...Created to serve and inform www.africaworldnewspaper.com MAY 16 - 31 2014 VOL 001 Nº57 FREE page 03 BRING BACK OUR GIRLS page 12 page 08 BEFORE JUSTICE IS SUBVERTED IN OCHIA COMMUNITY, IMO STATE COLLOQUIUM 2014 FLAGSHIP AFRICA DAY FESTIVAL AT FARMLEIGH EXIT OF MIGRANTS’ HERO: THANK YOU MR. ALAN SHATTER TD. page 02 IRELAND AS CONFLICT RESOLUTION MODEL FOR SOUTH KOREA AFRICAN BECOMES FIRST IMMIGRANT IN LIMERICK LOCAL ELECTIONS Page 11 page 13 page 14 MONITOR YOUR BUSINESS WE MUST NOT SLEEP UNTIL WE FIND OUR CHIBOK GIRLS African International magazine launched in Dublin Pictures on page 08
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...Created to serve and inform
www.africaworldnewspaper.com
MAY 16 - 31 2014 VOL 001 Nº57 FREE
page 03 page 03
BRING BACK OUR GIRLSpage 12
page 08
BEFORE JUSTICE IS SUBVERTED
IN OCHIA COMMUNITY, IMO STATE COLLOQUIUM 2014
FLAGSHIP AFRICA DAY FESTIVAL AT FARMLEIGHEXIT OF MIGRANTS’ HERO:
The Editorial team at AfricaWorld would like to point out that it is aware of the Millennium Development Goals and seeks to
synergise its work in accordance with those aims wherever possible. Those goals are to improve issues of Education,
Health, HIV/AIDS, Gender Equal ity, Environmental Sustainability and Global Partnerships.
EditorUkachukwu Okorie
News DirectorAbdul Yusuf
Secretary / TV DirectorKoketso Mohotloane
Chief ReporterPaul Kelly
Graphic DesignMirco MascarinCristina Casabon
By: Tunji Idowu
Among the migrant communities in Ireland, the resignation of former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Alan Shatter TD, was greeted on one hand, with empathy, by those whom without Mr. Alan Shatter’s bold reforms of naturalisation process would probably still be waiting for decisions on their Irish citizenship applications.
On the other hand, those that are yet to receive decisions on their applications are certainly apprehensive. In fact, the sentiment amongst migrant communities is that Mr. Shatter was roped into various allegations because of his humane treatment of the migrants.
It will be recalled that before Mr. Alan Shatter was appointed Minister for Justice, Equality and Law reform, decisions on application for citizenship took nothing less than two years. If one is refused on any condition, the process starts all over again for another two years.
Also, those that were granted citizenship would go before a judge in a court to swear an oath of allegiance to the Irish State- many described the experience as not so memorable.
However, changed the whole process- he reduced the application process to six months and introduced Citizenship ceremonies where new citizens swear an oath to the State and obtain their certificate of citizenship. Mine was a memorable experience- the ambiance at the convention centre was excellent. It felt special - the Garda band treated us to good music, the mini army parade enforces patriotism and the inspiring speech delivered by Mr. Alan shatter in his capacity as the Minister - made it a day I will never forget. He instilled confidence and pride in people while enjoined the new citizens to walk tall as new law abiding citizens.
Mr Shatter’s decision to speed up the process makes a lot of sense, in my own opinion, because people going to Burgh Quay often to renew their residency statuses does not only constitute nuisance to the area, it disrupts children academics as it is mandatory to bring your child along. It hinders people from making long term plans.
In contrast, the change that Mr. Alan Shatter introduced was very smart, in the sense that, it helps new citizens to make informed decisions about their future plans. It gives them freedom of choice and movement.
Those who have lost their jobs can now migrate to other European countries, either to work or trade, which ultimately reduces impact on the Ireland unemployment indices. Most importantly, the concept generates a lot of revenue for government. As at last ceremony, the Minister announced during the ceremonies that the three thousand plus that received their certificate
would make it about sixty seven thousand people he would have sworn in as Irish citizens. It cost 950 euro to secure the certificate, so it means that the minister has generated almost €64,000,000 to the government as a result of his reform. It is a win-win situation.
Regardless, I belong to the camp of those who see Mr. Shatter’s resignation as appropriate given the way he handled many important issues, especially the Garda whistleblower case. I would have expected contrary approach from a seemingly bold, intelligent and articulate man like Mr. Shatter. Sergeant McCabe should not have been embarrassed, his allegations should have been investigated and the outcome should have been an opportunity to carry out much need reforms in the Garda.
The rubbishing of Garda Ombudsman report on bugging by the minister is too hasty in my own opinion and I think his revelation (on national TV) of confidential Information given to him by An Garda Siochona about Mr. Mick Wallace TD was uncalled for, especially as there is no political gain for revealing such confidential information.
At any rate, the immigrant communities will forever be grateful and will surely not forget Mr. Alan Shatter in a hurry and I suspect Fine Gael will reap from his initiative in many elections to come. Thank you Mr. Alan Shatter TD
VERBAL SUPPORT IS NOT ENOUGH, MAKE
SURE YOU VOTE
The 2014 Local Elections will be held on Friday 23rd May, the same day as voting in the European Elections and two Dáil by elections (Dublin West and Longford Westmeath). Polling takes place between 7am and 10pm.
As a matter of fact, immigrants should endeavour to come out and vote. It is not enough to support candidates verbally, going to the polling booth to vote matters most.
Also, this is a good opportunity to vote in or against those who hinder proper integration for immigrants. It is bad to sit in your home, criticizing and showing frustration over government policies when your vote can contribute positively. As 23rd May approach, tell your loved ones and friends to exercise their right to vote. If you do it, you are contributing positively to the progress of Ireland and our community. Do not fail to vote on Friday 23rd May in the European and Local Elections. Let us vote for those who support us.
Come inside.
Uka
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EXIT OF MIGRANTS’ HERO: THANK YOU MR. ALAN SHATTER
By Chima Offurum
This is simply my greatest source of worry for more than sixteen months now. That the once peaceful Ochia Community in the west of Ohaji, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State may not perpetually remain in crisis because justice was not given to certain persons who had resorted to civil processes rather than to jungle justice in seeking for an amicable resolution to the carnage that had befallen them. And when this happens, it is given another name.
I had restrained to write or talk about these issues before now because I had trusted the agencies of government charged with the responsibilities of identifying disputes, arresting defaulters and bringing them to court so as to give such people opportunities of fair hearing to do their jobs but that is far from coming. My anxiety is heightened when I hear personnel of the justice system remind us that those the courts hear their matter are those whom the courts see when ab initio, full directives have been received from the government, reliably that no further arrests should be entertained on the Ochia Awarra Ohaji matter. This is disgusting and totally unacceptable as the facts are clear that the alleged culprits of high standard crimes are known and walking about freely in Ochia community committing crimes with further intents to commit more under the watchful eyes of a responsible government.
Earlier in my report published in The Leader newspaper (Sunday, March 10, 2013), I had noted that Ochia Autonomous Community, recently carved out of the larger Awarra town in the Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State has been on hot waters since the 19th of January, 2013 and no one appears to care. What started as mere protest from a village youth election spread like wild fire culminating in its hijack by alleged cult boys who turned from breaking into peoples’ houses to looting of properties, stealing of farm produce and finally burning of houses. We also had incidences of rape, sexual harassments, abduction and regular threats to both life and property.For about a year, since the matter went to the magistrate court and later transferred to the High Court which had proper jurisdiction to entertain it, the court had only started hearing the matter just a few days ago. Cases at the court on the Ochia case are separately listed for abduction, arson, burglary and armed robbery. Before now for several months, dates of sitting are given without formal rising bringing the complainants and their legal
representatives to excessive expenses. Since then too, efforts had been made to see if other culprits could be rounded off and brought to court for interrogation without success as the police hierarchy in the divisions were working on a purported directive of the state government to stop further arrests on the matter.Since my objections on the government directive was published, I had expected a reply from any organ of government to refute my claims and put me on the right but none came indicating that my fears are yet to begin. And as we read these lines, they are been played out in government’s action on the handling of the matter thereby bringing further frustration to certain persons that had lost their freedom of movement, their properties including buildings, access to their farmlands and crops planted in these farms etcetera not excluding telephone threats and other physical and mental harassments.
There is this Igbo adage which other tribes of the African continent could have which says that “onye ujo ji ndu ya na onye ike”, translated as that it is the coward, the weak who is holding the safety or survival of his life and that of the strong or the mighty. This is completely true of the Ochia case in relation to the law abiding and wise citizens that fled their ancestral homes to seek refuge in foreign domains because, had they fought back with the same force they were attacked by the home miscreants, real human fatalities would have been recorded. After all, no one person is monopoly of violence as its capacities are inherent in every human being when provoked to take action. The only incident of death was caused by the hooligans who were on reprisal to express how their might could mean right.In the meantime, the people who had fled their homes as law abiding citizens had sought recourse through civil processes by reporting the matter to the police which led to certain arrests. Even though it was alleged that certain “innocent persons” were arrested in the mass exercise by the Imo Security Network, the said persons who were later released on the instructions of the government when investigated were indicted in one way or the other in the carnage that was suffered by certain persons in the community. They all belong to the same cult group. What happened later was that they walked home and regrouped to cause more carnage than was earlier reported. More houses were looted or destroyed, movements restricted and anybody seen not to openly identify with them had to drink the spill of their hot blood. People were compelled to
swear before their shrines as to remain loyal to direction.As these happened, responsible people from the community did not moot. The matter was further reported to the police division in the area that affirmed government’s instruction to stop arrests on the case. Shortly after, a committee of ten persons was set up by government to mediate and amicably negotiate settlement. Ordinarily, this is a criminal case which is exempted from alternative dispute resolution method but in spite of that, the peace loving team who had continued to corporate with government cued in. It was expected that the government should have simply used the committee to assess the damage suffered by the people and some arrangements for settlement put in place, some form of undertaking written by the alleged aggressors not to cause further trouble, security personnel posted to the town to avert further harassments and finally people allowed to get back and rebuild their homes and continue normal life but none of these came the way of the suffering people.
With all these happenings around the town and the government appear to be silent, the information as emanating from one of the personnels of the justice system on the 16th of May, 2014 that the court is only concerned with those that are brought to it for hearing is adding more salt to bleeding injury.
Section 214 of the Constitution (1999) set up the Police Force in Nigeria. They have an enabling act which specifically defined their roles and duties. Section 4 of the Police Act explicitly spelt out the statutory functions or objectives of the Nigeria Police which among other things include prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders , preservation of law and order, protection of life and property, enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are charged, etc.
Going by what the people have already gone through, it is evident either the government or the police or both are biased regarding the case in view. The purported government directive and the subsequent follow-up by the police not to effect further arrest of alleged perpetrators are not without reasons and we all see the effects. No doubt, government may have interests on the matter and I may not possess the required clout to stand on their way to realizing whatever intentions. What I am candidly
BEFORE JUSTICE IS SUBVERTED IN OCHIA COMMUNITY, IMO STATE, NIGERIA
sure about is that the preliminaries to this matter is not a struggle of supremacy between registered political parties as some people in some quarters had tried to drag it into. It was just a manifestation of jealousy at work and the people who had suffered aggression want justice which by Aristotle’s terms is to give them that which is their due.If what we heard as emanating from the personnel of the justice system is admissible in evidence before any properly constituted court of law then it is tantamount to complete abdication of duty from the police, full expression of and confirmation of our fears that the powers that be that should help us get justice are biased. Knowing the open threats to life and property and being aware that the alleged perpetrators of the crimes that resulted in the carnage are still walking around freely, it will be a complete romance with death to return home without the agencies that should protect life and property on ground. We know the duties of the police to carry out their statutorily assigned roles are not discretionary. It is imperative in which case, I had felt that since they had failed in them that the court could have compelled them by invoking the prerogative order of mandamus more so, as the responsibility is of public nature.
I do not know if it is over-reacting to say that in our given circumstance, the police should have disobeyed the biased directive of government or otherwise. Where the police are constrained in the bid to do their work due to extreme challenges arising from poor funding or mismanagement of allocated funds, training and others, citizens who want things done in the interest of progress have assisted either through intelligence or capacity which had come through fund or donations and the people in our case scenario had done that on occasions. If the dance steps we are watching is anything to go by and we see we have no further options and government wants to pardon the culprits in the crimes to effect some reconciliation, there are equally conditions to follow. The damaged buildings have to be rebuilt and properties lost replaced. Regarding a prerogative of mercy, the government could use her powers through the Attorney General as is constitutionally enshrined (cf. CFRN, 1999, s.174) after fulfilling that the interest of the people, interest of justice and prevention of the abuse of the legal process are satisfied. Even here, we equally recognize the complainant’s right to appeal.
Day will take place in the grounds of Farmleigh in Dublin’s Phoenix Park this coming Sunday, 25th May. The event will feature a jam-packed schedule of live music over three stages, with headliners including the internationally renowned Irish folk and world music group Kíla and Colours Afrobeat Foundation, as well as children’s entertainment, food, dance, drumming and sports.
The free event will
run from 11am to 6pm and all are welcome to attend. Dublin Bus will provide a free shuttle-bus service from the Heuston Bridge / Parkgate Street bus stop into the Phoenix Park. There will also be free car-parking available at Farmleigh. However, event organisers advise that parking spaces are limited and the car-park is likely to fill up early, so public transport and the free shuttle bus service provide the best option for all those coming to the event.
Main Stage: ‘Kwassa Kwassa’Internationally renowned Irish folk and
world music group Kíla will be headlining the main stage, ‘Kwassa Kwassa’. They will be joined by Irish and Nigerian fusion band, Tig Linn, and Ireland’s foremost Afrobeat and multicultural music project, Colours Afrobeat Foundation.
The most recent additions to the main stage
lineup include: Manden Express, an international band fusing traditional and contemporary West African music; and Ugandan singer-songwriter Justine Nantale. The line-up also includes 10-piece ska, pop, punk fusion band, The Amazing Few; and the Irish four-piece Square Pegs, who pay homage to Chicago blues, 1950s R&B and New Orleans big band sounds.
Activities on offer will include free face-painting and henna hand-painting; traditional coffee-making ceremonies; displays of arts and crafts; and children’s quizzes and games.
Some of Ireland’s leading development
NGOs will be present, offering fun and interactive activities. Visitors will have the chance to learn about issues pertaining to water collection and water use, get crafty with bead-making and interactive games,
write Africa Day messages on a message wall, and even sit in a typical African fishing boat to play a simple ‘fishing’ game.
‘Best Dressed’ CompetitionOne of the highlights of Africa Day
Dublin promises to be the ‘best dressed’ competition: visitors are being encouraged to deck themselves out in their most colourful African finery before coming to the event. Those who consider themselves in the running for a prize can enter at the ‘Best Dressed’ stall, and a parade of
finalists will take place through the grounds of Farmleigh before the winners are announced shortly after 4pm.
Kids’ Zone: ‘Mount Kiddimanjaro’The Kids’ Zone at Africa Day Dublin –
‘Mount Kiddimanjaro’ – is sponsored by Moneygram. It will host a range of fun, interactive activities, including face-painting, storytelling, arts activities and sports.
There will be traditional drumming
demonstrations, followed by ‘Bang the Drum’ workshops, hosted by Irish Aid, while Cork Circus Street Theatre will perform their family circus show, ‘Tutti Frutti’. There will also be dance and storytelling sessions, football games and skills demonstrations throughout the day, and. author Carol Azams will do a special reading from her new children’s book, ‘The Children of Africa’.
Minister for Trade and Development, Joe
Costello TD will be in attendance at the event, as will The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisin Quinn, and members of the African diplomatic corps in Ireland.
Africa Day events in Ireland are supported
by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Further information is available at www.africaday.ie.
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60 SECONDS WITH THE DUCHESS - NENA HUNTAZOur Celebrity Queen bring to us ‘who is who’ in the African entertainment world from the Elizabe-than city of London. “It is up to you”, however our readers who follow her column know the current and upcoming acts in the African celebrity firma-ment. See your African Stars and know ‘how far’ with them on 60 SECONDS WITH THE DUCH-ESS. Don’t miss it on AfricaWorld Newspaper every two weeks.
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We often forget the labour of our he-roes in the past and present. Although many have continue to distinguish themselves for the progress of Africa and humanity. This column excavates positives in the toils and vicissitudes of men and women of great character, thereby helping to ignite a new flame in our champions today. It is as hot as the basic menu in the Irish Chipper. Get addicted to it.
Facing growing chaos next door, Algeria on Monday (May 19th) moved to close all border crossings with
ALGERIA
Libya. Meanwhile, state energy firm Sonatrach repatriated its workers from Libya and halted production in the country.
President José Eduardo dos Santos Tuesday in Luanda congratulated the African Party for Independence of
Guinea and Cabo Verde (PAIGC) on the recent electoral victory in Guinea Bissau.
ANGOLA
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, on Tuesday said Botswana witnessed a faster
BOTSWANA
economic growth in 2013 due to improved mining sector performance.
The Chinese embassy in Cameroon is urging authorities in the west Central African nation to use caution if attempts are made to free 10 Chinese
CAMEROON
nationals believed abducted Friday during an attack on a Chinese company’s camp in northern Cameroon.
President Barack Obama has ordered sanctions against five top figures in the Central African
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Republic, including former president Francois Bozize and rebel leader Michel Djotodia.
The World Bank’s Board of E x e c u t i v e D i re c t o r s approved on April 22 a US$15.5 million credit to support the Government of Cabo Verde’s effort to
CAPE VERDE
strengthen the country’s macroeconomic resilience to external shocks.
Long Wait for Justice - Victims of Former Chad Leader Habre Face New Delay. An unexpected
CHAD
decision by the Chambres Africaines Extraordinaires
(CAE), the special court set up to try Habre, extended the initial 27-month trial by just over a year has come as a blow to victims, already frustrated by years of delay.
Flagship Africa Day Festival at Farmleigh
The day-long programme of world music, traditional Irish sounds, pop-punk, ska, blues, big band and R&B is sure to offer something for everyone’s musical tastes.
The second music stage, ‘Atilogwu’, will
have a strong focus on urban music, featuring a host of rappers, DJs and hip-hop artists of African and Irish origin. Those performing will include: DJ Wax, NLT MG, Sematecino, Benzor, DJ DaKrys, DJ Elle
and DJ V-King. And, this year, a third music stage, called
‘Malaika’, has been added to the event. It will feature a range of exciting emerging artists, from dance crews and interactive performances to music ensembles and DJs. Among those performing on the Malaika stage will be: Newpark Music Centre, a Dublin jazz and contemporary music schoolday; Fit Kids / Fit Teens, a hip-hop dance school; Kiruu, a singer-songwriter who will perform original songs in Swahili and English; Pop Dogg, an Afro hip-hop solo artist; D-Romola, a Nigerian gospel artist; Vida, a Malawian singer with hip-hop and R&B influences; Huva, an inner city Dublin hip-hop artist; and rising gospel stars, No Limits.
African Bazaar: ‘Marrakech’One of the focal points of the Africa Day
Dublin event will be the outdoor African Bazaar, called ‘Marrakech’. This will house over 40 different groups, showcasing the culture and traditions of numerous African states, ranging from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda in East Africa to the Western states of Nigeria, Guinea and Ghana, as well as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Angola in the south.
Unidentified attackers disrupted a gathering of the Djiboutian opposition Union for National Salvation (USN) in
Arhiba this week, injuring several activists, the Djiboutian Observatory for the Promotion of Democracy and Human Rights (ODDH) said.
NEWS
All immigrants should prepare for elections. It's your right, it's
your vote.
DJIBOUTI
Six “extremists” were killed in an air strike in
EGYPT
North Sinai on Tuesday. The army targeted a hiding place of Jihadists with missiles, which left six of them killed and 14 injured.
Limpopo ANC Deputy Chairperson and former South Africa Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Jeremiah Azwindini Ndou was named MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure.
Amb. Ndou has served Africa’s oldest political party, the African National Congress in various capacity, either as government envoy or in the local structure.
He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the South African Embassy, Tripoli, Libya, and also served in the same capacity in Zimbabwe.
FORMER SOUTH AFRICA AMBASSADOR TO IRELAND IN TOP LIMPOPO APPOINTMENT
NEWS
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met Senegalese President Macky Sall as France
SENEGAL
beefs up its counter-terror efforts in west Africa. Paris reportedly hopes that Sall will press other African leaders to send more troops to the Central African Republic.
MOROCCO More than a thousand Moroccan jihadists have travelled to Syria since 2011, including 900 just in
2013, has announced a representative of the Directorate-General for National Security (DGSN).
Parliamentary committee research into the abuse of alcohol in Namibia has revealed widespread misuse of money by
pensioners on liquor and called for controls on traditional alcohol brews. The situation was said to be worse at Kayirayira and Ekoka villages, the report said.
NAMIBIA
The BBC reported that 223 Nigerian schoolgirls remain missing after being abducted last week, according to a
source that they interviewed. This number is far from the official figures. Islamist group Boko Haram is suspected to be behind the kidnapping.
NIGERIA
The police has dismissed allegations by Human Rights Watch that a number of people have gone missing or are victims of forcible
disappearances in the north and west of the country.
RWANDA
SIERRA LEONESierra Leonean President, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma on 16th May officially opened the first ever Summit of African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State on the
Reform of the Security Council of the United Nations into a more democratic and more equitable organization that respects Africa’s centrality to the relevance and destiny of the global organisation.
By Lylian Fotabong
A delegation of South Korean community leaders, last weekend, hailed St Munchin’s Community Centre in Limerick as a paragon of peace and community building.
The team arrived in Ireland from South Korea as part of a week exchange programme, set up by Global Peace Foundation (GPF), to learn about conflict resolution, peace, and community building in Ireland, according to GPF Korean Director, Steve Park.
The 18-member group began the first leg of their Irish tour traveling from Dublin International Airport to Limerick on Friday, and led by their team leader, Mr Park, and Country Director of GPF in Ireland, Arnold Kashembe.
Mr Pak said: “We have a crisis in South Korea where young people don’t want to live with elderly people and this has c a u s e d communities to collapse.“But our v is i t to St M u n c h i n ’ s Community Centre has shown us how young and elderly p e o p l e a r e engaging with ease, and it is clear that, not only can different generations learn from each other, they can also live together in harmony.”
According to the Director, Korea liaised with Ireland because of the similarities between both countries - stemming from ideological differences that divided Korea to North and South; and English colonial prowess and religious differences that partitioned Ireland to Republic and Northern parts.
Mr Park added that Ireland is a benchmark for solutions to Korea’s conflicts because of its success in building, not just harmony between the Republic and the North, but also in community development.
Country Director, Arnold Kashembe, received the South Korean visitors at the Dublin Airport amidst cheering by onlookers. He said: “The organisational and entrepreneurial state of St Munchin’s Community has demonstrated to the Koreans that the power of community can do much.”
Mr Kashembe added that both Ireland and Korea have suffered from economic crisis - Korea before 1997, and Ireland from 2008, and that the manner in which Korea managed its recession can benefit Ireland too. The Country Director said: “A model that unites key areas of intervention, such as, community leaders; business leaders and university students can enable Ireland to go beyond the recession to unite everybody as a community, and grow again.”
The Chairman of St Munchin’s
Community in Limerick, Kieran O’Neill, opened the doors of the Centre earlier than normal operating hours on Saturday, to welcome the visitors.
He said: “In many countries, when people become old, nobody wants them, but it’s great to see another country thinking the same way about the elderly as we think – it was great to Mr O’Neill added that St Munchin’s Community also helps the elderly to remain in their homes because one of the biggest fears in Limerick is that when the elderly are put in nursing homes, nobody would care.“Once you don’t take independence from a person, it means an awful lot”, the Chairman added.
As part of the exchange programme, the Korean group visited the Cliffs of Moher and the Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare, as well as, wined and dined out of Irish food recipes at the Locke Bar in Limerick City.
The team will participate in other events including: a visit to the Korean Embassy, tasting of Guinness at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin; workshop with Corporation Ireland in Northern Ireland, and a visit to the Parliament in Belfast, before engaging with other communities in the North.
GPF Korean Director, said, 40 members signed up for the Irish exchange leg, but 22 withdrew because of the South KoreaFerry catastrophe that left hundreds of mostly students and children dead in April.
This exchange is the first of many exchange programmes that will take place between Ireland and Korea and
funded by GPF. The organisation p l a n s t o e x c h a n g e students and b u s i n e s s l e a d e r s b e t w e e n Ireland and Korea in the nex t f ew months.
GPF is a n o n - p r o f i t organisation
that promotes peace building, conflict resolution and community development through a multi-cultural value-based approach. It was founded in 2009 by the son of the Korean spiritual Leader, Jyun Jin Moon, under the motto: “One family under God”.
GPF Irish Director said: “Our organisation has branches in 15 countries around the world and with its headquarters in Washington DC. Ireland is the first, and remains the only country in Europe where GPF has offices, since May 2013.”
He added that the organisation plans to extend to Germany and Belgium next year and that Ireland will coordinate all European activities.
Ireland as conflict resolution model for South Korea
Reports indicated that Independence Day cele-brations are continuing with patriotic zeal. The
ceremony conducted at regional level wit-nessed the lighting of an Independences Torch and the staging of cultural perfor-mances depicting cultural values, besides an exhibition of pictures portraying the Eritrean armed struggle.
ERITREA
MALAWIVoters in Malawi have turned out in high numbers to elect a new president and parliament. Security forces were deployed to contain violence that broke
out after delays in opening some polling stations.
Kenya: Six dead in Nairobi explosions.
KENYA
The UN agency for refugees (UNHCR) said that it is working with its partners to improve camp conditions for
tens and thousands of South Sudanese refugees who are being sheltered at camps in Ethiopia.
A Nigerian business man in Limerick has become the first immigrant to contest in local authority elections in Limerick City and County.
Married man and father-of-six, Sunny Martins Duruagwu, arrived in Ireland 14 years ago from Nigeria and is contesting in political elections, for the first time in his life.
In 2006, he became the first African to own a business in Parnell Street, Limerick City, when he opened Meed Beauty, a hair and beauty cosmetic shop.
Mr Duruagwu said: “I have been living here and all my hope, my inspirations, my future and my children are here and I think that it is time we contribute positively to the country and to Limerick West in particular.”
“I want to give back to the country that blessed me for all these 14 years – I want to contribute in solving crime, poor roads, poor housing, setting up small businesses and creating jobs,” the Nigerian-born added.
The 41-year-old descendant of the Igbo tribe, worked in Dell for seven years before the company closed, leaving him and many other colleagues without jobs.
He became self-employed in 2006 and has also become the first immigrant and first African in Limerick to contest in local authority elections.
Mr Martins received Irish Citizenship in 2011, and is contesting as an independent candidate for the Limerick City West electoral area.
The Nigerian-Irish said: This is a new beginning for Limerick; this is a new dawn; this is a new change; Limerick is now a City of Culture – the centre of culture, and we want to tell people that there is still hope for Limerick.”
His campaign manager, Solomon Anumati, said: “Mr Martins has a liberal background, which has helped him to stand and succeed on his own, but he is contesting, not as a Nigerian, but as an African for everyone in diaspora.
“If he is elected, he will represent our cries and our
privileges and we don’t have to fear that he is not going to represent the masses.”
Mr Martins said he encourages all Africans to have a focus because when some of them come to Ireland and are given a house or paid every week that makes them “tend to lose focus and they don’t know why they are here”.
An Irish long term business colleague and neighbour, Ger Dwane, said: “I have known Sunny here for the last 10 years and I find him as a very very pleasant person and very easy to get on with; a nice person and
good neighbour. I hope he does well, he deserves it.”
A barber working in Limerick from Congo-Brazzaville, Andre, said: “Sunny is a good man with integrity, so I think he is a good choice for us and I believe he will help us.”
Andre added that crime rate is very high in Limerick City and that the City Council should put more resources and money into security and policing to make Limerick safer.
Country Director of Global Peace Foundation Ireland, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Arnold Kashembe, said if Mr Martin is elected, his toughest challenge will be to change people’s views that immigrants in Ireland are strangers.
“Sunny is an entrepreneur and this makes him a very good example to many people who are unemployed, because he can use his entrepreneurial skills to encourage people and inform other people of the strengths that immigrants have,” Mr Kashembe said.
A former student of the University of Limerick, the Congolese, said, Mr Martins has many other issues to advocate for, so as to help make immigrants attractive in the job market.
He said that one key area is campaign for funding to offset high university fee that makes “talented”, “willing” and “knowledgeable” Africans and immigrants in general, to become fearful and scared to undergo higher education.
Mr Kashembe added that: “I would also love very much to see an African or a person originally from a nother country to be represented in the City Council, because integration and’ interculturalism should start from there. This way, we will feel that we are part of the society.”
The local elections in Limerick are scheduled for May 23, 2014, and if Sunny Martins Duruagwu gets elected, he will join the ranks of other Africans that have set precedence in Irish politics.
In 2004, Nigerian-born, Dr Taiwo Mathew, made history when he became the first black person to be elected to local government in Ireland. In June 2007, another historic record was set when the people of Portlaoise, Co. Laoise, elected Nigerian-born, Rotimi Adebari as its first citizen – the first black mayor in Ireland.
According to the Public Service Information Website, Citizens Information, Irish local elections take place in May or June and each elected member holds office for five years.
All councillors are given financial support including: representational payment (salary-type) fixed annual allowance for meetings and other expenses; ad-hoc expenses (conferences and other events) and retirement gratuity (lump sum on retirement).
A f r i c A n b e c o m e s f i r s t i m m i g r A n t i n L i m e r i c k L o c A L e L e c t i o n s
The local elections in Limerick are scheduled for May 23, 2014, and if Sunny Martins Duruagwu gets elected, he will join the ranks of other Africans that have set precedence
Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday vowed to advance cooperation with Togo and Mali. Li made the pledge as he held separate talks with
Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe and Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara, who are in the Nigerian capital for the 2014 World Economic Forum on Africa.
TOGO
Somalia: The African Union force in Somalia, AMISOM, has launched new airstrikes aimed at militant group al-Shabab. AMISOM says the
attack near the southern town of Jilib on Tuesday killed more than 50 al-Shabab insurgents. There has been no independent confirmation of the claim.
ZIMBABWE
The South African government has announced that thousands of Zimbabweans who received work permits through a special dispensation project will now
have to go back to their country to renew them.
SOUTH AFRICA
There is growing international outrage over the decision by a Sudanese court to sentence a pregnant Christian woman to death after she refused to
renounce her faith. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, who is eight months pregnant with her second child, was convicted of apostasy and adultery on 11 May and sentenced to death and 100 lashes for the respective charges.
SUDAN
Majongwe in Botswana for “ R e g i m e C h a n g e ” . FIREBRAND trade unionist Raymond Majongwe has been hired by workers in Botswana
to come and address them on how to influence “regime change” in that country’s labour movement.
FOLLOW @AFRICAWORLDNEWSFOR THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT
AFRICA
Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio in special interview bares his mind on several national issues especially the recent abduction of school girls in Chibok, his efforts in transforming Akwa Ibom State and many more.
Q: How has Akwa Ibom State responded to the abduction of schoolgirls by Boko Haram
A: It has not been easy. I will say that because the security agencies are working under very strenuous conditions. I think, to some extent, there has also been a lot of politics embedded in the reaction that we are seeing all over.. globally. My prayer is that, politics aside, we should focus on rescuing those girls. And, for me as a father, I feel we must focus on rescuing those girls. We can’t do that on the pages of newspapers and it is also easy for us to sit in the television studios and talk about those things when the main work is in the field. I believe all hands must be on deck and all parents, globally and in Nigeria, must pray for the girls and security agencies to succeed in bringing those girls back.
The response.. I can’t say because I have not been on ground so I don’t have the details. But, there are a lot of mysteries surrounding these situations. Two hundred and something girls for you to take them out of the school you need a lot of vehicles. I believe if they were walking, definitely it would have been possible for at least one person or the other to have seen these girls. I think there is a regime of fear around those areas where these things are prevalent so that it’s almost like a conspiracy of silence, nobody is ready to talk because I can’t imagine 230 girls moving either
on a bush track or otherwise at least one villager would have seen them.
The stories are a bit difficult to comprehend. What were the security agents in that area doing? What was the reaction of the school principal? How come even the principal’s daughters were not abducted; the female teachers were not touched. Some of them are said to have escaped, maybe released or escaped. No gun was fired and so not a single child was killed, which has not been the practice in the past. And it has taken the Boko Haram almost three weeks to come out to say “we are the one’s who did this”. Of course almost all the things that were suggested in the local media are the same things they are now saying. For instance we have somebody, I don’t know if it was Channels Television that said, “the girls have been sold for two thousand Naira”. And then all of a sudden the main man came up on CNN and YouTube and said, “I am going to sell your girls”. So it is as if we are even suggesting to them what they should do because he said, “I am going to sell your girls”, he didn’t say “I have sold your girls” but the other person said the girls have been sold to various families in Cameroon or to various husbands for two thousand Naira. So, I think we must focus on rescuing those girls and drop a little bit of politics and drop a little bit of propaganda.
It is a situation that touches all families. I have four girls in my family. I have four daughters so you can imagine that am not sleeping well and I don’t expect any parent in Nigeria to sleep well until those girls are back.
Q: Leaving all of this, everyone all over the world is concerned about these young girls. What do you think we should do that we haven’t done to bring those girls back?
A: I believe what we should have done that we didn’t do earlier is the issue of international collaboration. The dimension that this thing is taking is something, initially we must
have underrated their connections, their sponsors and the fact that yes Nigeria may be a very big country but we have enemies and this is a time some of our enemies may have jumped in to try to embarrass the Nigerian Government and the Nigerian people. So you see the dimension of Chad, Niger and Cameroon; all the countries surrounding Nigeria. So, one area we must focus on now is international collaboration. They must know that what affects Nigeria, only a matter of time, will come to them. We used to hear of these kind of things in Somalia and Libya, Iraq, Pakistan. Since it has never happened in Nigeria we just felt it wasn’t a Nigerian problem. I know very well that there was hardly any Nigerian who lifted a finger to assist the Pakistanis or to assist the Afghanistans when they had these problems. One area I think we must focus on, and I am glad the President is now ready to plunge into, is the area of international collaboration.
So, I was delighted when I watched on Television that, yes, indeed the United States Government has offered to help and Nigeria has accepted. Don’t forget that we ought to be an African giant so it is not easy for us to accept that, yes, we have a big problem and we need the assistance of the major powers. So, that for me, was very heart warming and shows humility on the part of Mr. President that it is time now for us to accept any assistance from any where. And, it shows serious concern that, yes, indeed wherever the help comes from the focus must be let us rescue our girls and then we can discuss politics later.
Q: Back to the issue of the kidnapped children, many people have raised some questions as to the series of events Relations to the abduction. How would you react to this?
It is a very touchy issue and people are reacting emotionally without asking questions like you are doing. If you say something to the contrary, you
We Must Not Sleep Until We Find Our Girls A Transcript of interview on CHANNELS TV
are going to be attacked in the social media, especially if you are a State Governor and you begin to ask if this was actually a Christian school, how come the principal, vice principal and the rest of them are all Muslims. And if this was actually a school where so many children were taken away, how come the female teachers were not touched and where were they. Like I said if the principals have daughters, how come their daughters were equally not touched? And when they marched these girls away, what number of vehicles, did they bring. They need up to 12 buses. Where did the convoy pass through and who saw the convoy. And if some 34 girls escaped, how did they escape and how come nobody fired at them when they were escaping.
There are so many questions one could ask, but right now, people are becoming more emotional and the issue is so emotive, that when they mention the number, nobody cares to really want to go into the nitty-gritty. But, I believe this is where the Federal Government must set up a strong investigative system that must come out with the facts and figures and that at the end of the day, Nigerians would have to be briefed, because the issues are very clear.
But, WAEC is also causing more confusion, because if you are saying that this was a girls’ school, how come you say you had about 130 boys. That was the information that was released. So if you have 130 boys in that school that is supposed to be a girls’ school, who admitted the boys?
And of course, if arrangement had been made and WAEC admitted that the place was not safe, and everyone knew it was not safe, how come the State government refused to evacuate the girls and take them to a safer environment.
My appeal to Nigerians is for us to be patient until all these issues are addressed.
Pictures taken at the Nigeria Embassy protest
13MAY 16 - 31 201412
MAY 16 - 31 2014
AFRICAWORLD AFRICAWORLD 15 MAY 16 - 31 201414 MAY 16 - 31 2014
The last edition of Tech_Pilot talked about security and control of computer usage for children in the Apple - MAC environment. This publication will look at effective ways of keeping an eye on kids and business in general.
Online activities have become more intense and the younger ones are the most users. They are easily misled, manipulated and harassed so, it is essential to scrutinize them and their activities online.
Monitoring the activities of your wards online has become a necessary issue which experts in the area have taken as task to help protect these vulnerable users.
mSpy is a software application, it’s so fascinating and irresistible; the features are great and beneficial towards the close monitoring of activities online and even beyond.
The mSpy is a reliable application and also user-friendly for watching over your child, business, employees’ mobile phone use. This mobile monitoring software runs in an invisible mode providing you with across-the-board logging features so that you can remotely track all activity that takes place on the monitored phone, from calls to calendar updates. Call history, text messages, emails, call recordings... all immediately sent from the tracked phone right to your secure online account!
M O N I T O R Y O U R BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
When monitoring calls, the mSpy allows you to view all incoming/outgoing calls with their duration. Also, this mobile tracking application can be set up to record calls made to or from a predefined number. It will record calls remotely from your target device and instantly view all incoming or outgoing calls, setting up a predefine number you wish to record calls to or from. It will enable you
to listen to the recording either directly from you Control Panel or download them to your PC.
You can restrict incoming calls from a predefine number on the target device, block unlimited amount of phone numbers that you can block and manage the restrictions from your Control Panel. The same apply to the SMS activities.
EMAIL WATCH:
mSpy also track emails and time spent writing one and monitor emails in and out so, your children are not threatened by online predators.
TRACK GPS LOCATION:
mSpy can be set up to track GPS location of your target phone.
Track the movement of your child or know if your employee is really stuck in traffic. Even keep the history of routes within a specific period of time.
BROWSING WATCH:
The one that bothers most
employers is the browsing time and history at work, knowing if those browsing are work related or not. The mSpy will allow you to monitor and create the record of all Internet activities taking place in the target device’s browser. Seeing all the websites visited and when and determine if that child truly utilised the Internet for that Home work from school.
BLOCKING WEBSITES: mSpy will block undesired websites, filter online content and set up time when to access certain web addresses.
I N S T A L L A T I O N S RESTRICTIONS:
One thing your child wants to do is download everything possible without proper review and this really over load the PC and most times virus infected. The mSpy allows you to monitor all the applications installed on the target device right from your Control Panel. You can control and view any type of apps installed (games, social, etc).
LOST PHONE TRACKING/REMOTE CONTROL
With the report of phone theft
By UCHENNA ONYENAGUBO
Monitor Your Child And Business More
Efficiently…
POEMS
Black Womanby: Leopold Sedhar Senghor
Naked woman, black woman
Clothed with your colour which is life,with your form which is beauty!
In your shadow I have grown up; thegentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes.
And now, high up on the sun-bakedpass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon,
I come upon you, my Promised Land,And your beauty strikes me to the heart
like the flash of an eagle.
Naked woman, dark woman
Firm-fleshed ripe fruit, sombre rapturesof black wine, mouth making lyrical my mouth
Savannah stretching to clear horizons,savannah shuddering beneath the East Wind’s
eager caresses
Carved tom-tom, taut tom-tom, mutteringunder the Conqueror’s fingers
Your solemn contralto voice is thespiritual song of the Beloved.
Naked woman, dark woman
Oil that no breath ruffles, calm oil on theathlete’s flanks, on the flanks of the Princes of MaliGazelle limbed in Paradise, pearls are stars on the
night of your skin
Delights of the mind, the glinting of redgold against your watered skin
Under the shadow of your hair, my careis lightened by the neighbouring suns of your eyes.
Naked woman, black woman,I sing your beauty that passes, the form
that I fix in the Eternal,
Before jealous fate turn you to ashes tofeed the roots of life.
being on the increase, many vital information falls into wrong hands. The mSpy can allow you to remotely activate a “wipeout” command on the target device. So when you lose your device, it is possible to perform “wipeout” from your Control Panel. You can Lock/unlock straight from your Control Panel.
NOTE: The “wipeout” function CANNOT be reversed so, it should be used in emergencies only.
Finally, the mSpy is a good tool to supervise devices remotely weather from home, holiday or office, keep track of your own. From time to time, the mSpy allows you to generate comprehensive reports based on different scenarios. And this report can be generated in difference format/application (Excel – CSV or PDF) for easy view.
Perfumed havenby; Samantha Sello
The flowers are booming again, as I sit among them I hear the symphony of insects.
A ladybug lands on my knee. I scoop her up in my hand and cradle her in my palm, I close my fingers over her, intending to keep her and I opened them again setting her free.
The bees race around me, busy and buzzing in the nectar filled heaven not aware that I am there, how dare they enter my perfumed heaven and drink my sweet nectar without my consent and have the audacity to ignore me.
A butterfly crosses my path, its wings were splattered with colour, my anger dissolves instantly, it was beautiful. I lay in this cornucopia of vivid colours, surrounded by insects and flowers as far as the eye could see.
“ This garden of mine holds more magic than Neverland”, I thought to myself as I drifted of with the smell of heaven.
Cabeza de negra (1946) by Spanish surrealist painter Maruja Mallo
