Re: [NIDOA] Re: [abujaNig] Re: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama Dinner
Mobolaji ALUKO
wg...@aol.com:
Thank you o, my brother - or sister. This is what am trying to get these my Nigerian brothers and sisters to understand - outside of IBK, Yemi Oke (and possibly Uche Gwam) who seem to have gotten it.
If you are a Nigerian, our numbers are increasing on the right side of this matter.
Bolaji Aluko
Esquare
__._,_.___I am a legal practitioner in the USA. Certainly, US law does not permit or prohibit the lady from engaging in funraising in Nigeria. (I assume no solicitations were made over the web to folks in the US)
However, anyone's use of these funds inside the USA, and the potential negative political consequences to the candidate are REAL issues.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
From: i...@usa.net
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:11:00 +0000
To: <abuj...@yahoogroups.com>; <TalkN...@yahoogroups.com>; <NaijaEl...@yahoogroups.com>; <NaijaP...@yahoogroups.com>; <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>; <nidoa...@yahoo.fr>; <nidoau...@optusnet.com.au>; <NIDOC...@yahoogroups.com>; <NI...@yahoogroups.com>; Afenmai<afe...@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [NIDOA] Re: [abujaNig] Re: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama DinnerSteveK,
My answer to you is simple. As long as she is not committing a crime, she can collect money for any legal cause of her choice.
You live and work in America so you should know this better than me.
IBKSent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Tanzania
From: Stevek <stev...@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:54:18 -0700 (PDT)
To: <TalkN...@yahoogroups.com>; <abuj...@yahoogroups.com>; <NaijaEl...@yahoogroups.com>; <NaijaP...@yahoogroups.com>; <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>; <nidoa...@yahoo.fr>; <nidoau...@optusnet.com.au>; <NIDOC...@yahoogroups.com>; <NI...@yahoogroups.com>; Afenmai<afe...@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [abujaNig] Re: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama Dinner
Okereke has committed no crime; no crime at all?Now, ask yourself, in your 'deep thinking' fashion:Should this woman be collecting money in Nigeria to send to the US to support a presidential candidate of the richest nation in the world while her own nation lie in shambles (even its electoral system) and many life and death causes await support from her and others like her?Answer this to yourself ONLY. No drama.Stevek
Washington, D.C., USA
A society of supine lambs breeds erect wolves.----- Original Message ----
From: "i...@usa.net" <i...@usa.net>
To: TalkN...@yahoogroups.com; abuj...@yahoogroups.com; NaijaEl...@yahoogroups.com; NaijaP...@yahoogroups.com; USAAfric...@googlegroups.com; nidoa...@yahoo.fr; nidoau...@optusnet.com.au; NIDOC...@yahoogroups.com; NI...@yahoogroups.com; Afenmai <afe...@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 10:25:13 AM
Subject: Re: [abujaNig] Re: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama DinnerWhen I ask for deep thinking, you make a joke of it. Now tell us what crime Okereke has committed?
So what is your point? I pray one day that your inner eye will open and you are able to see clearly.
IBKSent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Tanzania
From: Stevek <stevek941@yahoo. com>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:06:40 -0700 (PDT)
To: <abujaNig@yahoogroup s.com>; <TalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com>; <NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com>; <NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com>; <USAAfricaDialogue@ googlegroups. com>; <nidoabidjan@ yahoo.fr>; <nidoaustralia@ optusnet. com.au>; <NIDOCANADA@yahoogro ups.com>; <NIDOA@yahoogroups. com>; Afenmai<afenmai@yahoogroups .com>
Subject: Re: [abujaNig] Re: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama DinnerThe core objective is for one to have the moral fiber to condemn unsavory acts and not to prevaricate and play tackle for these unsavory characters.You do that all the time!Stevek
Washington, D.C., USA
A society of supine lambs breeds erect wolves.----- Original Message ----
From: "i...@usa.net" <i...@usa.net>
To: TalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com; NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com; NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; USAAfricaDialogue@ googlegroups. com; nidoabidjan@ yahoo.fr; nidoaustralia@ optusnet. com.au; NIDOCANADA@yahoogro ups.com; NIDOA@yahoogroups. com; abujaNig@yahoogroup s.com; Afenmai <afenmai@yahoogroups .com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 2:44:34 AM
Subject: [abujaNig] Re: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama DinnerJoe,
Here you go again characterizing Okereke after the fact. Whether 419 or 519 she was able to organize and raise the money.
Those of us who in your own words are thoughtful, focused, know all the core values of every thing, and are not high or low powered 914, tell me how much have we or can we raise?
It is not enough to castigate the likes of Okereke but we must build viable alternative vehicles. I commend you for your NIDO efforts and that teaches you how tough it is to build structures and raise huge sums for the Obamas by the Okerekes of this world.
That is the core objective we must all focus upon.
IBKSent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Tanzania
From: "Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/CCID/NCPDCID) " <jb...@cdc.gov>
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:15:57 -0400
To: <NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com>; <NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com>; <USAAfricaDialogue@ googlegroups. com>; <nidoabidjan@ yahoo.fr>; <nidoaustralia@ optusnet. com.au>; <NIDOCANADA@yahoogro ups.com>; <NIDOA@yahoogroups. com>; <TalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com>; <abujaNig@yahoogroup s.com>; Afenmai<afenmai@yahoogroups .com>
Subject: [TalkNigeria] RE: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama DinnerLet's hope that Okereke did her home-work before raising these funds on behalf of Obama; because if this was a thoughtless and impulsive act, it could be characterized as one of those high-powered 419 operations (people using the visibility and influence of their positions to raise enormous funds from the public and private sectors who may want to patronize for a future deal; and without a clear idea of how to remit the funds to Obama) and she will find it difficult to defend her action. I hope it does not lead to major embarrassment for Nigeria and some prominent Nigerians. My two pence opinion on this brewing/developing saga. Joe Igietseme
From: NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com [mailto:NaijaElecti ons@yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of OlaKassimMD@ aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 1:37 PM
To: NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; USAAfricaDialogue@ googlegroups. com; NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com; nidoabidjan@ yahoo.fr; nidoaustralia@ optusnet. com.au; NIDOCANADA@yahoogro ups.com; NIDOA@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [NaijaElections] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama Dinner
The funds I am donating are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution. --US election donation guidelinesBolaji:
The law is about to breached by Okereke and her partners no matter which way we look at this issue.
Must we wait and allow a breach of US laws by fellow Nigerians?
I am really disappointed that a person of Dr Mrs Okereke's calibre with her lengthy experience with US laws including having studied and worked in the country would embark on this venture without doing her home work. Or could it be she in fact did do her home work?
Did she form and register a PAC on behalf of the Obama campaign through which she could legally funnel the donation to the campaign?
Considering the huge humanitarian deficits in Nigeria, should Nigerians resident in the USA be contributing more than their own personal limits to either the Obama or McCain's campiagn or both.
If US based Diaspora Nigerians could raise 100 million Naira in one dinner for Obama, why can't we do the same for any of the multitudes of humanitarian causes that are begging for attention in Nigeria?
Finally,are there some hidden personal gains being anticipated by the rich benefactors whose origins are from oil rich Niugeria in which more than half of her 140million citizenry still live in abject poverty.
We must ask each and everyone of the rich Diaspora donors if they have donated any funds to help restore or provide new infrastructure for the primary or secondary schools they attended in Nigeria several decades ago. And for those major debtors amongst them --those who also obtained first and second university degrees in Nigeria before absconding,we must ask if they have ever donated to the alumini of their various universities. If they haven't done so recently despite having enough disposable income to spend on Obama's presidential campiagn, they would stand justifiably accused of possessing misplaced priorities.
In my own humble opinion, these rich Nigerian donors are behaving like prodigal sons and daughters who despite their successed in foreignlands are pointing to their father's house (their motherland) with their left fingers.
Anyone who think that I am being harsh on these Diaspora elites should go to the villages and hometowns of these successful rich Nigerian Diaspora donors and witness the neglect both in human terms and in infrastructure. Look at this state of the heritage houses our parents and grandparents built!
I just did! Nigeria and Nigerians need our help more than any campaign in any foreign nation including the greatest country in the world--the USA!
Bye,
Ola
-----Original Message-----
From: Mobolaji ALUKO <alukome@gmail. com>
To: uchegwam@hotmail. com
Cc: naijaintellects@ googlegroups. com; NaijaPolitics e-Group <naijapolitics@ yahoogroups. com>; naijaelections <naijaelections@ yahoogroups. com>
Sent: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:57 pm
Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Re: [Naijaintellects] Re: Okereke Raises N100m At Obama Dinner
Uche:
There is no US law against RAISING funds anywhere in the world for anybody. It is the person who TAKES DELIVERY of such funds within the United States borders who has to answer to US law.
So, Uche, no need to sweat yet. The comical Onyiuke (and her group) has broken no laws - yet.
Bolaji Aluko
PS: Here are the conditions for accepting donations on Obama's website:
------------ ---- https://donate. barackobama. com/page/ contribute/ splashupsell? source=www_ splash_upsell_ 0626_test
We shall see how Onyiuke's group overcomes some of these conditions.
- I am a United States citizen or a lawfully-admitted permanent resident.
- I am at least 16 years old.
- This contribution is not made from the general treasury funds of a corporation, labor organization or national bank.
- This contribution is not made from the funds of a political action committee.
- This contribution is not made from the treasury of an entity or person who is a federal contractor.
- This contribution is not made from the funds of an individual registered as a federal lobbyist or a foreign agent, or an entity that is a federally registered lobbying firm or foreign agent.
- The funds I am donating are not being provided to me by another person or entity for the purpose of making this contribution. ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
On Tue, Aug 12, 2008 at 12:36 PM, Uche Gwam <uchegwam@hotmail. com> wrote:
Is there no law in the USA against foreign donation to a Presidential candidate for electoral purposes?
ug
Okereke Raises N100m At Obama Dinner
2008/08/12By Simon Ateba
Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Chairman, 'Africans for Obama 2008', yesterday raised over N100 million at an expensive dinner for Senator Barack Obama, the US Democratic Presidential candidate, at the Muson centre, Onikan, Lagos.
Okereke explained that her group organised the dinner in which over N100 million was contributed by influential members of the group as a way of booking for a buffet table, to create awareness that for the first time in history, an African American is on the brink of becoming president of the United States of America.
She explained that there are over 5 million Africans living in the US with the right to vote and advised them to rally support for Obama at the presidential election slated for November this year.
PM.News observed that there were 56 buffet tables, each of them, it was learnt, cost the donors N2.5 million. On each table, there were champagne, red wine, beer, and various types of drinks. The tables were for influential and rich people in the society.
At the entrance of the Shell Hall where the dinner took place, the floor was covered by a 25 metre long rug with the inscription YES WE CAN, Obama's campaign slogan. There were also very large posters of Obama at the entrance and the stage. The decoration inside was splendid with the roof covered with various colours. At the dinner, a documentary by celebrity presenter, Bisi Olatilo, was aired.
But not everybody had access to the hall. It was invitation for the influential people in the country and Africa. Okereke lashed out at journalist, saying that some of them have been writing 'rubbish and nonsense' about her concerning Obama campaign. " Some sceptical people have been writing nonsense and rubbish in the newspapers that what is my business with Obama. But they are free to continue to write petitions. It is not their money that we are spending. Ask them is it your money that we are spending?"
Okereke explained that 'Africans for Obama' is simply telling Africans in the Diaspora to vote for Obama because he is their brother. She also said that whoever becomes the American President is also the President of the world.
Representing Obama at the dinner was Mr. Eric Wright, Obama policy maker for Africa, who flew in from South Africa.
Wright said that he did not speak for Obama or for the campaign team.
He was however evasive about how an Obama presidency will handle African issues.
He said there was no policy for Africa at the moment. He explained that if Obama becomes President, Africa will be closer to Washington than it is at the moment. He did not address the issue of an American military base in Africa and did not go into details.
But Mr. Oladipupo Oni, chairman 'Africans for Obama or McCain 2008', said that the chainman of 'Africans for Obama' was being myopic about American election.
He said that voting for Obama only because he is black and not because of what Africa is to gain in an Obama Presidency was nonsensical.
He said: "Obama is a black man, and even in states dominated by the whites, Obama won the primary elections, so why should we say that only because Obama is black we should vote for him?
"Are we saying that the white people that voted for Obama should not have voted for him because he is black? That is why I have decided to set up 'Africans for Obama and McCain'. This is because we have no problem regarding the race issue. We are saying to McCain or Obama to tell us what they will do for us and we will vote for them not because they are white or black, but because of the issues. "
The 'Africans for Obama or McCain 2008' was set up on Saturday, Oni disclosed.
He said: "We should not be victims of the racial segregation that pervaded the US for centuries."
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ebere onwudiwe
BusinnessDayNorth’s poverty and its significanceByEbere Onwudiwe13 August, 2008 02:00:00 Font
size:
For many years Southerners seethed over resource allocation. The thrust of the complaint has been that successive Northern-led federal regimes inequitably directed national resources to the North. The grievance ultimately found expression in the armed insurgency in the Niger Delta. Now comes a stark revelation: despite the resource allocation, the problem of poverty is greater in the North than in the South.
That is the view of no less an authority than the governor of the Central Bank, Professor Charles Soludo. In a recent address in Kaduna, Soludo suggested that poverty is so prevalent in Northern Nigeria as to constitute a national calamity equivalent to the Niger Delta tragedy.
That raises the obvious question: Where has Nigeria’s oil wealth gone over the years? The South-South is seething. The South East is in distress. Now, we learn authoritatively, what we probably sensed all along, that Northerners are even more impoverished. Has all our wealth gone to the Southwest? It is improbable.
Previous Northern-led administrations would probably cite the poverty in the North as vindication regarding the equity in their allocation of resources. But, of course, it is not that simple. Perhaps, the most significant lesson of the poverty in the North is that judicious use of resources, more so than resource allocation per se, is the weightiest obstacle to national development.
This is a lesson that people of the Niger Delta should take to heart. As they clamor for a more equitable share of the wealth garnered from their territory, they should also work to ensure judicious and transparent use of the allocations. If a substantial portion ends up in European banks, Niger Deltans will remain impoverished, irrespective of what formula is used to share the oil wealth.
The Nigerian masses, in general, should also learn a lesson from the plight of the North. Rather than allow themselves to be used as tools for the enrichment of a few—through appeal to ethnic, regional, and religious differences—they should recognize the value of cross-sectional solidarity. Rather than fight the traditional battles, they should join forces to demand accountability to ensure that the wealth from their land is no longer squandered.
Concern for judicious use of resources, not misguided loyalties—which leaders routinely encourage and reinforce with miniscule gestures and bread crumbs— should guide the political behavior of the masses. Poverty does not discriminate. When resources are misused, ordinary people suffer, irrespective of where they were born or what they believe.
An equally important lesson of the poverty of the North is that economic development is a multifaceted phenomenon and requires a concerted effort and the appropriate value orientation on the part of the government and the governed. Several years ago the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) document stated that Nigeria’s plan for prosperity must address the observed paradox whereby some 67 percent of our citizens are dirt poor, despite living in a reasonably rich country. Since that assertion and billions of dollars worth of windfall profits from oil later, millions of Nigerians have fallen deeper into poverty—in the North as well as the South. Mismanagement and unconscionable graft are the heart of this paradox. But there is more than that.
Even when the government has embarked on programs aimed at poverty alleviation, the results have generally been disheartening. For instance, successive governments have recognized the importance of the agricultural sector and sought to make it the cornerstone of poverty alleviation—to no avail. (Even the United States, the largest economy in the world and one of the most industrialized, still considers its agricultural sector the backbone of its economy).
In 1972 Gowon’s poverty alleviation was built on agriculture. His Accelerated Food Production Programme complete with a dedicated bank, the Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank, achieved nothing. Obasanjo’s 1976 Operation Feed the Nation failed even more woefully, given the huge amount of money sunk in it. Three years later another farming response to poverty, Shehu Shagari’s Green Revolution Programme focused on mechanized farming that created new millionaires among the rich and powerful but failed the poor again.
Enter Buhari with another agriculture focused response to poverty, his "Go Back to Land Programme." Another failure. Babangida’s more diversified approached in 1986 didn’t help the poor either, not even with its promised feeder roads, electricity, potable water and toilet facilities for the rural dwellers through the agency of Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure ( DFRRI ).
Analyzing the reasons for the failure of each of these programs, would require a book, perhaps several books. What can be said for certain is that either the programs were poorly (including fraudulently) implemented or the people they were supposed to help did not properly take advantage of them. Most likely the blame lies in both directions.
How much of the officially allocated revenues were actually ploughed into the substance of the program and how much were gobbled up by graft and bureaucracy? The lack of rural electrification alone makes poverty alleviation through agriculture of limited effectiveness. (Of course, even cities have no more than anemic electricity supply, but at least they have some.)
Then there is Nigeria’s white-collar culture and ethos of opulence. To be a non-mechanized farmer in our country is to be at the lowest rung of the social ladder. To many, farming is not for the educated, not even for those with only a secondary education. Meanwhile, everybody wants to be perceived as well-off. In any case, of the money that actually got to the people from the poverty alleviation programs, how much did they invest in self-sustaining agricultural enterprises and how much did they waste on vanity?
As to the greater poverty in the North, it probably reflects a number of unique factors, not the least of which are the geographical expanse (with the resulting population dispersion), the traditional nomadic culture, and the lower rate of educational attainment. Of these factors, the lag in education is one that can readily be addressed.
Massive investment in education in the North will not only help lift the poor there out of poverty, it is in fact, an intelligent long-run economic development strategy for the country as a whole. The notion that we can achieve our 20/20 economic development target while a huge portion of our northern population remains unskilled and illiterate is clearly untenable.
The CBN governor captures this need when he recently said that "The poverty in the North is now becoming a thing of serious concern. The elite and stakeholders should come together to salvage it and they should not allow the region to be left behind ... we should all see the development effort in the country as inclusive."
A formal and vocational education ‘Marshall Plan’ funded by the federal and state governments is one answer. Such a plan should include the goal of gender equity in education for northern girls by funding a compulsory public education to university level. Those who cannot make the grade for admission into universities should be channeled through the vocational education option. The case can be made that the greater marginalization of women in the North is another factor of the region’s greater poverty.
Of course, the challenge in all this is money. Thank goodness revenues from oil and gas are flowing and would flow even more abundantly if the Niger Delta insurgency is brought to an end, now.
The crucial challenge is to ensure that the people—at all levels of government—who are entrusted with programs for uplifting the masses actually implement those programs with principle and dedication. Nigeria can ill afford to deal with another poverty-induced eruption in another region, even as it is seeking to resolve the Niger Delta crisis.
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Ayotunde Bewaji
| Dear Prof., I am miffed to see that any one is surprised at poverty in the Northern Nigeria. Why? For a long time, we all know that any allocation of resources to Northern Nigeria was always shared among the elite in the North, and never invested in any form of infrastructural or employment empowerment of the people. The strategic reason is, with poverty you can always have control over people. When you impoverish people, you can always use them for whatever agendas you deign fit - Maitatsine, Talakawas, Al Majeris, Me Kayas, Me Guards, etc., etc., and they will continue to Rankadede you for the Friday Saras! Now the Southern states have joined. Long was the time of old Western Region and developmental mentality of Awolowo. Amala politics has taken over, and government house in private houses now replace government money in government house - as bad as that was! Ire o. Tunde. Dr. John Ayotunde (Tunde) Isola BEWAJI, FJIM PhD Philosophy, MA Distance Education Postgraduate Certificate in Philosophy for Children Coordinator, Philosophy Section Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy University of the West Indies, Mona Campus Kingston 7 Jamaica Tel: 1-876-927-1661-9 Ext: 2586 1-876-935-8586 (o) Fax: 1-876-970-2949ve Email: john....@uwimona.edu.jm (alternate) tunde....@gmail.com (alternate) --- On Thu, 14/8/08, ebere onwudiwe <eonwu...@yahoo.com> wrote: |
From: ebere onwudiwe <eonwu...@yahoo.com> |
|
|
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Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
Ayoola Tokunbo
" In 1972 Gowon’s poverty alleviation was built on agriculture. His Accelerated Food Production Programme complete with a dedicated bank, the Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank, achieved nothing. Obasanjo’s 1976 Operation Feed the Nation failed even more woefully, given the huge amount of money sunk in it. Three years later another farming response to poverty, Shehu Shagari’s Green Revolution Programme focused on mechanized farming that created new millionaires among the rich and powerful but failed the poor again.
Enter Buhari with another agriculture focused response to poverty, his "Go Back to Land Programme." Another failure. Babangida’s more diversified approached in 1986 didn’t help the poor either, not even with its promised feeder roads, electricity, potable water and toilet facilities for the rural dwellers through the agency of Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure ( DFRRI ).
In actual fact, the failures of all of these schemes have been examined by scholars. One recent and excellent book which has critically analysed the various agricultural programs and schemes in Nigeria right from the 1960s up until the era of neoliberalism in Africa is Professor Jeremiah I. Dibua's book: "Modernization and the Crisis of Development in Africa. The Nigerian Experience (Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006). Of particular relevance is the Chapter 6 of the book entitled: "The Dialetics of Agricultural Transformation." In this chapter, Dibua proved that in spite of the billions of dollars expended on IMF/World Bank driven agricultural modernization schemes, not only did the agriculture sector in Nigeria stagnate, but hunger increased in the land.
Tokunbo Ayoola
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:41:11 -0700
From: tunde...@yahoo.com
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: From BusinessDay
To: USAAfric...@googlegroups.com