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Africa’s poverty not an act of God — Obasanjo
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that the widespread poverty in Africa is man-made and not an act of God.
Obasanjo made this statement on Monday at the opening ceremony of the FESTAC Africa Festival at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu, Kenya.
The former head of state remarked that, given the continent’s abundant resources, there is no reason for its poverty.
He said, “Africa has no reason to be poor. Our poverty is not an act of God. We are steeped in poverty due to our poor mentality. We need to wake up because we have a wealth of resources.
“If you look back in history, you will see that whenever others needed to get work done, they came to Africa to transport black people to the so-called New World to make others rich. And that hasn’t stopped. The slave trade led to colonialism. We enrich others while remaining impoverished. We need to awaken.
“Structural adjustment was the idea of the World Bank. However, I disagreed because we lacked the structure. What exactly were we adjusting? They were simply deceiving us.”
Obasanjo also expressed nostalgia at the return of the Festival of Arts and Culture, whose second edition was held in Nigeria during his tenure as military head of state in 1977. The first edition of the widely acclaimed festival was held 11 years earlier in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966.
Recalling his experience when the festival was held in Nigeria 47 years ago, the former president said, “I am here to express my appreciation and thanks, first to the governor of Kisumu County, Anyang Nyong’o, for hosting FESTAC here and contributing to what I call a renaissance and rebirth of FESTAC. I feel a bit emotional because, as you heard, the first festival was held in Senegal in 1966, and there was no other for 11 years.
“Nigeria agreed to stage another edition of the festival in 1975. Despite preparations, a change of government led some people to suggest cancelling it. However, I insisted that we should proceed and successfully hosted it.”
He added that the event attracted black people from all over the world, including Papua New Guinea, Australia, and the United States, and was a success.
Obasanjo also acknowledged that the event was suspended for over four decades because “it was left entirely in the hands of the government.”
Returning as a democratically elected president from 1999 to 2007, Obasanjo commended Yinka Abioye, Chairman of FESTAC Africa International, for his tenacity and commitment.
He said, “At this juncture, I would like to commend Yinka (Abioye) for his efforts and determination in reviving FESTAC during my lifetime.”
At one point in his speech, Obasanjo called on former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga to join him on stage.
“My brother, come and join me on stage. You cannot bring me here and then abandon me,” he joked.
Calling for support for Odinga’s ambition to become Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Obasanjo said, “At FESTAC ’77, black people who were marginalised and exploited came together. Sadly, that marginalisation continues. I believe it will persist until we unite. The renaissance of FESTAC is part of the process of unification.
“Unless the AU as a continental organisation achieves success with the continental free trade agreement, we won’t progress. The AU itself needs reform. How can they develop programmes and wait for the European Union to provide funding? I was appointed as the AU’s High Representative for the Horn of Africa (a region in East Africa consisting of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia). When appointed, the AU had no funds for me to perform my role.
We waited for the US, EU, Germany, and other countries to provide money. Due to my connections, I approached the head of the African Development Bank, who provided some funds, enabling us to achieve progress in Ethiopia. Yet, the AU could not provide even that $500,000.
“We need individuals who understand Africa’s problems and the role the AU should play. I believe Raila Odinga is that person. He understands Africa’s issues because we have worked together on these problems before.”
He also stated that although Africa has achieved political liberation, it has not yet attained economic freedom.
“That’s why we need someone like Odinga to lead the AU and provide the reform and leadership necessary to achieve economic liberation for Africa,” he added.
Further, he advised African leaders to stop accepting Western ideas that do not work for the continent.
He said, “We have everything needed to create wealth. No one will do it for us. We must do it ourselves. If we don’t act, we are sitting on a keg of gunpowder. Our youth are restless, unhappy, bitter, angry, unemployed, and dissatisfied.
“They cannot wait for a long-promised future. They want action now. If we fail to deliver, we will be in trouble. However, we can meet their needs because we have the capability.”
By Mario Deepromoter
Fire has gutted a market following a fire outbreak at a GSM village around Kpata market in Lokoja the Kogi State capital.
It was gathered that the fire outbreak started in the early hours of Thursday due to a power upsurge.
It was further learnt that shop owners could not salvage anything from the fire after it got out of control.
One of the traders in the market, Muhammed Yahaya who lost his goods to the fire narrated the incident saying, “Somebody called me around 5:30 am today that the market is on fire. On getting there, many shops have already been burnt down. So we tried to look at the actual cause of the fire outbreak. From all indications so far, we were told by the people that stay within that the power voltage they brought was high.
“The neighbouring houses there said it affected their fans, light and other things. Actually, this might be the cause of the fire outbreak in the market. Millions of naira worth of goods have been destroyed. Laptops, phones and accessories got burnt. The most unfortunate thing is that most of these people just received their goods this week. It has never happened before. It is still a big shock to every one of us who owns shop in the market”.
He appealed to the Kogi State Government to intervene by assisting those who lost their goods financially and rebuilding the GSM village.
“We know we have a Governor that has a listening ear. He is a father to us. As you can see, we are Youths who are resourceful. Most of us are graduates, and we are not waiting for the Government to provide jobs for us. We created the jobs on our own.
“The properties that we have been nurturing for over 15 years got burnt within an hour. We want the government to look into it by assisting us financially and rebuilding the market. In this market, we have about 200 Youths who are engaged in this kind of business. People were hungry before this happened” he added.
Also Speaking to newsmen, the Financial Secretary, Kogi Association of Phones and Accessories Dealers, (KAPAD) Moses Felix said the incident has affected him physically, mentally and emotionally.
According to him, I was crying this morning when my shop got burnt. I couldn’t do anything. I am into laptop repairs and sales. My goods that arrived this week got burnt completely, so am starting from scratch.
“I am a married Man with kids. Where do I go from here and how can I feed my family in the midst of this economic hardship? The Government should come to our aide. We provide jobs for people. I have like three boys that are working for me who are under my payroll. Definitely, they are going back home without job,” Felix lamented
As of the time of filing this report, fire service officials were making efforts to put out the fire.
By Mario Deepromoter
Popular Nollywood producerr, Shona Sanyaolu is dead.
The deceased was a popular film producer and director in the Yoruba genre of the Nollywood industry.
The cause and details surrounding his death remain sketchy as of the time of this report.
The President, Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Bolaji Amusan, confirmed Sanyaolu’s death.
“Sleep well uncle Shina Sanyaolu,” he wrote on his Instagram page on Wednesday.
Also reacting to the development, a veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, said the deceased touched so many lives positively.
“Shina Sanyaolu was just not a remarkable man, he was a beacon of kindness and warmth to all who had the privilege of knowing him.
“His love for arts and his unwavering support for our industry were unmatched. Shina was always there for us, offering a helping hand and opening doors where there seemed to be none.
“For those of us who traveled to the UK in the 80s, he made it feel like home. Welcoming us with open arms, giving us a place to stay and even taking time off from his busy life to drive us around.
“Shina your generosity knew no bounds and your spirit touched countless lives. You were truly a rare gem. The world feels emptier without you but we take solace in knowing that your legacy lives in the hearts you have touched.”
Sanyaolu contributed to the production of ‘The Honourable’, ‘Two Wives’, and ‘Omo Olosan’.
By Mario Deepromoter
More soldiers have been deployed in Moriki town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, as the deadline for payment of N30m levy imposed on the community by the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, has expired.
Turji imposed a levy of N30m on the community following the killing of over 100 cows belonging to him, allegedly by the military personnel about three weeks ago.
It was learnt that the cows were intercepted by the soldiers at Dumfawa, a village between Moriki and Shinkafi town sometime in August.
Confirming the deployment, a resident of the area, Aminu Musa, said more soldiers were deployed to the area some days ago.
“Beside the soldiers, the state government also sent more personnel of its security outfit, Community Protection Guards (CPG) to the area to complement the conventional security personnel.
“We are happy because the presence of security personnel gives us a kind of relief. The leader of the troop had assured us adequate protection of our lives.”
Another resident, Iliyasu Ali, said despite deployment of additional security personnel, there was anxiety among the residents”.
“There is panic and worries among the residents. These bandits are heartless. They could dare the military personnel and attack the community. They are carrying more sophisticated weapons than the military. So, our people are in serious panic as the deadline for the payment of levy ends today.
“Only God knows what will happen from today upward. Of course, we have not paid the levy but Turji has promised to sack this community if we fail to compensate for his missing cows,” he concluded.
Efforts to speak to the village head of Moriki, Alhaji Bashar Isma’il Ari, proved abortive as his phone was switched off when this reporter put a call to him.
On Tuesday, Chief of Defence Staff, Chris Musa, said the days of Turji are numbered, announcing that his men had launched a manhunt for the bandit.
Credit: Daily Trust
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