GLOBAL PEACE AND SECURITY: ANY HOPE?

The issue of global insecurity has become a recurring decimal; resurfacing almost everyday, everywhere, attracting different reactions from various categories of the people in all parts of the world.

Bomb blast, missile or bomb testing, assassination, armed robbery, ethno-religious riots, kidnapping, coup de tat among others are typical news heard around the globe today, showing the level of threat and insecurity in the world, thereby making the world an endangered place.

In September two thousand, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted an eight point declaration referred to as United Nations Millennium Declaration. It encompasses peace, security and disarmament, development and poverty eradication, protecting the environment, human rights, democracy and good governance.

Under the Peace, Security and Disarmament Declaration, the United Nations disclosed that effort would not be spared to free people from the scourge of war, whether within or between states, which has claimed more than five million lives in the past decade.

Today, it is so difficult to identify a nation that is free from insecurity or conflict, most especially in the African and Asian Continents.

The lingering Niger Delta crisis is a big challenge to the Nigerian government to address, Darfur crisis in Sudan, America’s invasion of Iraq, the Taliban and Al Qaeda issue in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Israel-Palestine dispute, Russia’s attack on Georgia, political crisis in Kenya, Niger Republic, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau and Xenophobic attack in South Africa are just a few to mention, showing the level of violence and unrest across the world.

Speaking at a Symposium organized by the National Assessment Synthesis Team for the United States Global Research Programme, Professor Anderson George of Cambridge University debunked the notion that the United States is succeeding in addressing the problem of global insecurity.

The Professor explained that the futility of US-Mission in different countries now could be inferred from the alarming rate of emergence of new terrorism.
Therefore it there is any disturbing fear about terrorism it is that rarely do military forces defeat or obliterate it.

To strengthen campaign on the need for peace from local to international level, the United Nations dedicates every twenty-first of September as International Day of Peace or the World Peace Day. The day which was first celebrated in nineteen eighty-one, is meant to be a day of non-violence and cease-fire.

Hence, the day will remain fruitless unless the world body, United Nations, regional bodies like African Union (AU), ECOWAS, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Arab League and European Union as well as other international organizations like the Red Cross truly work towards promoting peace and security, by stressing the need for all countries of the world and international organizations to foster friendship, peace, justice among nations as well as fighting poverty at all levels.

Former United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, once said “if war is failure of diplomacy, then diplomacy both bilateral and multilateral, is our first line of difference. The world today spends billions preparing for war, shouldn’t we spend a billion or two preparing for peace?”.

No doubt, without peace, there would not be friendly relationship and without friendly relationship, there would not be development and without development, the whole world would not be conducive for all to live in.

It is very imperative for the United Nations to be truly effective without fair or favour in maintaining peace and security by providing resources and tools for conflict re-building and reconstruction to ensure peaceful co-existence of the whole world.

Community leaders, traditional rulers and government at all levels should strive towards ensuring peaceful co-existence in their respective societies.

IMBIBLE THE LESSONS OF RAMADHAN

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may become pious. Fasting for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number should be made up from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, they have choice to either fast or to feed a poor person everyday. But whoever does good of his record, it is better for him.

And that you fast, is better for you only if you know.

The above quotation as contained in chapter two verses one hundred and eighty-three to one hundred and eighty-four of the holy Qur’an is the commandment of Allah, the Exalted, on all Muslim faithful but with few exception.

For about a month, Muslim faithful across the globe have being fasting in line with Allah’s commandment to reap Allah’s maximum reward through their total submission to the will of the Almighty.

Indeed, apart from spiritual benefit, it has been established that other benefits derivable from fasting include, medical or health benefit, social and psychological benefits.

During this period of spiritual rejuvenation, Muslims move closer to Allah by reading from the glorious Qur’an day and night, cultivate good manners, eating and drinking with members of the family and share other things among friends, relatives and other members of the society, thereby promoting peace, love and enhance unity within and beyond each family.

It is also important to note that fasting is a period of learning self-restraint and patience. And with patience, Muslims are able to strengthen their resolve to worship Allah alone, with sincerity and also to cope with other world activities without much ado.

Apart from abstaining from eating and drinking during this period, Muslims also restrain their souls from greed and stinginess, telling lies, adultery, fornication, backbiting, impatience and hypocrisy, and instead seeking Allah’s blessings, forgiveness, mercies, reading Qur’an and making supplications day and night in order to seek Allah’s maximum reward.

However, if all the virtues and lessons accrued during this month are imbibed, no doubt, there would be peace of mind, love, unity, harmony and cohesion needed in the society.

If Ramadan lessons are properly imbibed, it would go a long was in helping the nation to achieve the desired development as every individual would be providing selfless but purposeful services to the nation.

We must therefore resolve to sustain the present good deeds like recitation from the Glorious Qur’an, prayers day and night as well as restraining from don’ts of the Almighty Allah, the Most High.

All wealth individuals should sustain giving alms to the poor and needy to better their lots as poor do not live during Ramadan alone while everyone must work towards promoting love, unity and peace within our various families and the society at large.

Above all, let the fear of God continue.

TACKLING THE MENACE OF CHOLERA IN NIGERIA

For a very long time, Nigeria has been bedeviled with series of communicable and non communicable diseases which have claimed several lives.

It is on record that on many occasions, diseases like polio, yellow fever, dengue fever, river blindness among others do erupt across the country, taking away great potential leaders.

In fact, it is hardly difficult for two months or so to pass in Nigeria without the outbreak of any disease across the length and breadth of the country.

Presently, there is outbreak of Cholera in about eleven states, which had claimed over five hundred lives. The disease is caused by a bacteria called Vibro Cholera which can be acquired by food or water contaminated by fecal material.

Today, Cholera is ravaging States like Osun, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Gombe, Taraba, Jigawa, Adamawa, Yobe and the Federal Capital Territory, making other States susceptible to the dreadful disease.

Confirming the ugly development, the Chief Epidemiologist in the Federal Ministry of Health, Doctor Henry Akpan said about six thousand suspected cases had been reported, while there were other reports in the media which said the victims are more than that.

Available records show that Bauchi State had two thousand, four hundred and seventeen cases and about one hundred deaths, while one hundred and twenty and sixty five deaths had been recorded in Borno and Katsina States respectively.

Medical Experts have however attributed the outbreak to lack of access to safe water and good sanitary environment, which, in fact, makes all States of the Federation susceptible to the outbreak of the disease.

The fact that the case has not been reported in some parts of the country doesn’t insulate such states from the disease.

Hence, government at all levels must therefore ensure proper supply of potable water and proper maintenance of public utilities, particularly toilets and boreholes with a view to guaranteeing sound environment and hygienic for all and sundries.

Attitudinal change also needs to be advocated among Nigerians on making their environment tidy at all times as well as ensuring that water, fruits and foods are safe before taking them.

Epidemiologists and sanitary inspectors must be employed and supported in all the seven hundred and seventy- four local government areas of the country, to increase surveillance, treatment and enlightenment campaign across the country.

Conclusively, it is necessary for the president to be proactive and develop long term mechanism that will put an end to this scourge of epidemic while comprehensive probe should also be made into how the money budgeted and released by governments and development partners like UNICEF,WHO,MDGS and the World bank on water supply are expended in the last ten years.

2011 GENERAL ELECTIONS AND TASK BEFORE THE NIGERIAN POLICE

Nigeria, since her independence in 1960 has conducted several elections which were believed to be marred with irregularities. These include ballot snatching, election rigging, riots and other forms of violence.

Elections in Nigeria have become synonymous with violence due to the attendant ugly incidents that have permeated and characterized the conduct of elections in the country.

Reports from both local and international media during and after the elections better explained the pathetic state of Nigeria during elections. It is so difficult to recall any election in Nigeria without shedding blood, making the country loosing several men and women of great potentials.

Though, violence and other forms of irregularities erupt in elections across the globe, the persistent irregularities in elections in the country call for concern and drastic measures needed to be taken to safe the situation.

Therefore, the Nigerian Police, established and empowered by section two-one-five of the nineteen ninety-nine Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is to among other things protect the lives and properties of all inhabitants of this country.

Equally, the Electoral act defines in clear terms, specific functions of the Nigerian Police at ensuring free, fair and credible elections. It is against this background that the role of the Nigerian police in electioneering campaigns, votings, counting or compilation of election results and other engagements in electoral process cannot be over-emphasized.
For a very long time however, the Nigerian police have been joined in many election petitions for allegedly aiding or abetting electoral malpractices across the country.

To ensure acceptable and violent free elections therefore, the Nigerian police must start training and equipping its rank and file now.

Signing the new Electoral Act into law, President Goodluck Jonathan promised that next year’s general elections would be conducted peacefully, as it is often witnessed in other parts of the world.

President Jonathan noted that signing the bill into law would serve as a clear signal to the doubting thomases of the administration’s commitment to free, fair and beyond reproach elections, come twenty-eleven.

Even with the recently released whooping some of money, seventy billion naira to the Force, it may not conduct free and fair elections if officers and men of the Police are not adequately trained ahead of the all important national assignment.

Though, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Lagos and Ogun States, Mr. Azubuko Udah at the Lagos NUJ Press Week revealed that the Police had started training its officers and men on how to deal with the twenty-eleven elections, much emphasis must be placed on their duties on the election days, in line with international best practices.

It is also important for the policemen to desist from being used as machineries by unscrupulous politicians to achieve their selfish interests if truly, there will be credible elections in twenty eleven and beyond. Other selected security agents must also be well trained alongside the Police, on how to handle restive mobs.

The Nigerian Police must observe the rule of law in all their dealings, by giving every Nigerian equal protection in exercising their civic responsibilities, with a view to making the elections acceptable to all Nigerians and the international community.

POLITICAL CRISIS IN AFRICA

Undoubtedly, Africa has had some difficult moments through transition
from colonialism to independence. For about fifty years many countries
within the continent had witnessed various crises, which had hitherto led
to instability in political and socio-economic spheres of the affected
nations.
In the period between nineteen sixty and nineteen seventy, the entire
continent was almost turned into a battlefield as a result of coups and
counter coups.
It may not be out of place to recall the incidence that ousted Sir Tafawa
Balewa and Doctor Nnamdi Azikwe as the Prime Minister and President of
Nigeria respectively.
During the same period, General Akrah overthrew the government of
President Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, while Colonel Boumedienne in Algeria
also overthrew President Ben Bella.
Between nineteen eighty and now, changes of government through coup
d’etats had also occurred in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Equitorial
Guinea and Niger Republic, to mention a few.
No doubt, the coup d’etats had made the military regimes to become the
most prevalent political phenomena in Africa more than civilian regimes.
In Nigeria for example, out of about fifty years of existence as a
sovereign nation, the military had ruled for twenty-nine years, leaving the
remaining twenty years for the civilian governments.
However, their incursion into existing democratic practice was always
attributed to the failure of democratically elected leaders to respect
the social contracts between them and the electorate.
Internal political problems, corruption, maladministration, favouritism
and nepotism, as well as tribal or ethnic factors were usually listed as
part of reasons for their intervention or taking over from civilian
governments.
It is therefore pertinent to note that their intervention have been
directly or indirectly linked with personal ambitions and the craving for
power by some specific key players, as it could be seen in the case of
Dahomey in nineteen sixty-five, Uganda in nineteen seventy-one and Togo
in nineteen sixty-three.
Up till today, the coups have not improved African economic conditions
rather, they have been source of political tension because the coups had
driven the continent into further suffering.
Hence, the recent bloodless coup d’etat in the West African country of
Niger Republic has also brought to fore, the phenomena of military
incursion in Africa. The coup had however generated wide criticism among
the international community.
It is a known fact that the former President of the country, Mamadou
Tandja altered the country’s constitution to remain in power beyond the
end of his second term in office. In addition, his government became
unpopular, and was criticized and condemned by the international
community to the extent that some countries and international bodies
severe their ties with the country.
To this end, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the
Africa Union (AU) and other relevant international organizations should
as a matter of urgency work towards ensuring democratic governance in the
country within the agreed six months as promised by the Junta.
The international bodies should also strive to create a practicable
institutional framework that would compel democratically elected
government in Africa to respect constitutions of their respective
countries and avoid clinching to power for selfish interest.
Electoral malpractices, bad leadership, corruption, nepotism and other
hurdles to democratization process in Africa should be checked to ensure
that the continent is safe for all to live in.

CHECKING THE INFLUX OF ADULTERATED AND COUNTERFEIT DRUGS IN NIGERIA

If there is any area where technological breakthrough has equally recorded very dangerous negative impacts on the citizenry, it is in the area of fake and or adulterated drugs. Just as technology has considerably enhanced the invention, production and application of diverse drugs to cure certain ailments across the globe.

Fake or adulterated drugs are produced and sold by unscrupulous individuals in concert with their local collaborators to produce mass fake drugs and dispense same across the world, particularly, the developing countries.

Scores of lives have been lost as a result of consumption of fake, adulterated or counterfeit drugs while many have been paralyzed or subjected to allergic reactions due to its consumption.

Counterfeiting occurs throughout the world, although, there are claims that it is more common some developing countries without regulatory or enforcement regimes.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than ten percent of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, and in some countries, more than fifty percent of the drug supply is counterfeit.

Counterfeit medications may also contain incorrect ingredients, improper dosages of the correct ingredients, or contain actual hazardous ingredients that are injurious to the health of consumers.

In two thousand and three, the WHO cited estimates that the annual earnings of counterfeit drugs were over thirty-two billion dollars.

Reports showed that many fake drugs came from the same countries that make normal drugs, in particular China and India. In the case of India, while it is against the law to sell fake drugs for domestic use, there is no prohibition on export of counterfeit drugs to any part of the world.

Also in China, the State Food and Drug Administration is not responsible for regulating pharmaceutical ingredient manufacture and exported by chemical companies.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria also disclosed that at least seventy percent of the drugs in circulation in Nigeria are fake and most imported from India, China, Pakistan, Egypt and Indonesia.

Indeed, the National Agency for Food and Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) established in two thousand and four to among other things regulate and control the importation, exportation, manufacture, distribution, sale and use of good drugs, bottled water and chemicals had done a lot to check the influx of counterfeit and other substandard products in the Country.

In June two thousand and nine, the Agency seized a large consignment of fake anti-malaria drugs with the label of ‘Made in China’ but found that the medicines were in fact produced in China and were imported in the African countries.

To save the country from being a dumping ground for fake drugs, a combined team of the Senate Committee and the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently paid a visit to China as part of Nigeria’s leading role in ensuring quality drugs for consumers.

Led by Chairman of the Committee, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, the working visit which preceded a similar one planned for India was a pregnatic step jointly taken by both organizations to tackle the hydra headed problem of influx of fake drugs and unwholesome processed food in which some unscrupulous Chinese Pharmaceutical Companies have been identified.

The visit is expected to serve as a new vista of opportunity between NAFDAC and Chinese Food and Drug Administration to close ranks and work together in eradicating the reoccurring problem of exportation of counterfeit drugs from China to Nigeria.

Thus, the National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC in collaboration with States, Ministries of Health must not relent in sanitizing the system by prosecuting and confiscate properties of these deliberate killers with a view to riding the nation of fake drugs and save endangering lives.

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP IN AFRICA SOIL

After years of skepticism over Africa’s ability to host an event of the magnitude of the World Cup, South Africa is hosting the four weeks global soccer fiesta, the first of its kind in Africa soil, since its inauguration eighty years ago.

No doubt, the entire World, particularly, soccer enthusiasts and analysts, are not unaware of politics that go alongside agitation or bidding for hosting of any football competition from local level to global level.

South Africa however began the great challenge in May two thousand and four, when FIFA President Sepp Blatter opened the envelope which revealed South Africa as the first African country to host the soccer World Cup in Zurich, Switzerland.

Prior to the announcement, South African Government had made seventeen guarantees to FIFA, in relation to the delivery of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Since FIFA’s announcement of South Africa as the host country of the World’s biggest soccer event, there have been series of criticisms, challenges and encouragements on the country’s preparedness in terms of infrastructure to host the World. Today, there is no question whether the Country is ready to host a spectacular and memorable event as all the thirty-two countries representing all the continents and sub-continents of the world arrived the rainbow nation.

Out of these thirty-two countries, six African countries, including host, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroun, Ghana, Algeria and Cote d’lvoire are taking part in the tournament.

The rest of the qualified countries are Japan, the Netherlands, Korea Democratic People’s Republic, Australia, Korea Republic, USA, Brazil, England, Paraguay, Spain, Denmark, Chile, Germany and Italy.

Others are Mexico, Serbia, Switzerland, Argentina, Honduras, Slovakia, France, Portugal, Slovenia, Greece, Uruguay and New Zealand.

The four week event is expected to take place in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces, using ten stadia in nine host cities, while an independent consulting and accounting firm revealed that about four hundred thousand international tourists are expected to visit South Africa over the period.

Indeed, the World Cup is not only a landmark event, it is a defining event for its host nation because a lot of infrastructural projects had been put in place.

Economically, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry has disclosed that the soccer spectacle is expected to inject about fifty-five billion rand into the country’s economy as well as create over four hundred and fifteen thousand jobs.

Speaking on the preparation of the country, former South African President, Nelson Mandela noted that the 2010 World Cup is a powerful creator of opportunity for all and must be used as a springboard for future.

According to him, the World Cup will help unify people, if there is one thing in this planet that has the power to bind people, it is soccer.

It is therefore imperative for the South African authorities to intensify efforts on its transport services, health-care delivery, safety and security, immigration, tourism sector, telecommunications services and administration of justice to check all impediments to successful hosting of the World on African soil for the first time.

All African nations participating in the fiesta must show their stuff and potentials.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) should also give necessary support to South Africa with a view to giving the World the best World Cup ever while other stakeholders in the continent should use the competition to proof that South Africa and indeed the African continent in general, is capable of organizing an event of this magnitude.