Bring down boko Haram. Is Nigeria any closer to solving its issues with Boko Haram? That was the topic for discussion on Aljazeera’s Wednessday edition of The Stream with British-Nigerian Femi Oke.
To discuss the topic, Nigerians such as writer and Nobel Laurete, Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s presidential spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, publisher of news website SaharaReporters, Omoyele Sowore and Aljazeera reporter, Yvonne Ndege were live on different locations.
As the discussion progressed, Sowore accused the Nigerian presidential spokesperson of corruption and in an unexpected fashion, Okupe told SaharaReporters publisher to shut up while on air.
After three years as president, the economy is booming but Jonathan’s record on helping his people is poor
Nigerians had no rational reason to believe their lives would improve after Goodluck Jonathan became president three years ago this week. The list of promises their rulers have broken is so long it would make a virgin cynical. But then Nigerians can be stubbornly optimistic.
When Jonathan first appeared on the political scene in 2007, when Nigeria’s then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, announced him as the running-mate of his party’s next presidential candidate, Musa Yar’Adua, many mythologised the good fortune that seemed linked to Jonathan’s first name. And so, when Yar’Adua died in 2010 from heart disease and Jonathan was handed the most coveted job in Nigeria, many voters believed good luck had come to Nigeria. Were they right?
Nigeria’s economy has averaged an impressive 7% annual growth since 2010. Fiscal policy is responsible. The country has a debt-to-GDP ratio of roughly 18% and a budget deficit of under 3%, levels Europe would be delighted with today. This is largely thanks to finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former World Bank managing director. But Jonathan deserves praise for not intefering.
Still, his end-of-year report is not spotless. While the economy is booming, precious little wealth trickles down to the poor. Jonathan must be more energetic about changing that. The electricity supply is erratic, so businesses and individuals spend fortunes on generators and diesel. This in one of the world’s biggest oil exporters. Things have improved since 2010, but far too tepidly: Jonathan only gets a C minus.
Infrastructure also remains a problem. Without a modern road network, doing business in Nigeria will remain prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging. Nigeria is a federation: individual states play a big role here. In the richer, well-governed states such as Lagos, where the commercial capital city is located, progress is visible. But Jonathan needs to do more to facilitate modernism in poorer states: he gets a C.
On healthcare, Jonathan gets an F. If a Nigerian gets cancer today and can’t afford private treatment, he will die. Even obtaining aspirin in a public hospital can prove impossible.
Education is particularly problematic: tens of millions of Nigerians are illiterate. Most cannot afford an education: without government assistance, thus far feeble, they will remain intellectual invalids. Nigeria’s rulers need to understand that a country is not respected because of the number of oil barrels it sells, but because of the quality of citizen it produces: F.
Jonathan’s record on corruption is a disgrace. A recent report from the US State Department was spot on when it cited “massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affecting all levels of government”.
Asked to disclose his assets, the man whose parents couldn’t afford shoes refused. For emphasis, he said he “doesn’t give a damn” what anybody thinks about it. The Council of States, led by Jonathan, meanwhile pardoned his former boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who had been convicted of money-laundering.
On security, Jonathan has dithered. Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist group, has killed thousands on his watch, while he seems unsure whether to use crushing force or grant “amnesty” (read: bribes), as he has offered. Boko Haram laughed in his face. It is Jonathan’s government that should plead for amnesty, it has suggested.
In a country where the rule of law remains a dream, Jonathan’s message is terrible: he is, in effect, saying: “Prove to us you are strong enough to make our lives difficult and we’ll give you a share of the pie.” How can a president expect loyalty from his citizens if he appears to lack the power to protect them?
It’s no easy job running a country that is half-Christian, half-Muslim, underdeveloped and home to some 250 ethnic groups. Some say Jonathan is too weak for the job. But you don’t have to be a great man to be a great president, as long as you are clever enough to you surround yourself with wise advisers, possess the intelligence to process information and have a steadfast desire to improve things for your people.
I personally don’t deny that Jonathan some good intentions. But he is hostage to the powerful interests that catapulted him to the top. Ultimately though, he is Mr President, which gives him some pretty sharp fangs. If he wants to be remembered fondly, he should start baring those fangs in the interest of his people. Otherwise, he might as well call it quits in 2015, and spare us a second term. Nigeria has a lot of catching up to do. There is no time to waste.
This article was culled from the UK Guardian. It was written by Remi Adekoya, a Nigerian based in Poland.
Thursday, March 22, 2012 – ESSENCE (the presidential natural afro hair, lol)
Earlier today, the natural hair blogosphere went into overdrive when a photo of First Lady Michelle Obama wearing a halo of kinky curls hit the Internet. Although Mrs. O looked stunning in the photo, it didn’t take long for us to realize that something about the picture seemed a little…off.
The photo in question came to the attention of blogger Maeling Tapp, author of Natural Chica, when her Twitter followers began sending her messages saying that Obama’s hair looked a lot like her own. Sure enough, upon examination of the First Lady’s curly coif, Tapp discovered that it was indeed her hair that had been Photoshopped onto the picture.
“A lot of people who follow my blog said, ‘I had a feeling that was your hair,'” Tapp told ESSENCE.com. “It’s kind of surprising that other people recognize my hair so well.” Tapp posted a side-by-side photo of her and the First Lady onto the Natural Chica Facebook page which quickly garnered over 1,000 “likes” and “shares.”
Tapp says that she hopes the photo spoof will encourage Mrs. Obama to experiment with natural styles.
“There have been so many positive responses to seeing Mrs. Obama go natural so I hope it inspires her to try and wear more curly styles,” said Tapp.
When asked what hair advice she’d give our Commander in Chic, Tapp says it would be to “be creative and experiment with your hair. When dealing with natural hair, there is a lot of trial and error. But if you see it as a really fun way to try new things, it’s not a frustrating process at all. It becomes more of an enjoyable and inspiring journey.”
Would you like to see our First Lady wear her hair naturally curly? Leave your thoughts in the comments section!
Former Nigerian model and Cool FM OAP Yinka Olonode is alleged to have committed suicide in the United States. According to eyewitnesses account, Yinka killed himself by jumping off a fifteen-storey hotel in Portland, United States.
In 2002, 34-yearl-old Olonode hosted the ‘Get a Grip’ one of MTN’ Nigeria’s first TV campaigns.
According to reports by Oregon Live Online, Olonode died on April 29, 2013, falling from the 15th floor of The Nines Hotel at 525 S.W. Morrison St., where Departure Restaurant and Lounge is located.
The report also stated that, as at 2010, Olonode was an illegal immigrant in the US and was once arrested for felony vandalism allegation. Yinka lived in Nigeria until 2003 when he relocated to the United States.
According to the Portland Police Bureau spokesman, Yinka jumped from the hotel building’s 15th floor around 6:30 pm that Monday evening. He said they do not suspect foul play but that the death is under investigation.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]ennis celebrities Serena Williams and Sloane Stephen are now longer friends. In a recent interview with sport magazine, ESPN, the 20-year-old tennis player said Serena, who was formerly her mentor is no longer talking to her. The young tennis player said Serena’s Serena’s relationship with her changed the day she played the Tennis Champion at the Australian open in January 2013 and won the game.
Sloane Stephens, 20, once said that Serena Williams was her role model and she looked up to her while growing up. In fact Sloan said her dream was to be the next Serena Williams. Then thementor and mentee met at the Australian open this past January and the mentee beat the mentor.
Below is an excerpt of ESPN Magazine’s interview with Sloan;
She’s not said one word to me, not spoken to me, not said hi, not looked my way, not been in the same room with me since I played her in Australia. And that should tell everyone something, how she went from saying all these nice things about me to unfollowing me on Twitter.”
Like, seriously! People should know. They think she’s so friendly and she’s so this and she’s so that – no, that’s not reality! You don’t unfollow someone on Twitter, delete them off of BlackBerry Messenger. I mean, what for? Why?
Linda Ikeji is the Nigerian online rebel according to Mania. In the May edition of the Nigerian fashion magazine, the popular blogger is the cover girl of the magazine’s issue and was called Linda “The Rebel.”
In an interview with the magazine, the former model also termed the woman, opens up about her journey to fame.As the most popular blogger in the Nigerian online sphere (she’s the Nigerian Perez Hilton), Linda Ikeji talked about how she started her blog, her motivations, other businesses she’s been involved in, and how she has become a household name in the Nigerian online media.
Linda Ikeji has been interviewed and written about by several Nigerian print media as well as online media. The 32-year-old celebrity and gossip blogger was also interviewed on BBC Radio in London. And her blog has been cited and quoted in both international and several local media reports. In 2012, her 32 years birthday was sponsored by the Cokobar in London where “The Rebel” celebrated with her fans and readers.
Have visited Linda Ikeji’s Blog? What do you think about it in relation to this article? In addition, what do you think about the blogger’s style and attitude to staying online? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. You can do that by scrolling down to the comment section. Take care and soon you soon around here.
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Vlisco has released promotional images for it s 2nd collection this year. The collection is titled, ‘Hommage a l’art’. The collection features the Vlisco print in all diversities and silhouettes, with a significant hue of gold being the most prominent. The vintage style photography was devised by Koen Hauser and styling is done by Maarten Spruyt. Peep more of the images below
Presenting Vlisco‘s 2nd collection for 2013 – ‘Hommage a l’art‘. Following their ‘Jeu de Couleurs‘ Collection the textile brand has drawn from its Indonesian batik heritage and inspiration form hand-drawn abstract designs to portray this collections designs.
In line with a new focus on craftsmanship, Vlisco has put its iconic designs in the spotlight with a new fabric collection that celebrates their rich design heritage. The collection is themed with calm colour tones and the models are placed on furnishings in beautifully set up surroundings.
They used gold symbols to represent the image of royalty in each frame and decided on a style of photography often used in royal portraiture.
Photo Credit Photography: Koen Hauser Stylist: Maarten Spruyt
For more information on Vlisco visit www.vlisco.com
From today, Monday May 6 2013, British-Nigerian International broadcaster, Femi Oke will become the new host of Al Jazeera’s “The Stream”. Femi was a former broadcaster at BBC, Sky and CNN.
Al jazeera made this known yesterday via their twitter page, google+ and other social media. “We are very excited to announce that we have a new host! International broadcaster Femi Oke will take over presenting the award winning show ‘The Stream’ on May 6th,” the message stated.
Femi has been based in the US since 1999 and spent nine years anchoring and reporting for CNN in Atlanta. She was host for the program Inside Africa, which she also helped launch.
For the last five years she has been a senior editor and host at the largest NPR affiliate in the US, WNYC.
The Stream is billed as a social media community with its own television show. It’s received critical acclaim since its launch in 2011, winning the Royal Television Society’s award for Innovation, a Webby People’s Choice Awardfor News and Politics, and a Gracie for Outstanding News Talkshow. It also received an Emmy nomination last year for New Approach to News and Documentary Programming.
Commenting on her new job, Kemi said;
I’ve been watching The Stream since it first came on air, because it was so different from anything else on international television. I loved how it responded to the explosion of social media, used Skype and Google Hangouts not just as back-ups like a lot of programmes do, but as a genuine way to connect with viewers. I must admit watching from my laptop in New York I was amazed and a little jealous. Here was a show that ‘got’ social media, had a young engaged audience, covered the news, and a broad range of topics in way that made current affairs fresh and exciting.
Paul Eedle, Director of Programs at Al Jazeera English, said: “The Stream continues to be a great success for us, and is pulling in ever greater audiences online and on air. Femi’s style is warm and inclusive so she’s perfect for the interactivity of the show.”
Good news for those Nigerians for the Yoruba speaking Nigerians and other Africans we speak the language. Eddie Murphy’s most popular movie, “Coming To America” is now available in Yoruba language.
The iconic movie was dubbed by some very creative Nigerian guys known as Tayo, Tunde and Ayo. According to the group, the dubbing was “made for fun.”
For those who have grandma’s and grandpa’s who speak Yoruba but do not speak English, this is an opportunity for you to let them enjoy this classic movie (lol).
So, in the spirit of fun, according to the trio, here is a happy viewing to everyone that speaks the Yoruba Language.
American singer, Keri Hilson posted a photo of herself holding a plate of fufu with a very large portion (hope it’s not for her alone). Fufu (pronounced as foofoo) is a popular staple food eaten in Nigeria, Ghana and some other African countries. It is derived from cassava plant.
Keri hilson posted the photo on Instagram with the accompanying message, ‘Making fufu is a reaaal workout! gotta put your back into it!”
Keri Hilson is no stranger to Africa and Nigeria in particular (that explains her love for fufu). The singer has performed about two times already in the country.
