And yes, one of the best pics I took throughout this trip...lake to mountain to sky. Phenomenal.

I really could have spent the rest of my trip at this spot and not missed a beat - I haven't even shown a fraction of the stunning pictures I gleaned from this spot alone. Lausanne = highly recommended.

I like this other picture because it came out so well...this is a hotel in downtown Lausanne, right by the lake. Postcard-worthy.

Altogether, Lausanne was fantastic. Like much of Switzerland, a stunning combination of nature and the ingenuity of human beings. You can imagine how excited I was to travel through southern Switzerland (its most beautiful area) the next day after all the good that the north had shown me. I was particularly adamant about traveling through the Alps, even if it meant delaying my arrival in Monaco by an hour or two. The next blog will tell that story!

Daily Summary - 566km traveled, 3 countries visited (Luxembourg, France, Switzerland)

Euro Road Trip Day 1 - Amsterdam to Luxembourg

2011-05-31T00:54:00.001-04:00

I flew into Schipol Airport via Frankfurt, Lufthansa being my airline of choice these days. Technically, I didn't hit the ground in Germany - being in transit only - but as the first Schengen country I entered, my passport was stamped there, so I've added it to the list of countries visited. A small cheat, but who's counting? :-)

The funniest thing that happened was the German immigration officer looking at my Canadian passport and asking if I lived in Italy (I was born in Milano). Seriously, dude...if I lived in Italy, wouldn't I have flashed an Italian passport and wouldn't I have been in the line for Schengen citizens?

Flying into Amsterdam was short and brisk, other than having to check in my second piece of hand luggage because the flight was "full". That completely defeated the purpose of my taking carry-on luggage only and forced me to wait an extra half hour at Schipol. Oh well - I was too excited about the trip to care about something that trivial.

I picked up this gorgeous Fiat 500 at Schipol. I didn't name "Claudia" until I hit a moment of inspiration while journeying through the Alps later that week, but she does look like a "Claudia", doesn't she? :-)

Between Claudia and Alex, my trusty GPS, not to mention my pre-planned maps and routes, I was ready to hit the road.

First stop was Luxembourg, via Belgium. The drive there was very nice - in a countryside fashion. Lots of cows and farms, and of course, lots of windmills, especially in the Netherlands and northern Belgium. Luxembourg is a wondrous creation - the old city is built almost entirely within high walls (see below), most of the people speak Luxembourgish, German, French (and some English) and they are VERY multicultural. I had a very interesting broken French conversation with an African lady who looked and dressed like she was in her tiny French West African hamlet...which just seemed strange for one of the financial centers of Europe.

I got in around 6pm and spent most of the evening - till nigh on 11pm - walking around the old town, taking pictures and making myself (and Claudia) a general nuisance with my basic French and Nigerian-Canadian enthusiasm.

I also had this traditional Luxembourgish dinner at Mousel Cantine - roast pig's thigh with sauerkraut, green beans in gravy, farmer's bread and sliced roast potatoes. Washed down with pineapple juice, it was just what the doctor ordered.

All in all, I had a great time in Luxembourg...I took more pictures and sight-saw more than I thought I'd be able to. Importantly, I discovered that I could actually hold basic conversations in French and even some German. Good news, considering that all my future destinations would be in French-speaking locales.

Daily Summary - 425km traveled, 4 countries visited (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg)

How my random, spontaneous Euro Road Trip came about

2011-05-29T23:53:00.002-04:00

May has been quite the interesting month for me - filled with non-stop action, multi-time zones and an absolute ton of things to see and do. In retrospect, I'd do it all again - except for Air Canada canceling my flight from Fort McMurray to Toronto.

It started with work - formally met the boss's boss late in April and got some great feedback from both himself and my boss, which naturally has led to even more responsibilities at work: leading a rapid results project team, as well as being the designate for the boss when he's away; all this in addition to my normal duties as the Plant Engineer for the oldest primary upgrading unit in the world. Extremely busy and challenging, but as Nigerians are wont to say in such times "We thank God". Some have food but cannot eat, etc...(if you don't know the tune, don't worry).

Given the foregoing, you can understand why I needed a break, which the opportunity of my sister's wedding provided - technically, two weddings as is common in Nigeria: a traditional wedding on the 12th and the church wedding on the 14th. Shortly before the wedding, I also came up with the idea of a road trip through Europe. The stage was set for chaos, adrenalin and yes, fun.

It all started when Air Canada canceled my red-eye flight that was supposed to get into Toronto on the morning of the 12th. I had already cut things close by coming in on the morning of the traditional wedding (I insist on blaming my workload in the office), so you can imagine that my parents - not to mention the bride - were not pleased, considering the role I was to play in the wedding as a "son of the soil". When I finally got into Toronto - at 7pm, an hour after the wedding started - it was without my luggage, forcing me to return to the airport midway through the wedding to retrieve my belongings and ensuring that in the interim I had to squeeze my poor feet into my father's size 9 shoes (for the record, I wear 11 wides or 12s).

The rest of the weekend was equally busy, albeit in a more normal fashion, with me shuttling people around, picking up suits and tuxes from stores, and generally running the sorts of last minute errands only a wedding can serve up. All's well that ends well and the church wedding on Saturday was great, despite the rain. All involved had a good time, especially with the food and on the dance floor.

Sunday was more laid back but at that point, I was craving my proposed, rapidly-planned Europe road trip more than a fat kid craves chocolate. The next few blog posts will detail how this trip went...

Which African Union?

2011-04-04T07:16:00.006-04:00

Sub-Saharan African leaders have continually shown undue deference to people with lighter skin than theirs, and in this day and age we see that trend continuing. Recent events in Ivory Coast and North Africa have only underlined this bold statement.

It's why our leaders sold off their people and historical artifacts for mere trinkets - most of which were worthless - to the Portuguese, French and English. The belief that the man with the white skin was a god that needed to be assuaged.

It's why our leaders allowed themselves to become colonial stooges (contrast that to the colonial experience in North Africa) and allowed what at the time were foreign gods and ways of living to become de jure.

It's why since "independence", our leaders spend billions of dollars yearly on foreign education, weaponry, goods and services, etc with very little care for developing the manufacturing industries in their respective countries.

It's why despite the turmoil currently surrounding North Africa - Libya in particular - the African Union has been relatively silent. After all, Libyans are our lighter skinned brothers, relatively wealthy and with a demagogue ruling the stable - the very recipe for the AU adopting a hands-off approach.

Now I'm not suggesting that the African Union's (fronted by ECOWAS) hard-line approach to the growing crisis in Ivory Coast was misplaced. I happen to be one of the few who think the humanitarian situation there is worse than that in Libya, but of course they have no oil, so few outside the continent care. I believe that the ECOWAS response to Ivory Coast and their threat of military action against Laurent Gbagbo's illegitimate government may have saved thousands of lives, although many are still being lost on both sides.

What I am suggesting is that the incident on Libya is one that commands more international attention, if nothing else because that's where CNN, Fox News and the BBC want our attention to be. For that reason, it's where I feel our leadership, represented by the AU, should have stood up to be counted. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found, abrogating their responsibilities to the Arab League and the United Nations until it was too late.

First we saw Egypt, then Tunisia, then Libya. No strong condemnation from the AU. No similarly worded resolutions from the body asking for the maintenance of peace and civility in government response to protesters, despite the evident violence against protesters that became one of the hallmarks of the revolutions. No white paper released asking the reprobate governments and leaders involved to step down or summoning them for talks. As our leaders have shown over history, the Arab is above the black and has the ability to do as he pleases. Mubarak and Gadaffi are no different than Mugabe and Gbagbo, yet we are vocal over the very dark latter two, and silent over the very light former two.

So when the rest of the world decided to take action, the AU was once again exposed as a union of weak-willed, easily-dominated, self-centered individuals who probably thought it would be "cool" to have an organization because they saw it happening in Europe, South America and Asia. While those continents have used such continental bodies to develop trade, to improve security and share resources, the AU as a collective is more famous for its silence on critical issues affecting the continent. Biafra, South Africa (until the mid-70s when Nigeria took a lead in opposing Apartheid), Rwanda and Sudan readily come to mind. The AU is particularly silent in cases where outside groups like the United States and the United Kingdom have a vested interest.

I watched a recent BBC Hardtalk show where the African Union's Chairman, Jean Bing, said "no one approached us for our point of view" on Libya. I found his response to abound in misplaced annoyance and without substance. How can the world approach you for your point of view when you've shown no inclination to provide one? Do you really think the West is going to wait for your 'parleys' and 'deliberations' while thousands of people are killed (and thousands of barrels of oil not shipped, might I add)? We are, as usual, the architects of our growing irrelevance as an international bloc. Some questions for Mr. Bing and the AU:

Why did the African Union release its condemnation of the UN resolution on Libya after said resolution was passed?
Why didn't the AU embed peace-keepers or other such observers in Libya, as other countries were doing?
Why didn't the AU publicly condemn Moammar Gadaffi?

For decades, Gadaffi and Mubarak were allowed to do as they pleased on the African continent. They meddled in the affairs of other African nations: trying to speak for democracy, advocating the breakup of certain countries to avoid religious conflicts, posing as international diplomats...offering advice that they never practiced. The AU allowed all this and upheld them as statesmen until their people revolted. That, Mr. Bing, is why no one asked for your opinion - sadly we know what it would have been.

What will it take for the AU to achieve its potential? The people of black Africa waking up from their slumber and taking destiny into their own hands by electing the right leaders - individuals who understand the concept of pan-Africanism, who aren't looking for Western handouts, who are willing to stand for their views even in the face of opposition. Waiting until we are humanitarian situations on CNN and BBC is not acceptable, nor is it viable. Fact is, unless your country is a major supplier of oil, it will take a Rwanda-like situation to capture the world's attention. We often ponder the progression rate of African countries - especially politically and economically. This progress requires a strong African Union. Recognize, Black Africa!

We're seeing the potential start of such mass recognitions in Kenya, Nigeria and Cameroon. Let's hope it comes to fruition and sweeps the rest of the continent.

Do we have a revolutionary temperament?

2011-03-30T19:11:00.003-04:00

I've listened and read with growing amusement the articles, interviews, tweets and blog posts about the uprisings in the Middle East and how they are a portend for what was to come in Africa, in particular. It was only until I happened upon this article - http://mg.co.za/article/2011-03-30-how-african-is-the-arab-revolution that I said "finally, someone who understands the differences between black Africa and North Africa.

Now, before you crucify me, let me state without equivocation that I am a full believer in the need for a true revolution to remove the retrogressive and corrupt elements in African governments. Akin to what Jerry J. Rawlings did in Ghana in 1979, the benefits of which that country is now reaping. Also akin to Jehu in ancient Israel, as recounted in the 1st Book of Kings for those who know their Bible. Good? Great.

That being said, I am of the belief that African people - and by extension, our leaders - do not have the stomach for, nor an inclination towards a true revolution. It is somewhat antithetical to our nature and to the way the colonists divvied up our lands and assigned us to "countries". Naturally, they knew what they were doing and our leaders were their willing pawns. To make my point though, I will emphasize some points from the article and make others.

First, 'Arab' countries tend to be more homogeneous and have more unity of religion than sub-Saharan African countries do. This alone means that during a revolution, they are less likely to be concerned with being top dog, or ensuring that their peoples' "portion" or "slice of the cake" is bigger; but are wholly and completely devoted to the cause. It also ensures that when the leaders are speaking to the people, you don't have one tribe hearing one message and the next tribe hearing a different message. That unity of language and religion makes them alike and makes them a powerful bloc, even if there is some internal dissent. Look at Biafra or Katanga - although there was some opposition within the majority tribe, their downfall was in not bringing in the minority tribes into their ambit of influence, allowing said minority groups to be turned by the central government. Yes, there are Coptic sects in Egypt, but they form less than 2 or 3% of the population. As much as they were "in support" of the Muslim majority, their opposition wouldn't have counted for much had that been the case.

Secondly, the black African opposition is extremely selfish. Even within the same political organization, there are often fights about who should lead, which tribe or religion a position be "zoned" to, who is "enjoying the fruits" while others are out in the cold, and other such petty concerns. This means that the opposition can be bought or compromised - as has been seen in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya - and that even when the opposition get into power, their focus is on "getting their own share" or "payback". People with that temperament, going into office for altruistic reasons, are unlikely to die for the ordinary (I use that word lightly) citizen, a desire or will often required for a successful revolution.

Finally, there is a rather "romantic" and passionate fervor that the ordinary 'Arab' can be whipped to. Their leaders - especially religious leaders - have a way with words, to incite and to energize. Black Africans tend to be a bit more pragmatic, especially when it comes to religion. We know most of our pastors and priests are corrupt and speak out of both sides of their mouth, we know many of the mallams are collecting from the government so they don't speak out against them. We also know that in times of danger, they will be the first to flee to whatever exotic mansion they own in the south of France or in Dubai. As such, we tend to treat such fervor with a degree of suspicion and we ask ourselves questions like "this pastor who is asking us to protest or to vote for someone, what's in it for him/her?"

The labor organizations and media would ordinarily have been the ones to pick up the dropped standard, but again, many of them have been compromised or find themselves firmly planted in one political ground or the other, and in many cases, become the stumbling block to progression and transparency of our governments.

To conclude, I'm not saying we won't ever see an African revolution, but whatever we see has to be so powerful so that even the market woman who earns $2 a day and is offered $5 to sell her vote resists. It has to be so powerful that a labor leader who is offered an ambassadorial post in return for delivering his constituents to a corrupt party or platform resists. So powerful that the police guarding the polling booths risk their lives in order to prevent thugs from making off with ballot boxes. I proffer that we are not there yet - it requires a change in mentality, it requires a selflessness that our various tribes and religions actively discourage, it requires a willingness to go out alone even if there's no one beside you.

When that happens, we won't have to wonder why we have such corrupt and inept governments - we'll march out and sweep them out.

How ethical is renewable energy?

2011-03-30T18:43:00.006-04:00

As I tweet more, I blog less.

I've noticed this to be true of many of my friends who actively tweet and own blogs, especially those of the sporting and socio-political variety. I guess twitter is doing to blogging what facebook did to instant messaging. Not quite eliminating it (a la e-mail to letter-writing), but making it the second option.

I've also been tied up with the rigorous demands of drilling for oil in one of the largest reserves in the world - yes, I'm proud to be linked with the oil sands of Alberta, as "dirty" as some environmentalists claim it is. I guess no one has told these environmentalists that there is some good being done here - reclamation of settling ponds into veritable wildlife preserves, the carbon offsets companies here are involved in, the wind power and ethanol generation that some led by Suncor (shameless plug for my company) are engaged in, or how rigorous their safety standards are.

Or while we wait for the hydrogen-powered cars of the future, does no one think of the socio-political issues around drilling in the Middle East? Sure, you can suck up oil from the ground using a straw in those places, but at what cost to the people there? At what cost to generation X of the United States and its allies, who aren't fighting a war for world peace or to bring down a tyrant - as was the case in the first two world wars, respectively - but who are fighting instead so that the West can have oil at $70 per barrel?

See, the ethics behind the exploitation of any natural resource for energy will always be brought into question:

- Should corn be grown to fuel our over dependence on vehicular traffic or should it be grown to feed the hungry in Cambodia and Chad?

- Should nuclear power be developed, even though it could result in the sort of catastrophe we are witnessing in Japan at present?

- Should wind power be harnessed, despite the environmental noise issue and the growing evidence that offshore wind farms (which don't have the noise issue) are affecting wave patterns and create sonar disturbances below sea level?

Sure, there are cleaner forms of energy, but how many of them are actually renewable and can be brought within the buying power of the poorest of the poor in the world in the next hundred years? None! Is it ethical to deny the world's poor and needy access to energy like firewood and kerosene because it stains our conscience? I wager not!

It's easy for the bright-eyed liberal kids, fresh from getting their degrees in "Liberal Arts" (not to denigrate the program, but let's face it, most of those kids were known more for their weed smoking and "bohemian" lifestyles than any sort of academic inclination) to sit at Starbucks with their $5 lattes and moan about how the world is being destroyed and how "big business" is ruining things for the little guy. It's their prerogative to do that. It's also the prerogative of right-thinking individuals to use analytical thought and reasoning when making the cases for and against any technology or energy resource.

To me, energy sustainability should start with energy conservation and efficiency. Lights shouldn't run 24/7, cars shouldn't be left idling (which is when cars pollute the most because the energy isn't doing any work), our above-described liberal friends should stop taking so many airplane trips to "exotic" places, stop buying new cars every other year...and the list goes on.

Until the world is in a position to act decisively on energy matters - for the world, not just for the West - the focus should be on this and on responsibly developing our fossil fuel reserves. To me, the oil produced here in Alberta goes a farther way to accomplishing this goal than the "cheap" oil produced in the Middle East.

Redefining Africa's Investment Potential

2011-01-18T12:08:00.004-05:00

My good friend, Anne Griffin sent me a link to this interesting article from the Wall Street Journal - A Continent of New Consumers Beckons. She wanted my opinion on the article and if I felt it was an accurate depiction of the continent. I'll start with a caveat - any article that generalizes the experiences of individual African countries and regions for the sake of expediency or due to ignorance of the many fissures (geographic, tribal and social) within the African continent is suspect. However, since that's the context in which the article was written, I crave the reader's indulgence in the generality of my response and analysis of the article. It's a good article, and factual. There's no doubt that the middle class of Africa (as a whole) is beginning to "take off" and exert some influence in the global market, especially where it concerns consumer goods. I believe the mobile phone market in Africa is bigger than that of the Indian subcontinent, for example - or very comparable. Considering where the continent was 10 years ago, that's nothing short of a miracle. Highlighting this surprising statistic is that the poorest of the poor in India or Pakistan hardly posseses a mobile phone, while his/her counterpart in subSaharan Africa has at least one...ironic, but we'll get to that. In addition, there's a high demand for personal totems of status - cars, designer clothing, latest handheld devices, etc as material possessions are often seen as the only indicator of wealth in traditional African societies. The article also highlights some of the issues that can/will prevent explosive growth - corruption, lack of social services, poor (albeit improved from before) government, etc. Therein lies my problem with the otherwise well-documented piece - not enough attention was paid to this non-consumeric aspect. I'm of the school that believes that the African middle-class, despite what African governments and economists would have us believe, is nothing but a phantom idea. There can be no sustainable middle class, nor can it become a major player in the global economy, until some of those base (read, social) issues are addressed. Across the continent (and certainly in Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana), there are many people who would rather have enough credit to finance their phone bill than eat 3 square meals a day. This is where the gray area comes in to play - how many people know that the fancy clothes, fancy phone and fancy car are masking someone who can only afford to eat 1 or 2 square meals daily? In the eyes of the world, and because this individual partakes in economic activities, s/he is middle class. It's more complex than that. In basic economics, a middle class inidividual/family is defined as one that after paying for all their needs, has some extra money to take care of a few wants. In terms of disposable income, there isn't much - even among African professionals who are gainfully employed.

The article also seems focused on the urban centers of the countries it mentions, not realizing that the continent only has a 30% (at most) urban population. In addition, even in major cities, only a very small percentage of the population (about 5% in Nigeria; slightly more in countries like Ghana and Kenya; less in Francophone Africa) has a relatively high quality of life (i.e. one that could qualify at least as "lower middle class" in Western countries). Who is measuring the economic indices of the 70% who don't have any functional means of livelihood, given that the main economic thrusts of rural areas - farming, herding, fishing and resource exploitation - are either in decline or don't provide many benefits for their host population? Of course, economies like those of Botswana and South Africa are some exceptions to the rule - and again we run into the problem of generalizing African problems and successes, but even these countries aren't anywhere close to the BRIC nations.

Lastly, the article doesn't mention the gross lack of basic infrastructure, the dying - or dead - manufacturing/agricultural base, the increasingly worse security situation (likely liked to high unemployment) and the over-dependence on diminishing natural resources (with a resultant lack of economic diversification). In other words, the very things that could curb the future growth they are projecting. That being said, it's hard to go against the article seeing as it is a WSJ piece. From the standpoint of attracting investors to the continent and exposing the potential for consumer-based growth, it is on point. I just worry that this sort of focus could result in another spate of unsustainable growth without any solid, conservative foundations to fall back on in lean times (social security, taxation, infrastructure development, healthcare, etc) and let's face it, investors only care about those things when they aren't making money - at which point they split town! The type of investors African countries need are those who are willing to be social, not just financial entrepreneurs. Investors who are willing to refuse giving a bribe at the risk of losing a contract, because they know that they are laying a foundation for the total growth of their countries of interest, not just boosting the foreign exchange kitty for local, state and federal governments to share among themselves. It's why I've often advocated for investors to have historical or direct links to the continent, because only then can true ownership be implemented. If anything, I feel this article is a wake-up call to African and diasporic Africans (both those who left the continent willingly within the last few decades and those who were forced to leave a few centuries ago) to invest in the continent and take ownership of OUR opportunities. Otherwise, the vultures will come in to feed (as they have in the past and as they continue to do) and we'll be singing the same old song when this new - and potentially great - economic wave has passed.

The Death of Debate and Discussion

2010-06-29T10:12:00.002-04:00

I've decided to put a pause on my usual haranguing of the Nigerian system (and yes, the Black World Order in general) and focus on topical questions - still in my areas of focus such as human/economic development, renewable energy, political/social reform - that can encourage debate and constructive discussion. The one thing that I continually decry in the black community is the slow death of the debate.
This is something I've observed with my friends both in North America and Africa, as well as with the black communities in North America and countries in Africa. Oh, we meet and we talk, but usually we're shouting over one another and most importantly, we aren't listening to other people's points of view and discussing them in a non-threatening while still critical manner. For our societies to take full advantage of the diversity of thought, energy and drive of the young black professional, these are attributes that we must imbibe and display. If nothing else, we can be an example to those generations who've gone ahead of us.
To those who deride debate and discussion as a "waste of time", choosing instead to follow their "action-packed plans", I say to you - action is important and will be part of the overall educational, social and economic emancipation of the black race (be it in Africa, the Caribbean or North America). However, just as the pen is mightier than the sword, so are debate and discussion over rabid action, which is usually designed to do no more than draw attention to a cause. Where debate and discussion fail is when the true aim of a movement is compromised and subsumed for the sake of an individual or group's selfish interest. In the race for economic and social development in Africa, many technocrats abandoned their ideals and people-oriented plans when presented with fat contracts and juicy appointments. In the race for the social and economic advancement of African-Americans, many community leaders abandoned the needs of their constituents for political offers and distinguished posts - most of which came with the price of silence in the face of economic inequality and social injustice. In the Caribbean, the story wasn't much different.
Far be it from me to suggest that we don't play our roles in nation-building and equipping future generations of people of African descent to take their rightful place in the global polity - I just urge that we continue to debate and discuss the issues that will enable us to achieve the real aims, dreams and hopes of all our kith and kin rather than relying solely on the crumbs handed down from the elite whose interests - at best - are to maintain the status quo.

Should Singular Black (i.e. African) Achievements Be Celebrated?

2010-06-02T15:03:00.002-04:00

This morning I received an e-mail which a close friend forwarded to me. I'm guessing she expected me to react positively and with joy. Unfortunately, I found it hard to - not because I didn't celebrate the achievements of the African-American man described in the e-mail, but because I questioned the raison d'etre of the e-mail. I've replicated the e-mail below along with my response...

E-mail Text
" America's High Tech "Invisible Man"

By Tyrone D. Taborn

You may not have heard of Dr. Mark Dean. And you aren't alone. But almost everything in your life has been affected by his work.
See, Dr. Mark Dean is a Ph.D. from Stanford University . He is in the National Hall of Inventors. He has more than 30 patents pending. He is a vice president with IBM. Oh, yeah. And he is also the architect of the modern-day personal computer. Dr. Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer that all PCs are based upon. And, Dr. Mark Dean is an African American.

So how is it that we can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IBM personal computer without reading or hearing a single word about him? Given all of the pressure mass media are under about negative portrayals of African Americans on television and in print, you would think it would be a slam dunk to highlight someone like Dr. Dean.
Somehow, though, we have managed to miss the shot. History is cruel when it comes to telling the stories of African-Americans. Dr. Dean isn't the first Black inventor to be overlooked Consider John Stanard, inventor of the refrigerator, George Sampson, creator of the clothes dryer, Alexander Miles and his elevator, Lewis Latimer and the electric lamp.

All of these inventors share two things:
One, they changed the landscape of our society; and, two, society relegated them to the footnotes of history. Hopefully, Dr. Mark Dean won't go away as quietly as they did. He certainly shouldn't. Dr. Dean helped start a Digital Revolution that created people like Microsoft's Bill Gates and Dell Computer's Michael Dell. Millions of jobs in information technology can be traced back directly to Dr. Dean. More important, stories like Dr. Mark Dean's should serve as inspiration for African-American children. Already victims of the "Digital Divide" and failing school systems, young, Black kids might embrace technology with more enthusiasm if they knew someone like Dr. Dean already was leading the way.

Although technically Dr.. Dean can't be credited with creating the computer -- that is left to Alan Turing, a pioneering 20th-century English mathematician, widely considered to be the father of modern computer science -- Dr. Dean rightly deserves to take a bow for the machine we use today. The computer really wasn't practical for home or small business use until he came along, leading a team that developed the interior architecture (ISA systems bus) that enables multiple devices, such as modems and printers, to be connected to personal computers.

In other words, because of Dr. Dean, the PC became a part of our daily lives . For most of us, changing the face of society would have been enough. But not for Dr. Dean.. Still in his early forties, he has a lot of inventing left in him. He recently made history again by leading the design team responsible for creating the first 1-gigahertz processor chip.. It's just another huge step in making computers faster and smaller. As the world congratulates itself for the new Digital Age brought on by the personal computer, we need to guarantee that the African-American story is part of the hoopla surrounding the most stunning technological advance the world has ever seen.. We cannot afford to let Dr. Mark Dean become a footnote in history. He is well worth his own history book.

My Response
I think that his achievements are amazing, but...why do we always seek out and over-promote black folks who are doing well? Doesn't this make it more obvious that there are many who aren't?
Instead of wondering why he hasn't been given all the "recognition" we feel he's due, why don't we wonder why there aren't more like him?
:-)

My Friend's Response to Me
:) simple- if we don't then who will? And that directly impacts how many people like him we generate.

Fact: growing up in a society where most people in positions of power and/or success do not look like you limits an individual's idea of what/who they can be.
This is mitigated by strong families & home life. Unfortunately - those are no longer as prevalent for black children. If we don't tell our own stories we allow society to dictate what is told to our children and who their heroes should be.
That in turn impacts the number that can be more like Dr.Dean.
***********************************************************************************

This is a discussion that I think is worth having, especially in the African community in the diaspora (African-Americans, African-Canadians, Caribbean Americans/Canadians, Afro-Britons, etc) because it may very well contain the key to changing (for the better) the way we view education and success. For too long, the "black" community has chosen to use one-off role models to show the way to the youth when all else fails. I don't believe it's working, so a change in how we seek to motivate our future generations may be overdue.

Now, I don't deny the achievements of Mr. Dean and both the author of the piece on Mr. Dean and my friend made some valid points. I took exception to two things in my friend's response:
- the notion that kids growing up need to see someone LIKE THEMSELVES in a position of power or influence or prestige for them to desire it
- papering over the influence of the family and working around that situation instead of through it.

Why? Because I think that's the ultimate cop-out for most black people.

What about the generations of poor rural kids from countries in Africa (using Nigeria as an example) in the 1930s to 1960s who were motivated to excel academically and became world-renowned engineers, doctors and scientists with qualifications from schools like Oxford and MIT? Others were architects of movements to end colonialism and became the founding fathers of their countries. Growing up, I can guarantee that they didn't even hear about (much less see) people like themselves, i.e. African/black, who were at the heights they eventually reached.

Bottom line - A child's success, especially in academics with the mental rigor involved therein, is MOSTLY about the emphasis placed on education by the people in that child's life - family, teachers, friends, etc.

Showcasing those who have achieved is all well and good and may have a minimal effect, but maybe I didn't like the way it came across in the email (despite all he's done, he hasn't been properly recognized, etc). That "whining" almost obscured the true genius of the man and does him a disservice. I'm sure his intent when coming up with those patents was largely for the intellectual gratification he received and not a yearning over global acclaim. What about his fellow inventors - it's not exactly as if we know all the Caucasian or Asian ones!

If I was a young kid who was inclined NOT to go to school and I read that email, I'd probably come away thinking that it WASN'T worth it to go through all that schooling only to end up without the acclaim I thought I deserved.

As long as we continue to over-celebrate the achievements of intellectuals of African descent, we'll continue to expose the stark reality - that there simply aren't enough of them to go around. Let's refocus our energies on ensuring that our youth have the knowledge and tools to become the intellectuals of tomorrow...and it starts with the family unit - we can't run away from that!

The Man Died...And so?

2010-05-11T12:30:00.005-04:00

Two weeks ago, a man died and there was a minor furor created by the fact that yours sincerely questioned the non-familial people (I think they call themselves ‘citizens’) who mourned that man. That man was the erstwhile President of Nigeria, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Far be it for me to be ecstatic about the passing of a human being from one life to another, but far be it from me to not comment on the unabashed outpouring of support and platitudes which in my opinion were factually baseless, ethically repulsive and frankly, inane.

I understand that as Africans, we place a premium on death - it's one of those things that you don't tamper with, inquire about or joke with. Someone who dies is said to have transcended and thus (perhaps) become a higher being or abodes in a higher (or lower, depending on their standing with God, I’d imagine) place. Typically, all sins are forgiven and all minor achievements discussed in exponential terms once someone dies; even if, as in this case, the nation lives with the effects.
However, I say without equivocation that the masses of Nigeria don’t 'mourn' the passing of any member of our so-called elite. For example, do you think the families hundreds of civilians massacred in cold blood by Murtala Mohammed and his troops in Asaba (circa 1967) mourned his assassination or celebrated it? I wager the latter! If you're in doubt, kindly look up the word 'mourn' in Webster or any dictionary of your choice. So at what point do we "mechi onu" (as the Igbos would say), acknowledge the will of God in such matters and let the real mourners mourn?

Now that I've explained my angle, let's get back to the late Mr. Yar'Adua. You have a leader (indeed, a President) who is dead, so you can well imagine the almost instant deification that was bestowed on his persona. He has been presented to the world - even by his most vocal critics – as a nice, incorruptible “servant leader” whose only crime was that he hung around bad company and had a shrew for a wife. Even Wole Soyinka called him "a tragic figure".

Hey, I get it…

…except it isn’t true.

Paraphrasing the Bible, only by telling the truth can we be set free. Nigerians need to start telling themselves and each other the truth – only then can we make progress as a nation. On that basis, let’s examine each of the adjectives used to describe the late man.

Niceness – Being nice goes beyond a smile and an engaging personality. Being nice also relates to how you treat those around you. I’m sorry for being blunt, but handing your “barely out of their teens” daughters to middle aged men as third and fourth wives is a barbaric practice which is not in the best interest of your children. When those men are mates of yours whom you plan on using to build your political dynasty or extract future benefits from; we are left with a cunning, grasping man whose interest is not in his daughters’ welfare, but his own. Doing it three times indicates inhumanity and selfishness of purpose. Was his wife driving the process? Hmm…who knows? Who cares? Doesn’t the Bible says about marriage - “and the two shall become one”?

Incorruptible – I usually laugh out loud at this one. Other than the fact that his election was a sham (and anyone who had any integrity would have demanded a re-run), this is a man whose assets grew from roughly $600,000 in 1999 to about $6 million in 2007. For those who are too dazed to do the math, that’s a growth of 1000% in 8 years for supposed public official (not including stocks, for those who’ll claim the Nigerian Stock Exchange was going crazy). Yes, you read that right. I know some people hearken to the fact that he “declared his assets” as reason to believe in his incorruptibility, but that thinking is so left-field and myopic that it beggars belief, especially when such people are in the supposed fourth estate (media). Let me ask this question – if a man stole a car 5 years ago and confesses to the car owner 5 years later without returning the car, is he still a thief? I’ll leave that as food for thought…

Servant Leader – If I LOL at his incorruptibility, I ROTFLMAO at this one. The great servant leader who always placed the interest of the country before his personal ambition did not
a) choose NOT TO RUN for office when he was hospitalized for weeks in 2007 during his campaign season,
b) choose to RESIGN from office when he knew that his prognosis was grim and that he was in fact, facing a terminal disease,
c) leave standing orders APPOINTING his deputy in his place or provide provision for the appointment of said deputy in the event of a situation such as in November 2009 when he was rushed abroad.

If our dear servant leader truly believed in the policies of his party, his government and in his hand-picked (or foisted by his godfather, what’s the difference?) deputy, he would have done so. Certainly, the interest of the nation called for that – as evidenced by the political turmoil generated while he was away, the lack of credible government responses to crises (Abdulmutallab, anyone?) and the indecision of matters of state that required urgent action (power, infrastructure development, etc).
We have been witnesses to events in the United Kingdom where Gordon Brown chose to step down as Labour Party Leader (and Prime Minister) in order to give his party a shot at forming Her Majesty’s Government. Why? He believes in the capability of those in this party and in the benefits that his party will provide to the people of the UK. That IS servant leadership!

Bad Company/Wretched Wife/All Other Theories Spun by Sycophants – We’ve heard them all, and they are all baseless. Both scripture and secular life give us guidance in explaining this aspect of Yar’Adua, viz. Bible (by their fruits, you will know them), Secular (show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are).

If Yar’Adua was a ‘good’ man who was simply not strong enough to surround himself with men and women who shared his vision and could help him execute it, then he had no business being the President. In which case, why should I mourn his passing any more than I mourn the passing of the thousands of Nigerians who die on a daily basis because they have no access to healthcare, or because of inadequate security, or because they can’t afford to eat?

On the other hand, if he knew what he was doing, then why do we care?

When we have a leader who is committed to dispensing justice fairly to all and sundry, who is committed to electoral reform to ensure that every vote is counted, who drives aggressive legislation aimed at eliminating corruption in government and business (because then it’ll trickle down to the masses), who is committed to infrastructural and intellectual development so that Nigeria can be equipped to take its rightful place in the comity of nations and who is willing above all, to place the interest of the people above his/her selfish interest; if that leader is called out from this world one day, I and the people will truly mourn.

What are we left with? The man died…and so?

One door closes, another opens...

2010-04-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

My 2-year project is finally over...well, mostly. Transition reports have to be prepared, closeouts of documents remain and thank-yous have to be sent.

The National Society of Black Engineers just concluded it's 36th Annual - and first International - Convention in Toronto, ON last weekend. Yours truly was the Vice-Chair of the planning team for this event and it was both a relief and a drag to have it all end. Overall feedback of the event was excellent, justifying the decision to devote a significant portion of my life over the last 2 years to this project.

I remember when it started...it was just after the 34th Convention in Orlando that I got a call from Ainsley Stewart, a former National Chair of NSBE. I was at a point in my NSBE life where I was disillusioned with the direction of the organization and was looking to permanently "retire". Only a few months before that, I had resigned my position as NSBE International Chair, because I didn't feel that the Executive Board and its staff in Alexandria, VA was committed to the international expansion and/or had the desire to make NSBE a truly international organization.
Mr. Stewart - himself no stranger to the shenanigans surrounding NSBE politics - was considering running for the position of Planning Committee Chair and wanted me to be his tour guide on a one-day trip to Toronto that he planned for the middle of April, 2008. During his trip, we shared some stories and understood that we had similar concerns about the direction of NSBE as well as sharing a desire to make the first International Convention a resounding success. Naturally, I didn't hesitate when he asked me to be his Vice-Chair, and the rest is history.
There were challenges along the way - we had to recruit a team of highly talented team players, yet folks who were independent enough to challenge the status quo; we had to prove that the challenges posed by a visit to Toronto could be easily overcome - in effect, we were doing the research that could torpedo our plans; we had to fight a movement that didn't want to see the Convention in Toronto; and finally, we had to challenge a world economy that collapsed in the fall of 2008, taking with it many of our corporate sponsors and benefactors.
Through it all, the team held tight and made this Convention a success - over 8000 people registered for this event, companies DID hire at the Convention, we had some dynamic speakers, General Sessions were probably the best that I can remember - and the membership enjoyed the feel and vibe of one of the greatest cities on earth.

The experiences garnered from this project were many and I look forward to using them as a springboard for all the other plans and programs I undertake. From people-management to conflict-resolution, budget adjustments to time-management; the lessons were many, sometimes painful but always rewarding.
As a result of this Convention Planning (where I received and sent over 13000 emails in the space of 2 years), I know I can juggle multiple committments at once - after all, I still had my fulltime job (moving into 2 roles and gaining a promotion in that time) and a personal life. I'm excited about going forward and establishing myself in the areas I'm dedicated to - political reform in Nigeria, leadership development in North American inner cities, sustainable development in Africa - and most of all, as the theme of the Convention indicated, I'm ready to engineer a global impact.

Opportunity makes all the difference

2010-02-08T14:56:00.002-05:00

There was a question I pondered last week. It's one that has been asked often and by many, but I've never really been impressed with the answers. Not so much because they were wrong per se, but because they didn't produce an "ah ha" moment...they weren't entirely logical.
The question is - why aren't enough kids of African descent in North America excelling academically?

For a long time, some of us have opined that the only way for black kids to excel would be for them to stop viewing athletes and entertainers as role models, and rather look up to teachers, professionals and political leaders. I'm not necessarily moving away from this point of view, but I've started seeing things in a different light.

Why?

Because to answer my question, I HAD to look at the world of athletes and entertainers, particularly the former. I did this in a different way, though...

Tiger Woods.

The Williams' sisters.

Lewis Hamilton.

Donovan McNabb.

What do each of these athletes have in common? Not just are they supremely talented and successful, they've been able to succeed in sports that have traditionally been the domain of white athletes. Of course, the sports/positions they excel in - golf, tennis, race-car driving, passing quarterback - are ones that have been classified as those requiring either an above-average IQ or an upper-middle class upbringing. I hope I'm not shattering anyone's illusions when I remark that these two traits are seldom associated with black atheletes whether true or false. In fact, a middle- to upper-middle class black kid is far more likely to choose the academic path than his/her white peer, but I digress...
While we celebrate the achievements of these athletes and proudly crow about them "breaking the stereotypes" and "proving that we can do anything anyone else can", we forget one fundamental truth - it's not the skill of these atheletes that enabled them to go where no one has gone. It's not because they were more intellectually gifted than other black athletes - as I mentioned in the previous paragraph, nor is it because their parents were rich and provided them with a higher-class upbringing.

NO.

All that separates these athletes from those that didn't make, all that separates them from other athletes who've been stereotyped as having more brawn and "athleticism" (I'm not a fan of that word), all that separates them from you and me (yes!) is opportunity. Now, you're probably saying to yourself - what else is new?
Well, get this - how did Jackie Robinson break into the big leagues? Opportunity, not talent - he wasn't the most talented player in the Negro Leagues.
How did you go to university and grad school? Opportunity more than talent. There are many more talented people than yourself who didn't get that opportunity - no matter how smart you are. However, your parents were enlightened and knew the value of education...or if you're of Nigerian descent, society simply demanded it :-)

What am I getting at?

The success of an individual is almost always down to opportunity and the grasping of said opportunity. Malcolm Gladwell wrote an excellent book - Outliers - which explained more specific cases, but the underlying theme was the same. While I wonder why he didn't extend his microscope to understanding more multicultural examples of this phenomenon, I highly recommend his book.

What would Serena and Venus be if they hadn't lived close to tennis courts in Compton?
What would Tiger be like if his Dad didn't have a passion for golf? (cue the lewd jokes...)
What would Lewis Hamilton be if he hadn't used his arrogance and gift of gab to convince Ron Dennis to take him on as an apprentice driver at the age of 12?
What would Donovan McNabb's football career had looked like if he hadn't gone to Syracuse and their pass-happy offense? Likely another black, running (read - athletic, rather than smart) quarterback...

It's all about opportunity, not some innate proclivity for violence, entertainment and playfulness - and we NEED to let the kids know this. Too many times, we approach them as if we are treating hopeless cases, even in the instances where we think we're trying to help. We classify them by simplistic statistics like "high-school graduation rates", rather than encouraging them to reach for the clouds and achieve their potential. We tackle the problem of low SAT scores without understanding the family conditions that led to those scores - the broken homes, the abusive parents, the lack of education on the part of said parents - and therefore ensuring that even if this kid is successful on the basis of our metrics, he or she may never contribute positively to society because they are damaged on the inside.

The truth is that if almost any kid was raised in the family I was raised in, they'd be productive members of society, performing well above average and even more. You had to read in my family, you had to do homework, you had to be in the top 5% or 10% of your class at a minimum - parental displeasure was evident if you didn't!

Let's give kids the opportunity to be successful and in doing so, let's improve the collective worth of the black community in North America, because if there's one thing that's clear - it has nothing to do with them and everything to do with the circumstances they find themselves in.

How do you do this?

- Mentor kids - but when you do, sound like you expect them to excel
- Challenge teachers who call kids "special needs"
- Let them look up to sports stars for inspiration - but direct them to focus on the hard work and dedication of those athletes
- instill "black" or "African" pride in kids. Self-esteem is essential to confidence and excellence
- stop talking about the "problems" and focus on the "opportunities"

Simplistic, perhaps - but a heck of a lot more logical than all the other explanations defenders of the status-quo - including members of the black community - would have us swallow.

What keeps you up at night?

2010-01-21T11:48:00.000-05:00

I love the question posed in my title.

Why?

I really don't know.

It's one that I started hearing with regularity when I started working for Petro-Canada (now re-christened Suncor after our merger with the "old" Suncor). The head of Petro-Canada's downstream business was fond of talking about opportunity development areas as items that "kept him up at night". I thought that was such a great way to explain what others might term "pains in the a*s" or "who is bringing us down so we can fire them?". It made issues seem not quite trivial, but certainly worthy of being resolved through brainstorming and perhaps a good night's sleep!

So what keeps me up at night?

I think the fear of not being relevant when my life's work is done is what does it for me. This isn't to say that I'm so caught up in my own importance - or lack thereof - that I will ignore any other success I'm part of (if not entirely responsible for), nor does it mean that I won't be happy until I'm as famous as Barack or William Gates...no. However, I have set out certain targets that I would love to accomplish between now and the time I'm 35 and others yet that culminate in my 40th year on this earth. None of the goals are necessarily earth-shattering, but I believe they are relevat, not only to my ego, but also to ultimate good of this world - in particular the African continent and peoples of African descent. I realize this does appear to defeat my ego-less pretentions, but rest assured, my intentions are purely altruistic/nationalistic.

By the time I'm 35, I would like to:
- work for myself
- be considered materially successful
- achieve my dream of social entrepreneurship in Africa and perhaps the Caribbean as well
- be able to point to concrete, life-saving (or improving) projects that I've been part of

By the time I'm 40, I would like to:
- work because I want to, i.e. financial independence
- do some missionary work every year, if I'm so led
- expand from where I was at 35, vis-a-vis infrastructure development in developing nations

Of course, there are other personal goals which I won't necessarily elaborate on now :-)

I realize that as time goes on, other things - family, kids, health, mortality and the other realities of life are more likely to keep me up at night, I recognize that a time will come when the small pleasures - walking, talking, eating, sleeping - will matter as much as the big dreams...but I'm happy that I'm still at the stage where big dreams are possible, and I look forward to working to make mine come true. In the meantime, I'll keep working on dreaming up the breakthrough :-)

What keeps you up at night?

Change is a good thing

2010-01-20T15:32:00.000-05:00

I was assigned to a new role at work yesterday - it's a role I've always wanted, so I can't complain - in addition, it's a clear sign that the company values my skills and abilities. I'm excited about this opportunity. Even if weren't, there's nothing better than a fresh slate, new opportunities and the ability to close the chapter on a productive, but "getting close to stale" segment of one's work life.

I really believe change is a good thing. Folks often counteract that by pointing to firings, divorces and all manner of "within our control" human incidents to prove that the reverse is just as true. But my questions would be:

- Is your being fired a bad thing because you lost your source of income or is it because you've lost the chance to do something you truly enjoy, desire and cherish? My guess is that the former - more often than not - is the real reason why people are despondent when they are laid off. Generally speaking, the more passionate you are about what you do, the less likely you are to be in a position where those skills aren't being recognized to the extent that you are fired. In this case, I would opine that you are better off being fired so that you can discover your true passions and while, yes, it may be painful for a short while...if marshalled properly, you could end up celebrating a new lease on life.

- Is getting divorced necessarily a bad thing? I think so...BUT, does that mean that staying in a bad or abusive marriage is better? NO. Sometimes, you come to the realization that far from trying to wonder if the genie can ever go back into the bottle...the genie was never in (or out) of the bottle. The bible talks about not divorcing, but I'm convinced that a wife as a punching bag on a daily basis isn't worthy of that woman's love, not to mention her presence. As such, I'm sure the Good Lord Himself will understand if that lady decides to give herself a few more years on this earth and get out of Dodge. In that case - as in the case where a man's wife verbally or mentally abuses him (it goes both ways, you see...) - while that option is not ideal, it is better than the status quo...and really, isn't it all about putting ourselves in situations where we can improve our collective lot in life?

So what motivated my soliloquy? Nothing really...but I remember the times when I preferred to go home after a long day at work and just be myself - work on some personal projects, visit with friends for a meal occasionally, sleep early, etc. Then over the holidays, I met some fun and interesting individuals - some in person during my trip to Nigeria and at home here in Toronto, some I connected with online, and others just wandered in somehow. All are energetic, purposeful (mostly) and brimming with new thoughts and ideas that inspire discourse and discovery. Now I find myself looking forward to leaving work and actually socializing and extending my evening hours to soak up the possibilities - in person, online, on the phone (gasp!)...it's been phenomenal and it's a good change.

Haiti...can't they catch a break?

2010-01-15T20:41:00.000-05:00

One of the motivations for me resuming my blog (other than the aforementioned renewal in clarity) was the recent catastrophe that befell Haiti, otherwise known as the first independent black nation in the world. I didn't shed tears because of the disaster because I was too numb to do so. I didn't get annoyed at the condescending tones used to describe the country by the media and the fat cats in Western capitals because really, what else is new? I haven't even really jumped on the constant tweeting bandwagon to show my support (unless you count my miserly 3 or 4 tweets a day) because let's be honest, only 38 people follow me on Twitter - and half of them aren't active users!

The impact this situation had on me was in form of the question in my title...can't Haiti catch a break?

This is a country with no known industry, with a high rate of HIV/AIDs, a legacy of both bad and corrupt government, a pariah to most nations in the world (even their not-so-great neighbors) and now this? Potentially a quarter of a million lives lost, whatever existing infrastructure destroyed...

Where does Haiti go from here?

After all the aid has been collected, disbursed and spent (and by the way, the aid collected will NOT come anywhere close to meeting even the minimum need of this devastated country), where will this country be left?

Who will help the fatherless and motherless children and ensure they don't slip into a life of crime?

Who will rebuild schools and hospitals - and not just take them back to their pathetic pre-earthquake state, but actually make them functional?

Who will ensure that clean water is available AFTER the international media loses interest in this story (as surely they will) so that disease doesn't spread to epidemic proportions?

As we scramble to help this nation - and the outpouring has been admirable - let us remember that the real impact of this disaster isn't the human tragedy we see unfolding now, but that which will undoubtedly arise in a year...and certainly in ten. Let us volunteer our time, effort and skills to make sure that the people of Haiti have a plan in place for the future, not just for today. As much as food, clothing and shelter are necessary for the short-term healing of Haiti, infrastructure development is what will be their long-term salvation.

Wow...it's been a while

2010-01-14T11:40:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm going to stop pontificating on my blog-writing laziness. It'll happen when it happens. Actually, I've done a few writeups in places like Facebook and on countless web portals and "communities". I'll just dredge them up!

In the past I mentioned looking for a specific train to hitch my blog to...I wanted to focus on a few things rather than spray my considerable powers of thought (ok, that was a bit much) over many.

Over the holidays - spent in the humid and chaotic climes of Lagos, Nigeria (more on that later) - I've formalized some of those. The developing world (in particular subsaharan Africa) is in dire need of stable, effective leadership AND infrastructure development. My passions lie in these areas and so will this blog.

Welcome back.

One Eye on Politics, One Eye on African Development

2008-10-11T09:30:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I last wrote - months, in fact. That's OK - the biggest mistake bloggers make is writing with no endgame, no value to the reader, no arrival point... you get the picture :-) - this wasn't meant to be a diary, no offence to those who make it such. Which is not to suggest that leaving a blog unattended to is a great idea, either. Needless to say, I'm back.

During my self-imposed hiatus, I spent time thinking about what my long-term life goals were. I've always been interested in issues surrounding politics (and perhaps more precisely, policies) of governments, development of so-called 3rd world economies and other sundry international affairs. It goes without saying that my thought train ran in these areas, so I guess you could say that I am interested in making the oft-quoted (read, cliche) "difference". More on that when my political soliloquy is completed.

A lot has been happening in the political arena since my last blog entry on May 7th.
Barack Obama clinched the Democratic nomination; had a whirlwind tour of Europe and the Middle East to "boost his international credentials"; got criticized for being a rock star because 200,000 people showed up to hear him speak in Berlin (perhaps we should have asked the Berliners if they had nothing else to do on a Friday night, lol); selected a Washington insider as his running mate of "change"; had a so-so post-Convention bump in the polls; and now seems to be running away with this election as the US (and indeed, global) economy melts. Busy times in the life of the Kenyan-American.
John McCain selected a Hilary Clinton clone as his VP of "change" and has been slipping in the polls as folks come to grips with his senility, inability to formulate coherent ideas and general fogginess. Nothing else, really - which tells you all you need to know about this man, who has parlayed his Vietnam vet experience into more than he deserves.

Frankly folks, if Obama was a white man, his margin of victory in November would exceed even that of Bill Clinton over Bob Dole in 1996, i.e. a clear-cut victory. However, Mr. Obama is a black man (forget the "mixed" tag - that is no longer valid), and as the election winds down, we will begin to see more overt racist tones from any or all of McCain ("that one"), Sarah Palin (the redneck, hockey mom BS has gone too far, lady) and the Republican base. By playing on the fears of so-called mainstream Americans, I firmly believe that McCain and Palin will carry the day (perhaps by as much as 20-25 electoral college votes). Watch this space.

Canada is also going to the polls (on Tuesday, in fact). It's basically a choice between an non-charismatic Conservative Prime Minister; an even more non-charismatic and frankly, timid, Liberal leader who offers no good ideas; a charismatic but slick and salesman-like New Democratic leader, who will likely bankrupt this country with his multi-billion dollar spending plans and his aversion to Big Oil; a separatist Bloc Quebecois leader who should not even be considered as a future Prime Minister (I doubt he wants to be); and the Green Party, whose platform outside of defending the very flawed Kyoto Protocol and other supposedly pro-environmental issues is virtually non-existent.

I will probably vote for the Conservatives for 3 reasons -

1. They share my opposition to same-sex marriage and will probably bring it back to the table to debate and hopefully cancel it, if they get a majority (unlikely now, with the Canadian economy slowing down).

2. I'm in a tax bracket that is already high enough - I support universal education and healthcare, and I'm in favor of assisting those who through circumstances beyond their control, are destitute, BUT I do not support the use of my considerable tax dollars to fund the very wasteful and frankly, disgraceful, welfare program we have in this country where any Tom, Dick and Harry who has wasted the many opportunities this country has afforded him can eat, drink and be sheltered through my efforts and sweat. No Sir. Until our welfare system is reformed, I will never vote for any government that increases its funding.

3. I work for Big Oil. Enough said.

In Nigeria, we (I know, despite my many utterances, Nigeria is still "home") have a President who has no interest in tackling corruption, diversifying our economy or providing the basic amenities the citizenry of every country should have - security, good roads, electricity and running water. In a country of 140 million people where the power production is equivalent to that produced for about a quarter of the city of Toronto (The city of Toronto's population is under 3 million people, for comparison), those who siphoned billions of dollars worth of contracts have not been brought to book. Instead they receive honorary doctorates, commission "white elephant" (i.e. phony) projects and are acclaimed as elder statesmen/women. Some are even holding political office in this dispensation, and by extension, can be said to be investigating themselves!
To compound matters, this President has health issues (something with his liver and/or kidneys) and probably spends 4 months of every year in a hospital bed, or hooked up to a dialysis machine, which is probably not best for political stability, not with the aggrieved (and rightfully so) people of the Niger Delta agitating for resource control and causing disruptions to the country's oil production, although these militants should be asking why the Niger Delta politicians are probably the most corrupt in the country.
The whole situation beggars belief - meanwhile the wealthy 1% get wealthier and the VERY poor 70% get poorer. Well, as the area boys in Lagos would say, God dey.

Which brings me to the thoughts and ideas that have been floating through my mind for a long time. I've often been the first one, when the discussion comes up among friends, to aver that I have no interest in going back to Nigeria to live and "contribute to the development of the country". This is because most of the time, that simply means "go back and join in the game", which as we all know is Corruption (yes, with a capital C). Some of the biggest crooks and malevolents in Nigerian society are folks who were acclaimed technocrats overseas, but who couldn't resist the temptation of the honey pot when they returned to Nigeria. A few exceptions do exist - the current Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, is a prime example of what all foreign-based technocrats should aspire to - but the majority have been bad apples.
As a result, I still hold on to my views about settling down in Nigeria (not ever), and I thank God everyday that he opened the doors for my family to gain international exposure over the years - from Japan (my Dad) to France (my Mom) to Italy to Canada and the USA - so I truly consider myself a global citizen. However, there will always be a soft spot for Nigeria and the 15 years I spent there.

My interest therefore, is to focus my efforts on global development issues, and in particular, sub-Sarahan African development. The ideas are slowly clarifying in my head, but as someone who has always believed that what Africa really needs are people who can come up with feasible, cost-effective blueprints and designs for innovative systems, while utilizing local labor and materials; I've realized that perhaps it is up to me and like-minded people to serve the motherland in this regard. We've been trained at the best schools in the world, we make a living using these abilities and we can harness them in new and different ways. I probably won't ever have a permanent address in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa, but I truly believe I can serve the African people better with the implementation of technologies and systems that actually improve their lives - even it's from the comfort of an office suite in downtown Toronto.

The corollary is that this blog will be shifting its priorities from time to time to expand on issues not just related to politics, but global (particularly African) issues which beg our audience.

Quit Now!

2008-05-07T14:20:00.004-04:00

So I've been ignoring the US Democratic Party nomination and all other related issues for a long time now, mostly because it degenerated into a mud-slinging, name-calling vitriolic drive on both sides, but especially from the Hill-Bill machine. Also, at those points, it still looked like the result may have been in doubt and I wanted things to look a lot more definite before I took the time off my busy day to expound on the topic.

I think after last night, we have moved into a different phase in the electioneering campaign, and I fully expect that this race will be over by the end of this month. I'm pretty sure Hilary isn't going to concede the nomination to Barack, but I guess we can hope that the superdelegates exert their powers and by deserting her, help to open her eyes to see the reality of the situation. This space therefore presumes that Barack will be the Democratic nominee come November.

There are a few people/issues that must be covered in the wake of this inevitability:

Barack - Some of the luster definitely wore off in the last few weeks, which believe it or not is a good thing. You'd rather hear those critiques now than later...and you handled them (for the most part) like a champ. As long as you aren't cheating on your wife or taxes, it'll be hard for the smear-mongers to come up with new stuff. Of course, this is politics, so I fully expect that statement to be meaningless in a couple of...days :-)

Word of Advice - Next time you are in church and your pastor starts saying stuff that's mildly controversial, feel free to up and leave. God will forgive you...trust me.

Hilary - Well, the ride is almost over. Feels bittersweet, doesn't it? On the one hand, you proved that women have what it takes to be President (of course, the enlightened few of us always knew that), but on the other you showed that being bitchy doesn't pay off. If you had been a nicer, less polarizing person, I do believe you may have been in with a chance.
Ladies everywhere, take note. Guys may "respect" you if you are hard-ass and "bitchy", but when the chips are down, we'll be supporting the "nice" girl...it is what it is.

Word of Advice - Make it official. Quit...NOW

Bill - Ha ha. You honestly thought you would have another stab at your private bordello, this time without the extra burden of being Mr. President? Nice try.

Word of Advice - Get a good divorce lawyer. I think Hilary has no more use for you, plus she needs to repay all that cash she's been lending her campaign.

Jeremiah Wright - Your ignorance, arrogance and stupidity know no bounds. I won't waste much more space on you. If you are a pastor, I'm John the Baptist.

Word of Advice - Shut up already.

Blue-collar workers of America - I guess you continually demonstrate your supposed low IQs by fulfilling the billing the media has given you as Hilary's "base". Everytime you vote for her, that's another vote from a demographic that is tagged "unintelligent", "rednecked", "ignorant" and yes, "racist". If these statements don't describe you, do yourselves a collective favor next time you vote and challenge the norms society expects from you.

Word of Advice - She ain't winnin', not now, not ever. Sorry y'all.

In other news,
The nonsensical furor over the Beijing Olympics seems to have died down. Good, let me enjoy my Olympics in (hopefully) peace. We can discuss human rights after that.

Bahamas in June? Sounds like a plan.

Why do black men and black women (especially in North America) have such a dysfunctional relationship with each other? Are we even on the same wavelengths on several issues, especially when it comes to relationships?

Tibet, China and the Beijing Olympics

2008-04-09T13:14:00.004-04:00

This is not something that "affects black people the world over" as the tagline of my blog so eloquently states, but I do feel like commenting on the recent brouhaha over the Beijing Olympics. The issue at hand is whether the so-called West (I hate the arrogance of that term) should boycott the opening ceremonies, or even the entire event, as a statement against China's human rights record, in particular their Tibet record.

It's no secret that the Dalai Lama is one of the most revered figures in the world, and understandable that the world leaders kowtow to him at the slightest tip (not drop) of a hat. In fact, one can call the devotion to him "servile". Since the only being I serve is God, I don't feel the same way towards the old man of Tibet, but I do respect his perseverance in the face of adversity. That being said, I'm disappointed that he could come out with a statement about boycotting any part of the Olympics, while still parading himself as a world leader. I'm disappointed because this simply shows him to be another in a long line of selfish leaders, who only draw attention to themselves, and fail to see the big picture.

What's the big picture, you ask? Let's examine it through the eyes of stakeholders:

Chinese Government and Tibetan politics
Boycotting the games will have NO impact on the Chinese government or their relations with Tibet. If anything, by forcing the hand of the world, the Tibetans are likely to receive even harsher treatment from China in the coming months and years. The only thing the West can do to force China's hand is the imposition of economic sanctions, and the West won't do that for 2 reasons - 1) it will lead to a worsening of the economic conditions in the West, since the cost of goods and services will increase and 2) will only turn China to focus more on the Russian and North Korean markets, something the US (in particular) is very keen to avoid.
What does this mean - these proposed boycotts are merely a tool that the West can say it used, without achieving any specific objective since they don't affect any of the primary stakeholders (other than the athletes).

The West
Added to reasons listed above about why a boycott won't work is the simple fact that all the big blue-chip companies - Apple, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, IBM, Kodak, etc - have already paid mega-bucks for the sponsorship rights to this event. When corporate America sneezes, so does the rest of the world, and I can assure you that no one in the West wants a cold right now :-)
The West is also complaining (trying to make excuses, more like) about how the event has been poorly managed so far, how pollution is going to bother the athletes, how the workers building facilities for the games were treated like crap, how the quality of the infrastructure leaves much to be desired, and so on. The question that should be asked is this - when the IOC was kissing China's ass in 2001 and overlooking the better bid from Toronto (I had to plug my hometown), where were all these concerns? Give me a break - it's not as if we just discovered that China had pollution or human rights issues.

Symbolism of Olympic Games
To me, this was tarnished from the very moment that the decision was made to go to Beijing for the Olympics in 2008. How the Olympics, which preach "egalite and fraternite" (equality and brotherhood) could be auctioned off to the highest bidder, just so that advertising rights to 1.2 billion people could be harnessed, never ceases to amaze me. Essentially, China's fascist, racist and nepotist regime got a pass from the international community to carry on business as usual - no different from the Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany, really. It is rich, therefore, for this about-face and last-minute questioning of the decision to start.

Athletes
For those wondering why I called the Dalai Lama selfish, this is it. These athletes are the mostly nameless, poor (forget the very few NBA or track superstars who will be there) folks who have been working hard in obscurity for the better part of 4 years, so that they can display their talents to the world FREE of charge. Are we now to tell them that because China's long-running feud with Tibet cannot be solved, they cannot march out wearing their country's colors? That they cannot step out and show us the stuff they are made of, just so that the West will have some moral jubilation? Perhaps if only the end result of such actions actually resulted in Tibet becoming independent, or in China becoming Martin Luther King-like in their adherence to, and belief in, human rights! Unfortunately, another old saying rings true - if wishes were horses, beggars would ride...nay, beggars would be kings.

This reminds me of the 1980 Moscow Olympics - no I wasn't born by then - when the West decided to boycott the Games over the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Other than the damage done to the careers of many of those athletes, it probably wasn't funny to these same athletes when Afghanistan (the 'victim' in this case) sent 11 athletes to the event!
The Olympics are meant to make the world forget about the nonsense that happens on a daily basis. Politics and the games world leaders (including the Dalai Lama) play have no business with it. Let the athletes, many of whom have their one and only chance to shine, have the spotlight (even among the myriad Coca-Cola and JVC signs) and make us forget the world's troubles for once.

Of Zimbabwe and Human-Animal Embryos

2008-04-03T15:26:00.002-04:00

Where to begin?
Thankfully, no new news to report from the US Presidential race, which is getting into that stage where it resembles an over-hyped movie that starts out amazingly well, then slips into a few doldrums, before coming up with a fantastic finish...as you may have guessed, we are well into the doldrums.

News out of Zimbabwe suggests that Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980 (when Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain), is desperately seeking ways to usurp the election results from last weekend, and foist himself on his people for several more years. In fact, he has told the opposition that until he dies, no one else will be President of the country. Imagine that!
If I were the opposition, I'd begin to figure out the best way to send the old man to meet his maker...it's not like he isn't old enough to do so...
Of course, Senile Bob (my new nickname for him) would have been better off taking lessons from his counterpart in Nigeria, who didn't even bother trying to manipulate actual results, but simply recorded his purported voting numbers on the computer and presented them to the world. Who after all, can argue with a computer-generated result in this day and age?

On a more serious note, when will so-called African "freedom fighters" like Senile Bob and others of his ilk, realize that they only do themselves (and their legacy) harm with such despotic and barbaric behaviors? It's the same type of thing that brought down Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Winnie Mandela of South Africa, Sekou Toure of Guinea, Houphet Boigny of the Ivory Coast, Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia and several others. I don't know what it is about our leaders that convinces them that they are indispensable, messianic and all-powerful, but it's got to stop, otherwise we will be no better off than when the colonials were in power. At least then, we knew what we were dealing with.

That being said, I do question the manner in which the Western media has portrayed Senile Bob. It seems the recent Western (and in particular, British) noticing and sub-policing of Zimbabwean events only started when Senile Bob removed the white landowners from their farms and handed them over to the black population. This is a move I agreed with in principle, if not in practice, but ever since then, the Western media has portrayed Mugabe as Hitler's second coming. It's situations like this that prevent one from being sympathetic to a white minority.

In other serious news, researchers in the UK claim to have fused the first human-animal embryo. Apparently, it is for test reasons, but if we needed a clear sign that the world was coming to an end (and soon), I think we just got it....I mean, who THINKS of such a thing??? More on that (and the whole cloning issue) in a future piece.

Was She, or Wasn't She...and matters from/of the heart

2008-03-27T08:25:00.006-04:00

If you believed Hillary Clinton before this week, she appeared to have been a miraculous sort of First Lady. You know, the kind that dreams up exotic health care programs, reforms medicare, negotiates free-trade agreements and best of all, goes into a war-torn country and dodges bullets and grenades to get to her car from a helicopter. Sounds like Wonder Woman, doesn't it? Except it isn't true...none of it.

Based on transcripts belatedly released last week, after much pressure from the Obama camp (and strangely, none from the media), it has been shown that she exaggerated her role in several of the so-called policy decisions of the Clinton Presidency. Now, I'm by no means suggesting that First Ladies do not influence the decisions of their husbands, but at the same time, I'm pretty sure no first lady has done any of the things listed above. My issue with this whole matter has been the role of the press, which "appeared" to believe her stories without cross-checking their facts. After all, weren't CNN, Fox etc. on air in the mid to late 90s? Surely, we shouldn't have to rely on her private documents to reveal that this is one demagogue who will say anything to get elected!

It may sound twisted, but I'm actually hoping Hillary wins that Democratic nomination, so that she can go up against McCain in November. That, my friends, promises to be a spectacular event...if you are a Republican, and absolutely catastrophic...if you are a Democrat. If, like me, you want to see the better person and candidate succeed, it will be the perfect result because the Hill-Bill machine shouldn't be let near the White House. Perhaps, now that we know that Hillary wasn't really part of the machine, we should come up with a new name for it.....nope, I like Hill-Bill and Hill-Bill it is. Mostly because it leads into a more appropriate word - hillbillies :-)

In other matters, The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Convention was held in Orlando last week. It's always a great inspiration to see young black men and women who are excelling in their studies or professional fields, and I wish more mention was made of such positive events, rather than the focus on the negative that seems to stymie the progress of black persons the world over. Think about it, when was the last time you heard about Africa without hearing about wars and conflict, or about black America without hearing about violence and instability, or even about black Canada without hearing about gun crimes and teenage mothers? Yet, over 9,500 black engineers and engineers-to-be gathered in Orlando, and not one peep was heard. Of course, I'm not advocating that every small achievement of black folks be highlighted, because that would ultimately defeat the purpose...but a bit of balanced coverage (or no coverage at all, good or bad) wouldn't hurt.
Just my own 2 cents.

P.S. - The Black Conservative is in love...and the lucky lady doesn't even know who she is! More on that later, perhaps.

An important speech on race relations

2008-03-19T14:39:00.004-04:00

Yes, Sir. I was proud to hear Barack deliver that profoundly refreshing speech last night. It may not win him the election - it may even lose it for him - but I thought to myself, "this is one man of integrity". I disagree with his Pastor's brand of God's message because it strikes me as the overly venegeful, vitriolic type that hasn't moved black people forward and if anything, has only earned the resentment of white people, but I felt Obama struck the right tone in his speech. Even if he loses, he should hold his head high and move on.

For those wondering why he disowned the Pastor's comments, but not the man himself, they should ask themselves this question - when Clinton stood by her husband in 1998 and disowned his actions but not his person, was she accepting adultery as a fact or approving of it? If the answer is no, then neither should Obama's non-distancing be equated with approval and support for Rev. Wright's ill-advised comments. I was also happy to hear Obama speak boldly about his faith, since it seems in this day and age, most Democrats have abandoned God, or only mention Him in passing when canvassing votes in the red states. Then again, there's got to be a proportional relationship between supporting the right to choose and not believing in God.

Dick Cheney, who is Obama's VERY distant cousin, apparently thinks the speech was "important". When a racist old foggy like Dick, who clearly doesn't like blacks yet refuses to criticize his lesbian daughter (I digress), approves of a speech by a progressive black man - cousin or not - it really must be important.

At the end of the day, Obama's speech echoed most of what I've parroted on this space. Affirmative action and other such pro-black moves are only alienating our people from the mainstream. I could care less about how the white man feels, but until African-Americans stop seeing things as black/white and demanding proportional share instead of working for it, they will continue to have to deal with issues of credibility when facing a mixed multitude who believe that everything any black man has achieved is as a result of AA, and so should be grateful to the white majority instead of complaining.
A word is enough for the wise.

We'll keep watching further developments...

Making NON-Sense of the Hillary Apology

2008-03-14T08:59:00.004-04:00

There was a song by Jacksoul a few years ago with one particularly poignant line - "I swear the woman was crazy". Obviously Jacksoul, with all his unrequited love, was not talking about the Democratic Party nomination race, but he may well have been. Yes, he may well have been referring to the lady known as Hillary.

Apparently, she met with about 200 African-Americans yesterday, and on a whiteboard posted several notes expressing how sorry she was about her campaign's use of race to define this election. There are several things that bother me about this about-face, and which lead me to question its sincerity.

Firstly, why now? Why not at the time it happened in South Carolina, in Mississippi and in Ohio? If she had those strong, decisive traits she would have us believe she does, why did she wait?

Secondly, why did she have to write several apology notes on the board? Does she think there's a proportionality constant between the number of notes she writes and the sincerity of her apology? If so, she must be well and truly off her rocker, and Americans would be cautioned to take note.

Thirdly, why did it take 2 days for Geraldine Ferraro to resign from the campaign? Why wasn't she let go immediately she made those inflammatory comments by the Hill-Bill machine? In fact, Hillary came out to defend Ferraro's right to free speech.

The whole apology smacks of the same two-bit attitude the Hill-Bill machine has constantly demonstrated towards black voters - assuming them, insulting their intelligence and ultimately providing no real sense of belonging for what remains the most underserved group in the United States. I only hope those people came out, ate Hill-Bill's food, drank Hill-Bill's water and went away convinced more than ever that she should not be their President.

Jacksoul may still find it in his heart to believe in love, but in this particular crazy woman's case, I've lost any shred of respect I had for Hillary.

Politics of Thuggery, Nepotism and Godfatherism in Nigeria

2008-03-13T09:48:00.002-04:00

Those who know me well will have wondered when the gaze of my ever-crticizing eye would fall on Nigeria and Nigerian politics. It's fair to say that so many other issues affecting black people, especially in North America have taken precedence over the nefarious activities of the rulers of a country that claims to be the "giant of Africa".

A brief history of politics and corruption in Nigeria will not be brief at all, and most of that information can be found from various sources on the internet. This article is not about that. No, this piece is about the brazen manner in which public officers who have been convicted of crimes (financial, political, moral, etc) still parade themselves about the country with impunity, with the arm of justice sufficiently short and unable to reach them.

This article describes an interaction between 2 Senators and the immediate past Nigerian President - http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20080313102262. Senator David Mark wants to review the sale of government properties in the federal capital, Abuja, by ex-President Obasanjo, while another Senator, Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, wants this review to be halted or "forgotten"! I will explain my reasoning for choosing this article by describing each of these 3 individuals.

Senator Mark (Senate President) - A former military officer who was part of the cabal that robbed Nigeria blind in the 80s and 90s, Mark's election in 2007 was the usual Nigerian tale of stuffed ballot boxes and election thuggery. This election (like countless others) was nullified by the Appeals Court early this year. In any civilized country, once the election of a public officer has been nullified, that officer has to resign immediately, until all appeals have been exhausted and a final solution reached. Yet, this man continues to answer to "Senate President", and presumably is still being paid his salaries and allowances. When the number 3 citizen of a country is above the law, are we surprised at the breakdown and near-anarchy of such a country?
His view on this topic has to be viewed with suspicion. Mark probably wants the sales reviewed, so that he can collect a bribe or two from the guilty customers and "enjoy" his own share of the largesse. Surprised? Don't be...this is Nigeria.

Fmr. President Obasanjo - This is man who came to power talking about all sorts of economic reforms and the stamping out of corruption. The economic reform part was achieved SLIGHTLY, but if anything, the corruption levels in Nigeria attained new heights between 1999 and today. This is a man who used a petroleum trust fund (to be used for schools, hospitals, etc in oil producing areas) as his own slush fund to pay for political gallivanting, private oil blocks, private universities, etc. This is a man who according to his own son, slept with his daughter-in-law in exchange for lucrative oil and finance deals. Despite this abomination, neither Obasanjo nor his daughter-in-law has refuted the claims of the son. This is a man who apparently "spent" $10 - $16 billion on power projects (depending on whom you ask) in a country whose citizens receive power, if they are lucky, for 1 hour a day.
Finally, this is a man who sold properties in the nation's capital, the monies for which have not been accounted for. A man like this should be locked up, yet he continues to insult the country by posing as an 'elder statesman'.

Senator Obasanjo-Bello - As the former President's daughter, perhaps it can be understood that she would support her father - crocodile tears and all - except that she is a Senator of the Federal Republic. Of course, this is Nigeria, where there is no threat of public umbrage at such a crass display of fatherly affection by someone who is a sworn legislator for people whose economic futures have been mortgaged by her father and his policies.
Any shred of sympathy stops once you realize that this is the same Obasanjo-Bello who used her father's stolen wealth to appropriate and corner several of those same 'power projects' that her father siphoned money from. Oh, I should have mentioned that she used a fake name in those transactions, didn't cut her Austrian partners in the deal despite the bribes they paid her (incl a fully loaded Toyota Land Crusier 4WD and cash), and is now being sued by those same Austrian partners both in Nigeria and in Austria.
Again, in any civilized country, the official would have been forced to step aside or resign (witness Elliot Spitzer) till the court case has been settled, and if the person refused to do so, the press would have harangued, editorialized and generally disturbed until they were forced to.
It also begs the question - how did she get elected as a Senator, or even better, if her papa was not in Aso Rock (the Nigerian version of the White House), would she have been elected?

Only in Nigeria can these 3 crooks operate with the impunity and braggado that they have. Only in Nigeria can the common person on the street not react to such high-handed behavior because the common person on the street is waiting for their turn to plunder the wealth of the country. Only in Nigeria will the mainline press refuse to call these people to order, because they are hoping to be made Special Assistants on Media, Media Advisors or Public Relations Secretaries to a politician/public officer in the future.

I make mention of this article and its protagonists, because I'm constantly besieged with calls from extended family, friends, etc wondering whether I plan to return to Nigeria to settle down and "bless" the country with my talent and abilities. The answer is - NOT ON YOUR LIFE!
Call me selfish, call me unforgiving, call me westernized, but never will I give anyone the chance to call me corrupt, or in the absence of that, become another frustrated technocrat because the country of my dreams is falling apart like a deck of cards; and its inhabitants could care less, merely waiting their turn to attain a higher status and join in the looting of the nation, like hyenas at a zebra's carcass.

The (Hypocritical) Democratic Party and Race

2008-03-12T07:49:00.004-04:00

Say what you want about Hillary Clinton, but the woman has balls. Massive balls. I'm not even kidding...I wouldn't be surprised if she literally had them, which may explain why Bill is never in her bed....
All jokes aside, how someone who is over a hundred delegates behind the front-runner can suggest, not to mention insist, that the party would be best served by having her on top of a Hillary-Obama ticket is unfathomable. Read some views and takes on the story from Jack Cafferty, as well as some inflamed readers, including a few from the Great White North (no, I wasn't responding in disguise) :
http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/10/why-are-clintons-pushing-hillary-obama-ticket/

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees Hillary for the bitter, greedy old hag she is. I've been preaching it on this blog from Day 1. Hill-Bill will do anything to become President of the United States. Hill because she wants to prove at all costs that she was the brain behind Bill's presidency, and Bill because he wants to prove to his wife that despite his loose morals, he loves her and would do anything for her, including twist a few superdelegate arms and make inflammatory comments. I guess the 'ghosts' of Lewinsky and Paula Jones (and who knows how many other average-looking secretaries) still haunt the Clintons.

In a related issue, wasn't it funny to see a so-called Liberal (and former Democratic Party VP candidate) Geraldine Ferraro play the race card and get all the media flak? Funny because she wasn't the first to do it, despite the media trying to make it seem like she was. Yes, Bill himself - the self-appointed "first black President" - who sees himself as the Messiah of black people was the first person to bring race into this race (pardon the pun).

What is not funny, and what has continually been revealed in this race is the apparent willingness of white folks who claim to be liberal to come out and showing their racist tendencies. This is a group that will go to war for gays, criminals, the so-called right to choose (otherwise known as the right to kill) and other despicable practices/elements of society, yet will continually try to insult and demean the black race. Even when they do something positive for our race, they try to rub it in (a la Clinton) and assume themselves to be our Saviors. They don't mind doing anything for us, as long as we stay perpetually under them.

This is at the heart of the reason why I've never cottoned onto the political left. At least with the right-wing of politics, you know where you stand on issues. Frankly, anyone telling me the Republican Party is more racist than the Democratic Party (or Conservative Party vs Liberal/NDP Parties in Canada) should have their heads examined. The difference between the right and the left is that the left will say anything to win votes, but they are all the same at the end of the day, run by white men and increasingly by white women, who are beginning to show that they are just as vitriolic, racist and "patriarchial"(we'll need to find a new word, because matriarchal is too gentle) as their male counterparts.

I can make a bold declaration - If Obama was a white man, with the same intellect, charisma and ideas, this race would have been over in New Hampshire. The Senator from New York would have been knocked out a long time ago.

Is Affirmative Action on the way out?

2008-03-10T08:20:00.008-04:00

So a dear friend (CC) points out that I haven't been posting for a few days. Finally, a 'fan' who cares (although I'm not sure she agrees with everything I write).

Anyway, speaking on the issue of the US elections, isn't this the meanest-spirited election year ever? And all of it coming from the Democratic Party cabal of Bill-Hill. Americans, do not make that mistake this year. McCain IS a credible alternative if you decide you want experience, not the nonsense that Hillary projects. Of course, at this point, I'm guessing the Bill-Hill machine, while losing the popular vote among delegates, leans into a few super-delegates and forces them (overtly and covertly) to support her and turn the tables against Barack. Then, watch the Republican machine go to work against the Bill-Hill ticket. It'll be an ugly 3 or 4 months, but I'll enjoy every minute of it.

I was also sent an article this morning. Find it linked here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/07/affirmative.action/index.html

This is VERY interesting! In principle, I agree with the fellow (of African and Native American ancestry) who is proposing this idea. I don't need to waste any more virtual space, but I think my views were appropriately espoused in my write-ups on Afrocentric schools. In practice, however, I find it a little bit hypocrtical coming from someone who has probably benefited from affirmative action. If Mr. Connerly is willing to rescind all benefits he probably gained from affirmative action, then I'm with him. Of course, it's darn near impossible to gauge what benefits he may have realized...
That being said, the one group to have benefitted the most from affirmative action is the white female group, so perhaps Mr. Connerly is onto something in disguise...
My point is that I expect African-Americans to lay into me when I criticize affirmative action, because it probably has had some benefit to them, or someone close to them. I'm not sure it's the best response to slavery and the lack of opportunities that followed from that, and I would rather that a better solution - perhaps increased funding for inner city schools - had been implemented instead, but since it's here, it should be left alone.
I can criticize it though, because I have never benefitted from it, nor will I ever do (likely). An African-American wanting it banned is an interesting concept, so let's see how it plays out.

CC wanted to know how the afrocentric issue is playing out...what can I say? The proposal has been approved, the Premier of Ontario has voiced his displeasure (although he hasn't exactly come up with a way to solve the problems afrocentric schools claim they will), but in the end, the school will be established. It remains to be seen if there'll be any benefits, but I'm not even counting on anything close to that happening.

Of black leaders and American politics

2008-03-04T14:30:00.003-05:00

So, it's been awhile since I wrote. In that time, Hilary Clinton seems to have found her mojo, and may be on the verge of regaining the momentum in the Democratic race. I can't begin to express how disappointed I will be if this happens, but we'll find out for sure tonight when the results from Texas and Ohio roll in...apparently, Vermont and Rhode Island will be voting as well. Like anyone noticed.

Further to my last posting, I've received some vitriol and some praise from friends and foes alike on the subject of Afrocentric schools in Toronto, and my distaste for the concept. In response, I would like to say - "post your comments on the blog page, not in cryptic facebook messages or e-mails" and secondly, "I don't care what you think, that's why it's a blog" :-)
Seriously though, I appreciate the comments, though few and belated, that I have received.

I mentioned that I was going to talk about why black leaders generally try to deflect the blame for any negative issue in the African, African-American or African-Canadian communities onto someone else. I realized this could be a hot-button topic, so I'm still perfecting my research in this area, so that I can present an objective riposte of my ideas. However, I should mention that it is sad that the vast majority of black leaders rarely call out members of the community who are messing up, whether it be parents, teachers, the youth or even other black "leaders". The few who do, like Bill Cosby (although his shady morals smack of hypocrisy) in the US, and Michael Thompson in Toronto are often vilified by their own people for speaking the truth. This is a darn shame, and prevents other people from speaking their minds. It won't stop me though, whether my platform is global, regional or internet-based.

I hope to have a provocative piece in tomorrow, but till then, I will be watching CNN this evening to see whether Mrs. Clinton's negative campaign has paid dividends. I'm betting the house that it has.

Cheers

Afrocentric Schools in Toronto (Part 2) - The White Media Condescends to the Poor Black Folk

2008-02-28T08:31:00.007-05:00

For a collective group (white media and white politicians) that has done all it can to pretend that there is no black/white issue in Toronto over the last several years, it was quite amusing to see them falling over each other in an attempt to clarify, explain away or condemn the issue of Afrocentric schools. After all, it's another chance for the "big, white brother" to show his love and care for the "po' black folk" whose hands need to be held at every turn. Let's examine a cross-section of responses from the 3 largest dailies in Toronto - the Star, the Sun and the infamous Globe and Mail.

Toronto Star
Find a link to a commentary by of all people, the Ontario National Democratic Party (NDP) Leader, Howard Hampton - http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/307176

As my name suggests, I am a social conservative, so hopefully I can be forgiven for what may be perceived as a biased point of view about (against, really) the left-wing, "support every liberal, but black issue" NDP.
Old Howard starts off with a very gratuitous statement about how hard black parents work and what the impact on family and school life is. I can just imagine the Chinese immigrant father who works two jobs, and his wife who works another 2 or 3, and yet both have kids who come home with A's and B's, while our kids are coming home with D's and F's - or do the Chinese have 2 heads?
Then Howard, whose party hasn't done a single meaningful thing for blacks in Ontario that I can remember - either while they were in power or in the opposition - tries to inform his educated readers that segregation claims are unfounded. That sounds just like the KKK or Aryan Nation telling us that they don't segregate per se, rather they want to keep their race separate to avoid pollution. Howard, please look up the meaning of the word segregation before using it, and don't think that because the left-wing NDP says something isn't segregation, it will be universally accepted.
The compounding of his crime however, is when he compares the opening of an Afrocentric school to a gay-friendly one recently opened. I think it's quite sick and despicable to introduce such gay themes (which I don't approve of, it must be said) into the lives of young kids who don't even know what sex is, all in the name of being inclusive (I digress), and NO ONE should compare blacks and gays, not today and not tomorrow. We were born black, they chose to go the way they did (and yes, most scientific evidence points to that fact, even sociology agrees with that).
Read the full article and marvel at the condescension and half-wit of a man who wants to be Premier someday.

Toronto Sun
Article by Sid Ryan, a Sun columnist -
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Ryan_Sid/2008/02/07/4832170-sun.php

Sid Ryan chooses to play the role of the sympathetic white man, who isn't really as bad as the black folk think, and who knows his black history. His points are well taken, except when he doesn't explore the reason why black parents are crying out for help. They are doing so because they are looking for a cop out. It's the simple age-old tactic that post-civil rights black folks use - if they can't navigate the system, then the system must be wrong.
Affirmative action in the US didn't increase the number of blacks that graduate from high school - all it ended up doing was increasing the number of white women in the labor force, and increasing the number of blacks who could get into university with a C+, where before a B- or B would have been the minimum. If anything, reports out of the US suggest that the percentage of blacks who fail high school hasn't really changed. Why? Because their failing school has very little to do with lack of opportunities, and more to do with some of the social factors I mentioned yesterday.
It is the same thing here. The Afrocentric school might motivate students who would otherwise have performed at an average level due to lack of motivation or "role models", but it won't make someone who has no interest in learning do well.
Then again, good white boy Sid wouldn't want to say that - he might risk getting black people angry at him, and we wouldn't want that, would we?

Globe and Mail
The Globe took two approaches to this - an article tailored to their black readers (a facetious, yet interesting critique of Afrocentric schools linked below), and a cartoon tailored to their non-black (read: majority) audience - both saying the same thing, however. It was a classic case of two-faced, yet similar, journalism at its best.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080213.weafrocentric13/BNStory/specialComment/

I won't bother linking the cartoon, except to say that most black people found it insulting, while other black people, like myself, could care less one way or another. If image has suddenly become a problem with black people, then maybe we should be more active in declaring war against street gangs, eschewing violence among our youth and stop bad parenting habits, as these all do a million times more damage than that cartoon. Besides, if our kids step onto the buses or streetcars, and all people hear them saying is "s'up dawg", etc, why do we complain about other people associating such so-called ebonic terms with us?? Let us stop the hypocrisy, which may have worked for old Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, but is becoming redundant in this day and age.

Back to this article, the Globe makes sense, except for the underlining theme of "let's ignore the issue and make it go away". In this blog, I've tried to outline what I think is at the root of the problem, not just my criticism of the proposed idea, and I would much rather have a flawed solution like the Afrocentric schools than none at all. Sadly, that's all the article offers us no such relief, so to the Globe and Mail editor, please note - critique without a remedy is the last thing the problem of underachieving black youth needs.

Tomorrow, this space will examine why black leaders constantly look for handouts and affirmations of silly ideas, and why they are not interested in the real solutions.

Afrocentric Schools in Toronto (Part 1) - A Blight on the "Black" Landscape

2008-02-27T10:21:00.008-05:00

This has to be one of the silliest ideas I've ever heard of. Why would educated, supposedly intelligent, black folks decide to insult themselves and their "people" by requesting a return to the dark days of segregation, cloaked under the guise of "equality" and academic progress?

I should preface this by stating that I know the two foremost proponents of Afrocentric schools VERY well. One of them is a Ghanaian-born professor at the University of Toronto, who I've spoken with on several occasions and who I invited to, and had, deliver speeches a few times to the U of T chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) in my days there. The other is a brilliant professor at York University, whose son, currently a PhD student in Aerospace Engineering at U of T, mentored me in my early years at U of T Engineering and as a chapter member and later officer of NSBE.
They are clearly role models for upwardly mobile black youth and professionals, a group I like to associate with.
On this topic, however, I firmly disagree with both, and have had the opportunity to let them know.

A full background can be found here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20080207/ca_pr_on_na/black_school_equality

Basically, their argument is that the only way black youths can excel in high school is by having black teachers teach subjects in a "black" or to use their politically correct term, "afrocentric" way. The very idea that there is an afrocentric way to teach Math and Science offends me, as someone who excelled in those subjects, and never for once had to think about whether I was learning the afrocentric way of doing Math! Does this make me any less black? I spent most of my high school years back in Nigeria, so presumably I was being taught in an "afrocentric" manner. Why didn't I feel any difference when I moved to Canada?
The same argument can be used for Science, whether it was physics, chemistry or biology.

Even in the social sciences, is anything really wrong with a student learning about world civilizations, European history or even American history and literature? Does that take away their ability to think, read and write essays? Why do Asians (Oriental or South Asian) who rarely hear about their own culture, manage to excel in these subjects? Certainly, they aren't any smarter than we are.
I attended a high school in Toronto where a subject called "African Civilization" was offered and taught by an African-Canadian teacher. I never took the subject myself, but is it any surprise that this was the most rowdy, indisciplined class in the entire school? Or that it was mostly populated by students who ended up either not graduating or taking the easy way out by going to college, when a university education was within their grasp? (this is not meant to denigrate community colleges, by the way)

Why don't we face up to the real problems instead of tackling them with such a blunt and crude object? The biggest problems the black youth in Toronto faces are broken-down family structures, lack of leadership, parental apathy and laziness borne out of seeing the "easy way out" through the ostentatious lifestyles of sports stars, entertainers and BET pop culture in general. After all, LeBron James didn't go to university and he's a multimillionaire, so why should they?

Until black parents preach the value of an education to their kids, until my fellow black men stop being selfish by walking out on their families, until my beautiful black women stop getting themselves knocked up before they are ready to bring up a child and until we stop blaming others for our problems, we will continue to regurgitate half-baked measures without ever getting to the solution of the problem.

Tomorrow, this space will examine the response of the white "liberal until it involves a black issue" media, including the infamous Globe and Mail cartoon.

A Black Conservative for Obama

2008-02-26T09:27:00.008-05:00

Things are a bit quiet at work, so I figured I'd ride the blog wave till sometime before my weekly project review meeting with the boss.

Perhaps the easiest way to start is to show my cards on the issue of the U.S. presidential election. I'm not an American, nor do I live in the States, but this is an election that could signal a major shift in overall US policy not just towards my home (Canada) and native land (Africa), but also in terms of voter turnout and (gasp!) making politics "cool" again.
Despite my conservative leanings, I am hoping for an Obama victory in November. This actually has nothing to do with his "blackness", after all I scorned the idea of Al Sharpton running for that office in 2004, and more to do with the repercussions if Hilary "don't call me Rodham" Clinton or John "i'm going slightly senile" McCain became President.

First, let's deal with the NY Senator: Bill Clinton turned the White House into his own private bordello for 8 years, and I see no reason why he should be allowed to return there, especially now that he won't have an official job. I mean, let us contemplate for a few seconds what Bill could get up to while Hilary is on a goodwill mission to Africa, for example...that's what I thought. Now to his wifey - this is the same person who supported Dubya when he went to Iraq, whose husband came up with the crap called NAFTA (which she has waffled on) and whose biggest claim to fame is that she was a first lady. She claims to have a grasp of the issues, but let's be honest, how many presidents actually come up with policies? It's the beaurecrats, dummy.

Twenty years ago, McCain would have made a great president. At 71, this war veteran doesn't seem to be as coherent as the two Democrats, and frankly, seems to have benefitted from what can best be described as a weak Republican candidate pool. Other than the fact that he can't seem to express a sentence without stammering or fumbling for words, the old man is liberal on issues a true conservative shouldn't be, especially when it comes to moral conservatism (my ideal of true conservatism). I'm also a bit concerned about his campaign speech that tries to validate the Iraq war in principle, if not literally. That's not the only issue conservatives want to hear, but then he is weak on those issues. Furthermore, isn't it strange that in a culture where people are forced to retire at age 65, folks want to elect someone who, assuming a 2nd term, could be 80 by the time he's leaving office??

Barack may admittedly be weaker on the issues, mainly from lack of experience, but that didn't stop JFK, Lincoln or even Bill "I have an itch that needs scratching" Clinton from becoming President, and on balance they did OK. Let's give the black man a chance, even if this represents settling of the highest order.
Yes, you heard it here first - in the absence of a true moral conservative in this race, Barack should be elected because the alternative choices are crap.

Sticking to the task

2008-02-26T07:32:00.000-05:00

I've often wondered why I would start a blog, and then fade after a few entries. Then I realized that this was a common phenomenon that affected most bloggers. The key is to find a niche area and write the heck out of it, so this is what I'm going to try to do.

Looking at the realms of sports, politics, the environment, etc, the one area that really stood out was politics which is quite encompassing. It's also where I can spout the most amount of interesting-sounding BS and when you talk of black politics, then we are looking at a vertitable minefield. Besides, one can always infuse a bit of sports talk, or anything else really, in politics (case in point - "Is Barry Bonds being targeted for reasons other than mere allegations?"). The reverse is not necessarily true.

We'll see how this latest go-around plays out...hopefully, I get those critical 2 or 3 readers who can keep the page alive.

Cheers