Without doubt, the issue security has remained a persistent source of migraine which many nations across the globe grapples with and Nigeria is clearly not an exception.
Perhaps, the woes of the country in terms of security are further compounded by the Government’s inability to provide basic needs and facilities for its citizens while trying hard to rid itself of corruption to little avail.
The youths of the Nation appears to be worst hit by the uncaring attitude of the government. With unemployment rates being high, falling standard of living and the issue of brain drain, ‘bleakness’ seem to adequately capture the future of the Nigerian youth.
Many seem convinced that the problems of joblessness, idleness and poverty in the land are most likely some of the root causes of the latest business in Nigeria: ‘the business of kidnapping for ransom’.
The statistics are stunning. This year alone, more than 530 people have been kidnapped while more than 90 billion Naira (US$602m) has been paid as ransom to kidnappers. The targets of the kidnappers ranging from monarchs and traditional rulers of big towns to high profile business tycoons, children and relatives of wealthy politicians including the politicians themselves speaks volumes of feelings of the citizens.
Even after some States have introduced a law prohibiting death penalty and making it punishable by death, this business which guarantees maximum returns on little investment not only keeps thriving but remains lucrative.
While I admit that criminal acts should be punished even though not to the extreme of death penalty, I cannot help but ask if the provision of jobs, infrastructure and reduction in the excessive greed of our leaders wouldn’t be more useful in reducing crime than any enacted legislation.
A couple of days ago, I met with Martin at British Council’s offices in London. Whilst sitting with him, I asked if it’d be ok to ask him a few questions ‘on the record’.
Here are the questions we discussed:
- The Commonwealth Secretary General indicated in our virtual events last week that climate change will be a major issue for leaders at CHOGM this month…. What is British Council doing on this issue?
- British Council’s acting chair indicated last week (again in our virtual events) that there’s been a growth in the number of young people acquiring english language learning from British Council in the light of the economic downturn? Why do you think this is?
- The internet has brought about a shift in global communities, namely an increase in those of interest more than geography. Where are the challenges and opportunities for British Council?
- What value do you think that the British Council and other cultural relations organisations can add to international institutions such as the Commonwealth / United Nations etc?
Development is not synonymous with economic growth alone. It is a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence. As such, development is inseparable from culture. (UNESCO)
Increasingly, the development monster is altering the cultural landscape of Trinidad and Tobago. High rise buildings and expansion of heavy industry is not only destroying the natural environment and traditional lifestyles, but also creating a sense of alienation and dislocation; a metal beast barrelling ahead like a tornado, crushing the soul of a people in its wake.
In the last several years there has been an on-going battle in the south-west region of Trinidad. Economic development initiatives such as the planned construction of an Aluminium Smelter, a Steel Mill, a port for the Mill and the now completed Water-Taxi service are not only threatening the health and well being of communities in these areas but are also decimating the natural landscape, destroying ecosystems and fishing grounds and eliminating traditional lifestyles and livelihoods particularly in the artisanal fishing and subsistence agriculture sector.
If wasn’t for a report carried by the BBC some months ago, I would never have heard of this incredible venture. So thanks BBC. What’s the story? Dr. Mohammed Yunus’s ‘Grameen Energy’.
On stream in Bangladesh is a woman led company that is producing photovoltaic cells or solar panels to trap solar energy. If all continues to go well, more than 100,000 women from the rural and urban poor will be employed fulltime within five years. Recently anointed by US President Obama, (Yunus received a President’s medal for outstanding achievements) Mohammed Yunus has thousands of youths recruited on this program also and is one which will form a major part of Kenya’s Microcredit Summit in April 2010.
This is the future of capitalism, one that is led by the poor. Economic pundits predict that oil will reach $400US per barrel within ten years. It is this fact that will bolster solar energy more so than the mania over climate change.
So, who wants to be a slum millionaire when you can be a slum billionaire?
It seems that climate change will take centre stage at this year’s CHOGM in Trinidad and Tobago. Local environmental groups are already gearing up for the show. Too much talk and too little action, I say. So, let’s follow Bangladesh’s lead in this business of global warming and take charge.
My question is: Do you think this project can be cloned in other parts of the world?
A new report, out today, states that the Commonwealth of Nations can be a crucial instrument in turning round the world-wide crisis in marine fish stocks.
The product of a two year Commonwealth Fisheries Programme, it calls on Commonwealth leaders meeting in Trinidad in November to set up a Ministerial Task Force to harness the resources of 53 member states - only six of which are landlocked - and take initiatives to conserve a key source of food and income.
Twenty six expert authors, in "From Hook to Plate: the State of Marine Fisheries - A Commonwealth Perspective" provide a state-of-the-art analysis of capture fisheries, both deep sea and near-shore, and their related institutional, governance and human issues. With catches declining in many seas since the mid ’90s, the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that 75 per cent of all fisheries are now being exploited at or beyond their maximum sustainable yield. Two authors, Sumaila and Cheung, have produced a graph which shows a fall of around a quarter in the total fish take between 1970 and 2005 for the exclusive economic zones of Commonwealth states.
The report’s editors, Richard Bourne and Mark Collins, argue that the situation is serious, but not irreversible.
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I managed to catch up with Mark during the book launch and collared him with a few questions about the book. If you can’t see the audio player below, just open this link to hear it.
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They call for:
Application of proven management solutions, such as lower catch quotas, and rights-based community management
Replacement of legal, institutional and subsidy mechanisms that create incentives to over-fish
Enhancement and enforcement of international controls on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
Restoration of habitats on which coastal fisheries depend
Support for consumer-led sustainability programmes
Greater support for subsistence fishing communities impacted by industrial fisheries.
This report will go to governments ahead of the Commonwealth summit, in Trinidad and Tobago, at the end of November. The proposed Ministerial Task Force can examine and recommend practical policies to restore fisheries in member states’ waters, using the formidable expertise available from governments, scientists, fishers and environmentalists. It would link to a special fisheries conference, and the establishment of a Fisheries Fund to promote capacity.
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Without doubt, the issue security has remained a persistent source of migraine which many nations across the globe grapples with and Nigeria is clearly not an exception.
Energy’.
