Saturday, July 31, 2010

USA Africa Dialogue Series - EKIMOGUN… 500 Years Ago …

EKIMOGUN… 500 Years Ago …

SUNDAY, 01 AUGUST 2010 00:00 BY TOLA BADEJO

On Saturday December 6, 2008 at about 9.00 am, dressed exquisitely in a newly acquired Aso Oke outfit with a cap to match, I headed straight to Oba Adesanoye Civic Center in Ondo to attend Ekimogun Day. My sojourn in Ondo Kingdom was barely eight months and I was curious to see what Ekimogun Day meant to Ondo people. Because I got there early, I was opportuned to watch different dancing groups as they were ushered into the arena by traditional drummers. It dawned on me that for a long time, I had not attended traditional events of this magnitude. Not that I was averse to such, but the opportunity did not just arise.
When I opened the brochure of this 21st edition of Ekimogun Day, the first exciting thing I saw was the list of all the Osemawes of Ondo Kingdom from inception to date. It was on page 3. The pedigree of the current Osemawe and every other Osemawe before him was succinctly illustrated on this page in a way that he who does not know the pedigree of his town's kingship will turn green with envy.

As an Ijebu man, another fascinating observation was the FIDIPOTE title in Ondo Kingdom. FIDIPOTE I ruled from 1893 to 1901, while FIDIPOTE II ruled from 1935 to 1942 immediately after JILO II, the immediate predecessor of the current JILO III. JILO Ruling House is one of the remaining three ruling houses in Ondo Kingdom. Before then, I used to think that FIDIPOTE as a name existed only in Ijebuland. There is Fidipote Street in Ijebu-Ode where the indigenes are also referred to as "Omo afidipotemole". My own literary translation of "Fidipote" in English language is: "Someone who is capable of settling intrigues in an ingenious way". For the first time, my consciousness on the cultural link between the Ijebus and Ondos was awakened. This was not unexpected because a more than cursory look at the political map of Western Region will reveal a transition zone between Mefoworade in Osun State, Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State and the western border of Ondo Kingdom. This zone can be accessed from Benin-Shagamu expressway, after Ore towards Ijebu-Ode. Students of Yoruba History should be able to throw more light on the cultural links between the indigenous peoples living in this zone.

The 22nd Edition of Ekimogun day took place on Saturday 5th December 2009. By this time I had acclimatized completely in Ondo Kingdom. I had mastered the special way of greeting the elderly: "Wa dai gbo o bai" for men: "Wa daigbo o yei" for women. It flew effortlessly from my mouth in such a way that if a cosmetologist had cleverly inscribed the Ondo tribal mark on my face on that day, I would have passed off as an Ondo indigene.

The Osemawe Genealogy Tree, which I hardly noticed in the 21st Edition, was also published in the 22nd Edition and the Pedigree on the next page also indicated that the First Osemawe (OBA PUPUPU) reigned from 1510 to 1530. Even then, it did not occur to me to do a little arithmetic that will confirm that the Osemawe Dynasty would be 500 years old this year.

It eventually dawned on me that I was living in a community where the indigenes have a good sense of their history. A community, where the preservation of their cultural heritage is held sacrosanct. A community, where the mode of dressing at both formal and informal gatherings as well as the smooth rendition of their dialect both within and outside the kingdom both reflect their strict adherence to their custom and cultural norms. This is highly commendable in a country where our diversity and colonial history have paved way albeit subconsciously for the obliteration of the culture of the indigenous peoples in preference for the language, culture and religion of the imperial masters.

The series of events for the celebration of 500 years of Osemawe Dynasty started on Saturday July 3, 2010 with a town parade and ended on Sunday July 18 with an Interdenominational Thanksgiving Service. The most fascinating of the events was the exhibition of Ondo cultural artifacts, traditional wears, drums, drumming etc. which I will not stress in this article because there is no way a description of these displays can be captured in a short article such as this. Moreover, I believe that no newspaper article, however detailed, could describe the display that was on for eight solid days (July 7 to July 15) and capture the essence, which is better viewed live than imagined. I am sure that those who missed seeing these displays will not have to wait for another 500 years because the Ondo Heritage Museum (of Antiquities) was launched at Osemawe Royal Hall on Saturday July 10. I just can wait to see this Museum in full operation.

The main event of Saturday July 10 was the Tree Planting event, which was the proximate stimulus for writing this article. I drew my inspiration from this event, which struck a cord in me as an Environmental Biologist by training. The Osemawe & Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oba Dr. Victor Adesimbo Kiladejo Jilo III, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University Medical School in those days of University of Ife, in his welcome address stated expressly that planting of trees at this point in time was for both aesthetic and biological reasons. He stated further that trees "… beautify our surroundings and provide shade, prevent erosion, minimize gaseous emission and enrich the atmosphere". He drew attention to the ameliorating effects of trees in the environment in combating the current menace of global warming and thanked the management team of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), who were all in attendance, for their unflinching material and expertise support for the tree planting campaign in Ondo Kingdom.

The most fascinating aspect of this event was the cultural distribution of seedlings to traditional Chiefs by category by the Osemawe through Chief (Engr.) Awosika, the Lijoka of Ondo Kingdom. Never in my life had I witnessed such an orderly cultural display juxtaposed on a modern day realization of taking people back to their past for the advantage of their future. That is exactly what tree planting is all about. Each group of Chiefs, many of them octogenarians, danced to the podium in front of the Osemawe in an impressive way and after a few minutes of dancing, the most senior by rank stepped forward to collect a tree seedling from the Osemawe on behalf of his group. He stepped back while others after him received the Osemawe's horsetail whip on their buttocks in turns as they filed away back to their seats. The High Chiefs (Eghae) took the lead, followed by the Brigade of Guards and many other categories of Chiefs up till the Female High Chiefs and Chiefs. Another fascinating aspect of this cultural event was the uniqueness of the drumbeats for each group of Chiefs. Different tunes ushered in different categories of Chiefs. The leader of the female High Chiefs and Chiefs, The Lisa Lobun (High Chief (Mrs.) Mosekunla Fawehinmi), a nonagenarian led the female High Chiefs and Chiefs to the podium with dancing steps that would beat many girls in their teens and twenties arms down in a traditional dancing competition. This confirms that longevity in Ondo Kingdom is assumed to be a right. It was at this event that I understood fully why the demise of Chief Gani Fawehimi in his early seventies last year and Prof. Oladapo in his late seventies earlier this year was perceived in Ondo Kingdom as early deaths. In Ondo Kingdom, life begins at 80.

The most "embarrassing" aspect of this tree-planting event was the collection of tree seedlings by the representative of the only Private University in Ondo, Wesley University of Science and Technology on behalf of all Educational Institutions in Ondo Kingdom. I had thought that this ritual would be for the traditional Chiefs only until when the Lojojo Jama of Ondo Kingdom, a retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Prof. A. A. Aderoba) whispered to my ears that it was my turn. I had to dance to the traditional drumming in front of the Osemawe before a tree seedling was handed over to me. Looking back in retrospect, I thank my stars for being part of the tree-planting event, which has always been my position as an academic. The old notion of "plant a seedling when you cut a tree" is now no longer in vogue. The correct slogan should be "Cut a tree and raise a plantation". Nobody says trees should not be felled they should only be felled when they are mature. When a tree is mature, which may take 50 years or more depending on the species, it can no longer serve as Carbon sink because it grows no more. At this stage, it can be felled. But when it is felled, many other seedlings should be raised because it will take each of these seedlings about 50 years to play the ecological role the felled tree played before it became mature.

I congratulate the people of Ondo Kingdom for having such a forward-looking Osemawe-in-Council. The Osemawe himself, a Medical Doctor, graduated from one of the best universities in Nigeria. Now, I know why the Ifa in Yoruba land has stopped picking unlettered and uninformed people as Kings!!!

Prof. Badejo is Vice-Chancellor,
Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo. (WUSTO).

USA Africa Dialogue Series - Foreign Investment Campaign

Foreign Investment Campaign

Every community that needs to grow must reach out to foreign investors
and Lagos State is no exception. Foreign investment helps to drive
economic development across the world and it is common for economies
in need of high growth rates to reach out to foreign investors for
relevant economic input.

In order to be on course for the next level of economic growth in
Lagos, Governor Babatunde Fashola and a team of experts from Lagos
arrived in Paris on 17th December 2009, to seek meaningful investment
support from French businesspersons. Lagos State is on the threshold
of becoming a megacity and undergoing economic transformation dream.
The trip to the capital city of France afforded the Governor and his
team the opportunity of meeting with major investment facilitators in
France.

Governor Fashola presented the ideas and investment possibilities in
Lagos State to the Mouvement Des Enterprises De France (MEDEF), the
leading club of French investors. During the presentation, Governor
Fashola explained areas of investment opportunity in Lagos State and
gave an abridged background of his administration's development drive
and its development vision for Lagos centres on making the city a
model African mega-city that will be synonymous with efficient public
infrastructure, reliable security and high economic growth rate.
The Fashola administration, unlike others is interested in investment
possibilities of businesspersons rather than loans to the state that
will become a liability in the future. There is a lot of work that
still needs to be done to successfully birth the megacity vision in
realistic terms; a fact which he said is essentially an indication
that there is a lot of money to be made from investing in the city's
various areas of need.

Some of the areas of possible investments by foreign investors include
power generation, transportation, tourism and housing which are viable
and mutually enriching investments. The Lekki Free Trade Zone and the
seaports in Lagos are also two advantages Lagos State has to attract
investors, along with the imminent Lekki Airport on the Lekki
Peninsula. Lagos State, with a population of over 17 million people,
and still growing, stands out as a dependable business turf, which the
French business community is invited to tap into, under the auspices
of mutually benefitting arrangements.

For their own part, The French businesspersons were visibly impressed
by the detailed presentation of the governor and his team and
expressed interest in working with his administration in the areas
mentioned, pointing out that they are aware that over 60% of French
businesses in Nigeria are based in Lagos which is strong evidence of
the huge commercial profitability of the City of Lagos.
There are many projects initiated in Lagos State by Governor Fashola
in an endeavor to improve the physical, environmental and economic
well being of the citizens of the State. Transportation, water,
education are all areas that have improved. Methodically, this
administration has worked on improving the economic status of
Lagosians with investments both within the state and internationally.

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USA Africa Dialogue Series - CFP: Students on Campus

UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA




National Conference on:
MANAGEMENT AND SERVICE DELIVERY OF
STUDENT ON-CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION IN
NIGERIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS:
CHALLENGES AND ACTION PLANS

Venue:                Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State
Date:
                Tuesday, 31 August- Friday, 3 September, 2010
Arrival:           Tuesday, 31 August, 2010
Departure:              Friday, 3 September, 2010

Student on-campus accommodation is provided by many higher education institutions (HEIs) in Nigeria. With increasing student numbers, there is a high demand for such accommodation.  This gives rise to the challenge of ensuring that the quality and diversity of services available to students in such accommodation are of the kind that would profoundly enrich their living and learning experience. 

Objectives
The broad objectives of the conference are to:
o identify the main challenges affecting the provision of high quality student on-campus accommodation service for both home and international students in Nigerian HEIs;
o        evaluate current institutional arrangements for meeting the challenges;
o        highlight and evaluate a number of best practices in student on-campus accommodation service delivery;
o proffer action plans for delivering a high quality student on-campus accommodation service that positively impacts the living and learning experience of students;
o     make appropriate recommendations about student on-campus accommodation service in Nigerian HEIs.

Themes
The main themes are:
o     Current state of student on-campus accommodation in Nigerian HEIs: challenges and opportunities.
o       Strategies for expanding student on-campus accommodation in Nigerian HEIs.
o     Student on-campus accommodation and the internationalization process.
o  Management and service delivery of student on-campus accommodation.
o    Student perspectives of management and service delivery of student on-campus accommodation.
o    Capacity building for student on-campus accommodation provision and management.
o        Security, health, sanitation, maintenance in student on-campus accommodation.
o  Database Management Systems for student on-campus accommodation.
o       Global best practices in student on-campus accommodation management and service delivery.
o      Institutional case studies.

Sessions
There will be plenary as well as working-group sessions. A number of case studies will also be selected for presentation. 

Online registration
All prospective participants are required to register at
http://www.ui.edu.ng/conferences/mglo/. This will enable the organizers to have a good estimate of the number of participants, for the purpose of preparing conference materials.  Registration will close on August 20, 2010.

Participation
Participation is open only to institutional nominees. Each institution is advised to send at least three nominees, including the Dean of Students, Deputy Registrar (Students) and one Hall Warden.

Participation fee
There is a fee of N75,000 per participant. 

Participants are advised to pay into the following bank account at any branch of the
FIRST BANK Plc throughout Nigeria:
Account Name:         University of Ibadan MacArthur Foundation Grant
Account Number:          1232040000240
This is the preferred method of payment.

Alternatively, participants may pay at the point of registration.

Irrespective of the chosen method of payment,
prospective participants are required to register at http://www.ui.edu.ng/conferences/mglo/ not later than August 20, 2010.

Call for papers
Papers on any of the themes above, as well as institutional case studies, are invited.  Institutions are especially encouraged to submit institutional case studies relating to their on-campus student accommodation. An author of an accepted paper/case study will be required to make a 20-minute electronic presentation.

Deadline
Requests to present paper/institutional case studies should be sent electronically to the undersigned, not later than August 20, 2010.

Board and lodging
Participants are responsible for their board and lodging expenses.  Accompanying this announcement is some information about a number of hotels, not far from the University of Ibadan, for the use of interested participants, who are advised to contact the hotels directly.

Conference website
This announcement is available at http://www.ui.edu.ng/conferences/mglo/.

 Correspondence
All correspondence or enquiries should be sent to:
                    Professor G. O. S. EKHAGUERE,
                   MacArthur Grant Liaison Office,
                ICT/Digital Library Building,
Suites F6 & F7, Benue Road,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan,
Oyo State, Nigeria.

Tel: 0805 661 2745
E-mail: mglo.ibadan@gmail.com, unityejoh@yahoo.com,
macarthurglo@mail.ui.edu.ng.

--  
Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station
Austin, TX 78712-0220
USA
512 475 7224
512 475 7222  (fax)
http://www.toyinfalola.com/
www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa
http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs
http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue

USA Africa Dialogue Series - Welcome to our city - to our world - of books.

Enjoy the video:


http://vimeo.com/2295261


Welcome to our city - to our world - of books. This is where we live.

A film for 4th Estate Publishers' 25th Anniversary. Produced by Apt Studio and Asylum Films.

The film was produced in stop-motion over 3 weeks in Autumn 2008. Each scene was shot on a home-made dolly by an insane bunch of animators; you can see time-lapse films of each sequence being prepared and shot in our other films.


Have a great weekend!


Hasta La Vista
Funmilayo Tofowomo Okelola

USA Africa Dialogue Series - Lola Soneyin: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel


Cafeafricana Proudly Presents:

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives: A Novel

By Lola Soneyin

Synopsis:

Blind acceptance splinters a polygamous marriage in Shoneyin's gripping debut set in modern-day Nigeria. Bolanle Alao, the newest and youngest of Baba Segi's wives, threatens to upset the balance of power--she is educated and beautiful, though naïve about the relationship dynamics among the other three wives in the house. Raped at 15, Bolanle considers herself disgraced and unwanted until Baba Segi, an overweight, malodorous businessman welcomes her into his family, no questions asked, until it seems she cannot conceive. Like the other wives, she feels she has been saved by Baba Segi, who accepts all of them politely, but beyond brief mentions of his sexual encounters and visits to the toilet, Baba Segi is a peripheral character. When greedy Iya Segi and Iya Femi plot to run young, sweet Bolanle out of the family, the result is disaster. It is Bolanle's unexpected submissiveness that leads her and her husband to uncover a secret that forces him to assert his control over the family. Shoneyin masterfully disentangles four distinct stories, only to subtly expose what is common among them. 

About the Author

Lola Shoneyin was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, but spent most of her childhood at boarding school in Edinburgh, Scotland. She studied English at Ogun State University and lives in Abuja, Nigeria, where she teaches English and drama at an international school. She is married to Olaokun Soyinka, the son of Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka. They have four children and four dogs. Shoneyin reckons she could survive an entire year eating nothing but pineapples.

http://www.cafeafricana.com





USA Africa Dialogue Series - Debate Heating Up on Plans for Mosque Near Ground Zero

 
Debate Heating Up on Plans for Mosque Near Ground Zero
By MICHAEL BARBARO, July 30, 2010, NY

An influential Jewish organization on Friday announced its opposition to a proposed Islamic center and mosque two blocks north of ground zero in Lower Manhattan, intensifying a fierce national debate about the limits of religious freedom and the meaning of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The
decision by the group, the Anti-Defamation League, touched off angry reactions from a range of religious groups, which argued that the country would show its tolerance and values by welcoming the center near the site where radical Muslims killed about 2,750 people.
But the unexpected move by the ADL, a mainstream group that has denounced what it saw as bigoted attacks on plans for the Muslim center, could well be a turning point in the battle over the project.
In New York, where ground zero has slowly blended back into the fabric of the city, government officials appear poised to approve plans for the sprawling complex, which would have as many as 15 stories and would house a prayer space, a performing arts center, a pool and a restaurant.
But around the country opposition is mounting, fueled in part by Republican leaders and conservative pundits. Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, has urged "peace-seeking Muslims" to reject the center, branding it an "unnecessary provocation." A Republican political action committee has produced a television commercial assailing the proposal. And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has decried it in speeches.
The complex's rapid evolution from a local zoning dispute into a national referendum highlights the intense and unsettled emotions that still surround the World Trade Center site nine years after the attacks.
To many New Yorkers, especially in Manhattan, it is a construction zone, passed during the daily commute or glimpsed through office windows. To some outside of the city, though, it stands as a hallowed battlefield that must be shielded and memorialized.
Those who are fighting the project argue that building a house of Muslim worship so close to ground zero is at best an affront to the families of those who died there and at worst an act of aggression that would, they say, mark the place where radical Islam achieved a blow against the United States.
"The World Trade Center is the largest loss of American life on our soil since the Civil War," Mr. Gingrich said. "And we have not rebuilt it, which drives people crazy. And in that setting, we are told, why don't we have a 13-story mosque and community center?"
He added: "The average American just thinks this is a political statement. It's not about religion, and is clearly an aggressive act that is offensive."
Several family members of victims at the World Trade Center have weighed in against the plan, saying it would desecrate what amounts to a graveyard. "When I look over there and see a mosque, it's going to hurt," C. Lee Hanson, whose son, Peter, was killed in the attacks, said at a recent public hearing. "Build it someplace else."
Those who support it seem mystified and flustered by the heated opposition. They contend that the project, with an estimated cost of $100 million, is intended to span the divide between Muslim and non-Muslim, not widen it.
Oz Sultan, the programming director for the center, said the complex was based on Jewish community centers and Y.M.C.A.'s in Manhattan. It is to have a board composed of Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders and is intended to create a national model of moderate Islam.
"We are looking to build bridges between faiths," Mr. Sultan said in an interview.
City officials, particularly Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, have forcefully defended the project on the grounds of religious freedom, saying that government has no place dictating where a house of worship is located. The local community board has given overwhelming backing to the project, and the city's
landmarks commission is expected to do the same on Tuesday.
"What is great about America, and particularly New York, is we welcome everybody, and if we are so afraid of something like this, what does that say about us?" Mr. Bloomberg asked recently.
"Democracy is stronger than this," he added. "And for us to just say no is just, I think - not appropriate is a nice way to phrase it."
Still, the arguments against the Muslim center appear to be resonating. Polling shows that a majority of Americans oppose building it near ground zero.
Resistance is particularly strong among some national Republican leaders. In stump speeches, Twitter messages and op-ed articles, they have turned angry denunciations of the plan into a political rallying cry that they say has surprising potency.
The two major Republican candidates for governor of New York, Rick A. Lazio and Carl Paladino, are making it a central issue in their campaigns, attacking the state's attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, who is also the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, for not aggressively investigating the project's finances..
In North Carolina, Ilario Pantano, a former Marine and a Republican candidate for Congress, has also campaigned on the issue, and says it is stirring voters in his rural district, some 600 miles away from ground zero.
A few days ago, at a roadside pizza shop in the small town of Salemburg, he attacked the proposal before an enthusiastic crowd of hog farmers and military veterans.
"Uniformly, there was disgust and disdain in the room for the idea," Mr. Pantano said.
The issue was wrenching for the Anti-Defamation League, which in the past has spoken out against anti-Islamic sentiment. But its national director,
Abraham H. Foxman, said in an interview on Friday that the organization came to the conclusion that the location was offensive to families of victims of Sept. 11, and he suggested that the center's backers should look for a site "a mile away."
"It's the wrong place," Mr. Foxman said. "Find another place."
Asked why the opposition of the families was so pivotal in the decision, Mr. Foxman, a Holocaust survivor, said they were entitled to their emotions.
"Survivors of the Holocaust are entitled to feelings that are irrational," he said. Referring to the loved ones of Sept. 11 victims, he said, "Their anguish entitles them to positions that others would categorize as irrational or bigoted."
The Anti-Defamation League's statement drew criticism almost immediately.
"The ADL should be ashamed of itself," said Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, which promotes interethnic and interfaith dialogue. Speaking of the imam behind the proposed center, Feisal Abdul Rauf, he said, "Here, we ask the moderate leaders of the Muslim community to step forward, and when one of them does, he is treated with suspicion."
C. Welton Gaddy, the president of the Interfaith Alliance, a Washington group that emphasizes religious freedom, called the decision "disappointing," and said he read about it "with a great deal of sorrow."
On Friday, Mr. Sultan, the programming director for the proposed Muslim center, expressed surprise and sadness at the news. Told of Mr. Foxman's remarks about the families of Sept. 11 victims, he said, "That response is just not well thought out." He said that Muslims had also died on Sept. 11, either because they worked in the twin towers, or responded to the scene.
"The ADL has always been antibigotry," he said. "This just does not seem consistent with their message."

Paul Vitello contributed reporting.

 
--  
Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station
Austin, TX 78712-0220
USA
512 475 7224
512 475 7222  (fax)
http://www.toyinfalola.com/
www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa
http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs
http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue

USA Africa Dialogue Series - PhD scholarships on Neglected Diseases for African Portuguese-Speaking Researchers

It goes in Portuguese:

http://www.gulbenkian.pt/section65artId1508langId1.html

--
Ricardo Pereira

Visiting Scholar
Centre for the Study of HIV and AIDS
University of Botswana, Gaborone
Cell phone no.: +26775949065

PhD Candidate International Politics and Conflict Resolution
Centre for Social Studies
University of Coimbra, Portugal
http://www.ces.uc.pt/doutoramentos/polint/estudantes.php?action=info&id_investigador=302&id_lingua=2

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USA Africa Dialogue Series - Nigerias 2011 Election Express

Nairasources Nigerias 2011 Election Express will tour the country and keep up to date information on the Presidential candidates and their moves in this January 2011 election. Get onboard! get up to date information on the candidates, which candidate is polling higher and the political parties at http://nairasource.com/index.php?board=82.0

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Friday, July 30, 2010

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Do you know if there is any institute of Enemy Studies

On studying enemies have your considered looking at war strategy? The famous work of Tsun Tzu On War,if i get the name right,is quoted as stating that if a solider understands himself and  his enemy 50mpercent,he will win 50 percent of the time.If he understands himself and his enemy 100 percent,he will win 100 percent of the time.

The Godfather movies directed by Francis Ford Copolla also revolved on the culture of managing enemies and of managing enemies in relation to friends.

A study of international relations demonstrates that at the centre of these relationships,particularly as cultivated by the US and Israel,is the management of enemies,and the management of friends in relation to enemies.One may understand conceptions of balance of power in international relations in terms of this style of politics.

thanks
toyin

On 30 July 2010 19:26, Oluwatoyin Ade-Odutola <kole2@yahoo.com> wrote:

Is there anyone reading this who encountered the works of Esiaba Irobi? Are you interested in African ideas and how Western ideas "tried" to displace them? We need an Esiaba Irobi Virtual Institution of African Intellection. OR Esiaba Irobi summer school, where his ideas will be thoroughly discussed. This brother left behind a trove.

 

In the last few days I have been reading snippets of Esiaba Irobi's writings. I must confess that he was profound, prophetic, and was never afraid to look into other areas of scholarship others would be afraid venturing into. At the same time, I chanced on Commander Obey's song on the inevitability of enemies in the life of an individual. Whatever one doe, he seems to say, there will be enemies. I want to assume that as it is for individuals so it must be for nations. Can you imagine a nation actually studying all the moves of a potential enemy? I do not mean the type of studies that go on in War Colleges around the world.

 It is on this basis that it occurred to me to search the Internet for any institution that makes the study of Enemies its main business. I have not found any yet; but I want to believe there must be a professor /researcher whose main scholarship is built on or around the study of enemies. He may not yet be the expert on Enemology but I am sure the world needs to focus on the study of enemies.

Who in fact is an Enemy; how do they present? What theory can be used to understand enemies?

I hope there can be fields such as:
The sociology of enemies
The spirituality of enemies
The economics of enemy-making

Cultural dimensions of enemy studies
Representation of Enemies in the media
How to make enemies and how to read enemies

I want to believe that with a course such as this our world will be a better place. Enemies I have come to accept are not as bad as we think. IF IBB is an enemy of academicians can we analyze the un-intended consequences of his in-actions? 
I cannot over-emphasize this enough; we need a National Institute for the Study of Enemies.......

Kole Odutola


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RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Do you know if there is any institute of Enemy Studies

Thanks Prof.,
 There are over one thousand studies on friendship and friends. If you read my preamble and the cover I took under Esiaba, you may well understand why I chose Enemies and not friends. Since you pulled my lips; I better serve you one of the Irobi delicacies. While talking about theories and possible options for African scholars he told his interviewer about an essay he wrote...now steady yourself with his title: "Taking the Bull by the Balls: The oriki Theory of African and African Diasporic Orature."
Why did he not take the Bull by the horns as others have done?

As to the study of friends, I agree with you that it will be positive to frame it that way but it may not yield as much juice as the study of enemies. To understand communication, it is said that we should look at episodes when communication break down just like the reductionist principle of pulling apart a car to understand how it functions as a whole.

Are there Internet Enemies? What will a study of how they become enemies tell us?
Have you gone to any Church lately? The study of how to avoid the enemy takes 90% of the sermons than how to be a friend of the creator. Nigeria as a nation needs to study and plan against political,moral, economic, and environmental enemies in the country. We have learned to manage our friends but not our enemies.
Are the colonialists our enemies? Were they friends? Should we not categorize them so as to know how to deal with them better? In my humble opinion, I think we have made a mess of the management of colonialism.
Let me re-echo Sam Ukala's words and a part of what he stands for in terms of cultural replacement. "What western education replaced were his [African's] self-esteem and psychological independence." I ask can you recognize what is replaced if you did not know what was in place? There are too many enemies in place in Nigeria, let us work with them or work against them........
Kole

--- On Fri, 7/30/10, Okey Ukaga <ukaga001@umn.edu> wrote:

From: Okey Ukaga <ukaga001@umn.edu>
Subject: RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Do you know if there is any institute of Enemy Studies
To: "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Friday, July 30, 2010, 4:30 PM

Kole:

 

Interesting ideas and questions. May I also submit that another (more positive) way to look at the issues you raised is to focus on "friends" instead of "enemies". As a professional colleague of my (Chris Maser) likes to remind us, we need to do a better job of consciously framing in the positive some of the most important, human-related aspects of sustainable development. This he submits is critical because we humans (some world say especially in western cultures) are trained from infancy to think in the negative. Maser and others suggest that, if we want a better world, we need to start thinking more in the positive and thus framing our scholarship, action plans, etc accordingly. However, I also recognize some of the limitations to this thesis. Hope to see you at the International Association of Nigerian Studies and Development for the 22nd Annual Conference in New York , September 16-20, 2010.

Regards,

Okey

 


From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Oluwatoyin Ade-Odutola
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 1:26 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Do you know if there is any institute of Enemy Studies

 

Is there anyone reading this who encountered the works of Esiaba Irobi? Are you interested in African ideas and how Western ideas "tried" to displace them? We need an Esiaba Irobi Virtual Institution of African Intellection. OR Esiaba Irobi summer school, where his ideas will be thoroughly discussed. This brother left behind a trove.

 

In the last few days I have been reading snippets of Esiaba Irobi's writings. I must confess that he was profound, prophetic, and was never afraid to look into other areas of scholarship others would be afraid venturing into. At the same time, I chanced on Commander Obey's song on the inevitability of enemies in the life of an individual. Whatever one doe, he seems to say, there will be enemies. I want to assume that as it is for individuals so it must be for nations. Can you imagine a nation actually studying all the moves of a potential enemy? I do not mean the type of studies that go on in War Colleges around the world.

 It is on this basis that it occurred to me to search the Internet for any institution that makes the study of Enemies its main business. I have not found any yet; but I want to believe there must be a professor /researcher whose main scholarship is built on or around the study of enemies. He may not yet be the expert on Enemology but I am sure the world needs to focus on the study of enemies.

Who in fact is an Enemy; how do they present? What theory can be used to understand enemies?

I hope there can be fields such as:
The sociology of enemies
The spirituality of enemies
The economics of enemy-making

Cultural dimensions of enemy studies
Representation of Enemies in the media
How to make enemies and how to read enemies

I want to believe that with a course such as this our world will be a better place. Enemies I have come to accept are not as bad as we think. IF IBB is an enemy of academicians can we analyze the un-intended consequences of his in-actions? 
I cannot over-emphasize this enough; we need a National Institute for the Study of Enemies.......

Kole Odutola

 



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RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Do you know if there is any institute of Enemy Studies

Kole:

 

Interesting ideas and questions. May I also submit that another (more positive) way to look at the issues you raised is to focus on “friends” instaed of “enemies”. As a professional coleague of my (Chris Maser) likes to remind us, we need to do a better job of consciously framing in the positive some of the most important, human-related aspects of sustainable development. This he submits is critical because we humans (some world say especially in western cultures) are trained from infancy to think in the negative. Maser and others suggest that, if we want a better world, we need to start thinking more in the positive and thus framing our scholarship, action plans, etc accordingly. However, I also recognize some of the limitations to this thesis. Hope to see you at the International Association of Nigerian Studies and Development for the 22nd Annual Conference in New York, September 16-20, 2010.

Regards,

Okey

 


From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Oluwatoyin Ade-Odutola
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 1:26 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Do you know if there is any institute of Enemy Studies

 

Is there anyone reading this who encountered the works of Esiaba Irobi? Are you interested in African ideas and how Western ideas "tried" to displace them? We need an Esiaba Irobi Virtual Institution of African Intellection. OR Esiaba Irobi summer school, where his ideas will be thoroughly discussed. This brother left behind a trove.

 

In the last few days I have been reading snippets of Esiaba Irobi's writings. I must confess that he was profound, prophetic, and was never afraid to look into other areas of scholarship others would be afraid venturing into. At the same time, I chanced on Commander Obey's song on the inevitability of enemies in the life of an individual. Whatever one doe, he seems to say, there will be enemies. I want to assume that as it is for individuals so it must be for nations. Can you imagine a nation actually studying all the moves of a potential enemy? I do not mean the type of studies that go on in War Colleges around the world.

 It is on this basis that it occurred to me to search the Internet for any institution that makes the study of Enemies its main business. I have not found any yet; but I want to believe there must be a professor /researcher whose main scholarship is built on or around the study of enemies. He may not yet be the expert on Enemology but I am sure the world needs to focus on the study of enemies.

Who in fact is an Enemy; how do they present? What theory can be used to understand enemies?

I hope there can be fields such as:
The sociology of enemies
The spirituality of enemies
The economics of enemy-making

Cultural dimensions of enemy studies
Representation of Enemies in the media
How to make enemies and how to read enemies

I want to believe that with a course such as this our world will be a better place. Enemies I have come to accept are not as bad as we think. IF IBB is an enemy of academicians can we analyze the un-intended consequences of his in-actions? 
I cannot over-emphasize this enough; we need a National Institute for the Study of Enemies.......

Kole Odutola

 

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USA Africa Dialogue Series - Nnedi Okorafor: Who Fears Death: A Novel



Cafeafricana Proudly Presents

Who Fears Death: A Novel 
By Nnedi Okorafor
Winner: 2008 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa

Synopsis:

An award-winning literary author presents her first foray into supernatural fantasy with a novel of post-apocalyptic Africa. 

In a far future, post-nuclear-holocaust Africa, genocide plagues one region. The aggressors, the Nuru, have decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke. But when the only surviving member of a slain Okeke village is brutally raped, she manages to escape, wandering farther into the desert. She gives birth to a baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand and instinctively knows that her daughter is different. She names her daughter Onyesonwu, which means "Who Fears Death?" in an ancient African tongue. 

Reared under the tutelage of a mysterious and traditional shaman, Onyesonwu discovers her magical destiny-to end the genocide of her people. The journey to fulfill her destiny will force her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, true love, the spiritual mysteries of her culture-and eventually death itself.

About the Author

Nnedi Okorafor was born in the United States to two Nigerian immigrant parents. She holds a Ph.D. in English and is a professor at Chicago State University. She has been the winner of and finalist for many awards.


http://www.cafeafricana.com


 


USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: [ What about Tony Eluemunor Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.

""""Tony actually made a valid point: That the time of looking at the profile of President Goodluck Jonathan is gone...now is the time to look at his track record if he intends to run for the presidency. We looked at his profile when he assumed residency at Aso Villa...I even published an article: 'Goodluck Jonathan, the profile of a Gentleman'. But as Mr Eluemunor rightly pointed out, "he has clocked full 100 days in office as full President, unencumbered by no cabal but HIS OWN....President Jonathan's success or failure at the polls should depend on his track record and nothing else".

There is nothing in his write up to warrant the negative statements below or to suggest he is looking for presidential favours. At the time Jonathan was made an acting President and even before then, I strongly disagreed with Mr Eluemunor on the antics of Turai and her cohorts in my conversations with him
...."""Unquote Daniel Elombah

 

Candidly it is difficult not to support Daniel Elombah's call on this issue. Tony E is saying people should go beyond Prez Jonathan's PhD by now and focus on what he has done or can do as the Captain in the leadership of Nigeria. After all, several of us and academicians at home and abroad, have at least partly attributed Nigeria's woes to the ignorance and poor educational training of the erstwhile leaders. Now we are have MS (Late Pres Yar'Adua) and PhD (Pres Jonathan) holders. Hopefully things should be better planned, monitored and executed. There should be better ACCOUNTABILITY and greater degree of RESPONSIBILITY expected now that the book folks are running the show! Take care. JUI

 

 

From: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of elombah daniel
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 2:40 PM
To: NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com; yaqman@hotmail.com; talknigeria@yahoogroups.com; nidoa@yahoogroups.com
Cc: NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com; NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] What about Tony Eluemunor Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.

 

 

All these guys shooting off their mouth against Mr Eluemunor...did you actually read what he wrote below. If you did...is it so difficult to understand simple english?
Why must we look negatively at the statement of others without firstly considering their merit? When someone makes a valid statement, acknowledge it even when he is your "enemy".
Tony actually made a valid point: That the time of looking at the profile of President Goodluck Jonathan is gone...now is the time to look at his track record if he intends to run for the presidency.
We looked at his profile when he assumed residency at Aso Villa...I even published an article: 'Goodluck Jonathan, the profile of a Gentleman'.
But as Mr Eluemunor rightly pointed out, "he has clocked full 100 days in office as full President, unencumbered by no cabal but HIS OWN....President Jonathan's success or failure at the polls should depend on his track record and nothing else".

There is nothing in his write up to warrant the negative statements below or to suggest he is looking for presidential favours. At the time Jonathan was made an acting President and even before then, I strongly disagreed with Mr Eluemunor on the antics of Turai and her cohorts in my conversations with him....but I still remember even then, when Jonathan mad his first visit to USA as acting president, Tony still said that one thing he liked about Goodluck Jonathan is his Phd, and that at least those guys at White House won't look down on him...adding, "how many of them has got a Phd".

Daniel Elombah
Publisher:
www.elombah.com

(A Nigerian Perspective on world affairs)

 


From: Kolawole Suji <kolawole.suji@yahoo.com>
To: naijaobserver@yahoogroups.com; yaqman@hotmail.com; talknigeria@yahoogroups.com; nidoa@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, July 30, 2010 6:14:27 PM
Subject: [NaijaObserver] Re: [Tony Eluemunor] Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.

 

Tony Eluemunor....Na wa for you O!
U no get shame.....
Are such a pauper?...a sycophant?

You follow Ibori enter jail, u come turn around from the gate...wetin?
I beg leave Jonathan alone O....ne needs NOT your praise!

-Suji-

________________________________
From: Ibukunolu Alao Babajide <ibk@usa.net>
To: naijapolitics@yahoogroups.com; naijaobserver@yahoogroups.com; USMAN YAKUBU
<yaqman@hotmail.com>
Sent: Fri, 30 July, 2010 13:02:44
Subject: Re: [NaijaObserver] RE: [NaijaPolitics] Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY
GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.

 
Tony Eluemunor does it for the money.  He is a political prostitute and a
cowardly mercenary.  Let him bare his flesh in the hope that Jonathan will see
and buy his goods after the payment from Rogue James Onanefe Ibori has dried up.

Some people have no shame!  They are dishonourable and despicable.

Tony shame on you!

IBK

------ Original Message ------
Received: 03:12 PM EAT, 07/30/2010
From: USMAN YAKUBU <yaqman@hotmail. com>
To: <naijapolitics@ yahoogroups. com>, <naijaobserver@ yahoogroups. com>
Subject: [NaijaObserver] RE: [NaijaPolitics] Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY
GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.

 
>Tony,
>        There is no declared vacancy for the office of media adviser to Jonathan
>and it smells betrayal that now that Ibori need your counseling more than ever, 
>you are shifting loyalty/allegiance to his nemesis. You are my soldier go
>soldier come.......even when you will never have the courage to fire a gun ,yes
>you are a political scavenger and i hope Jonathan smells your antics.....
>

>Ya'Usman.

>
________________________________
To: NaijaPolitics@ yahoogroups. com; NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com
>CC: naijapolitics@ yahoogroups. com
>From: teluemunor@yahoo. com
>Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:00:33 -0700
>Subject: Re: [NaijaPolitics] Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK EBELE
>JONATHAN Ph.D.
>
>

>Dear All,
>
>Sincerely, it makes one proud that one's President is an academic doctor. 
>It might also say much that he was nicknamed Zik of Africa, or Antione Gizangi
>or even Patrice Lumumba himself if not Mandela. Such things should not be easily
>wished away. But pray, if the current President of a country is to contest to
>remain in office, he has to run on his track record. Dr. Jonathan was a Governor
>of Balyesa state; so he must have a track record there. He must have made some
>promises and kept some. He has also been President of Nigeria for a long while
>now; He has clocked full 100 days in office as full President, unencumbered by
>no cabal but HIS OWN, and that is after he had been Acting President (with full
>powers too).
>

>Yet, is it not curious that Dr. Jonathan's first 100 days in office was not
>mentioned at all – neither by the Press nor Jonathan's handlers?
>

> President Jonathan's success or failure at the polls should depend on his track
>record and nothing else - that is if some persons stop seeking excuses why the
>election should not hold and why President Jonathan should remain in office
>beyond May 29. The Doctor is already President, so  those marketing him should
>concentrate on his achievement and not profile; he is MR PRESIDENT for goodness
>sake. And he is the only one among 150 million Nigerians.
>

>Thanks.
>Tony Eluemunor.


>
>
>
________________________________
From: eRG <edoregeneration@ yahoo.co. uk>
>To: NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com
>Cc: naijapolitics@ yahoogroups. com
>Sent: Thu, July 29, 2010 10:50:03 PM
>Subject: [NaijaPolitics] Re: PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN
>Ph.D.
>
>

>Bimbola:
>
>
>Haba! Beautiful lady, please show some respect to the President and Commander In
>Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the current custodian of the mantle of
>leadership. Or else we shall declare war against the Dahomey, conscript you to
>go over there and kill dem people.
>
>  eRG
>"God gives, Man hoards and Satan steals" - eRG's Father
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________
From: bimbola adelakun <adunnibabe@yahoo. com>
>To: NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com; Sweet Violet Isibor <violetisibor@
>gmail.com>; EWAEN OSAGIEDE <erorewaen@hotmail. com>; OSAGIE EWEKA
><oeweka@aim.com>; Elizabeth Colston <afrihope@aol. com>
>
>Cc: naijapolitics@ yahoogroups. com
>Sent: Thu, 29 July, 2010 20:54:33
>Subject: Re: [NaijaElections] FW: [NaijaPolitics] PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY
>GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.
>
>

>
>
>He is the first Nigerian president to have a PhD.
>And so what?
>What has this 'Guiness Book of Records' achievement done for Nigerian education?
>


>
>
>
>
>
>
________________________________
From: "Asagwara, Ken (EDU-ECY)" <Ken.Asagwara@ gov..mb.ca>
>To: NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com; Sweet Violet Isibor <violetisibor@
>gmail.com>; EWAEN OSAGIEDE <erorewaen@hotmail. com>; OSAGIE EWEKA
><oeweka@aim.com>; Elizabeth Colston <afrihope@aol. com>
>
>Sent: Thu, 29 July, 2010 20:40:54
>Subject: RE: [NaijaElections] FW: [NaijaPolitics] PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY
>GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.
>
>

>
>
>Pray, what is the meaning of Ebele inOtuoke/Ogbia native tongue?

>Just curious!

>KC Prince Asagwara

>
________________________________

>From:NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com [mailto: NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com
>] On Behalf Of omonhiomwan omoruyi
>
>Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 2:17 PM
>To: omonhiomwan omoruyi; Sweet Violet Isibor; EWAEN OSAGIEDE; OSAGIE EWEKA;
>Elizabeth Colston; Nigerian Politics
>
>Subject: [NaijaElections] FW: [NaijaPolitics] PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK
>EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.
>


>info;
>origin of Azikiwe; no connection with Igbo but how he got Ebele is there too.
>His is the first Nigerian President with an earned Ph D.
>OO

>
>
________________________________


>Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Ph.D
>PROFILE OF HIS EXCELLENCY GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN Ph.D.


>Dr.Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (see CV), is a man of great honour and outstanding
>integrity. He is true statesman, whose meritocracy, selfless services and
>exemplary leadership qualities bear eloquent testimonies to his professional and
>political successes
>

>His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a man with great quest for
>knowledge holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Honours, University of Port
>Harcourt, Master of Science (M.Sc.) and Doctor of Philosophy
>

>(Ph.D.) from University of Port Harcourt respectively. He is seasoned
>administrator, an academic, a democrat, and an accomplished technocrat and
>indeed the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State .
>

>Dr.Jonathan holds an Honorary Fellowship of the Nigeria Environmental Society
>(NES), Fellow of the Public Administrators of Nigeria (PAN),
>

>Fellow of the International Association of Impact Assessment (IAIA), Bona Fide
>Member Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON). awarded "Best Performing Deputy
>Governor", and conferred "Exemplary Leadership Quality and Good Governance
>Award". And recently, he was given an
>

>Honorary Award for Democracy and Good Governance. A native of Otuoke in Ogbia
>Local Government Area of Bayelsa State – Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was
>born November 20th, 1957, to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Ebele Jonathan. He was
>amply endowed with intelligence, strength and tact right from childhood, even
>though his parents were of a humble social background. Young Goodluck started
>his primary education at St. Stephen Primary School (now State School – Otuoke)
>and later proceeded to St Michael Primary School – Oloibiri where he passed his
>First School Leaving Certificate honourably. In 1971, the young lad furthered
>his studies at Mater Dei High School – Imiringi and by 1975, he sat for the West
>African School Certificate and passed with flying colours.
>

>Goodluck Jonathan was identified to be a great child right from his tender age
>because of his attributes and rare disposition. No wonder, his paternal grand
>mother "nicknamed" him "Azikiwe" as a striking simile to the great Zik to
>connote another great Nigerian to come in the nearest future. Goodluck was
>appointed Class Prefect in class three in 1973, he was further appointed
>Secretary to the School Food Committee, because of his brilliant disposition.
>And in his class four and five, he was again appointed Masterson House Prefect
>while his fellow prefects unanimously elected him as Chairman of the Committee
>of Prefects.
>

>With his sparkling performance and enduring milieu, young Goodluck soon secured
>a job as a Preventive Officer in the Department of Customs and Excise from 1975
>to 1977.
>

>However, because of his dogged quest for academic knowledge, Goodluck Jonathan
>promptly enrolled as a pioneer student in the department of Zoology at the newly
>established University of Port Harcourt , in 1977. He pursued his studies with
>impregnable zeal and by 1981 he graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons.) Second Class
>(Upper Division). As a Corper, he served Nigeria devotedly between 1981 and 1982
>as a classroom teacher in Community Secondary School Iresi – Oyo State (now Osun
>State ). After the mandatory service, Goodluck Jonathan was invited for a
>teaching appointment by the old Rivers State Civil Service Commission in 1982,
>he was however, appointed a Science Inspector of Education in the Ministry of
>Education because of his brilliant and intimidating performance at the
>interview.
>

>Dr. Goodluck Jonathan always knew that he had a bond with the academia that he
>cannot dispute. Hence, he soon left the mainstream Civil Service for the College
>of Education where he took up an appointment as an academic in the Department of
>Biology in November 1983. Again, because of his disciplined nature and
>dedication to duty, he was elected as the Representative of Congress in the
>Senior Staff Appointments and Promotions Committee. A position he held till he
>voluntarily left the College in 1993. To equip himself firmly ahead of the
>foresighted challenges, he enrolled again for a post graduate programme in the
>University of Port Harcourt .
>

>He bagged a well-deserved Master of Science (M.Sc.) Degree in Hydro-Biology and
>Fisheries Biology and Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology in 1985 and 1995
>respectively.
>

>More so, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan later picked an appointment as an Assistant
>Director in the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission
>(OMPADEC), in March 1993. He was deployed to the Directorate of Environmental
>Protection and Pollution Control where he was directing the affairs of the
>Environmental Protection Sub-Department.
>

>Dr. Jonathan is a member of various professional bodies, including the Fisheries
>Society of Nigeria (FISON), he is a Fellow of the International Association of
>Impact Assessment (IAIA), a Fellow of the Public Administrators of Nigeria
>(PAN), and he was also awarded the prestigious Honorary Fellowship of the
>Nigerian Environmental Society, following his stride's contributions towards
>Environmental Management.
>

>Also, his dedication to service, eventful life devoted entirely to humanity and
>monumental achievements as an accomplished leader earned him the "Best
>Performing Deputy Governor Award in the Federation in 2002, by the Institute of
>Public Administration of Nigeria (IPAN). Similarly, the National Association of
>Women in Education Development further honoured him with the Award of "Exemplary
>Leadership Quality and Good Governance" in July 2003. In further recognition of
>his dedication to service, the NUJ Abuja Council conferred on him a prestigious
>Honorary Award for Democracy and Good Governance.
>

>A humane administrator, amazingly simple minded and loved by his people, friends
>and colleagues, nobody ever expected he will venture into the dicey and
>precarious nature of Nigerian politics. Nevertheless, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan saw
>the need to boost the socio-economic with political interest of the common man
>as well as bridge the lacuna of ruralurban dichotomy of his people through the
>provisions of social infrastructure. Hence, he took to politics in the Fourth
>Republic and pitched tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was picked
>as the running mate to the Party's flag bearer Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha. The
>duo emerged victorious at the polls in the 1999 gubernatorial election, and so,
>Dr. Goodluck E. Jonathan became the first Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State .
>After a successful tenure, Dr. Jonathan repeated the feat where he led Chief
>D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha Campaign machinery popularly called ALAMCO. By the grace
>of God and the desire for Bayelsans to have a good government, the duo won the
>gubernatorial elections again, in 2003. And Goodluck Jonathan is thus, serving
>as a Deputy Governor for a second tenure.
>

>All in all, one significant feat that has endeared Goodluck Jonathan to the
>Ogbia people is the peace he has brought to politics. At the inception of this
>Fourth Republic , the political activities were characterized with extreme
>violence and chaos. But he doggedly advocated for politics without rancor or
>violence and in his usual peaceful disposition without bitterness, Ogbia
>political silhouette is not only stable and homogenous but one of the most
>violent free clan in Nigeria today.
>

>Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is happily married to Mrs. Patience Faka Jonathan. The
>nuptial union is blessed with two children.
>

>Dr. Jonathan is a man well recognized for his cluster of achievements  and
>immense contributions to the polity, communal liberalism, growth, and general
>welfare of the people.. Beyond these, he is a humble man, dearly loved and
>respected. He has remained in the consciousness of his friends and
>contemporaries, as a builder of human social bridges. He is a teacher,
>technocrat, a democrat, a man of transparent honesty and humility; a perfect
>gentleman, a tender loving husband and an unshakable believer in the unity, not
>only of Ogbia clan but also of Nigeria.
>
>.


>THIS TEAM IS DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN
>                                                                              AS
>

>THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA COME 2011



>SUPPORT GOOD JO TODAY FOR A BETTER TOMMOROW
>JOIN GOODJ4PRESIDENT@ YAHOOGROUPS. COM

>
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