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.

Buhari’s need for Dafa’i

…also published in Daily Trust

One of the most interesting things about President Muhammadu Buhari is the sheer passion with which he is admired and hated by his admirers and antagonists respectively. The controversy associated with his recurrent health problems is defined by these irreconcilable emotions.

Though falling ill intermittently for an aged person like President Buhari is quite common, yet, in addition to being President, the fact that he had never fallen seriously ill prior to becoming President, as he stressed early this year when he returned from his previous medical vacation in Britain, has made his condition particularly interesting.

Therefore, at the risk of sounding superstitious, I can’t completely rule out a diabolical curse(s) transmitted to him through acts of sorcery by some particularly wicked and hate-filled elements among his antagonists, or the evil eye of some enviers or even admirers (because even an innocent compliment by an innocent admirer who has the evil eye can harm the person he compliments).

Before President returns...

….also published in Daily Trust

As the imminence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s return is being speculated, it highlights the need for him to conduct a comprehensive review of his administration’s performance now that more two years of its four-year tenure have already passed.

This is particularly imperative amid mild but potentially divisive controversy over the extent of the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s commitment to maintain the momentum built by President Buhari particularly in anti-corruption polices and measures. Admittedly, though, even before the President’s departure, there has already been a sense of disappointment among a growing number of Nigerians over the turn of events under his presidency, which fuels controversy over the extent of his personal portion of responsibility for the disappointing situation. 

President Buhari 

Anyway, though President Buhari has been away for quite a while on health grounds, he is nonetheless hopefully in a more relaxed mood now to monitor the performance of his administration back home from Abuja House in London where he has been staying and receiving medical treatment. Also, though he is currently under no legal obligation to monitor government operations back home, yet, as an ardent follower of the media, he now apparently has more time to spare for following events through the media, hence he is now presumably in a position to assess the performance of his administration not on the bases of officially prepared reports and figures, but in the light of the daily experiences of the ordinary Nigerians, which the media cover all the time.