Nigeria US Embassy, Tinapa, Calabar and the Niger Delta--Joseph MaClayton

[Olaka...@aol.com]

Oga Joseph Maclayton:

On the contrary I should be the one carrying your bags not the other way round.

I am still waiting for the invitation to visit the Niger Delta and meet with my friend
Alhaji Asari Dokubo--yea we are now friends!. Please let me know anytime you are going home and I will tag along and carry your bags.

As I have written before, one does not need to be an indigene of any of the various communities
in the Niger Delta to appreciate the level of the injustice that has been perpetrated on the indigenes
both in the past and now.

However, just like all other regions of Nigerian, the Niger Delta is also cursed with bad leadership.
We need great young leaders all over Nigeria. Joseph McClayton--get up and show us the way
and we will follow.

We continue to admire and support the great work that former Gov. Donald Duke did for his people in Cross
Rivers State. This is the reason the Diaspora Conference has been relocated to Tinapa this year.

When the Niger Delta and the rest of Nigeria  begin to breed more leaders like Gov. Donald Duke,.
and shun mega rogues like Govs. Alams, Ibori, Odili, Attah etc, the region might start on a real  journey  of
economic development  that would attract all other Nigerians, not only to come and work in the oil fields but to visit, and set up all other types of commercial ventures.

Meanwhile all Nigerians must join hands together to find a solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta. The Niger Deltans cannot solve the problem by only talking to themselves. They must engage all other Nigerians!

 

Violence is definitely  NOT the solution, even though I can understand its inevitability when people are left with no other choice. I do not think we have terrorists in Nigeria, considering that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. I see people fighting for their own economic survival in a backdrop of possible wealth  that is going to ruins even as other regions of our country continue to benefit from the same resources.
 
I have never visited Calabar but I cannot but share in the pride of its indigenes when they claim that
their city is now the cleanest city in Nigeria and probably Africa! This is the kind of progressive mind set that attracts tourism and other forms of economic development.

 

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. This is the reason it is easy to see the irony in  the piles of garbage in some other near by state capital that goes with the credo--God's Own State

Let other cities in Nigeria not grow jealous of Calabar and Tinapa but rather emulate the citizens of these cities. Government cannot legislate cleanliness; it can only facilitate. The people themselves must appreciate wanting to live and work in a clean environment. 

 

I am looking forward to a time in the near future when Nigerian cities and their state governments will be competing fiercely to host the annual Diaspora Conference!

We are looking forward to seeing fellow delegates to the 2008 Diaspora Celebration Day and 4th Sceince and Technology Conference in Tinapa!

Bye,

Ola


-----Original Message-----
From: joseph maclayton <josephm...@yahoo.com>
To: NaijaP...@yahoogroups.com
Cc: OlaKa...@aol.com
Sent: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 2:41 pm
Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr Ozodi Osuji

Peoples of Nigeria: Oga Ola Kassim: This is the problem with Nigeria's leadership. They believe nothing and are not capable of imaging anything good for their own people. This i s my problem with you Ola Kassim. BTW is it possible for a Niger Deltan, like me, to tag along on this trip? I am not ashamed to help carry you and your girls  excess luggage  ala  Dubai to the comfortable rooms of Donald Duke wonderland, TINAPA! Never mind visiting the swamps of the Niger Delta, it is not safe for your types. The "terrorists" enjoy living in thatch huts complete nocturnal companionship of their pets, the mosquitoes! Chei, the Niger Delta peoples have water system too for straight flushing of their excrements to the Atlantic ocean. As for electricity, please be advised that the Niger Deltans do not have or need it because of the incessant complaints of the mosquitoes who feel agitated by their restful disturbance.  People  have rights you know! If you desire, please respond ASAP for me to start rearranging my schedule. I will be available as your PA to remind you to ask the Emirate citizens how they managed to build their communities from the original "comforts" of their nomadic desert tents. You will be surprised to learn the wonders of RESOURCE CONTROL AND GOOD LEADERSHIP! Any ways, bon voyage! ...jimjack --- On Tue, 7/15/08, OlaKassimMD@aol.com <OlaKassimMD@aol.com> wrote: From: OlaKassimMD@aol.com <OlaKassimMD@aol.com> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr20Ozodi Osuji To: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 4:02 PM " With all that money and our embassy is like a ghetto!" -----Dr Ozodi Osuji ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --- Brother Ozodi: I think there is a gross exaggeration here! Please check your diary again. I doubt if your visit to the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC was in the last two years. It is possible that you are describing the old Nigerian Embassy facilities which were located in two old buildings in DC. The new Embassy located in NW Washington DC was completed in 2003. There is no way the current buiding can be described as a ghetto, at least not in its current state. It still compares favorably with its neighbours the Egyptian, Malaysian and Israeli embassies at least based on its profile from the street. Even though the authorities have not kept pace with the needed maintainance, I think it is a gross exagerration to call the new chancery building a ghetto. If it is a ghetto then it must be one of the most expensive ghetto buildings in DC--a possibly a 35 to 40 million dollar 'ghetto!' I would have agreed20with you  if you had stated that it might become a ghetto in the next few years if we continue to neglect the maintainance of the building. Let's call a spade a spade without resorting  to exaggerations. For instance while it is true that=2 0there are too many rogues in power in Nigeria, it is not true to say that all Nigerians are rogues. The danger in such exaggerations is that they might lead to normalization of abnormal (or pathological) state of being where everyone is assumed to be a crook and  criminal acts are therefore considered a normal part of daily existence. I doubt if Nigeria is already at this terminal stage. If it were, no one will be complaining of official corruption! Bye, Ola "it underscores what I am willing to accept in order to further evolve us into human beings.  If you think we are already at the level of humans, please prove it to me." Dr Ajayi   Bravo!  Long ago I concluded that we are20not human beings. As you said, any one who believes that we are human beings should please show me how and why. A couple of years ago I visited the Nigerian Embassy at Washington DC and felt like walking away. With all that money and our embassy is like a ghetto!  I have been doing my best trying to figure out how to make us human beings. Thanks a whole lot for your observations, Rex.   Ozodi --- On Tue, 7/15/08, OlaKassimMD@ aol.com <OlaKassimMD@ aol.com> wrote: From: OlaKassimMD@ aol.com <OlaKassimMD@ aol.com> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr Rex Ajayi To: rajayi@bellsouth. net, NIDOA@yahoogroups. com, NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com, NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com, abujanig@yahoogroup s, ncatoronto@ -----Original Message----- From: ozodiobi osuji <africainstitute@ yahoo.com> To: NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com Sent: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 4:20 pm Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr Rex Ajayi " it underscores what I am willing to accept in order to further evolve us into human beings.  If you think we are already at the level of humans, please prove it to me." Dr Ajayi   Bravo!  Long ago I concluded that we are not human beings. As you said, any one who believes that we are human beings should please show me how and why. A couple of years ago I visited the Nigerian Embassy at Washington DC and felt like walking away. With all that money and our embassy is like a ghetto!  I have been doing my best trying to figure out how to make us human beings. Thanks a whole lot for your observations, Rex.   Ozodi --- On Tue, 7/15/08, OlaKassimMD@ aol.com <OlaKassimMD@ aol.com> wrote: From: OlaKassimMD@ aol.com <OlaKassimMD@ aol.com> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr Rex Ajayi To: rajayi@bellsouth. net, NIDOA@yahoogroups. com, NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com, NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com, abujanig@yahoogroup s, ncatoronto@yahoogro ups.com, NIDOCANADA@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 8:50 AM Dear Rex: I hear you=2 0'loud and clear; and share your pain and frustration about motherland Nigeria and our place in the world, especially considering the resources and opportunities at our disposal. Short of starting the indoctrination of our children in the delivery rooms, I think you provided some practical suggestions and solutions to Nigeria's problems in your post. Knowing you very well, I am sure you wouldn't mind my sharing with the forumites a conversation you and I had in either my house in Toronto or Atlanta about 18 months ago.. During the conversation you mentioned that you had just returned from a business trip to Dubai. To paraphrase your words: "I almost wept when I saw the infrastructure in Dubai. I wondered what happened to all the money Nigeria had earned from petroleum resources for the past 50 years and why our own people would continue to live in misery when citizens of Dubai and other oil rich nations in the world have managed to use their oil resources to transform their economy.'--Dr Rex Ajayi You followed up by telling me that if an Arab man or woman had accosted you on the strrets of Dubai and said: "You bloody African go back to where you came from" that you would have nodded and said to yourself that this would have been a well deserved in sult--one that needed no retaliation especial ly from a visitor of Nigerian origin. Fortunately, you did encounter any hostile reactions from your Dubai hosts. Even though I had never been to Dubai, that conversation struck a nerve with me. I have been researching everything that has to do with the United Arabs Emirates ever since that conversation. I wanted to know what is different about the psyche of the average Nigerian and Nigerian leaders  and those of the citizens and leaders of UAE and Dubai their capital. My research is ongoing! As part of this ongoing research, I decided to route my trip from Toronto to Calabar for the 2008 Diaspora conference through Dubai. I will be traveling this weekend with two of my daughters. My plan is to show them what Nigeria should have been but has not, take them through Lagos (with which they are already familiar) en route to Calabar. At the end of the conference we will spend a few days in Abuja and then return to Toronto via Frankfurt. The trip to Abuja (which they have only seen in pictures and videos) will show the girls what Nigerians can do on a larger scale if we have the right kind of leadership. My friend Rex--you can see that the little conversation about Dubai is now going to cost me a lot of money as we are going to spend some time at some of the best hotels in Europe, Dubai and Abuja. My wife will almost kill me when we finally show her the bill at the20end of our trip. My only excuse &n bsp;will be that she should have come with us and forgo her conflicting schedule. That way she would have as usual kept us in line--budget wise. I might also suggest that we send half of the bill to Dr Rex Ajayi considering he started it all! I agree with your comments about Brazil--which is best described as 1/3 First World (Developed Nation) and 2/3 Third World (Developing Nation). Seriously, I think we need a realignment of our values in Nigeria! I will speak with you on my return from Tinapa! Bye, Ola   -----Original Message----- From: Dr. Ajayi <rajayi@bellsouth. net> To: OlaKassimMD@ aol.com; Linfadeke@aol. com; NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; chatafrik@yahoogrou ps.com; naijaelections@ yahoogroups. com; orTalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com; omo-oduduwa@ yahoogroups. com; igbo_forum@yahoogro ups.com; Edo-Nation@yahoogro ups.com; nidoa@yahoogroups. com; uinyang@aol. com; Zephyrinus. Okonkwo@ asurams.edu; David.Adewuyi@ asurams.edu; graji@comcast. net Sent: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 8:37 am Subject: RE: [NIDOA] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do? Dear Ola , With your closeness to the Nigerian government over the years you have obviously acquired20a lot of experience with the inner workings of our officials.  Please tell me one thing that you believe that they execute at par with the rest of the world—apart from stealing, chasing women etc  We have degraded every institution that the British left without respect to what part of the world we find ourselves.    Your experience should also help with the solution.  I strongly believe that we need to start in the labor and delivery rooms.  Perhaps every child born should immediately be taken as a foster child to be raised by a foster parent anywhere in the modern world  (not by Nigerians).  These kids should then be released into our administrative and political lives at the age of thirty when they are hard to pollute.  That is a lot of “Obamas”.  This sounds   impractical but it underscores what I am willing to accept in order to further evolve us into human beings.  If you think we are already at the level of humans, please prove it to me.  Copying what they have  developed (originally or stolen) like architecture, maths, medicine etc and regurgitating it enough to become doctors and engineers like you and I is not enough.  I will be convinced that we are human beings when=2 0we address our problems indigenously to the same level as the rest of the world.   The ruler of Dubai hardly has any of his natives trained to modernize20Dubai.  He therefore bought the best expertise the world has to offer and turned the desert into tourists’ marvel (not steal the money and hide it overseas).  He knew oil will run out and has solved the problem for the future.  My fried just came back from Brazil and was angry that anyone would call Brazil a third world.  It rivaled anywhere in the USA and better in many respects.  Mexico makes huge sums of money by developing and maintaining  Cancun (7 years in the computer before implementation) .  India, Indonesia, Singapore, China,  Thailand etc are  advanced parts of this world.      In all of this, we have no electricity, cannot pay embassy rent, etc      In case we want to invoke colonial oppression, I will like someone to tell me what great monuments the jihadists or the Europeans met on ground when they invaded us.  Where are the roads, water irrigation systems, farming tools, war machines,  castles, king tombs of the Oyo, Benin, and  Ashanti empires?  ; The Roman roads, coliseum cathedrals built between 500 BC and 500 AD are still there for us to see.  We were always useless relative to the rest of the world.  We need my suggestion above (laugh) to correct  our genes!!   It is sad that someone like me that use to fight so hard defend the image of Nigeria and the black race has been bought down to his knees so  shamefully.  In the eighties, I published an excellent magazine designed to showcase African pride. It was called  the E2African Heritage magazine” and circulated briefly in the USA, Canada and Liverpool England.  Before internet and e-mail became available, I published “the Nigerian Abroad” newspaper  for 18 months to bring the best of Nigeria to the West.  I have taken several Americans to West Africa to show us off.  I organized several years of African Day festival here in Albany.  I was on TV for years arguing against apartheid before it was taken down.  I used to believe in us a lot.  My people at home continued to chip away at my spirit until they shattered it.     Rex ajayi   From: NIDOA@yahoogroups. com [mailto:NIDOA@ yahoogroups. com]20On Behalf Of OlaKassimMD@ aol.com Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 7:33 AM To: Linfadeke@aol. com; NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; chatafrik@yahoogrou ps.com; naijaelections@ yahoogroups. com; orTalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com; omo-oduduwa@ yahoogroups. com; igbo_forum@yahoogro ups.com; Edo-Nation@yahoogro ups.com; nidoa@yahoogroups. com Subject: Re: [NIDOA] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters - Deferred maintenance, possible ...       Sister Fadeke:   Your silence on the issue in the highlighted quote is as loud and eloquent as any written or spoken words--or as we say 'pregnant with meaning.' I am sure you have two issues of concern here:   1) Security   2) Lack of maintenance.   The Nigerian Chancery building was designed and built by a consortium of Israeli architectural and construction firms. It is undoubtedly one of the best embassy buildings in DC, even though it doesn't rank even close to being the largest. That the original maintenance contract which would also have included the security operations was given to an Israeli firm probably derives from the original contract for the buildings.   What we are witnessing in DC is a classic example of the lack of regard for maintenance issues in Nigeria. I t is not a secret that Nigerians generally lack what is regarded as a "maintenance culture". This lack of appreciation for maintenance operates in both our official and private lives. Nigeri ans are known at home and abroad to erect huge mansions which most often become decrepit a few years later due to lack of maintainance.   The embassy building in DC still looks new on the surface. However a cursory look would easily betray evidence of lack of maintenance. This can be seen from little things like unchanged burnt light bulbs in elevators, to plumbing problems in washrooms that go for weeks unfixed. I have also noticed that some of the major external decorative aspects of the building's exterior (e,g the huge horizontal wooden planks which accent the front of the building) are already chipping and flaking and looking weathered. I doubt if any one has ever bothered to touch up the stain since the completion=2 0of the building.     While on holidays in the summer of 1970 I had the privilege of working as a messenger at the Nigeria High Commission building in London, England.  Back then the building  looked majestic both inside and out. I attended a NIDO meeting at the same building in 2006. I could n ot believe the rot in the building. The washrooms were dirty and smelly with no running water. It would have been a disgrace to have brought any foreigners into the building for a meeting that weekend.   Our High Commission Building in Ottawa, Canada also suffers from lack of maintenance. Sometimes I wonder when the furniture in the reception room was last changed. The same goes for the conference room.   Our ambassadors and high commissioners worldwide are not to blame for the lack of attention to Nigeria's foreign missions.The reason for this neglect is not far fetched.   The fault resides with those who are in charge of the budgets and allocation of funds to run our foreign missions-- starting from the Minister of Foreign Affairs downwards  These offici als would claim that the lack of action is due to insufficient allocation of funds from the Treasury. However, just as we saw with the MOH, the government officials also manage to hav e huge surpluses at the end of most fiscal years.    It used to be a great privilege to work in Nigeria's foreign service. This is no longer true. These days many of Nigeria's diplomats continue to do their work diligently even when their salaries are up to three months in arrears.   A government that finds it difficult to pay its own diplomatic staff probably would give even less attention to maintaining its buildings. This is indeed a major Security Risk with such a gaping hole,   Under the above circumstance breaching of Nigeria's national security might not require as sophisticated an outfit as the MOSSAD!   Bye,   Ola                   In a message dated 15/07/2008 12:16:14 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, linfadeke@aol. com writes: =0 D "THISDAY gathered that an Israeli firm was hired to maintain the gigantic architectural masterpiece when it was purchased in 2003. The firm reached an agreement with the Nigerian government to be paid $1 mill ion yearly but was disengaged in 2004 when funding was stalled". Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters- THISDAY From Constance Ikokwu in Washington, D.C., 07.14.2008 The Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., arguably the world’s most powerful city, has joined a litany of foreign missions causing national embarrassment to the country due to neglect, THISDAY has learnt. The last maintenance exercise carried out on the building located at International Drive, NW, was in 2004, a source stated. THISDAY gathered that an Israeli firm was hired to maintain the gigantic architectural masterpiece when it was purchased in 2003. The firm reached an agreement with the Nigerian government to be paid $1 million yearly but was disengaged in 2004 when funding was stalled. The air conditioning system in the conference hall wher e the ambassador receives visitors has broken down, making it uncomfortable to hold discussions there. Members of staff were forced to leave the door ajar last week, when the new Ambassador, Brigadier General Oluwole Rotimi (rtd), received leaders of some socio-cultural or ganisations in the US. It was over 70 degrees outside. "It is very disturbing that we are not maintaining our embassy building due to non-allocation of funds for regular maintenance. Since it was opened in 2003, the building has not witnessed any major maintenance work to keep it in shape,” said the Ambassador. The wooden pillars that support the building in the lounge area and on the third floor is rotting away, THISDAY discovered. Also, the wood panels outside has not seen polish for years. It looks drab. The automatic door that lets visitors into the lounge area has broken down. THIDSAY gathered that requests for more funds to pay for maintenance met a brickwall. "To worsen matters, we now have a chancery that we cannot proudly use to host diplomatic functions because of the state of the facilities. We are always reluctant to host the monthly meetings of African diplomats here to save our face and national image," Rotimi said. The ambassador added that "diplomacy is not cheap".   Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your a rea - Check out TourTracker. com! 0A   Get the scoop on last night's hottest shows and the live music scene in your area - Check out TourTracker. com! The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar Now! The Famous, the Infamous, the Lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar Now!

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[olaka...@aol.com]

Oga Joseph:

I am already on my way to Tinapa, hence this late response to
your rejoinder.
.
It would appear that you have not been following NIDO A issues
as diligently as you should have been even though the organization has been
speaking for and working on your behalf in Abuja and all the state capitals in
Nigeria.

I am no longer the Chairman of NIDO Americas effective September 15,
2007 even though I am still serving the balance of my second term as board
member representing Region 7 (Canada) until the next AGM which will be
held within the next few months.

The NIDO Americas delegation to the 2008 Diaspora Conference in Tinapa
this week is being competently led by Dr Lawal Garba, Greensboro, SC., USA,
and Ms Chioma Ikejiani, Toronto, ONT., Canada.

I am attending the Tinapa conference to make my contribution as an ordinary
delegate just like most of the other 400 delegates worldwide who will be there.

You are welcome to join NIDO Americas and play your own role in the running of the organization  by contesting for the election to represent your region of NIDO A and possibly become the Chairman for the next two years at our next AGM. 

However, you will NOT be installed as "S'elections" are not allowed  in NIDO A.

No human being, not even President Yar'adua (and before that his predecessor President Obasanjo)
can20instal any one on the board of NIDO A or even make the person become the Chairman.

NIDO A is a non profit Nigerian Diaspora organization that works closely with (but at arms length) from
the FGN, to facilitate the engagement of the Diaspora in Nigeria's national affairs.

All Nigerians who live abroad are represented in Nigeria by NIDO Americas, NIDO Europe,
NIDO Asia and NIDO Africa depending on the region of the world in which they live and work.

All other Nigerian Diaspora organizations are expected to work through their respective
NIDOs in order to engage the federal, state and local governments in Nigeria to facilitate
new and ongoing developmental projects they might be purrsuing or wish to pursue in Nigeria.

Thanks for the invitation to visit the Niger Delta. I will  surely take you up on it as soon as time permits.
The delegates to the 2008 Diaspora conference will also be deliberating on the Niger Delta Crisis in
Tinapa. I will keep you posted on the results of our deliberations.

Bye,

Ola

on the way to Tinapa,
Cross River, StateNigeria

-----Original Message-----
From: joseph maclayton <josephm...@yahoo.com>
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Sent: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 8:46 pm
Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria US Embassy, Tinapa, Calabar and the Niger Delta--Joseph MaClayton

Peoples of Nigeria: Oga Ola Kassim:

Okay, na who write this for you: "When the Niger Delta and the rest of Nigeria  begin to breed more leaders like Gov. Donald Duke,.and shun mega rogues like Govs. Alams, Ibori, Odili, Attah etc, the region might start on a real  journey of economic development  that would attract all other N igerians, not only to come and work in the oil fields but to visit, and set up all other types of commercial ventures.Meanwhile all Nigerians must join hands together to find a solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta. The Niger Deltans cannot solve the problem by only talking to themselves. They must engage all other Nigerians!"-- Dr. Ola Kassim   I never figured you for a COWARD. I agree with you 101%, + or - 1%. Ehm, there is God! Why you decided to use this my application to be your PA to Calabar via DUBAI, "to see things for ourselves," to market your organizations is better imagined. You too must want to be "servant leader" and want to "carry my Niger Delta load eh? Wait small, time dey come! If you are serious about visiting our "friend,"  Asari  Dokubo,  in the swamps under my escort,  I must insist that you walk in front of me. He is not in a good mood right now!  Also, the place is now crawling with alleged "terrorists" and real terrorist agents, dressed as "Nigerian Armed Forces."  I know that they will not shoot first and ask questions later if you walk in front of me. NO FEAR, we shall raise our arms in the air to signal total surrender before we can attempt a calculated bold face homeland walk or freedom of movement in our fatherland, and of course, we shall be wearing the NIDOA teeshirts to indicate we are the "Nigeria Diaspora intellectuals" personally supported and chosen by Government tha nks to OBJ, with no threat to our homeland security! Why am I sweating already?  Oga Ola, you stated: "We need great young leaders all over Nigeria. Joseph Maclayton--get up and show us the way and we will follow." Okay,  I get it. Suggest  my name to Yaradua/Jonathan as the next NIDOA Chair and convince Prof Joe Igietseme to not say "pim"  or convince the Peoples of Nigeria that  the  chosen Niger Deltan and NEW president of Nigeria is Joseph Maclayton. If  they all agree to select/install Joseph  Maclayton, I will make you this pledge: If within 90 days of my swearing in, I DO NOT begin to deliver the peoples stated objectives, SET UP and VIDEO MY FIRING SQUAD SHOOTING and dash it to folks as a reminder of what will happen to"noisemakers." Please remember to insist on my shooting NOT hanging!  However, I must remind you that I am not young anymore and I have run out of patience waiting for any share of the "dividend of democracy" while Nigeria warehouse BILLIONS in foreign financial houses that are under threat of going under. With my leadership style with Nigerians, the slogan shall be: MOVE OR I MOVE YOU!  It can be done, I mean, massive regional development beginning with the goose's nest, that is, the Niger Delta! Again, Oga Ola Kassim, as Chairman of NIDOA, take me with you on this Dubai/Calabar trip and I promise to remind you to ask the right questions.. Again,, bon voyage and do not let the treasury looters choke your throat with NO power and drunkenness! Abeg, MAKE PLENTY NOISE while in CALABAR! I shall post your deeds on Naijapolitics, home of the "whiners" and "troublemakers."   ...jimjack

--- On Fri, 7/18/08, OlaKassimMD@aol.com <OlaKassimMD@aol.com> wrote:

From: OlaKassimMD@aol.com <OlaKassimMD@aol.com> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria US Embassy, Tinapa, Calabar and the Niger Delta--Joseph MacLayton To: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com, Gozie@freescale.com, NIDOA@yahoogroups.com, ncatoronto@yahoogroups.com, USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com, usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com, nidoeurope@btconnect.com, nidoa@yahoogroups.com, nidoabidjan@yahoo.fr, nidosingapore@gmail.com, ncaottawa@yahoogroups.com, alukome@gmail.com, SOBEF650@aol.com, naijapolitics@yahoo.com, abujanig@yahoogroups.com, talknigeria@yahoogroups.com, OKa...@aol.com, ythanni@yahoo.ca, idithoo@gmail.com, ladyrose102001@yahoo.com, michaeldaramola@invis.ca, afroglobaltelevision...@yahoo.ca, glad1@rogers.com, joeckeshi@yahoo.com, garba_lawal@med.unc.edu, salisu@comcast.net, jumoketaylor@hotmail.com, omoetti@hotmail.com, emmaokpalaugo10@yahoo.com, emmaokpalaugo10@hotmail.com, ogbon001@umn.edu, abba2007@gmail.com, mosesolasusi@yahoo.com, frkayode@sympatico.ca, rajayi@bellsouth.net, nigeriancandf@yahoo.com , Arowoselu@aol.com, Lasunkas@aol.com, wale.kassim@kingsch.nhs.uk, king@africavip.com, waleade@adefinancial.com, jbmacaulay@sympatico.ca Date: Friday, July 18, 2008, 6:31 AM

Oga Joseph Maclayton: On the contrary I should be the one carrying your bags not the other way round. I am still waiting for the invitation to visit the Niger Delta and meet with my friend Alhaji Asari Dokubo--yea we are now friends!. Please let me know anytime you are going home and I will tag along and carry your bags. As I have written before, one does not need to be an indigene of any of the various communities in the Niger Delta to appreciate the level of the injustice that has been perpetrated on the indigenes both in the past and now. However, just like all other regions of Nigerian, the Niger Delta is also cursed with bad leadership. We need great young leaders all over Nigeria. Joseph McClayton--get up and show us the way and we will follow. We continue to admire and support the great work that former Gov. Donald Duke did for his people in Cross Rivers State. This is the reason the Diaspora Conference has been relocated to Tinapa this year. When the Niger Delta and the rest of Nigeria  begin to breed more leaders like Gov. Donald Duke,. and shun mega rogues like Govs. Alams, Ibori, Odili, Attah etc, the region might start on a real  journey  of economic development  that would attract all other Nigerians, not only to come and work in the oil fields but to visit, and set up all other types of commercial ventures. Meanwhile all Nigerians must join hands together to find a solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta. The Niger Deltans cannot solve the problem by only talking to themselves. They must engage all other Nigerians!   Violence is definitely  NOT the solution, even though I can understand its inevitability when people are left with no other choice. I do not think we have terrorists in Nigeria, considering that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. I see people fighting for their own economic survival in a backdrop of possible wealth  that is going to ruins even as other regions of our country continue to benefit from the same resources.   I have never visited Calabar but I cannot but share in the pride of its indigenes when they claim that their city is now the cleanest city in Nigeria and probably Africa! This is the kind of progressive mind set that attracts tourism and other forms of economic development.

< div>Cleanliness is next to Godliness. This is the reason it is easy to see the irony in  the piles of garbage in some other near by state capital that goes with the credo--God's Own State

Let other cities in Nigeria not grow jealous of Calabar and Tinapa but rather emulate the citizens of these cities. Government cannot legislate cleanliness; it can only facilitate. The people themselves must appreciate wanting to live and work in a clean environment.

I am looking forward to a time in the near future when Nigerian cities and their state governments will be competing fiercely to host the annual Diaspora Conference!

We are looking forward to seeing fellow delegates to the 2008 Diaspora Celebration Day and 4th Sceince and Technology Conference in Tinapa! Bye, Ola -----Original Message----- From: joseph maclayton <josephmaclayton@ yahoo.com> To: NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com Cc: OlaKassimMD@ aol.com Sent: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 2:41 pm Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr Ozodi Osuji

Peoples of Nigeria: Oga Ola Kassim: This is the problem with Nigeria's leadership. They believe nothing and are not capable of imaging anything good for their own people. This i s my problem with you Ola Kassim.

BTW is it possible for a Niger Deltan, like me, to tag along on this trip? I am not ashamed to help carry you and your girls  excess luggage  ala  Dubai to the comfortable rooms of Donald Duke wonderland, TINAPA! Never mind visiting the swamps of the Niger Delta, it is not safe for your types. The "terrorists" enjoy living in thatch huts complete with  nocturnal companionship of their pets, the mosquitoes! Chei, the Niger Delta peoples have water system too for straight flushing of their excrements to the Atlantic ocean. As for electricity, please be advised that the Niger Deltans do not have or need it because of the incessant complaints of the mosquitoes who feel agitated by their non restful disturbance.  People  have rights you know!

If you desire, please respond ASAP for me to start rearranging my schedule. I will be available as your PA to remind you to ask the Emirate citizens how they managed to build their communities from the original "comforts" of their nomadic desert tents. You will be surprised to learn the wonders of RESOURCE CONTROL AND GOOD LEADERSHIP! Any ways, bon voyage! ...jimjack

"it underscores what I am willing to accept in order to further evolve us into human beings.  I f you think we are already at the level of humans, please prove it to me." Dr Ajayi

Bravo!  Long ago I concluded that we are20not human beings. As you said, any one who believes that we are human beings should please show me how and why. A couple of years ago I visited the Nigerian Embassy at Washington DC and felt like walking away. With all that money and our embassy is like a ghetto!  I have been doing my best trying to figure out how to make us human beings. Thanks a whole lot for your observations, Rex.   Ozodi --- On Tue, 7/15/08, OlaKassimMD@ aol.com <OlaKassimMD@ aol.com> wrote: From: OlaKassimMD@ aol.com <OlaKassimMD@ aol.com> Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?--Dr Rex Ajayi To: rajayi@bellsouth. net, NIDOA@yahoogroups. com, NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com, NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com, abujanig@yahoogroup s, ncatoronto@

0A-----Original Message-----

2008 Diaspora conference through Dubai. I will b e traveling this weekend with two of my daughters. My plan

is to show them what Nigeria should have been but has not, take them through Lagos (with which they are already familiar) en route to Calabar. At the end of the conference we will spend a few days in Abuja and then return to Toronto via Frankfurt. The trip to Abuja (which they have only seen in pictures and videos) will show the girls what Nigerians can do on a larger scale if we have the right kind of leadership. My friend Rex--you can see that the little conversation about Dubai is now going to cost me a lot of money as we are going to spend some time at some of the best hotels in Europe, Dubai and Abuja. My wife will almost kill me when we finally show her the bill at the20end of our trip. My only excuse &n bsp;will be that she should have come with us and forgo her conflicting schedule. That way she would have as usual kept us in line--budget wise. I might also suggest that we send half of the bill to Dr Rex Ajayi considering he started it all! I agree with your comments about Brazil--which is best described as 1/3 First World (Developed Nation) and 2/3 Third World (Developing Nation). Seriously, I think we need a realignment of our values in Nigeria! I will speak with you on my return from Tinapa! Bye, Ola   -----Original Message----- From: Dr. Ajayi <rajayi@bellsouth. net> To:=2 0OlaKassimMD@ aol.com; Linfadeke@aol. com; NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; chatafrik@yahoogrou ps.com; naijaelections@ yahoogroups. com; orTalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com; omo-oduduwa@ yahoogroups. com; igbo_forum@yahoogro ups.com; Edo-Nation@yahoogro ups.com; nidoa@yahoogroups. com; uinyang@aol. com; Zephyrinus. Okonkwo@ asurams.edu; David.Adewuyi@ asurams.edu; graji@comcast. net Sent: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 8:37 am Subject: RE: [NIDOA] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters what do we do?

Dear Ola , With your closeness to the Nigerian government over the years you have obviously acquired20a lot of experience with the inner workings of our officials.  Please tell me one thing that you believe that they execute at par with the rest of the world—apart from stealing, chasing women etc  We have degraded every institution that the British left without respect to what part of the world we find ourselves.

Your experience should also help with the solution.  I strongly believe that we need to start in the l abor and delivery rooms.  Perhaps every child born should immediately be taken as a foster child to be raised by a foster parent anywhere in the modern world  (not by Nigerians).  These kids should then be released into our administrative and political lives at the age of thirty when they are hard to pollute.  That is a lot of “Obamas”.  This sounds   impractical but it underscores what I am willing to accept in order to further evolve us into human beings.  If you think we are already at the level of humans, please prove it to me.  Copying what they have  developed (originally or stolen) like architecture, maths, medicine etc and regurgitating it enough to become doctors and engineers like you and I is not enough.  I will be convinced that we are human beings when=2 0we address our problems indigenously to the same level as the rest of the world.   The ruler of Dubai hardly has any of his natives trained to modernize20Dubai.  He therefore bought the best expertise the world has to offer and turned the desert into tourists’ marvel (not steal the money and hide it overseas).  He knew oil will run out and has solved the problem for the future.  My fried just came back from Brazil and was angry that anyone would call Brazil a third world.  It rivaled anywhere in the USA and better in many respects.  Mexico makes huge sums of money by developing and maintaining  Cancun (7 years in the computer before implem entation) .  India, Indonesia, Singapore, China,  Thailand etc are  advanced parts of this world.

In all of this, we have no electricity, cannot pay embassy rent, etc      In case we want to invoke colonial oppression, I will like someone to tell me what great monuments the jihadists or the Europeans met on ground when they invaded us.  Where are the roads, water irrigation systems, farming tools, war machines,  castles, king tombs of the Oyo, Benin, and  Ashanti empires?  ; The Roman roads, coliseum cathedrals built between 500 BC and 500 AD are still there for us to see.  We were always useless relative to the rest of the world.  We need my suggestion above (laugh) to correct  our genes!!   It is sad that someone like me that use to fight so hard defend the image of Nigeria and the black race has been bought down to his knees so  shamefully.  In the eighties, I published an excellent magazine designed to showcase African pride. It was called  the E2African Heritage magazine” and circulated briefly in the USA, Canada and Liverpool England.  Before internet and e-mail became available, I published “the Nigerian Abroad” newspaper  for 18 months to bring the best of Nigeria to the West.  I have taken several Americans to West Africa to show us off.  I organized several years of African Day festival here in Albany.  I was on TV for years arguing against apartheid before it was taken down.  I used to believe in us a lot.  My people at home continued to chip away at my spirit until they shattered it.     Rex ajayi   From: NIDOA@yahoogroups. com [mailto:NIDOA@ yahoogroups. com]20On Behalf Of OlaKassimMD@ aol.com Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 7:33 AM To: Linfadeke@aol. com; NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; chatafrik@yahoogrou ps.com; naijaelections@ yahoogroups. com; orTalkNigeria@ yahoogroups. com; omo-oduduwa@ yahoogroups. com; igbo_forum@yahoogro ups.com; Edo-Nation@yahoogro ups.com; nidoa@yahoogroups. com Subject: Re: [NIDOA] Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters - Deferred maintenance, possible ...

Sister Fadeke:   Your silenc e on the issue in the highlighted quote is as loud and eloquent as any written or spoken words--or as we say 'pregnant with meaning.' / SPAN>

I am sure you have two issues of concern here:   1) Security   2) Lack of maintenance.   The Nigerian Chancery building was designed and built by a consortium of Israeli architectural and construction firms. It is undoubtedly one of the best embassy buildings in DC, even though it doesn't rank even close to being the largest. That the original maintenance contract which would also have included the security operations was given to an Israeli firm probably derives from the original contract for the buildings.   What we are witnessing in DC is a classic example of the lack of regard for maintenance issues in Nigeria. I t is not a secret that Nigerians generally lack what is regarded as a "maintenance culture". This lack of appreciation for maintenance operates in both our official and private lives. Nigeri ans are known at home and abroad to erect huge mansions which most often become decrepit a few years later due to lack of maintainance.   The embassy building in DC still looks new on the surface. However a cursory look would easily betray evidence of lack of maintenance. This can be seen from little things like unchanged burnt light bulbs in elevators, to plumbing problems in washrooms that go for weeks unfixed. I have also noticed that some of the major external decorative aspects of the building's exterior (e,g the huge horizontal wooden planks which accent the front of the building) are already chipping and flaking and looking weathered. I doubt if any one has ever bothered to touch up the stain since the completion=2 0of the building.     While on holidays in the summer of 1970 I had the privilege of working as a messenger at the Nigeria High Commission building in London, England.  Back then the building  looked majestic both inside and out. I attended a NIDO meeting at the same building in 2006. I could n ot believe the rot in the building. The washrooms were dirty and smelly with no running water. It would have been a disgrace to have brought any foreigners into the building for a meeting that weekend.

Our High Commission B uilding in Ottawa, Canada also suffers from lack of maintenance. Sometimes I wonder when the furniture in the reception room was last changed. The same goes for the conference room.

Our ambassadors and high commissioners worldwide are not to blame for the lack of attention to Nigeria's foreign missions.The reason for this neglect is not far fetched.   The fault resides with those who are in charge of the budgets and allocation of funds to run our foreign missions-- starting from the Minister of Foreign Affairs downwards  These offici als would claim that the lack of action is due to insufficient allocation of funds from the Treasury. However, just as we saw with the MOH, the government officials also manage to hav e huge surpluses at the end of most fiscal years.    It used to be a great privilege to work in Nigeria's foreign service. This is no longer true. These days many of Nigeria's diplomats continue to do their work diligently even when their salaries are up to three months in arrears.

A government that finds it difficult to pay its own diplomatic staff probably would give even less attention to maintaining its buildings. This is indeed a major Security Risk with such a gaping hole,   Under the above circumstance breaching of Nigeria's national security might not require as sophisticated an outfit as the MOSSAD!   Bye,

Ola                   0D

In a message dated 15/07/2008 12:16:14 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, linfadeke@aol. com writes:

=0 D

"THISDAY gathered that an Israeli firm was hired to maintain the gigantic architectural masterpiece when it was purchased in 2003. The firm reached an agreement with the Nigerian government to be paid $1 mill ion yearly but was disengaged in 2004 when funding was stalled". Nigeria’s US Embassy in Tatters- THISDAY From Constance Ikokwu in Washington, D.C., 07.14.2008

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., arguably the world’s most powerful city, has joined a litany of foreign missions causing national embarrassment to the country due to neglect, THISDAY has learnt. The last maintenance exercise carried out on the building located at International Drive, NW, was in 2004, a source stated. THISDAY gathered that an Israeli firm was hired to maintain the gigantic architectural masterpiece when it was purchased in 2003. The firm reached an agreement with the Nigerian government to be paid $1 million yearly but was disengaged in 2004 when funding was stalled. The air conditioning system in the conference hall wher e the ambassador receives visitors has broken down, making it uncomfortable to hold discussions there. Members of staff were forced to leave the door ajar last week, when the new Ambassador, Brigadier General Oluwole Rotimi (rtd), received leaders of some socio-cultural or ganisations in the US. It was over 70 degrees outside. "It is very disturbing that we are not maintaining our embassy building due to non-allocation of funds for regular maintenance. Since it was opened in 2003, the building has not witnessed any major maintenance work to keep it in shape,” said the Ambassador. The wooden pillars that support the building in the lounge area and on the third floor is rotting away, THISDAY discovered. Also, the wood panels outside has not seen polish for years. It looks drab. The automatic door that lets visitors into the lounge area has broken down. THIDSAY gathered that requests for more funds to pay for maintenance met a brickwall.

"To worsen matters, we now have a chancery that we cannot proudly use to host diplomatic functions because of the state of the facilities. We are always reluctant to host the monthly meetings of African diplomats here to save our face and national i mage," Rotimi said.

The ambassador added that "diplomacy is not cheap".

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