Nigerian, Isa Wali, Wins $10,000 McNulty Prize 2014 Laureates

July 30, 2014

A Nigerian, Isa Wali, has emerged as one of the winners of the 2014 McNulty Prize Laureates in the United States of America. He won in the empowerment initiative category.

This was announced today by the Aspen Institute and Institute Trustee, Anne Welsh McNulty at the seventh annual John P. McNulty Prize laureates.

The John P. McNulty Prize of $100,000 is given annually to honor the visionary work of a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. The winner are chosen from the five laureates, and each of the other laureates will receive $10,000.

An international panel of judges, including former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, international statesman, Olara Otunnu, and international development expert, Brizio Biondi-Morra, selected this year’s winner from among the laureates.

Winners, according to the Institute, are in a group of five extraordinary leaders who bring the spirit of innovation and excellence that characterized their success in the private sector to bear on some of the most intractable issues of our time.
According to the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aspen Institute, Walter Isaacson, the 2014 laureates are making a significant impact on their communities and across the globe, from educating women and girls in parts of northern Nigeria; to engaging Palestinian youth in civic participation and the democratic process; to providing youth alternatives to gangs in El Salvador through soccer programs and personal development; to uniting those affected by rare diseases into a powerful advocacy movement; to working with poor rural populations in South Africa to develop their own path to self-sufficiency.
Bulugula, from South Africa also won the prize. He was former senior economist and asset manager, founder of the Bulungula Incubator and acted as a catalyst for rural communities to create sources of income, integrated new technologies, and demand the infrastructure and services they have a right to from the government, while maintaining traditional values and structures. [myad]

Ebola: Britain Panics, Holds Emergency Meeting

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2014

Britain, disturbed by the spread of the highly-contagious Ebola virus in West Africa, today, holds a top-level government emergency meeting.

International concern has in recent time, risen about the virus, which has killed 672 people in West Africa since February, after the first recorded case of the disease in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria.

Although no cases of Ebola have been found in Britain, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said that after the emergency meeting, London is considering extra precautions but was confident it could contain the disease if necessary.

“In terms of the UK, the issue is about the possibility of somebody who has contracted the disease in Africa getting sick here,” he said after the meeting, which health experts, scientists and other ministers attended.

“It is not about the disease spreading in the UK because frankly we have different standards of infection control procedure that would make that most unlikely.”

He said that ministers had discussed what additional measures Britain could take to contain the outbreak in West Africa, and what steps needed to be taken in case a British national in the area contracted the disease.

He did not specify what precautions were being considered.

Earlier this month, public health officials issued guidance to hospitals and doctors asking them to look out for possible cases in travellers returning from the affected countries. [myad]

Press Freedom And Security, By Garba Shehu

Garba Shehu

July 30, 2014

Dele Giwa. Bagauda Kaltho. Enenche Akogwu. Zakariya Isa. Ikechukwu Udendu.
Nansok Sallah. Bayo Ohu. These are the names of just a few of the brave Nigerian journalists who have lost their lives as a direct result of their line of work.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) a total of at least, 19 journalists have been killed in Nigeria since 1992 and countless others have been beaten, intimidated, kidnapped and held for questioning-many of who have since fled their homeland after repeated threats on their lives.
On 01 July 2014, yet another casualty of the press was reported as Thomas Thomas, editor of the Global Concord Newspaper was handcuffed and thrown into a car by armed men in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.
Unyime Ekwere, chairman of the Global Concord’s editorial board, told CPJ that Thomas was being detained by the State Security Service in what is suspected to be retaliation for the publication’s recent criticism of alleged plans by the Akwa Ibom state government to assassinate traditional chiefs ahead of the 2015 general elections.
During the past six weeks, The Nation, Daily Trust and Leadership newspapers have reported infractions, in which military personnel have confiscated or blocked the distribution of newspapers reportedly containing stories negative to the regime or military operations related security in the country.
Repeated offenses against the press have only managed to undermine Nigeria’s long-fraught journey to peace, democracy and a better life for every Nigerian. Journalists remain the one entity capable of holding officials and organizations accountable to the ordinary Nigerians who are directly impacted by their actions.
There are many perpetrators to the freedom and security of the press in Nigeria. The militant group, Boko Haram, considered a “predator of press freedom” by Reporters Without Borders, claimed responsibility for the 2011 death of Zakariya Isa and followed up the attack with statements that it will attack news organizations that misrepresent its activities. It followed through on that promise, with the murder of five Nigerians at the offices of This Day in April2012.
Government entities are keen to support the narrative that most of these deaths and violations against journalists are merely journalists getting caught in the crossfire of Boko Haram violence, but a quick investigation into the locations and circumstances of these transgressions against the press would suggest otherwise.
Although terrorist groups remain a primary culprit in the various offenses against the freedom, safety and integrity of the press, the recent escalation in anti-press violence has not only been at the hands of Boko Haram. According to the CPJ, the vast majority of journalists killed were, in fact,murdered in the interest of muting political dissidence.
Furthermore, in 2012, there were 143 separate attacks on the press alone, of which only 16% were committed by terrorists. This speaks of organized and pervasive oppression of journalists beyond the threats and accidental “crossfire” killings surrounding the Boko Haram insurgency.
In today’s Nigeria, members of the media are frequently arrested, detained and questioned without trial. In April 2013, two Leadership reporters were detained and interrogated by the police for unknown reasons. We are failing our brothers and sisters in the media and failing Nigeria in its plight towards just democratic governance.
Journalists must be protected from harassment and violent attacks, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. Since 2006, the murders of five journalists remain unsolved. This is a gross injustice to those in the media who serve our country as the eyes, ears and voice of the Nigerian citizens.
The role of the Nigerian press according to the Nigerian Constitution, is to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.
The unfair and unjust treatment of the Nigerian media is an impediment to the growth of our democracy. To use money, coercion, threats and violence to sway the media is to abandon the principles of democracy. Without freedom of speech and expression, we regress into authoritarian rule because journalists are forced to practice self-censorship to protect themselves from threats of violence and detention.
The members of the press are a vehicle for the dissemination of information and transparency and their work is a crucial part of our democratic society.
We have the foundation for a flourishing media sector. Nigeria has independent newspapers and an active press corps.
What we must put our efforts toward is establishing a culture of true press freedom that shields the journalists from terrorists, political conspiracies and other forms of intimidation, which only serve to derail trust, accountability and the democratic vision for freedom of expression, speech and thought.
In cases of violence and murder, witnesses must be guaranteed protection and killers
must be prosecuted and jailed when guilty for the crimes. The press should be a trusted participant in the advancement of our democracy and development of our nation, respected instead of being attacked and persecuted.
With some guidance from our international friends, perhaps we can eradicate the element of fear from journalism, so journalists can observe and report the truth without risking their lives.
The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is one such guide that can help develop a safe path forward. It emphasizes the importance of a robust legal system, establishing partnerships between stakeholders, raising awareness and creating safety initiatives at multiple levels of society. A harmonized effort of cooperation between the
government, security forces, non-governmental and international organizations, media industry and its association, and the civil society at-large can create an environment in which the press can operate with the constitutional freedom it deserves.
The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Femi Adeshina, “pointed out that in order to move forward, the police and the media need to engage one another by setting up a partnership that must be cultivated, adding that there must be a new thinking with mutual respect between the two parties.”
If government and security resources are diverted from controlling the media and detaining reporters who disagree with those in power, to protecting journalists in the field and addressing the violators of free speech in court, then the resulting free, fair and ethical system of journalism will strengthen the Nigerian democracy, economy and society.

Read More Articles From This Author: Garba Shehu

[myad]

Landslide Devastates India, Kills 10, Buries 40 Houses, 160 Trapped

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2014

Landslide has done a big blow to Malin village, near the city of Pune in Maharashtra state of India, killing at least 10 people, buried more than 40 houses and left 160 people trapped.

The first teams of emergency workers who arrived at the disaster happened scene are said to be trying to reach survivors caught under the debris but are being hampered by bad weather.

Reports said that heavy rains had triggered the landslide.

An official of India’s National Disaster Response Force said difficult terrain in the hilly area was making rescue work difficult.

Senior local official, Prabhakar Deshmukh said that rescue workers were being hampered by rains and poor roads leading to the Ambegaon area where Malin is located, some 60km (37 miles) from the city of Pune, south-east of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital.

Reports said debris from a hill near the village collapsed on homes early today when people were sleeping.

Television pictures showed the side of a hill shaved off, with mud and water flowing below.

Local official, Saurav Rao said that heavy machinery and 30 ambulances were being sent to the village.

“The exact number of casualties is not known as we are moving slowly to ensure that those trapped are removed safely,” Rao said.

More than 500 people died and several thousand people remain missing after floods and landslides hit the northern state of Uttarakhand in June last year. [myad]

President Jonathan Asks Immigration Officers To Check Attitudes

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has asked officers and men of Nigeria immigration to be mindful of the way they conduct themselves in their official duties as their attitudes portray the image of Nigeria.

“What affects every traveler is how efficient and committed our immigration officers work at our airports. Visitors that come into the country have different impressions about our immigration officers. So they must improve; they are the image of this country. How they handle visitors matters so much. If they conduct themselves poorly, it reflects on all of us. So their conducts at the airports are keys, besides the passport.”

President Jonathan made these observations today when he launched a new 64 page e-passport at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President said that the most important thing is for Nigeria to have a robust relationship with key countries so that frequent travelers may not need visas.

“One thing one must know today is that it is not the issue of 64-page passport that is key to Nigerians but the security. If our passport could be easily faked by criminals, then we will have problems. One thing again is that how can Nigerians are able to get passport easily especially those living outside this country.

He sounded it that what the immigration should be most concerned with is the issue of the image of the country, adding that the people coming into Nigeria would always perceive the country from the way those in government, in the media and in the civil society paint it with all kinds of colours.

“I want a situation that whenever you travel to another country and you raise your green passport, people will appreciate you and not when you raise your green passport, people will begin to think that that green passport signify some suspicious character.

“We are not helping ourselves when we paint ourselves the colours that we are supposed to bear.”

He appealed to all Nigerians to collectively learn how to love their own things, by painting brighter colours for the nation’s green passport.

Speaking, Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro lauded Jonathan for what he described as his untiring efforts towards the successful implementation of policies and programmes of the Ministry of Interior, as well as the Nigeria Immigration Service, aimed at bringing the dividends of democracy to the door steps of Nigerians.

“the ease with which our citizens at home and in the Diaspora can obtain their Nigerian Passports, across several issuing centers in Nigeria and in 27 Missions abroad, as well as through the on-going e-Passport Intervention Exercise, is a clear demonstration of Government’s deliberate commitment towards entrenching seamless service delivery to Nigerians wherever they are found.

“I must also say a big thank you to our Service Providers and Technical Partners, who have been working assiduously in close collaboration with the Nigerian Immigration to sustain the e-passport technology since it was adopted in Nigeria in July, 2007.”

Moro added that the introduction of the 64-page Nigerian e-passport was a demand-driven initiative to meet the needs of frequent Nigerian travellers.

He explained that based on some recommendations arising from the operational experiences of the Nigeria Immigration Service, his ministry recently approved some reforms on the Nigerian e-Passport, adding that the reforms approved by his ministry according to Moro, include the newly introduced 64 page e-passport. [myad]

UN Describes Israeli Attack On School House In Gaza As Disgrace To The World

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2014

The United Nations has frowned at Israel launched which launched a deadly attack on a UN school housing refugees in Gaza despite repeated warnings that civilians were sheltering there.

The UN spokesman, Chris Gunness, in reaction, made it clear that “the world stands disgraced” by the attack, in which 15 were reported killed.

The Israeli military said soldiers had responded after militants had fired mortar shells “from the vicinity of the [UN] school”.

Some 1,200 Palestinians and 55 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.

Most of the Palestinian deaths have been civilians.

Some 53 Israeli soldiers have been killed along with two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after a surge in rocket fire from the territory.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, says it will not stop fighting until the blockade, maintained by both Israel and Egypt, is lifted.

The current conflict is now the longest between Israel and militants from Gaza.

A 2012 offensive lasted for eight days, and the 2008 conflict went on for 22 days.

A monthly opinion poll of about 600 Israeli Jews by Tel Aviv University suggests 97% support the current military operation.

Mr Gunness from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) told the BBC that Israel had been told 17 times that the school in the Jabaliya refugee camp was housing the displaced.

“The last time was hours before the fatal attack,” he said.

“Our initial assessment is that it was Israeli artillery that hit our school.”

He said there were “multiple deaths” including women and children, adding that the attack caused “universal shame”.

Images from the school showed large holes in the walls and roof.

Bob Turner, UNRWA’s Gaza director, said the UN was “confident” Israel was responsible.

He said UN workers had collected fragments of projectiles that suggested they were artillery shells fired from Israeli positions to the north-east of the school.

The Israeli military said the incident was under review.

“Earlier this morning, militants opened fire and fired mortar shells at [Israeli] soldiers from the vicinity of the UNRWA school in Jabaliya,” the military said in a statement.

“In response, [Israeli] soldiers responded by firing towards the origins of fire.”

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using schools and civilian areas as bases to launch attacks.

Last week, another UN-run school was hit, with Palestinians saying at least 15 people were killed.

But the Israeli military “ruled out” that it was responsible in that case, saying a single “errant” shell had landed in an empty courtyard.

It said it had come under fire from militants using anti-tank missiles in the vicinity of the school.

The UN on Tuesday revealed that a cache of rockets had been found at one of its schools in Gaza – the third case of its kind.

But the organization declined to give the location of the school or say who was responsible for the weapons.

In a statement, UNRWA said the rocket cache was “yet another flagrant violation of the neutrality of our premises”.

“We call on all the warring parties to respect the inviolability of UN property,” it said.

Israel stepped up the intensity of its strikes on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, saying it had hit a number of tunnels dug by militants to attack Israel.

But the Israeli military said rockets continued to land in Israel from Gaza.

Palestinian officials said Gaza’s port had been destroyed on Tuesday and its only power plant had been put out of action.

Meanwhile, Palestinian factions Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad are expected to meet in Cairo later to discuss a ceasefire. [myad]

Nigeria Football House Raises Stephen Keshi’s Pay To N7 Million Per Month

Greenbarge Reporters

July 30, 2014

The Nigeria Football Federation has increased Stephen Keshi contract fee to N7 Million (over $44,000) per month.

A top official of the federation put his first contract, which expired after the World Cup N5 Million monthly.

Keshi, who was not considered for the South African post and the NFF are expected to finalise a new deal next week.

The official who has been part of the contract talks said the “Big Boss” wishes to continue as Nigeria coach

“We have had meetings with Keshi and the good news is that he is willing to continue as coach of the Super Eagles,” the official told africanFootball.com.

“He is only concerned that most of the fringe benefits in his contract were not provided and demands better treatment from the Federation.

“I think the first step was a success and we will build on it because the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are not far away.”

The Super Eagles will in early September begin the defence of the AFCON crown won in South Africa last year.

The African champions will play in a group comprising South Africa, Sudan and either Congo or Rwanda. [myad]

Nasiru El-Rufai Loses His Son In Auto Crash, President Jonathan Sends Sympathy

Greenbarge Reporters

July 29, 2014

Tragedy hit the home of the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in the early morning of today when his son, Hamza, died in a road crash in Abuja even as President Goodluck Jonathan sent his sympathy to the deceased father.

The former minister, who is a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress, announced this on his Facebook page. He asked Nigerians to help pray for the repose of the soul of Hamza.

El-Rufai wrote, “From Allah we came and to him we shall return. Please join our family in praying for the repose of the soul of my son, Hamza El-Rufai, who died this morning in a motor accident in Abuja.”

In a condolence message signed by his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, President Jonathan expressed the belief that the outpouring of support at this moment by his friends and associates would comfort El-Rufai.
He prayed for the repose of the deceased’s soul.
The statement read: “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has received with a deep sense of grief and shock, news of the sudden and untimely death of Hamza El-Rufai, son of the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
“On behalf of himself, his family and the Federal Government, President Jonathan extends his heartfelt commiserations to Mallam el-Rufai and all members of the El-Rufai family.
“The President says although no amount of words can fill the deep gap created by the loss of Hamza, he hopes that the outpouring of support at this moment by friends and associates will comfort Mallam El-Rufai.
“President Jonathan prays for the peaceful repose of the soul of the departed and also for God’s blessing, comfort and protection for Mallam El-Rufai and the rest of his family.” [myad]

My Fear For Nigeria In 2015 Elections, Says Bishop Badejo

Greenbarge Reporters

July 29, 2014

Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Badejo, the Catholic Bishop of Oyo Diocese, has expressed fear that 2015 general elections in Nigeria portend great danger to the survival of the country because of the way politicians are using religion to further their political ambitions.

Badejo, who spoke in an interview in Abuja, regretted that politicians are promoting religious differences for selfish interest, saying that the signs ahead of the 2015 polls portend great danger going by the attitude of some politicians.

“What I am afraid of now is the tendency of politicians to begin to stoke the fires of religious differences as a pillar of their agenda.

“Politicians are now saying that this person should not be there because he did this and he did that to Christianity; we do not need that,” he said.

He enjoined both Christians and Muslims to desist from making religion to look as if it is the problem of the country, adding: “Religion is a blessing; it is religion that helps us to modify the tendencies and excesses that we have.

“Politicians should mention their agenda, put it to people, sell it to the people and then hope to be elected.

“That is something we should look after in the South West of Nigeria.” [myad]

Setback For Nigeria At Commonwealth Games, As Gold Medalist, Amalaha Is Involved In Drug Scandal

Greenbarge Reporters

July 29, 2014

A 16-year old Nigerian female weightlifter, Chika Amalaha is found to have been involved in drug scandal in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and has been provisionally suspended from the Games. She tested positive in a doping test taken after she won gold in the women’s 53kg category, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced earlier today.
Amalaha provided an ‘A’ sample on July 25 which revealed traces of diuretics and masking agents. She will have a ‘B’ sample tested at a laboratory in London on July 30.
Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper said: “We (have) issued a formal notice of disclosure to an athlete following an adverse analytical finding as a consequence of an in-competition test.
“That athlete is Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha who was tested on July 25th. That athlete has now been suspended from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.”
Amalaha snatched a best of 85kg before managing 111kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 196kg, to become the youngest Commonwealth weightlifter gold medallist. [myad]

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