Gaffes, blunders, mistakes…couch it in whatever language you may but it is often entertaining to catch the tete-a-tete exchanged between politicians behind closed doors.
This week the media kicked up a fuss over a private conversation between US president Barack Obama and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy at the G20 summit. Both were unaware their conversation was being picked up by the mics.
Sarkozy: ‘Ah Monsieur Obama, I can’t stand that man Netanyahu! He’s such a liar – no?’
Obama (guffaws): ‘You’re sick of him? Dude, I have to deal with that guy every day!’
I sure had a good laughing reading and re-reading the conversation. Couldn’t understand the fuss by the media. Two grown men are allowed to express their opinions in private – no?
Another PM that bit the dust this week is the spruce, scandal-attracting Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. While members of the opposition might not be sad to see him go, we can’t help but miss his flair for unreservedly forthright statements. Here are a few that cracked me up:
On meeting Barack Obama, turns to aide “He’s young, handsome and suntanned.”
Politically correct brigades begin to murmur.
Berlusconi rolls eyes: ''God save us from imbeciles... How can you take such a great compliment negatively?"
On judges pursuing former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti on charges relating to the Mafia: "Those judges are doubly mad! In the first place, because they are politically mad, and in the second place because they are mad anyway.
You can find a refreshingly hilarious list of Berlusconi quotes at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15642201
Former US president George Bush, bless him sprinkled so many ‘juicy’ quotes in his interviews and speeches; you’ll have difficulty choosing a favourite gaffe/quote.
“I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them.”
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.”
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
"They misunderestimated me."
"There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on --shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again." --Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here.
Ninety-year-old Prince Philip (husband to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth) may not be a world leader but he can give any of them a run for their money when it comes to making blunt statements. Here are a few of his honest views:
"It's a vast waste of space." Philip entertained guests in 2000 at the reception of a new £18m British Embassy in Berlin, which the Queen had just opened.
"You ARE a woman, aren't you?" To a woman in Kenya in 1984, after accepting a gift.
"The problem with London is the tourists. They cause the congestion. If we could just stop the tourism, we could stop the congestion." At the opening of City Hall in 2002.
"Can you tell the difference between them?" On being told by President Obama that he'd had breakfast with the leaders of the UK, China and Russia.
It has been weeks since the death of Gaddafi and events in Libya have moved on. However the macabre manner of his death will be remembered possibly for years to come. The image of the once invincible dictator being dragged through the streets, killed and then flung onto the floor of a meat room as a spectacle for Libyans was indeed pathetic.
Given the improvements Gaddafi brought to his citizens’ lives – free education, medical care, water and electricity amongst other things – one might have expected a more pensive mood. But anyone who has lived under the oppressive yoke of a dictatorial, military regime will understand the outburst of celebration that took place on the streets of Libya.
Benghazi, Libya
Nigeria faced a similar situation between 1993 and 1998. Its military dictator, General Sani Abacha, like Gaddafi, was ruthless. During his tenure, he defiantly sent nine men to the hangman’s noose. He shut down uncompromising newspapers; jailed critics. Like Gaddafi he also attracted international condemnation: Nigeria was suspended from the commonwealth; the EU imposed sanctions. Had death not cut him down, there were rumours that he was planning to make himself president for life.
General Sani Abacha
When he died mysteriously on the 8th of June, 1998, celebration erupted all over the country. His death was followed by a period of transition, just as it is in Libya at the moment, in which the modalities for a return to civilian rule were worked out.
Nigeria officially returned to civilian rule on the 29th of May 1999, and ever since has worn the democratic label very proudly. The problem is, in many ways it is nothing more than a label. Things have changed since the return to civilian rule – both for better and for worse.
Niger Delta militants
There is greater freedom of speech but no corresponding action to show for it. There is greater press freedom but journalists continue to lose their lives violently. There is greater personal freedom but the number of kidnappings by militants and criminals plus terrorist bombings has exploded; it was unheard of in Abacha’s time.
Last Saturday terrorist group Boko Haram killed more than sixty people in a bombing in Damaturu, capital of Northeastern Yobe state. President Goodluck Jonathan said he was ‘greatly disturbed’ by the attack and was working hard to hunt down the perpetrators. The U.S has since warned of further attacks but the government is striving to downplay the scale of the problem. The government’s placid response shows the sheer level of negligence and indifference it has towards its citizens.
When dictators are brought to book by the international community it is often due to their disregard for the sanctity of human life; stifling of personal liberties, press freedom and brutal suppression of the opposition. A civilian government may not be noted for unbridled brutality towards its citizens but is it any different if it is noted for colossal negligence to protect its citizens?
Are countries like Zimbabwe and Uganda better off simply because they bear the democratic label?
Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) on its website set out its outline for a ‘modern, free and united state’. It includes:
·Upholding the values of international justice, citizenship, the respect of international humanitarian law and human rights declarations, as well as condemning authoritarian and despotic regimes
·Guaranteeing and respecting the freedom of expression through media, peaceful protests, demonstrations…in accordance with the constitution
The NTC’s outline for a democratic government should be the standard for every government. Democracy is more than label that governments can adopt, and hide behind to disguise lousy governance. It is a system of government that should improve the lives of citizens by guaranteeing basic human rights, promoting equality and good governance. After all what counts is not the label a country adopts but its adherence to the rule of law and ability to give citizens a better life. As political philosopher Alexander Hamilton put it, “Real liberty is neither found in despotism, nor in the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.”
*In case you're wondering why the same topic was treated twice, this is a freelance article I sent to news sites. Just thought I'd also put it up on the blog.
For a few moments I was paralysed. The text flashing across the TV screen felt surreal ‘Gaddafi captured.’ For six months NATO had been bombing Gaddafi in a bid to take him out. But Gaddafi remained defiant calling opposition fighters ‘rats’ and vowing to fight till the end. After a while news of Libya had all but slipped out of the headlines.
Quite frankly I had begun to believe Gaddafi was invincible. So it came as a rude shock when the headline ‘Gaddafi captured’ hit my TV screen. I stared at the young men spraying bullets in the air amid shouts of jubilation, and didn’t know what to make of it.
I flipped between CNN, Euronews and Aljazeera. On each channel reporters cautiously pointed out that the National Transitional Council had overblown issues in the past so we shouldn’t take the news of his capture as the final word.
Nothing prepared me for the video footage that flooded media outlets later on in the day -an injured and bloodied Gaddafi looking petrified and disorientated as he was jostled towards a car by a group of gun-wielding men. Then he was lying on the floor of an ambulance, dead.
Events reminded me of a particular date: 8th of June 1998. It was the day Nigeria’s military dictator, General Sani Abacha, died. His death was sudden and mysterious. Like Gaddafi, he was ruthless. During his 1993 to 1998 tenure, he defiantly sent nine men to the hangman’s noose. He shut down uncompromising newspapers. Jailed critics. Like Gaddafi he also attracted international condemnation: Nigeria was suspended from the commonwealth; the EU imposed sanctions. Had death not cut him down, there were rumours that he was planning to make himself president for life.
General Sani Abacha
A common trait found among dictators is an illusive belief in their own omnipotence and invincibility. When Gaddafi threatened to wipe out opponents in Benghazi he could never have imagined the resulting reaction.
Protests were sparked off after the discovery of a mass grave said to contain the remains of 1,270 inmates killed by government security forces at Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison.
Gaddafi responded to the people’s protests with military might. Unfortunately the violence meted out to him at the end must have defied all his imaginations - being dragged through the streets, shot in the head then flung onto a meat floor as an object of spectacle for his former subjects to watch.
On 28th April, 1945, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini met a similar fate. He along with his mistress and government officials were caught by Italian partisans as the allies closed in on him. They were shot, kicked and spat upon. Then their bodies were hung upside down on meat hooks from the roof of a filling station; people below hurled stones at them.
Mussolini 2nd left, mistress 3rd left & govt officials
When dictators lose their footing the consequence can be damning. According to a BBC interview with one of Gaddafi’s former henchmen Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, he believed Gaddafi died an angry and disappointed man. According to Ibrahim, Gaddafi felt he had done so many good things for Libyans and his people should love him until the end.
Indeed when Gaddafi seized power in 1969, Libya was a barren land with little infrastructure. The roads, airports, hospitals, power plants and other infrastructure existing today were built during his leadership. Under his rule, citizens enjoyed free public education and medical care. Per capita income in the country rose to more than US $11,000, the fifth highest in Africa.
Tripoli by night
That wasn’t enough to save him. There is something about the human spirit that detests suppression of civil liberties; infringements on personal freedom; unjustified violence and an atmosphere of fear.
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary defines dictator as a ruler who has COMPLETE power over a country…OR a person who behaves as if he/she has power over other people.
I believe it is this unfettered exercise of power that gets under people’s skin. They want a leader who brings economy prosperity and progress to the table; but they also want a leader who gives them room to voice their opinions and participate in the matters that affect them.
That is why democracy holds so much sway worldwide. Abraham Lincoln famously described it as the government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Democracy among other things:
• Guarantees basic human rights
• Promotes equality
• Checks and balances the exercise of power, and
• Ensures good governance
Established democracies like the United States, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands are a demonstration of the merits of democracy. Hence it becomes a one-way route for countries emerging from other forms of leadership like Libya, who are charting their way to a democratic system of government.
The late Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Fela, famously described democracy in pidgin English ‘as dem (them) all crazy’. And it does seem crazy. After General Abacha died Nigeria returned to civilian rule. Officially Nigeria is a democratic country. And yes, a lot has changed, both for the better and for the worse.
There is greater freedom of speech but no corresponding action to show for it. There is greater press freedom but journalists continue to lose their lives violently. There is greater personal freedom but the number of kidnappings by militants and criminals plus terrorist bombings has exploded. It was unheard of in Abacha’s time.
Militants in Nigeria
It is somewhat confusing. Dictatorship has not delivered the goods; neither has democracy. For many African countries democracy remains nothing but a myth. So what leadership is best suited to countries like Libya and a lot of African countries with their complex cultural, tribal and geographical make up?
Stepping back in time, many African countries did have successful systems of government that would probably not fall under the tag democracy. In Chinua Achebe’s novel ‘Things Fall Apart’, he depicts an African society where individual villages are governed by a council of elders. They deliberate on matters that concern the village; lay down the rules and settle disputes. The villages had their unique traditions, customs, and religion. There was relative peace, order and harmony.
Things began to fall apart when the European missionaries arrived with a new religion and order of governance. Slowly their influence began to erode the structures that had held the societies together for so long. To their credit, the missionaries abolished the killing of twins; promoted the equality of all people/discouraged the caste system. They also brought western education.
However they did not understand the ways of the people; the laws of their lands and their cultural practices so there were conflicts between both systems. One had to give way.
Personally I do not support the mindset that blames it all on colonialism. Countries are responsible for their own success or failure.
For the time being, all eyes will be on Libya. Will the new system of government deliver the goods? Or is it about time developing countries began to explore new systems of government?
I smile to myself each time I remember the confession of a plumber I once engaged to work. We were griping about Nigeria’s prolific problems when he confided in me that he’s made up his mind that when he has children they will not grow up in Nigeria. He will send them abroad. He wasn’t kidding judging by the resolute expression on his face. But I couldn’t help smiling when the said abroad turned out to be Ghana, our bosom neighbour. Apparently anywhere but Nigeria is a more auspicious place to live. It made me wonder how many Nigerians harbour rosy dreams of escaping a dysfunctional society where everything that can go wrong does go wrong to build a more cosy life abroad which seemingly offers utopia. Many it seems, judging from the numerous international education consults springing up to take advantage of the increased demand for foreign degrees.
On the face of it, studying abroad is the best option. There is a backlog of articles bemoaning the declining quality of education in our country. Employers too complain that home-made/Nigerian graduates are ill prepared for work, and use the term ‘half baked’ to describe the country’s inadequately skilled graduates. Therefore one of the appeals of a foreign degree is attaining better skills which subsequently put a foreign-trained graduate ahead of the competition in an already saturated job market. Even graduates of Nigerian universities who are increasingly opting for a masters degree owing to unemployment, would still prefer to have a postgraduate degree abroad.
And it is not just about the skills, who wouldn’t be taken in by the glossy brochures exhibited by foreign universities displaying idyllic settings, sophisticated, highly-equipped laboratories and dedicated staff? Who wouldn’t find the offer of 24 hours electricity, high-speed broadband internet, good transport systems, security and better career prospects enticing?
However before a person sets the wheels in motion, there are considerations to be made. Just like at the end of a mouth-watering promo you read terms and conditions apply, before making a decision it is important to weigh the costs against the benefits.
People who choose to study abroad must face up to the discrimination they will experience as a result of being international students. They should be prepared to pay at least twice the amount paid by home (local students). In the United Kingdom for example (a popular destination for Nigerian students) home students can pay as much as £5000 annually. That means an international student should be ready to cough up a couple of millions, considering the high exchange rate of the pound to the Naira.
Granted, the student will get good quality education, thanks to well equipped labs, dedicated staff and modules that equip them with the right skills. An added bonus is that unlike Nigeria where students rely on mummy and daddy for pocket money, they can offset living costs by working part time both during the semester and during holidays. However, what happens at the end of the degree? Getting a job is one thing, getting a good job is another matter. This is when the difference between home and international students becomes glaring because an international student is ‘saddled’ with two tags: immigrant and ethnic minority. The two don’t go down well in the job market except the person studied a course that fills shortages in labour. For instance medical and engineering graduates have better opportunities.
That immediately puts the graduate at a disadvantage; he/she is not on a level playing field with other local students. Hence the majority of ethnic minority/immigrant graduates will find themselves doing odd jobs to get by such as cleaning, working as a care assistant in old people’s homes, sales assistant and so on. Many times people retrain to enter careers where they’ll find a leeway but has nothing to do with their passions.
The graduate who chooses to return home to Nigeria shouldn’ rule out discrimination. Many employers will tell you that experience abroad does not translate in the Nigerian setting. Unfortunately in the saturated labour market having a foreign degree may not necessarily make an applicant more attractive to employers.
It is a painful reality, but one which is important to face up to. Before a person chooses to study abroad he/she must make careful considerations and above all have the end in mind. In other words, check out the quality of education a country offers but also check out the prospects of getting a good job afterwards.
How receptive is the country to immigrants? Are there job opportunities in the person’s chosen field? What prospects await if the person chooses to return to Nigeria? It is not commencing a journey that counts but completing it successfully, therefore look carefully before you take that leap.
Nothing in life is as good as it seems – even serving ones country as a corp member. As a kid, I saw corp members through rose-tinted spectacles: they were inexorably cool in their khaki trousers, white and green-crested T-shirts, and orange jungle boots. To me, they were the epitome of class and academic achievement. Now, I’m all grown up and my view has changed significantly because I’m a corp member. Indeed, nothing in life is as good as it seems.
Eighteen months ago, having completed my studies in the United Kingdom, I was contemplating returning to Nigeria to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. The scheme was born in the 1970s when Nigeria was just emerging from a bloody civil war which lasted for 30 months. The government saw it as a way of enhancing national unity by gathering thousands of young graduates from all over the country for a three-week orientation course in camps around the country every year. This was followed by a year-long service in which graduates were posted to various establishments to work.
Some of the NYSC’s objectives
As part of its objectives, the NYSC scheme aims to: Inculcate discipline in Nigerian youths by instilling in them a tradition of industry and of patriotic and service to Nigeria in any situation they find themselves.
To enable Nigerian youths to acquire spirit of self-reliance by encouraging them to develop skills for self-employment
To develop common ties among Nigerian youths and promote national unity and integration
To contribute to the accelerated growth of the national economy
When I told my friends in the UK I was thinking of returning to Nigeria for my NYSC, they thought it was one of those flash-in-the-pan ideas that would sooner or later evaporate. I parried many ‘but why?’ questions from them. ‘Nigeria is in a mess’, my friends tried to dissuade me, ‘power supply is erratic, security poor, law and order lacking, infrastructure poor, and career prospects dim'. Why was I leaving a well-structured, developed society, albeit exclusive, for greyer grass? ‘Because it is my home; I cannot abandon it. Tomorrow the NYSC certificate maybe useful; who knows? I could be a future minister for the federation', I retorted convincingly. At least a few were bought over, and gave me the thumbs, saying go ahead. And go ahead, I did.
I’m now five months into the youth service scheme and I find myself, many times, teetering on the brink of regret. From the look of things, no one gives a hoot about corp members: not the government, or the establishments they are posted to. Sadly, many corp members waste their time teaching in secondary schools, where the skills they gained in higher institution are barely utilised...I could go on and on about the service year, but instead I’ll start where it all began – orientation camp.
Orientation camp
The sun was in a bitter mood as I arrived at the orientation camp in Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos. It was so hot I feared I and other corp member hopefuls would melt into gummy masses of candy. At the gate of what later turned out to be a quasi-prison yard, security men checked my suitcase and made sure I had my student ID plus call-up letter from the NYSC secretariat, allowing me to participate in the programme.
After security checks, I hobbled downhill with my suitcase in one hand while taking in my new environment. The towering hostels were coated in fresh creamy yellow, the parade ground neatly tarred and a market comfortably juxtaposed across the road. It was comforting to see camp did not consist of dilapidated classrooms stuck on an arid piece of land (a handy description given by my friends serving in other states)
Before long I was assigned a bed which could barely contain my six foot frame. It was one of 14 bunk beds crammed into a rectangular room – I must admit I nearly moon-walked out of the room when I first saw it. Not that I was expecting a five-star hotel, but neither was I expecting a cramped room with time-worn mattresses resembling powerhouses for head lice and an assortment of skin diseases.
Registration procedures created a better impression. Kudos to the organisers, on reaching the registration hall, things were fairly straightforward. Women first of all went for pregnancy tests (a very humbling experience indeed), and then foreign-trained graduates had their own rally point, while home-trained graduates were grouped according to their geopolitical zone: north, south-west, south-south and so on.
The long afternoon slipped into evening and we were rallied to the parade ground for an address by the head of camp. She laid down the rules as well as sketched a portrait of what we were to expect during our three weeks: rising by 4.30am every morning for physical training, drills, lectures etc; wearing white always with the exception of special occasions, when we would wear our uniform: khaki, T-shirt and boots.
As promised, the next morning the bugle jolted us out of bed with its piercing noise. But way before the clarion call people were up as early as 3am to get a space in the bathroom before a queue built up. It continued to be the case for the remainder of the week. For the first few days I woke up with an eerie zombie-like feeling. However the routine soon grew on me: before 3.30am I would be up to get a space in the shower, and by 4.30am I was good to go. I also grew to love the parade ground. The spirit of camaraderie was never lacking: whether we were singing tacky songs during exercise like if corper marry corper dem go born mumu, or we were tutting and rolling our eyes at a sales pitch dressed up as a lecture on self-employment, or moaning about fire-wood scented red-rice meant to pass for jellof rice or defying the soldiers who were hovering around us to instil discipline; we were all in the same boat facing roughly equal measures of woes and wonder.
Camp life was a mixture of lectures, entertainment, exercise drills. The over-arching reaction to seminars and lectures by various NGOs, individuals and government officials was teacherno teach me nonsense. By way of entertainment there were sports and games, and opportunities for corp members to socialise such as a welcome night; the DJ turned out to be an otondo and was booed by the crowd. There was variety night hosted by comedian AY, with appearances by M.I. The Miss NYSC/Mister Macho competition was another great event.
Exercise drills were done half-heartedly. Probably because everything was confined to the parade ground and we never got an opportunity to jog or go outside camp except during our eight-hour endurance trek.
Part of the objectives of the NYSC is to develop in youths the attitudes of mind to help them act in the national interest as well as a patriotic and loyal service to Nigeria in any situation they find themselves. However one thing that niggled me sometimes was overwhelming lack of patriotism among corp members. My observation was that there was a lack of individual responsibility plus a passion for the country. Very few people talked about the problems of Nigeria or how to solve them or make a difference in their generation. Ambitions were mostly mediocre, getting a comfortable job and pursuing personal interests. Like someone murmured during the national anthem on the parade ground ‘na by force to serve Nigeria?’ One of my friends was so cynical about the whole scheme. I tried to make him see reason but he shrugged and said something like ‘Let’s face it, we are not doing the service because we really want to but because we have to'. That may sum up the attitude of many people in camp.
Disregard for rules was at times appalling. One incident has stuck with me. I was going to brush my teeth early in the morning when I met a room mate in the corridor splashing water all over the floor, washing her undies. I politely suggested she used the bathroom so the floor doesn’t get messy. ‘I’ve heard you’, she spat at me uninterestedly and continued her washing in the same manner. And, as if to tell me my words were water on a ducks back, she threw the full bucket of water on to the bathroom floor. I decided to ignore her even though I was burning with indignation inside. Neither could I understand why people chose to throw their litter on the floor despite the many dustbins sited around the camp. The things that irked me most were the disregard for cleanliness: people relieving themselves on the bathroom floor; disgusting WCs, the raw smell of sewage.
Three weeks trickled by. Finally it was time to say adieu. There were smiles, tantrums, tears. Those posted to work places relevant to their field had reason to celebrate. Those with inappropriate postings swore with abandon…like yours truly (a journalist) posted to a secondary school.
Once again my faithful suitcase tagged behind me as I joined the stampede towards the gate. At the gate I took one last look at the stretch of tarred road behind me and the creamy buildings that had been home for three weeks. I paused to gauge my feelings, and then suddenly it struck me that I was once again part of the wider world. My struggles had just commenced.
I just heard the news of Michael Jackson's death this morning. I must say it's the most surreal and shocking news I've heard in a very long time. It's been very painful for me, because I think he's gone too soon. But what is even more painful is all of a sudden he has become a 'musical legend' and 'changed our world' but how come no one has said any of this before now? Oh yeah right people have said it of course. But what we've heard most times is 'wacko jacko' being the crazy eccentric who everyone loves to hate. It's sad when people are only acknowledged and given the praise they deserve when they are gone. What use is the tributes if he's dead and gone? Surely he can't hear any of it.
I wish I had a platform to say to members of the beloved media, please stop this people bashing. Stop bashing PM Gordon Brown for not being picture perfect, charismatic & suave. Stop bashing celebrities for having flaws, stop bashing people: politicians, musicians, actors or anyone else for being human.
June 1998 is a memory that lives on. That was when our president died.
I was at the back of the car heading home from school, dreaming of lunch. Suddenly people began to gather. They yelled and clapped their hands Nigerian-style. When my Dad slowed down to ask what was happening, we were told Sani Abacha was dead. Dead!
The news was too random to absorb. But it had to be true because it rang out everywhere. The streets heaved with celebrants, as if we had just won the world cup. At home people gathered round excitedly to discuss the incredulous news.
General Sani Abacha's deeds had caught up with him at last. Before his death, life in Nigeria was changing into a nightmare. He had become so intoxicated with power that he had lost his head. Nine opposition activists were sent to the hang man's noose despite an international outcry. Dissenting voices were banished behind bars, where some died. Press freedom was stifled. He wouldn't listen to the United Nations, didn't care about international sanctions or being suspended from the Commonwealth. He was driving Nigeria to the brink.
Then he died. As the days went by details seeped out: he had a heart condition, which he had masterfully concealed. Unfortunately he couldn't fly abroad for treatment like most ailing officials do because he had isolated himself from the international community. Rumour has it his heart gave way while he was engaged in some illicit activity. Not surprisingly he was buried hurriedly like a common man.
Following his death General Abdulsalami Abubakar stepped in for ten months. Thankfully he did the right thing and returned Nigeria to civilian rule. Today Nigeria remains a democracy in the making. Not perfect by any means, but making significant progress. Living under the shadow of a pseudo-dictator is water under the bridge. So much has changed since General Abacha died.
