AfricaDigest 11/10/10

[AfricaDigest Manager]

Nigeria strike goes ahead despite presidential talks

Nigerian unions are going ahead with a threatened nationwide strike
for a rise in the minimum wage.
The two largest unions rejected a last-minute appeal from President
Goodluck Jonathan to call off the action.
The unions want the monthly minimum wage more than doubled to $120
(£75) because prices have risen steeply.
But union leaders said they would meet later on Wednesday to decide
whether to strike for three days as initially planned or call off the
action early.

'Eerily quiet'
The protest is expected to affect a wide range of services across
Africa's most populous nation.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in the main commercial city, Lagos, says
streets, shops and offices are eerily quiet.
A rally organised by the unions is under way in the city although many
workers have simply decided to stay at home.
"It's very difficult, there is no vehicle on the road," security guard
Okpara Adonis told Reuters agency.
He said private minibus drivers were exploiting the fact that state-
owned buses were not working.
"In place of 50 naira ($0.33, £0.20) they are charging 100 naira for
the bus, and there is no place to get fuel."

In the capital, Abuja, ministries and government offices, banks and
public schools are closed.
Holiday concerns
Inflation has been running at double-digit rates in recent years,
driven by increases in food and transportation costs.
The minimum wage has not risen for a decade.
Mr Jonathan cut short a visit to Lagos to meet representatives from
the country's two main unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and
the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The leader of the NLC at the talks said the two unions' national
executives would meet on Wednesday afternoon to decide whether or not
to continue with the strike.
"We have heard the message of Mr President," NLC acting president
Promise Adewusi told reporters after the talks with Mr Jonathan.
"We are going to go back to our organ [executive council]. The only
thing we can say to you is that the strike is on until it is called
off by the organ," he said.

Ahead of the talks, Mr Jonathan's office issued a statement saying it
was committed to "realistic wages" for all workers.
Correspondents say there are fears that if the strike continues it
will affect people's plans for next week's Eid al-Kabir nationwide
public holidays on Tuesday and Wednesday as banks may not be open
again until Monday.
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French appeals court reopens African assets case

France's highest appeals court has authorised judges to proceed with
an investigation into assets held in the country by three African
leaders.
The anti-corruption group Transparency International has accused the
three of using African public funds to buy luxury homes and cars in
France.
A Paris court halted the lawsuit last year, saying Transparency could
not act against foreign heads of state.

The three leaders, one of whom is now dead, had denied wrongdoing.
They are Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo and Teodoro
Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, as well as the late Gabonese
leader, Omar Bongo.
Transparency estimates the total value of the three leaders' estates
in France at 160m euros (£140m, $223m).

'Legal breakthrough'
Quoting French police investigations dating back to 2007, it said
President Obiang owned vehicles worth more than 4m euros, the late
Bongo and his relations had 39 homes, and Mr Sassou Nguesso and his
relations held 112 bank accounts.
Investigations found that Bongo's wife Edith had bought a Daimler
Chrysler car with a cheque drawn on a Gabonese government account in
France, Transparency added.

"For the first time in France, a lawsuit by an anti-corruption
association acting for the interests it aims to defend has been judged
admissible," the anti-corruption group said in a statement welcoming
the ruling.
It hoped the funds allegedly stolen would eventually be recovered.
The case followed a 2007 French police investigation which had found
the leaders and their relatives owned homes in upmarket areas of Paris
and on the Riviera, along with luxury cars including Bugattis,
Ferraris and Maseratis.
Transparency, along with rights group Sherpa, had argued that it was
not possible that the men and their entourages had bought the assets
through their legitimate salaries.

When a French magistrate ruled in May 2008 that the "ill-gotten gains"
case was admissible in a French court, representatives of the leaders
contested the ruling.
They argued that, as civil society activists, Transparency had no
right to act as plaintiffs against heads of state.
Transparency appealed in turn and its action was upheld on Tuesday.
Gabon and Republic of Congo are former French colonies.
Omar Bongo - who was Africa's longest-serving leader - died in June
2009 but members of his family were also named in Transparency
International's case.
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Five Somali men face US piracy trial

Five Somali men accused of firing at a US Navy ship off the coast of
Africa are set to face the first US piracy trial in more than 100
years.
The suspects apparently mistook the guided-missile frigate USS
Nicholas for a merchant ship, west of the Seychelles, court documents
said.
They allegedly fired on the ship which was patrolling the area for
pirates; it shot back, forcing the men to flee.
The men were later captured and brought back to the US to stand trial.

The USS Nicholas piracy trial is thought to be the first in the US in
at least a century, according to legal and maritime scholars, says the
Associated Press news agency.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin on Monday, with jurors to be
questioned about their prior knowledge of Somali piracy and whether
they have served on the Nicholas or other US Navy ships.
The trial, which is taking place in Norfolk, Virginia, is expected to
last for about a month. Piracy carries a mandatory life sentence.
Norfolk is the home of the world's largest naval base and the home
port of the Nicholas.

Night attack
The charges against the men include piracy, attacking to plunder a
maritime vessel, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to documents filed in federal court, in March the crew of
five young defendants, mostly fishermen in their mid-20s, set sail
from Somalia in search of a merchant vessel to plunder.
Their ship carried food and fuel and had two smaller skiffs tied to
it, which prosecutors say were to serve as attack craft. The men were
armed with assault weapons and a rocket-propelled grenade, prosecutors
said.

One of the defendants, Mohammed Mohdin Hassan, told investigators he
had been promised $30,000 (£18,552) for a successful mission,
according to court documents.
About eight days later, on the high seas and under cover of night, Mr
Hasan, Gabul Abdullahi Ali and Abdi Wali Dire boarded one of the
attack craft and set out to attack what they believed was a merchant
ship.
In fact, the ship was the Nicholas, which had been deployed to the
east coast of Africa on an anti-piracy mission.
Mr Hasan and Mr Dire brought the attack skiff close to the Nicholas
and opened fire, prosecutors said. The Nicholas returned fire and gave
chase, capturing the defendents and taking them aboard the ship and
destroying their skiff.
The men then confessed to the attack and said they believed the
Nicholas was a merchant ship they could capture and hold for ransom,
prosecutors said.

In court documents, Mr Ali is described as an impoverished 26-year-old
fisherman and Mr Dire, 26, is a former bus conductor turned fisherman,
and is also impoverished. Lawyers for Mr Hasan say he does not know
his age but have argued he was under 18 when he was captured and
should be treated as a juvenile.
The five suspects were arrested in April, along with six others who
were captured a few days later in waters near Djibouti after allegedly
shooting at the USS Ashland, an amphibious vessel.
Pirates operating off the African coast have intensified attacks on
shipping in recent years.
With piracy increasing, there have been calls for international courts
to be set up to deal with the problem.
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Africa viewpoint: Nollywood and religion

In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa
considers what Nigeria's movie industry reveals about the country's
spirituality.
One major reason why I like Nollywood films is that I easily relate to
the stories told and the morals implied.
I do not need a fertile imagination to understand the plots - if there
are any serious ones - neither do I find it difficult to connect to
the spiritual impulses of the characters.

Nollywood truly reflects the innate character of the Nigerian.
On a couple of occasions some friends have asked how I could "stoop so
low" to spend hours watching these films, which are filled with scenes
of voodoo and are of poor technical production, rather than spend
quality time watching "first-rate" films from Hollywood.
What hypocrites!

Firstly they are the ones who call for people to buy goods and
services made in Nigeria - in order to keep the domestic industries in
business and thereby guarantee employment for their friends and
others.
But if they also want those, who can afford the prices? To only
purchase products and services of proven high technical quality, they
would never find any such made in Nigeria.
So why single out Nollywood for technical shortcomings?

College campus conversions
As for the traditional religious rituals, they are part of the
spiritual make-up of Nigerians.
These things have been practised in all cultures in the country for
centuries and they have largely withstood the assault from European
and Arabic cultures.
And however large the following of Islam and Christianity in Nigeria,
traditional religions still have a strong pull - especially in times
of personal trouble or tragedy.

The Yoruba people say: "Igbagbo ko pe k'a ma s'oro ile wa" meaning -
Christianity does not bar us from celebrating our family (or
community's) traditional religious festival.
Now that Islam and Christianity are the officially recognised and
patronised religions, Nigerians take pride in putting on their best
dresses on Fridays and Sundays to be seen in mosques and churches.

But, take it from this old horse, there is more to religious practice
in Nigeria than meets the eye.
In the last few years Nigeria has witnessed a dramatic upsurge of
apparent fundamentalism in Christian religious practice.
People are turning away from the orthodox churches and they are
rushing to the Pentecostal churches in their millions.
The rush began with young people who were weaned on a new gospel of
prosperity and miracles in college campuses.
When the new army of Pentecostal "born agains" graduated and were
launched into society, the mainstream churches were caught napping;
before they could feel the force of what had hit them, their former
members were clapping and gyrating and sweating in new congregations.

Studied success
The Pentecostal church has become a movement that is sweeping across
the nation, catching both Christians and Muslims.
It claims to be the fastest-growing religious sect in Nigeria; all
others are merely trying out strategies to halt the force.
Yet, the secret of the Pentecostal leaders' success was apparently
simple enough: They studied the Nigerian.
The average Nigerian has a strong belief in destiny.
They hold it that however hard or lazily one may work, the will of the
gods, as pre-destined, will come to pass in their life.
They do not take responsibility for anything - not even for the
inevitable road accident when they drive drunk, nor for exam failure
resulting from truancy in class.
Therefore they believe that they must appease the gods at all times.

In the past, the appeasement was to the family or communal deities.
Those rituals are now out-of-date. Enter the Pentecostal church.
The pastor or prophet in designer silk suit from Milan has taken over
from the village diviner and rituals are no longer performed with
goats and cockerels but with tithes and American dollar offerings.
Prophecies do not come in riddles or proverbs, but in plain language.
One does not have anything over the other except in the most important
matter of bank balance.
And Nollywood reflects the two faithfully.

I hear that both Nollywood and the Halleluiahs of the Pentecostal
church are doing well across Africa.
What I do not know is how strongly the brethren outside Nigeria are
attached to the culture of divination.
Do you have information on this?

If you would like to comment on Sola Odunfa's latest column, please
use the form below. A selection of views will be published.

About time someone wrote this piece. However hard people may try to
argue otherwise this piece tells the true story especially from the
religious point
Sname, Lagos, Nigeria

A very honest and thorough provoking article......Nigerians as a
nation have always loved their testimonies and miracles. Nigerians
love following the crowd, because A is doing it and is making a little
change aka MONEY, I too must get involved and begin to do miracles.
Which when thoroughly investigated all turn out to be false, Going to
the Mosque or Church in Nigeria is just ceremonial 80 percent are non
believers, a chance to show off what you have and what you are
grossing or in a Politician case what you have stolen - The latest
Cars, Latest Kaftan/Lace, and Latest Bling from Dubai!!!! When I was a
young lad Pastor and Prophet was a calling!!! Now it is a multi
Billionaire Dollar industry, where donations are Tith are all the rage
to get a blessing… There is only one cause for the growth of all
African churches and that is POVERTY & CORRUPTION!!! If Africa/Nigeria
was industralised like Japan or China, the Pastors churches and their
flock would so diminished. The churches would be paying for seats to
be filled on a Sunday or Friday. I will leave you with a Thought - The
Yoruba's having a saying "Only God Truly Know who Worships Him"
TonyO, London

This is a beautiful piece. Clearly depicts the Nigerian understanding
of what Christianity encompasses prosperity and miracles, and the
congregation fall over themselves for the so called "Man of God". Let
us face it, the Nigerian has failed to outgrow his love for the
traditional worship. The idea of a 40 days fasting to get solution
does not just appeal to the Nigerian. He needs a person, he can look
up to wave the magic wand and the solution or perceived solution
materializes and the Pentecostal pastors understands this very well.
The success of Penetecostalism is seen in the colossal wealth the
Pentecostal pastors have amassed mainly from tithe and offering.
Despite the Pentecostal revival, the Nigerian is a traditionalist in
blood.
thompson ighalo, Lagos Nigeria

Although there are many false Pastors and Prophets in many Nigerian
Churches, there are still many true Pastors and Prophets who are God
fearing and who are not swerved by American dollar offerings. We
should be careful not to tarr everyone with the same brush.
Bert Akpaka, Sheffield, UK

Again Sola a wonderful read. I never looked at myself as a hypocrite
but after reading your article I think I need to be 'born again' in
patronizing the Nigerian movies.
Naallah Bako, Abuja, Nigeria
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Libya leader Gaddafi orders release of 19 journalists

A group of journalists arrested in Libya have been released on the
order of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan media report.
Authorities had arrested 19 journalists and a senior media executive,
reportedly as part of a power struggle inside the ruling elite.
The journalists work for the Libya Press news agency, affiliated to a
firm founded by one of Col Gaddafi's sons.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi is seen a reformist and critic of conservatives.
In its first mention of the arrests Libya's official Jana news agency
said Col Gaddafi had intervened on the journalists' behalf.

"The Libyan news agency learned last night that the Leader of the
Revolution [Col Gaddafi] had issued instructions to release the
journalists belonging to Libya Press and ordered an investigation into
the matter," it said.
The journalists - who are of various nationalities, including Libyans,
Egyptians and Tunisians - were arrested by security forces in the
Libyan capital, Tripoli, in the last few days.
Fawzi Ben-Tamer, the deputy head of the al-Ghad Media Company, which
owns the news agency and other media outlets, told the BBC that they
were all treated well and that no official charges were made against
them.
He said they remained in the offices of the administrative section of
the internal security building in Tripoli throughout the detainment
and were given mattresses to sleep on the floors of the offices, with
food and beverages.
All of the detained were individually questioned.

Mr Ben-Tamer says they were mostly asked about their work and the
newsgathering practices of the agency.
No official reason has been given for the arrests.
But they are widely believed to be the result of scathing allegations
published against the government and a senior figure in the
revolutionary guard.
Correspondents also say the arrests may reflect a wider internal
struggle between reformers and conservatives.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second of the Libyan leader's seven sons,
is said to be popular among Libyans pushing for reform.
He is seen by some as a possible successor to his father.
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Several excuses are always less convincing than one. -Aldous Huxley,
novelist (1894-1963)
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