Stealing the limelight at UNGA

…also published in Daily Trust 

The annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held at the organization’s headquarters in the US city of New York sees the largest gathering of presidents, prime ministers, monarchs and other heads of governments to supposedly discuss various challenges hampering the achievement of a secure, politically stable, economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable global community.

Ironically, however, while frankness in discussing issues and real commitment to addressing them are supposed to define the UNGA proceedings inasmuch as the attendees are after all the leaders of the world, the occasion often turns out to be an event where almost all the attendees take their turns one after another to feign commitment to solving issues and doing the right things purportedly to address the challenges and crises bedevilling the world.

Looming scenario in Rohingya crisis

…also published in Daily Trust

The systematic persecution of Rohingya Muslim minority by successive Buddhist governments of Myanmar (formerly Burma) over the decades isn’t likely to stop anytime soon, in view of the apparent reluctance of the international community to end it.

Though acts of persecution against them have been widespread since the end of the British rule in that country in 1948, the perpetration began to assume a systematic manner culminating in the formulation of laws and issuance of decrees to that effect, e.g. the 1982 law that effectively denies them the right to the country’s citizenship. Their right to free movement in the country is also restricted as they are also excluded from state-funded schools and government jobs.

In the meantime also, from time to time, a government’s crackdown and a public lynching campaign targeted against them are launched simultaneously resulting in a massacre that spares nobody including children, women and the elderly. Their already poverty-ravaged settlements are also torched. 

By the way, though the current round of recurrent lynching campaign against them is indeed atrocious, yet it isn’t necessarily the worst ever, contrary to some assumptions. However, being the most widely covered round by the general public thanks to the availability of social media platforms, it attracts more public attention and, of course, instigates more outrage particularly among Muslims around the world. This is despite the apparent lack of appropriate interest in the crisis that the major global mainstream media networks, with the exception of Aljazeera, betray. 

Expectations of Nigeria-UAE pacts

…also published in Daily Trust

A few days following President Muhammadu Buhari’s return from his recent medical vacation in Britain, he ratified some treaties and pacts with a number of organizations and countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Unsurprisingly, due to the particularly obvious anti-corruption dimension of the bundle of bilateral agreements between Nigeria and the UAE, it attracted more media attention hence more public interest in Nigeria. It includes Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters, Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons and Extradition treaty.

Over the years, many corrupt Nigerian government officials aided by their accomplices among some businessmen have exploited the UAE’s liberal foreign investment system to launder huge amounts of stolen public funds and/or invest in the country’s various economic sectors especially the real estate sector. Either directly or through accomplices, they own expensive properties in different locations in the country including some of Dubai’s most expensive areas e.g. Emirates Hills, The Meadows, Palm Jumeirah, JLT, Marina etc.