New president...'New hope'????

On the 29th of May 2007, President Umaru Yar’Adua stood on a podium in Abuja and swore to serve Nigeria faithfully and by example. He declared that he would be a “servant leader” by calling for the revival of values such as “honesty, decency, generosity, modesty, selflessness, transparency and accountability”.

Goodluck Jonathan who hails from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was sworn in as vice-president. His presence in Aso Rock the seat of power would be very instrumental towards solving the Niger Delta crisis.

The president came out with a seven- point agenda that has at the top of its list power reform. He has declared a state of emergency in the power sector. Also included on his list is education, health and poverty alleviation. He said, “public schools and public hospitals have to be salvaged and developed for the majority of the people who cannot afford the prohibitive costs charged by private investors in the life-demanding sectors.”

A weakness that has plagued previous governments is when they fail to follow up on the projects embarked on by their predecessors. In this light Yar'Adua harped on “continuity and change”; continuity in areas like macro-economic stability and change in areas like the Niger Delta situation.

Yar’Adua’s message also embodied a sympathetic action towards the Niger Delta crisis. He has learnt from the mistakes of his predecessor by saying that, ‘though there might be criminals profiting from the legitimate protest of a cheated group; unless you remove the basis of the agitation it would be impossible to separate criminals from genuine agitators.” His approach hit at the root of the problem of developmental challenge. His plea is that the militants test the sincerity of the new administration and treat his concern with enthusiasm.

Not disregarding the allegations that his election was marred with irregularities, he promised to conduct an enquiry into the election process. Irrespective of this however, he wastes no time in putting his pledges into action to rebate the looming crisis in Nigeria as a whole.

Though the swearing in process went successfully, there was a lot of military presence both in Abuja and Lagos. Hundreds of protesters rallied in Lagos, they mourned the death of democracy. The riots symbolised the mock burial of outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo.

To a country in desperate need of national rejuvenation, President Yar’Adua added, “We must act at all times with humanity, courage, and forthrightness. I ask you fellow citizens, to join me in rebuilding our Nigerian family, one that defines the success of one by the happiness of many”.

my alter ego

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Cheesy round-ups

You know those last scenes in tv series like 'greys anatomy', 'Boston legal', 'scrubs',etc, that just make you want to cry. I was just watching season 1 episode 10 of boston legal and the most interesting part of the episode was that last cheesy line about death.
At the end of the day, when you think about it, its 'who you love and not who loves you that is important'. I had a chat with a close friend of mine this morning, we have been fighting for the past two weeks and things have just been going from bad to worst. My complain was, I felt alone and rejected.
Maybe what I was really feeling was myself slipping away from him. There's only so much you can take from friendship. Even when you promise all your affection to someone, when it rains and you get wet it just takes alot of time to get your clothes dry. Well enough of the banter.

Earlier this week, the west celebrated the anniversary of slave trade.'Celebrated'if I must say. There were people on the streets of London holding placards saying Tony Blair should apologise for slave trade. apologise? pls tell me something that can really make sense.

Although we don't legally have slave fairs, its still happening illegally. I mean if you really want to apologise for something, then let your actions show your thoughts. The wests glory today is founded upon slave blood. The tube stations, the planes, the roads, the buildings, technology etc.

So if you really are sorry, then you can atleast give back some of your wealth to developing nations. now I am not talking about loans from the world bank. i am talking of setting up projects in countries. Its no secret the number of international students that come into the west yearly. In 2005 alone, there were 318,395 foreign students admitted into the UK.

Now just for figures on average each student pays £10,000 imagine £3,183,950,000. I cant even say what the number is, I get lost after a million. This money on the other hand can be used to fund university's in developing countries so tht we can retain our students and also develop our education system. Sadly, some of these students do not return home after their education hence good qualification is lost to the west again.

Have you seen 'blood diamond' you may think its fiction but if you take a deep thought it isnt. Such extremities are still in play today. Do shed some thoughts on this topic.

the winding time

Do you ever feel like there is never enough time? You wake up early, off to work break for lunch, back to work and get home late. Then the same old routine starts again the next day. It's like we are enslaved to work, to time, to eternity.

Even what matters to you really doesnt. Cos time knows how to get rid of acquintances. You may be the best at your job but once you are gone, someone better would take over.

Global warming! Humans always find a way to create a beast. But the question is do we really care what happens to the earth. Even the most dedicated earth police still add to the global crisis. Try spending a week without electricity or water. Sound extreme...to you maybe yes, but to me...NO.

Back in Nigeria where I come from staying a year without electricity is normal...Ok, maybe I exagerate a little, staying a month without electricity and water is no big deal. Luckily, when you are faced with life's struggles, you always find a way to come out on top.

Then, you begin to enjoy natures gifts, moonlight, sunshine, rivers, streams...the list goes on. There's a force behind humanity, a spirit of perseverance, the spirit of determination. You have the choice to use it for good deeds or bad ones. Whatever you choose...be the best at what you do, time wont always be on your side.

Back in business...are we trully independent?

Firstly, I want to welcome you to the new and revised Jamie blog. This is a medium for young people to air their views. I am also the editor in chief of Jamie magazine; so if at any point you feel you have a message/story that you’d like to publish, do let me know. Feel free to leave your comments here. I should also say that, I’m not liable for the comments on this site. If you like what you read, please spread the news to your friends. It’s all about networking.

First things first, I need to get this off my chest:
According to www.sunnewsonline.com the United States has asked the Nigerian government to allow as many candidates as possible to run in next months elections as a practical demonstration of commitment to democratic principles and rule of law, good suggestion but on what grounds?

All this seems a little dodgy, first question…’what’s their business in Nigerian politics, I have not heard the government of Nigeria telling them how many candidates should contest in the states next election.

I wrote an article last week on www.interviewmag.com and I received a lot of comments on the topic. The article was on the same-sex bill that is to be passed in Nigeria within the next 2 months. This bill denounces same-sex relationships, and also introduces a legal punishment for homosexuals. Also anyone who is involved in public advocacy or associations supporting the rights of lesbian and gay people would be subject to 5 years imprisonment.

Now the US state department condemned the proposed bill saying that it was against the rule of law and fundamental human rights. The international human rights group also signed a letter condemning the bill.

Back to the US’s first suggestion that Nigeria should be committed to democracy, if the majority of parliament who represent Nigeria ok the bill, ‘so be it’. The parliament represents the Nigerian people and their decisions are binding irrespective of what the US thinks. If we needed permission to make our laws, we would not have fought for our independence.

I simply find I annoying that the west cant seem to get enough from controlling Africa. If its not advice about elections, it would be on homosexuals. If it’s neither of the two it would be on global warming, …which on its own is a whole new topic; I’ll save it for another day.

interact4future

After a busy day...

I get home and ask myself what to do to get people on my blog...I also have a pounding headache from staring at the mac screen for seven hours deciding what would look best on a cover page.

Sitting on my bed having dinner I decided to watch 'The Queen', Now this movie has been in my possession for a while and I'd always suspended watching it cos I though it be boring. Quite the contrary, its actually interesting.

We tend to look at life from one point of view alone and not think of whats going on in another persons mind. For those of you thinking of doing investigative journalism next year, I'd recommend you see it.

I'm sort of a movie bug, so if you need tips on what to see and what not to, feel fry to drop a note and I'l get back to u asap. Schools not only bout books u know, what you learn outside campus counts alot. Just like d name of this blog...lets interact for a better future.

interact4future

TABLOID TECHNIQUE VS NEWSPAPERS


There's no denying that tabloid concepts are slowly seeping into newspapers. Example: look at a few front pages:
Independent-
.Muslim officer sacked from guarding Blair
Times-
.Free book

In summary 'free, sex & news' sells

interact4future

Its been a huge discussion in class that, as the media becomes more business oriented it would loose its credibility. Personally, I think the fact that more people are owning media organisations is a good thing.

Just like every other business, the fittest would survive. Making money or working for profit doesnt neccessarily mean loosing core media values. Rather than run away from the commercialisation of the media, we should embrace it and find a way to make it work for the better.

Let me know what you think about this

interact4future

why Nigerians abroad do not come back home

Please help me out here. I seem to be the only Nigerian who is thinking of returning back home after my masters. I mean there are alot of Nigerians abroad who live as illegal immigrants and they feel they are better off than those in the country? Do you agree with this? Whats really keeping them here?