Africa

Traumatized Libya

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

By all means and at all cost, the slave traders of Libya must be found, arrested and prosecuted. Justice must prevail or this will happen again.

Traumatized Libya

By Adeola Aderounmu

20151101_155430-3

Libyans are today presenting an image that shows that some of them are the most useless humans on earth in 2017. No other country in the world can compete with Libya as the domain of some of the most complete fools, idiots and silly asses that the wold knows today.

The reason for these qualities are not far fetched.

Some Libyans took advantage of the economic migrants in their domain and sold them as slaves. The internet is awashed with the gruesome images and videos of how Africans are sold as slaves in Libya. It was CNN that probably first reported the news.

It sounded as if Libya is not in Africa. Actually that is one issue that still needs to be addressed. How do North Africans view themselves? I have seen some football matches where North African footballers behave unruly to players and officials from sub-Saharan Africa. I get the impression that they think that they are superior to the rest of us. Foolish thinking!

Libyans are traumatized. They are a people so foolish they killed their former ruler. I am sure they never expected that their lives will be turned upside down as it is today.

How could they be so foolish and ignorant of what was to follow the assassination of their ruler? They stupidly connived with the west and eliminated Gadhaffi.

Since then, their lives have been in turmoil and there has been complate breakdown of law and order.

It is really sad that this is the route that our brothers and sisters from sub-Saharan Africa choose in their quests to reach Europé.

Definitely one cannot exonerate the stupid rulers in sub-Saharan Africa. In general, there is failure of leadership in Africa.

Africans, south of the Equator is a place where men and women ought to be living like Kings, Princes and Queens. This is a part of the world that is blessed with abundant resources and human talents.

Sadly the rulers and politicians in that part of the world are totally crazy. They are the ones who are misruling their people and forcing them to become economic migrants. It is the misrule in sub-Saharan Africa that is serving as the source of the men and women sold as slaves in Libya.

The rulers of sub-Saharan Africa need to borrow themselves some senses and start to rethink how they govern their people. They cannot govern their people and threat them like slaves and expect miracles to happen in Libya or even Europé. They have to stop stealing money at some point and start to think about the people and not themselves!

For now the criminals who sold people as slaves in Libya need to be apprehended and served some very long prison terms. By all means and at all cost, they must be found, arrested and prosecuted. Justice must prevail or this will happen again.

The governments all around Africa must begin to rethink governance and meeting the needs of the people in their individual countries and allowing treaties that ensure that human rights are not violated across borders. Those slave-dealers of Libya must be used as examples of the importance of the laws in Africa and globally.

For all the errors of judgment that led to the elimination of Gadhaffi and the lawlessness that now pervade in Libya, the world must wake up and the world must ask for the rebuilding of Libya. Libyans are traumatized and they are transferring their traumas and aggressions to dark-skinned Africans. They do not have the permission or right to do so. Again, those who have committed these crimes must be made to face the music squarely.

The rest of Libya deserve our sympathy. Together, they are all not feeling fine. The behaviour that emerged amongst them, though criminal, must also be deep rooted through psychological rebuilding. The people of Libya may be crazy. Definitely they are inhuman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mugabe: När firandet kan vara fel

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

Mugabe: När firandet kan vara fel (Previously posted in English language)

20171114_1316191957743002.jpg

av Adeola Aderounmu

Många observatörer både inom och utanför Afrika tycks ha firat störtandet av Mugabe som Zimbabwes president efter nära fyra årtionden vid makten. En sådan uppfattning är en skarp motsägelse till vad som erhölls på 1970 och 1980 talet då Mugabe agerade som hjälte för Zimbabwes självständighet.

Jag minns min reaktion när Mugabe röstades till makten för den sjätte gången år 2008. Då var han 84 år gammal och jag trodde hans pensionering var väntad, för honom att kunna vila upp sig och njuta av återstoden av sitt liv. Vid det tillfället drog jag slutsatsen att dåliga ledare, oavsett hur bra deras avsikter kan tyckas, är de som vägrar att träna eller handleda sina anhängare att ta sedan över efter dem.

Enligt min mening är Mugabes största misstag att inte ha värnat om ett fåtal unga män och kvinnor som kunde fört Zimbabwe framåt. Han var beredd att styra Zimbabwe fram till sin död, det är den enda förklaringen jag finner för en man som är 93 år gammal och inte pensionerad från offentlig service.

Det råder ingen tvekan om att Mugabe stannade för länge vid makten. Han blandade troligen ihop demokrati med monarki. I en demokrati är överföringen av makt oundviklig. De som kämpade vid sidan av Mugabe för ett självständigt Zimbabwe hade anledning att känna sig förolämpade när det blev uppenbart att Mugabe planerade överföringen av makt till sin fru. Några av dessa personer är nu politiker, om än gamla politiker, och vissa förblev i militären. De har nu säkerställt att makten togs över med våld från Mugabe, i hans gamla och hjälplösa ålder.

När den nuvarande maktstriden är avgjord, har Zimbabwes handläggare en del saker att klargöra och rätta till. Ett exempel är lagen som ger Mugabe makt att avskeda landets vice ordförande som bör återkallas genom lagstiftaren. Andra repressiva lagar i konstitutionen som är kapabla att omvandla revolutionerande, demokratiska ledare till tyranner bör avskaffas.

Zimbabwe och förvisso många andra länder i Afrika behöver granska sina politikers ämbetstider. Zimbabwe till exempel skulle troligen vuxit demokratiskt om det fanns en begränsning på antalet gånger en president kan väljas om. I länder där makten över ämbetstiden gör det till en nästan omöjlig uppgift att ändra makten genom trovärdiga val, blir begränsade mandatperioder ett motgift.

Det finns en allvarlig fara i om den använda metoden att driva bort Mugabe är firad. Användningen av militären för att korrigera politisk anomali borde inte firas eller hyllas någonstans i världen. Det förblir ett recept på våld och inbördeskrig. Det var fel att det militära alternativet var vad som togs till för att köra bort Mugabe och stoppa hans fru från att ta över makten. Valmöjligheten, som använder sig av trovärdiga omröstningar och godtagbara resultat, är alltid den bästa metoden.

Därför måste globala media presentera en balanserad rapport om situationen, oberoende av dess predisposition (kärlek eller hat) mot Mugabe. Det som hänt i Zimbabwe handlar inte bara om personen Mugabe eller hans hunger efter makt utan även om välfärden och välbefinnandet hos folket i Zimbabwe, hemma och utomlands.

Lärdomarna från Zimbabwe borde återigen öppna våra ögon om demokratins brister i vissa delar av världen och dessa lärdomar borde vara behjälpliga för diverse institutioner som främjar av inte bara demokrati men även medborgerliga rättigheter för alla människor globalt.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Footnote:

Mugabe resigned today 21st of November 2017 after 37 years in power.

Mugabe: A Wrong Type Of Celebration

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

There is grave danger if the method used to oust Mugabe is celebrated. The use of the military to correct political anomaly should not be celebrated or hailed anywhere in the world.

Mugabe: A Wrong Type Of Celebration

By Adeola Aderounmu

 

20171114_1316191957743002.jpg

Adeola Aderounmu

Many observers within and outside Africa seem to have celebrated the overthrown of Mugabe as the president of Zimbabwe after nearly 4 decades in power. Such a perception is a sharp contradiction to what obtained in the 1970s and 1980s when Mugabe was a hero of Zimbabwean independence.

I remember my reaction when Mugabe was voted to power for the 6th time in 2008. Then, he was 84 years and l thought he should be due for retirement so that he could rest and enjoy the rest of his days. At that moment l concluded that bad leaders, no matter how good their intentions may seem, are those who refused to train or mentor followers to take over from them.

In my opinion, Mugabe’s greatest mistake was not nurturing a few young men and women who could move Zimbabwe forward. He was prepared to rule Zimbabwe until his death and that is the only explanation l found for a man who is 93 years and not retired from public service.

No doubt about it, Mugabe overstayed in power. He probably mistook democracy for monarchy. In a democracy, the transfer of power is inevitable. Those who fought alongside Mugabe for the independence of Zimbabwe have reasons to feel insulted when it became apparent that Mugabe was planning to transfer power to his wife.

Some of these people are now politicians albeit old politicians and some remained in the military. They have now ensured that power was taken by force from Mugabe in his old, helpless ag.

When the current power tussle is settled, the handlers of Zimbabwe have a few things to clarify and rectify. For example, the law that gives  Mugabe the power to sack the Vice President of the country should be revoked through the legislature. Other repressive laws in the constitution that are capable of converting revolutionary, democratic leaders to tyrants should be abolished.

Zimbabwe and indeed many other countries in Africa need to review the tenures of their politicians. Zimbabwe for example, would probably have grown democratically if there was limitation on the number of times a president can seek for re-election. In countries where the power of incumbency makes it an almost impossible task to change power through credible elections, limited terms of office will be an antidote.

There is grave danger if the method used to oust Mugabe is celebrated. The use of the military to correct political anomaly should not be celebrated or hailed anywhere in the world. It remains a recipe for violence and civil war. It was wrong that the military option was what it took to oust Mugabe or stop his wife from taking over power. The electoral option, that which makes use of credible ballot votes and acceptable results, is always the best method.

The global media therefore need to present a balance report of the situations regardless of  its predisposition (love or hate) towards Mugabe. What has happened in Zimbabwe is not just about the person of Mugabe and his hunger for power but also about the welfare and the well-being of the people of Zimbabwe at home and abroad.

The lessons of Zimbabwe should once again opened our eyes to the inadequacies of democracy in certain parts of the world and these lessons should be instrumental to various institutions saddled with the promotion of not just democracy but civil rights of all people globally.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Nigeria, A Country Heading No Where

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

The time is ripe for the ordinary citizens to orchestrate and execute the agenda of both political and economic reforms. They cannot wait. The people must ensure that all those who fail the country pay for their crimes and they must set new agenda for the way forward. Where there is a (good) will, there is a way.

Nigeria, A Country Heading No Where

By Adeola Aderounmu

20170725_095214

I have been writing about Nigeria for quite a while now. A few times, l’d almost given up on Nigeria. Many times, l’d resigned and promised never to write again. It’s too easy to give up because Nigeria is heading no where. It’s easy to give up because you don’t see the impact of what you and others are writing about. It is too easy to give up because when one group of criminals are leaving the government, another group of worse criminals are stepping in.

I know many people living abroad who don’t ever want to hear you discuss about Nigeria again. As far as they are concerned, Nigeria will never, never get better and anyone hoping to change things is just chasing shadows. In fact, l also know many people living in Nigeria who either look at you with indifference or even laugh at you when you think you have some messianic opinion.

My guy, abeg leave story, if you can’t beat them, you join them. Let them dey chop, pray make your own time come. No be today abeg.

With these submissions and resignations, it is obvious that Nigeria is heading no where. The country is hopeless and vandalised. It is overrun by criminals occupying all public institutions. Ordinary citizens of Nigeria at home and abroad have come to terms with the fact that criminals are running the presidency, the senate, the various states and the local councils.

So they pray that as many people and as many families as possible can take turns so that the national cake can go round. These actually are the views of the educated and semi-literates too. Everybody has join the bandwagon that Nigeria is a geographical area whose resources must be plundered turn by turn by locals and foreigners.

Some citizens are so excruciated and excluded from the running of Nigeria that it appears that they don’t even know where they are and which century we live in. Several millions of Nigerians have been booted off the radar of civilisation. The people are so bruised mentally and physically they don’t know how to fight for their rights and freedom. They are so brainwashed and deprived they don’t know how to tear down non-functional governments and oppressions staring at them everyday of their life.

How then do you console a people who never experienced even 12 hours uninterupted electricity in their life time? How do you console a people harbouring certain generations that haven’t experience quality education in their entire life time? How do you console a people who now see education as a waste of time because of the way politicians turn to criminals and just cart away loots everyday? How do you console a generation that worships ill-gotten monies and ostentatious display of wealth.

There is no consolation but pity for the people who have no understanding for the meaning of life and how the rest of the world looks like in 2017. You must pity those who see a normal downpour of rain as a curse as it swallows houses, property and people. You must pity those who don’t know who they voted for in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. They don’t even know who is running the country. A person or a cabal? You must pity a people governed by coconut heads who assemble regularly in London while the country lies in ruin and desolation.

You must pity the largest accumulation of black people on earth with the largest accumulation of tragedies. You have to pity the country that suppresses brilliant minds or simply turn them to criminals at home or heroes abroad.

You must pity the country that was once a rising giant but now a crawling cripple. You must pity the country that was once the hub for the princes and kings of the world but now a footstool for terrorists, separatists and militants.

You have to pity that country and people where murders by heavy stones is the order of the day at the economic capital. If you have some conscience left in you, you must sympathise with the country where brutal killings and rape in the hands of the herdsman is the order of the day on any grassland or arable land. The country is heading no where when the politicians sentence the people to death daily by their actions while they seek solace and comfort in London, Dubai and USA.

You have to pity this generation whose schools are constantly under lock as the majority of criminal politicians and the elites send their children abroad to receive quality education. In how many ways can we recount what is wrong with Nigeria, yet nothing seems to change?

What has changed in the last 2 years is that the administrative capital of Nigeria has moved to London by the man who promised the change now turned charade. He fooled Nigerians and made them pay for his medical bills and the education of his children abroad. What happened to leading by example?

This is a country heading no where. Whatever you read here now has been mentioned more than 30 years ago in writing and in songs. Is Nigeria a country? A place where people capture power and suppress truth and freedom. Is Nigeria a real country when poverty and hopelessness remain the rewards of citizenship. Cry, cry, cry for one of the most tragic sequences of political mismanagement in human history.

Still, Nigeria can go to places. The country can be free. Real change and absolute freedom will depend on the people. When they are ready for freedom, they know what to do. The criminals and politicians or even the cabals if they exist are very few and the people are several millions. They can become organised and in a matter of weeks change their destinies.

All they have to do is have a common goal and declare that enough is enough. When that happens, freedom will come and Nigeria will start to head somewhere. The people must unite and forge an agenda that will once and for all remove the clog from the wheel of progress.

The time is ripe for the ordinary citizens to orchestrate and execute the agenda of both political and economic reforms. They cannot wait. The people must ensure that all those who fail the country pay for their crimes and they must set new agenda for the way forward. Where there is a (good)will, there is a way.

aderounmu@gmail.com

The Cost Of Freedom (Part 2)

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

So, for how long will Nigerians suffer? How many generations of Nigeria would it take to break this heavy yoke so that freedom can be bought at last?

We must stop this system that puts more than 25 % of the nations wealth in the pockets of the lawmakers and the executives.

The Cost Of Freedom (Part 2)

By Adeola Aderounmu

Adeola_march2017.jpg

As far as Nigeria is concern, anybody still thinking about political affiliations whilst trying to suggest the way forward or the solutions to the problems facing the country is insincere and a lover of mental slavery. Such ignorance is incurable.

Until we set our minds free, we will neither see nor comprehend the bigger images. The problems and issues facing Nigeria are boundless and the way out are definitely not within the wisdom of the politicians who are self-centered, selfish and extremely corrupt.

Majority of Nigerian politicians have no jobs or normal lives outside of politics. They have reached a terminal end for their hopes of survival. To them politics is all and everything. It is dangerous that the future of the country lies in the hands of such hopeless citizens.

Nigerian politicians, we must remind ourselves, do not have the interests of the people in their minds or hearts. They do not understand the meaning of public service. They only pretend they do intermittently perhaps to save their faces and jobs.

To them, politics is just the way to make money. It is a means to exploit the system and the rest of the population. They are possessed by evil that deafened them, such evil that continues to speak to their wicked souls that they should continue to steal and stash away money to the detriment of the general population. Nigerian politicians, through the years and by the nature of their persistent wickedness are like immortal zombies.

So, what will be the cost of freedom for Nigerians? What will be the cost of freedom for a people who have never experienced the real meaning of life? What will be the cost of redemption for a life currently lingering in absolute poverty and extreme hopelessness because of the choices of the wicked people that have ruled Nigeria?

Political power is transient even if the effects are life long as we have seen for more than 2 generations of post-independent Nigeria. It is sad and always disheartening that the statuses of poverty-stricken Nigerians is permanent. The urge to keep the status-quo is a life long mission for those who get to control Nigeria or part of it politically. Change is not imminent.

So, for how long will Nigerians suffer? How many generations of Nigeria would it take to break this heavy yoke so that freedom can be bought at last?

Nigeria needs a turning point.

APC is currently shouldering the future of Nigeria but it has not fare well. As at today we read that state governments in Nigeria are donating lands to the federal government for construction of houses. This is an abberation resulting from the faulty political system in Nigeria.

The various states in the country cannot develop without begging from the federal government. Wealth of regions are sent to the center and are partly looted and partly distributed back to the regions (states). It appears to be senseless.

Today, Lagos is at war of words with the federal government because Lagos cannot construct or build roads in Lagos state. It does not make sense. This system reduces the values of human reasoning.

APC must help Nigeria restructure and if this happens before the next general election, the future of Nigeria can be assured to be on the path to greatness again.

Indeed there are fears. There are anxieties and there are antagonists. But that which must be done, must be done. Why postpone the day of reckoning? It will come.

This unitary system must be abolished.

We know that those who have benefiited from the system are afraid of resetting Nigeria.

They will defend the status-quo and go to war if they must do. But they must be defeated so that Nigeria can be returned to the path of glory that she was on before the military coups of 1966.

We must stop this system that puts more than 25 % of the nations wealth in the pockets of the lawmakers and the executives. This system is not sustainable. It will continue to impoverish the people and it will mean an everlasting status of “underdevelop” for Nigeria for as long as the moon and the sun exist.

A few decades ago, we reached a point in Nigeria where what mattered are self-preservation, selfishness, wealth acquistion and expolitations of others and disservice to country.

We reached a point where to be corrupt and greedy became relative rather than forbidden. We reached a point and we thread further on it today that to become a politician invariably means to become a thief.

We accept that our fathers, our mothers, our sisters, our brothers, our sons and daughters can be criminals as long as they are not caught. We accept our sons as gangsters as long as they bring riches and stolen things home for our satisafaction.

We traded our lives and made inexplicable wealths the champion of our consciences. We lost the conscientious compass and allowed cruel animal instincts to dominate our judgements.

We could not find the ways back because we went too deep into anomalies. The politics was left for the politicians and we worshipped them based on how much they stole from us. We made them gods and destroyed the public institutions.

How Nigerians got to this low point will forever be a discourse of intellectual arguments. It is extremely sad and a super disgrace to the civilisation process of the African race.

It is this point of shame and disgrace that we need to depart from. The most obvious way is to reset the system and go back to regional government. It is not a magic swerve but the competitions for development between the regions will reduce corruption and promote accountability to the people. It will bring back the dignity of labour.

We cannot go on like this. If we do, many will die in abject poverty. Many more will be born into a world that knows no peace and tranquality. Several millions will live and die without any experience of joy, peace and stability. They will never know any form of quality existence and they will live in a rat race more dangerous that what it is now. The future will be bleak and the children unborn will curse the graves of the dead and fallen.

There is always a choice even if the road is hard, unpopular and uncommon. But if it will serve the common good on the long run, why not?

aderounmu@gmail.com