Wednesday 2 December 2015

Open Letter To President Muhammadu Buhari!

The open letter below which was published in Huffington Post (HuffPo) website, an American online news blog on Monday, 30th November, was written by an American Constitutional Lawyer and Author, Bruce Fein, addressed to Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari.

The Letter:
"President Muhammadu Buhari
Aso Rock, Abuja Nigeria
Dear President Buhari:

When you visited the United States Institute of Peace last July, you pledged that you would be “fair, just and scrupulously follow due process and the rule of law, as enshrined in [the Nigerian] constitution” in prosecuting corruption.

Such loftiness is laudable. As the Bible instructs in Amos 5:24: “[L]et justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”


But to be just, the law must be evenhanded. It cannot, in the manner of Russian President Vladimir Putin, be something that is given to punish your enemies and withheld to favor your friends. If so, the law becomes an instrument of injustice bearing earmarks of the wicked rather than the good.



In the United States, you declared a policy of “zero tolerance” against corruption. You solicited weapons and other assistance from the United States government based on that avowal. But were you sincere?
During your election campaign, you promised widespread amnesty, not zero tolerance. You elaborated: “Whoever that is indicted of corruption between 1999 to the time of swearing-in would be pardoned. I am going to draw a line, anybody who involved himself in corruption after I assume office, will face the music.”

After you were inaugurated, however, you disowned your statement and declared you would prosecute past ministers or other officials for corruption or fraud. And then again you immediately hedged. You were reminded of your dubious past by former Major General and President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who succeeded your military dictatorship. He released this statement:
“On General Buhari, it is not in IBB’s tradition to take up issues with his colleague former President. But for the purpose of record, we are conversant with General Buhari’s so-called holier-than-thou attitude. He is a one-time Minister of Petroleum and we have good records of his tenure as minister. Secondly, he presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, which records we also have.

We challenge him to come out with clean hands in those two portfolios he headed. Or we will help him to expose his records of performance during those periods. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. General Buhari should be properly guided.”
You then swiftly backed off your zero tolerance policy because you would have been its first casualty.

You opportunistically announced that zero tolerance would be narrowed to the predecessor administration of Goodluck Jonathan because to probe further would be “a waste of time.” That conclusion seems preposterous. In 2012, the World Bank’s ex-vice president for Africa, Oby Ezekwesili, estimated that a stupendous $400 billion in Nigerian oil revenues had been stolen or misspent since independence in 1960. The lion’s share of that corruption spans far beyond the Jonathan administration.

Your zero tolerance policy seems to come with a squint to avoid seeing culpability in your political friends. A few examples are but the tip of the iceberg.

A Rivers State judicial commission of inquiry found that N53 billion disappeared from the Rivers State Reserve Fund under former governor Rotimi Amaechi. Former Lagos governor and head of your campaign finance team Babatunde Fashola was accused ofsquandering N78 million of government money to upgrade his personal website. The EFCC has ignored these corruption allegations, and you have given both promotions: the Ministry of Transport to Mr. Amaechi, and the Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing to Mr. Fashola.
In contrast, you have played judge, jury, and prosecutor in the newspapers to convict former PDP Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke of corruption.
Is this evenhanded justice?

United States Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson taught: “[T]here is no more effective practical guaranty against arbitrary and unreasonable government than to require that the principles of law which officials would impose upon a minority must be imposed generally. Conversely, nothing opens the door to arbitrary action so effectively as to allow those officials to pick and choose only a few to whom they will apply legislation and thus to escape the political retribution that might be visited upon them if larger numbers were affected.”

To investigate or prosecute based on political affiliation or opinion also violates Articles 2 and 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is unworthy of a great nation like Nigeria.
Make the hallmark of your administration justice, not retribution, and you may live for the ages.

I am a United States citizen and lawyer. I have no political standing in Nigeria. Some might argue that my speaking about the administration of justice in Nigeria bespeaks impertinece. But you chose to vist the United States to solicit weapons and other assistance from my government–a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The United States government represents me. What the United States government does reflects on me. I thus have an interest in addressing the actions of foreign governments that receive United States government aid.
Sunshine is said to be the best of disinfectants.

Sincerely,
Bruce Fein". 


We hope the Presidency responds by shedding light on the reason behind the actions it is accused of in this letter.


Nigeria Moves To Suspend Rice Importation By Land Border!

The Nigerian Senate during its seating on Wednesday, 2nd December, 2015 recommeded the suspension of rice importation into the country by land borders. 


This came as the Senate south to formulate policies that will make local rice farming attractive, some of which includes encourages and protecting local producers, while equiping the Nigerian Customs to protect the borders.





2nd Annual Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme Launches 1st January 2016!

#TEEP2016
"We don't need a few successful people in the sectors in Africa, we need a multitude" - Tony Elumelu.

It is inline with the above quote from  the entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, founder of the The Tony Elumelu Foundation, made while addressing young entreprenuers at the 2015 TEEP Boot Camp, that we report the announced second annual round of the $100m Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP 2016) for emerging African entrepreneurs. 


In 2015, The Tony Elumelu Foundation empowered 1,000 African entrepreneurs, with an average age range of 21-40, selected from over 20,000 applicants, from 51 African countries, (Congo, Benin Republic, Kenya, Togo, South Africa, Madagascar, Senegal, Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana and the list goes on)...... 




.....who completed the programme, with start-up investment of $5,000 in seed capital, active mentoring, business training, an entrepreneurship boot camp (to boost net working) held at Covenant University, Ota - Ogun state, Nigeria, between 10th - 12th July 2015.



So far, the Tony Elumelu Foundation invested a total of $4,860,000, including $1,405,000 in agriculture; $410,000 in education and training; and $365,000 in manufacturing.  The sector-agnostic programme funded start-ups across a further 20 industries, all based in Africa.

There are testimonies from benefactors of the 2015 TEEP Seed Capital on how the fund empowered them to create Small and Medium Scale enterprises across Africa. For other categories of entreprenuers, how the fund leveraged them to transform their Small and Medium businesses into a larger scale enterprises. 

"I love you all because the future of our continent is in your hands"- Tony Elumelu @ 2015 TEEP Boot Camp.

For information on how to apply, visit : http://tonyelumelufoundation.org/teep/teep-2016-2nd-annual-tony-elumelu-entrepreneurship-programme-round-launches-1st-january-2016/









Tuesday 1 December 2015

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Share Their Daughter's Birth On Facebook!

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan in a post on Facebook announced the birth of their daughter, Max Chan Zuckerberg, the couple also said they plan to donate 99% of their Facebook stock over their lifetimes.

zuckerberg couple with baby_640x360.jpg
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Photo Of Pope Francis Addressing The Masses At CAR Makes Waves!

This photo of Pope Francis addressing the masses  at a Mosque in a Muslim neighborhood in Bangui, Central African Republic,  followed by an open air Mass at a stadium, on Sunday, 29th November, which appears like Papal was rapping some hip-hop has been making waves on the Internet. 

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In his message, the Papal called on Christians and Muslims to shun violence and embrace peace. According to Pope Francis, Christians and Muslims are "brothers" and should reject hatred and violence.





The Pope also paid visit to a Paediatric Hospital in Bangui, where he interacted with patients.



Pope Francis was warmly received by the People




Serena Williams Poses Nude For 2016 Pirelli Calendar!

Serena Williams poses nude for Pirelli calendar...


A Thai Bangkaew Receives Medal For Saving A Baby Girl Dumped In A Roadside Dumpster!

A male (Thai Bangkaew) puppy named Pui in Thailand was recently awarded a leather collar and a medal from the Tha Rua district Red Cross chapter for his actions when he came upon something quite unusual while walking on a roadside dumpster during his usual daily stroll around Tambon Sala Loi in Tha Rua district


According to report, a white nylon bag caught Pui's eye prompting him to go in to check what it was. The puppy pawed furiously at the bag, grabbed it in his mouth and took it back home.


On getting back home, Pui dropped the bag at the door and barked loudly for help. On hearing Pui's unusual bark, the owner's 12-year-old niece came out , opened the bag and found a newborn baby girl with it’s umbilical cord still in tact inside. 

The babe was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors discovered she was born prematurely and weighed only 4 pounds. The baby was later transferred to a nearby hospital where doctors were able to save her life. The saved baby is receiving better medical attention, meanwhile, authorities are searching for her mother.