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Want to help Africa? Do business here was the TED rallying cry by former World Bank MD now Nigeria Finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. But, who is going to do business with you if you appeared clueless in the face of the future? Spearheading the controversial plan to scrap fuel subsidies was a mistake as anger sparked unrest forcing banks, petrol stations, manufacturing companies and Nigerian airports to close. President Goodluck Jonathan has gone on national TV to defend the fuel cuts. But words like “I have no intention to inflict pains on Nigerians” and “We must act in the public interest, no matter how tough, for the pains of today cannot be compared to the benefits of tomorrow” missed the point.

Petrol prices in Nigeria are currently very low by international standards at about $0.40 per litre. Many Nigerians regard cheap fuel as the only benefit they get from the nation’s oil wealth. There are compelling arguments for the removal of fuel subsidy, however, the government could have planned it better. The town hall meeting was a disaster of jargon and platitudes. The announcement to remove fuel subsidy was made in a statement from regulators, which said the changes would begin immediately. Petrol prices more than doubled overnight in response and angry street protests followed.

This non-progressive and socially unjust tax has led to chaos in every sector. It was poorly planned and executed hence the angry protests that are threatening other areas like security as we learn that sympathisers of the Islamist Boko Haram group are in government and security agencies. “Downside scenarios included: Nigeria as a failed state, dragging down a large part of the West African region.” Is the game over for Nigeria as people sit at home while their elected representatives take home pay is more than that of US President Obama?

I do not think so. All is not lost in Nigeria, those incompetent lot in the Nigerian government has to do the difficult task of leadership. A U-turn. Admit error and blame God. Rather than tax poor Nigerians. Now, how about taxing those that benefit from Nigeria? A one-off $100Billion 2012 pollution and corruption tax on all multi-nationals will deliver on the economic benefits as we re-plan the removal of petroleum subsidy. Shell, Chevron, P&G, PwC and others have turned around Trillions in US dollars out of Nigeria. Is it wrong to now ask them to share in the benefits of tomorrow?

Our pride

It is always heartening to read of Nigerians winning awards or receiving international recognition for their work most especially if they are resident in Nigeria.

At the best of times, it is not the easiest country to set up business in and going from the experience of some, it is even harder to be a newspaper and a quality newspaper at that.

A few weeks ago, we were informed that the NEXT newspaper will no more appear in print, many lamented the prospect whilst opining about the course that newspaper charted that made it a pariah to advertising agencies thereby starving it of essential revenue to thrive.

NEXT was the best

This blog is not being written as an exegesis to those failings; those issues are for others to ponder. However, accolades have been raining on the newspaper like Noah’s flood; last week, Dele Olojede the founder won [1] the 4^th John P. McNulty Prize and the citation read “in recognition of his ground breaking work to deliver unbiased information to the Nigerian public, demand government transparency and advance journalistic standards in the country.”

On Tuesday, at the FAIR [2] (Forum for African Investigative Reporters) African Investigative Journalism Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa, NEXT reporters Peter Nkanga and Idris Akinbajo emerged as African Investigative Reporters of the Year for their joint work, entitled “Last Minutes Oil Deal that Cost Nigeria Dear” whilst the editor Musikilu Mojeed carted away the Courage Award.

Courage in the abyss

It is important to recount the citations that accompany these awards; in the case of the reporters, “The report is one of the six-part ground-breaking series which catalogued a courageous journey into our heart of darkness, the oil industry, as we investigate brazen attempts by our senior officials, including petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to corner the oil industry for themselves, openly demanding bribes, and using cronies and fronts to grab oil blocs in secretive deals.”

Having compiled their report, it was left to the editor to weigh the consequences of that age-old saying, “publish and be damned,” he courageously published the report and for that he “was honoured for demonstrating rare courage and providing the right kind of leadership to get the stories published in spite of high-level pressures, police harassment, attempted monetary inducement and threats to his life.”

They never cared for corruption

From the analysis that followed awarding these prizes to the now eminent personnel of NEXT, it was suggested that in any other country less corrupt and less tolerant of malfeasance, prebendalism or neopatrimonialism, the minister will not only have lost her job in disgrace, she would duly have lost her freedom too, having to go to jail.

Sadly, it is Nigeria where with all the incontrovertible facts and evidence presented to all that matter, the President with his transformational agenda re-nominated the minister for her old position after the elections and the Nigerian Senate being derelict, irresponsible and nonchalant about these rotten allegations barely questioned her but ratified her appointment thereby granting a seal of approval to a corrupt enterprise that reeked to the high heavens.

The award corroborates the reports

Now, there is no reason for FAIR to wade into the political quagmire of Nigeria and expose the sows with their snouts deep in the trough of corruption, they could easily have adopted other less politically inflammatory pieces to grant their award.

Each entry would have been judged on more than its merits for good reporting but would have been reviewed against the kinds of pressures militating against such activity being exposed to public knowledge.

It automatically lends a lie to the idea that everything that constitutes this government we now have in Nigeria with the majority PDP ruling party have a desire to tackle corruption at any level. They instigate, promote, espouse and embrace corruption as their modus operandi suborning as many as can be bought to that same cause.

They are a corrupt lot

Where the President might have had the backbone to stem the tide at the top, he acquiesced and celebrated the epitome of corruption as the lifeblood of his regime and in swearing-in the minister gave license to impunity, the minister probably continuing from where she left off knowing nothing will come of the investigations of the puny inconsequential reporters of the moribund NEXT newspaper stable.

With this award, one will hope the whole Corrupted Industrial Complex (CIC) that makes up the totality of the Federal Government of Nigeria is duly exposed to the world and our foreign partners that they have no consideration for good governance, probity or transparency and sadly, Nigerians thinking they have a democracy are in fact, caught in the merciless iron grip of a heartless and unconscionable kakistocracy – a government by the worst of men.

For the salvation of Nigeria – woe betide them all.

Sources

[1] 234Next.com | Olojede wins John P. McNulty Prize

[2] 234Next.com | NEXT editor, two reporters win African investigative journalism awards

[3] 234Next.com | Last minute oil deals that cost Nigeria dear

A vendor sits in his street kiosk - Luc Gnago/Reuters

I intended to boycott the media frenzy on Obama´s second visit to Africa as over 25,000 children died around the world on the same day but “We don’t need Obama to show us how to make Kenya a great country” by Barrack Muluka writing in Nairobi’s Standard put a stop to that foolishness. His rant, “we would not crave a visit by some foreigner whose existence we did not even know of ten years ago”. Elsewhere expectations were enormously high as the White House made sure Internet and mobile phone users around the world got involved with the visit to Ghana using Face and Twit!

The importance of President Obama’s visit to Ghana was not lost on the folks at Google as they teamed up with the Ministry of Tourism in Ghana to create a special site for President Obama’s visit. Shame the  ajax.googleapis.com application was awfully slow but the numbers game showed Obama was the only party on the web. Mainstream media not to be outdone contributed an overkill of analysts but without any worthy of mention as blogs took the play and the debate continues today.

There were many one line condemnations of Obama’s shallow and simplistic speech from a surprising number of people including Nigerian Lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana who thought it was a huge embarrassment to the African continent and black people. But the Glaring Omission on Nigerian Curiosity proved quite popular with a lot of thought provoking comments.  The updated version clarified that “Obama could freely ‘scold’ Africa, he neglected to acknowledge the historical role played by American government and even certain businesses in creating some of the problems Africa now faces.”

Solomonsydelle’s theme is repeated  in Obama’s Ghana Speech Under whelms on GlobalVoices. Non seulement que l’Afrique est le dernier continent qu’il visites malgre ses origines, perhaps they should have left out the cringe-worthy label, Obama Africa. I also enjoyed Obama In Nigeria, Oh Sorry, Ghana! on Nairaland, “I guess he doesn’t want to be kidnapped  by Militants” a comment quipped.

“After the illustrious son of Africa, Barack Obama has left Ghana on the July 12, 2009; I decided to call him because the sermon he delivered to Ghanaians and Africans was too far beyond my comprehension. As a matter of fact, he gave me enough time and this was what ensued between us. That was how “Comment: My Telephone Conversation with Obama!” by Joy Online’s Abdulai Hanan R. Confidence who went over the speech line by line. “So, is that the reason why you chose Ghana because we have just discovered oil? Or the Africom matters?” Highly recommended!

For Richard B. Muhammad, “President Barack Obama’s pilgrimage to Africa’s first modern independent nation may be one of the most significant trips to the continent by any U.S. political figure”, however, President patronizing was how Nigerian social justice activist and blogger saw the visit in nibl. Sokari Ekine aka Black Looks, pointed out the contradictions in Obama’s denial of the destructive role of the West played in Africa. Sokari also revealed that the Ghana speech lacked substance in her review on Pambazuka News.

The enormous historic and symbolic visit was reduced to Obama: Ghana’s Gain, Nigeria’s loss by Ghana Pundit who added that Former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu also listened to Obama speak.  Not the miracle speech and I was almost annoyed with the bellyaching was how Akín began but concluded that the speech struck the right balance. President Obama in Ghana. Why not Nigeria? by Ghana based Nigerian blogger and web entrepreneur – Oluniyi David Ajao added that “The President of the United States is at liberty to decide which countries to visit or not to visit, and in what order he visits them.”

Is Obama Africa’s saviour? by Reuter’s Mpho Majoro finished with the question common to most of blogshere. But should Africans in any case be looking to Obama – or anyone from outside – to solve the continent’s problems? Or is there more that Africans should be doing themselves to improve their lives? In the end, are we still bitter or have we learnt something from this tech Savvy Obama Ghana speech in English, French, Swahili, Arabic and Portuguese? Thanks to all the contributors but did the message get home? How many African countries are planning to sow the seeds of information using technology?

In 1985, around 85,000 people visited the tropical country; that number has now skyrocketed to around 600,000. In June of this year, the Ghana Tourist Board launched a promotional initiative with the aim of attracting 1 million annual visitors by the end of 2012. – Forbes.com – Obama Went To Ghana. Should You?

To those that missed the performance, A New Moment of Promise in Africa is at the White House, USA.