Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili And Women In Nigeria

DR.DORA NKEM AKUNYILI

The Nigerian Times will honour Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili as the African Woman of the Year 2005.

This African-Nigerian Ibo Amazon is a worthy role model in honest and upright leadership for not only women in Africa, but also for women all over the world. Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili can become the President of Nigeria and I pray to the Almighty God to grant my wish to give us such an honourable woman to lead Nigeria.

Dr. Dora Nkem Akunyili - (Nigeria)

Director General of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and a pharmacologist by training, Dr Akunyili has defied death threats while tackling corrupt practices in the manufacturing, import and export of drugs, cosmetics and food products. Since taking up her position in April 2001, Dr Akunyili has earned nationwide respect for her persistence in prosecuting illegal drug traders and in imposing strict standards on multinational companies. In particular, she has pursued manufacturers and importers of counterfeit drugs, deemed to be a leading cause of deaths by stroke and heart failure in Nigeria. Counterfeit drugs worth an estimated US$16 million have been confiscated and destroyed by Dr Akunyili and her staff, in the process saving the lives of thousands of innocent Nigerians.

AMINA LAWAL WHO WAS NEARLY STONED TO DEATH IN NOTHERN NIGERIA.
Nigerian women can lead Nigeria to become a better and greater nation in the leadership of Africa among the comity of nations.

More on Women In Nigeria

The lives of middle class Nigerian women differ greatly from those of most western women. Since pre-colonial days women retained certain economic opportunities within the social system. In fact, before the middle of the twentieth century, Nigerian women traditionally played a more significant role in society than did western women. Traditional or tribal society in Nigeria expected women to be significant wage earners in the family. They labored in farming, fishing, herding, and commerce (for instance, pottery, cloth-making, and craft work) alongside Nigerian men. In fact, women traditionally had the right to profit from their work, although the money usually served as a contribution to the family income. This economic freedom was much different from many western societies, where women had to fight for the right to work. These traditions still survive in modern Nigeria

However, Nigerian men do not value the economic contributions of their wives. They do not view the woman's job and household work as especially taxing. For the most part, Nigerian men consistently take their wives for granted. Moreover, even with economic opportunities, Nigerian women lack certain rights. As a rule, men do not have any legal responsibility for their offspring, and they often abandon women, expecting them to carry the financial burden of the family.



Marriage


The Nigerian institution of marriage is unconventional by western standards. The traditional and Islamic systems of polygamy flourish within every social class. Women expect very little from men in terms of companionship, personal care, and fidelity. Their relationships exist without the emotional elements.

Polygamy is a crucial component of many women's lives. Women depend on the other wives of their husbands. The younger co-wives take on many of the household and financial responsibilities. As women get older they have the comfort of knowing that the burden of their marriage does not fall solely on their shoulders.


A woman's postion in society changes vastly once they marry since she becomes a possession, with relatively no rights in her husband's family. In fact, the husband's mother and sisters have much more of an influence over him than his own wife. The wife resents this lack of control or even respect within their marriage.

The Nigerian system of inheritance reflects the lack of male responsibility to his wife and children. If a husband dies, the woman usually receives nothing, although the law entitles her to a share. If she has no children, the treatment is worse. Since property can only pass between the same sexes, women can never inherit from their fathers.

Within marriage, women have an obligation to have children. Traditionally, society blames the woman for a marriage without children. Society not only condemns women who cannot have children, but unmarried and divorced women as well.

In recent years, the support of the co-wives has diminished. Modern developments of mandatory education, urbanization, and capitalism are changing the Nigerian society. Since 1960, educational opportunities have expanded for women. Slowly men are beginning to see the value of higher education for their wives. Now, more often than not, they send their daughters to school for an education.



Abortion


Abortion is still illegal in Nigeria. In fact, women make up the strongest opposition to it. Surprisingly, men seem to be much more willing to accept the idea than most middle class women.



Political Roles of Women


Today women play a minimal role in politics, although the 1979 Constitution guaranteed their rights. In pre-colonial Nigeria, women had a much larger position in politics. Unfortunately, the western influences restricted women's participation. Now, women have relatively little opportunity to become involved. The political parties do not look favorably upon female candidates.

As western values gained influence in colonial Nigeria, women lost some of their traditional rights. For the most part, women in Nigeria have not attempted to rise in their maleidominated society and patriarchy continues to thrive. But as time passes, women are beginning to demand some equality. Perhaps they will be able to reconcile the rights of the past with the freedoms of a modern age

We Remember The Ogoni Nine

We remember the nine martyrs of the Niger Delta of Nigeria
BARIBOR BERA
SATURDAY DOBEE
NORDU EAWO
DANIEL GBOKOO
BARINEM KIOBEL
JOHN KPUINEN
PAUL LEVURA
FELIX NUATE
KEN SARO-WIWA

No epitaph would do.
And no cenotaph would do.
Because, until justice is done
The battle has not been won.

A Tale Of Two Nigerian Rebels In Abuja

The headlines on Nigeria in the international media are on the two revolutionary leaders,namely Ralph Uwazurike, who founded the south-eastern secessionist Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), who was brought before a federal court in the capital, Abuja, where four counts of treason and conspiracy were read to him and six other MASSOB members and my inlaw Asari Dokubo who was on hunger strike. Both militant leaders are in detention.


Ralp complained of being chained to the floor and tortured and Asari wanted to be moved from the three star chalet where he is being detained to a prison where he can interact with inmates. And the report quoted a Nigerian police officer who said they were spending over $1,000 monthly to take care of Asari.

Police spokesman Haz Iwendi denied he was on a hunger strike saying they had a monthly budget of $1,500 just to feed him. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4414484.stm

Asari was enjoying VIP treatment at the cost of $1,500 per month, but Ralph was chained to the floor and tortured.

Why the discrimination in the treatment of the two brothers in arms?
Is Ralph more dangerous than Asari?

If Asari is also enjoying free Internet service, I don't mind to join him in detention. The government can give me just $1,000 monthly for pocket money and keep the remaining $500. I don't eat much. But, I trust my inlaw Asari when it comes to sumptuous meals. In fact the hunger strike will do him a lot of good to shed his excess fat.And look like a real revolutionary activist and not like a Sumo wrestler. So, that he will not need a tummy-tuck surgery like our uncle, the "Governor-General of the Ijaw Thieves" who was caught in London for helping us to save our millions of pounds in his foreign account.

I will keep you up to date as the Nigerian comedy of errors continues.

Why Paris Is On Fire

Sokari Ekine of Black Looks has already published a comprehensive report on the bloody riots in Paris and the surroundings in France. And I posted her report on other sites. The report generated several responses on the causes of these riots. And Peter Porcupine has published a more comprehensive analytical report on the fundamental issues of the racial and religious tensions he believes caused the tragic accidental death of two boys of African origin to snowball into a national crisis that could worsen if not contained. Because, the people involved are both legal and illegal immigrants from African countries and the religious angle is more dangerous than the political angle. Since, the common opinion seems to be that the Muslims in France are being victimized by the French authorities.

Peter Porcupine's report is a must read if you want an eye-witness account from Paris.
THE ANTI-RIOT FRENCH POLICE FORCE FACING THE FIRE OF THE RIOTS IN PARIS.
Is Paris Burning?

The Swoon of Ages, It shall Burst, and Fill the World with Cleansing Fire; It must, It will--It may not be restrained!
The Revolt of Islam, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)

Today is a significant anniversary in world history, in many ways more important than Dec. 7th or August 6th. On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran and took approximately seventy Americans captive. This terrorist act triggered the most profound crisis of the Carter presidency and began a personal ordeal for Jimmy Carter and the American people that lasted 444 days. This was the beginning of the intifada, the War of Terror on the part of the Muslim world. For us, it seemed an incident. In the eyes of Muslims worldwide, it progressed through embassy bombings, ship bombings, building bombings, suicide bombings, until finally our attention was captured on Sept.1, 2001. It is sobering to think that the young soldiers in Iraq, and indeed most young adults in their 20's and 30's, have never known a world without this threat.

While the United States is a primary locus of the intifada, Europe is not immune. There were the bombings in Madrid, and the attack in London this year. Now, Paris is becomeing engulfed in terror and conflict.

Recently, Roger L. Simon featured an email on his blog from an American, Paul Cruce, who writes The Frog Blog of Louis Lavache (in happier times, featuring explanations of French culture, photos of Paris and recipes) Cruce wrote about his experiences with the French, and the turning tide back to America HERE. Porcupine was interested in his point of view, and wrote to him as he is an ordinary person in an extraordinary place. From what he had heard, what triggered these riots? To be sure, the Muslim ghettos circling Paris have been festering and growing worse for years, but what was the trigger? Was it France’s recent legislation against headscarves? Was there a Rodney King, as it were? Cruce was kind enough to reply in detail, and this is his answer to that question.

Cruce spoke to the long festering problem, "A significant part of the current problems may be laid at the feet of Socialist former Prime Minister Jospin. When he initiated the 35 hour work week, French businesses took advantage of the new law and "broomed" their least productive workers - who were, you guessed it - largely Black, Muslim and/or black Muslim. So just as in the U.S. where every raise in the minimum wage creates more unemployment, the 35 hour work week had the same result here....The "official" unemployment rate is 9.8%, but what I am hearing here (and I have two friends who work in the government) is that the real number is 12.5%. The 23% figure for the young in the former "red belt" (the suburbs of Paris which had Socialist and Communist officials, now turned into slums) is more truly 25% or higher."

As to the immediate cause of the violence, “What isn't being reported is that the two kids who were electrocuted were on railway tracks "tagging." Graffiti is out of control here. In my post on my blog about the Gare de Lyon, I had to change the position of the shot I took of the three TGVs because they had been so horribly tagged. (See here). The trains here are all electric, so if you are going to be tagging trains or train stations, a favorite pastime of the unemployed black, Muslim, and black Muslim kids here, you are going to be walking and crawling around the power sources for the trains. Despite the denials that the police were chasing them, it seems likely that the police caught them and gave chase. They tried to hide in a transformer box and got fried.” So this was the spark that set off 9 days of violent rioting, to date.

“There is a rising tide of anger by the native French population against Muslim lawlessness, and ‘Sarko,’(Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkosky, who is the head of police in the same way the Home Office is in Britain) whether he is being opportunistic or acting out of principal, is generally showing the spine needed to address this growing threat. Tuesday night in Clichy-sous-Bois a white family, a man, his wife and daughter were out for an evening stroll. (I won't speculate on why, giving the riots over the previous five nights, they thought they could do this.) The white trio was attacked by a group of black Muslims - apparently the white family's only sin was their color - and the man was beaten to death. Last weekend, a man carrying a digital camera in Epinay-sous-Sènart on the south-east near where I am staying in Mandres-les-Roses, was set upon by a trio of black Muslims who demanded his camera. He wasn't quick enough and was also beaten and stomped to death. Paris is abuzz with these outrages, and I think the criminals are creating a huge backlash for themselves. I am hearing a lot of talk this morning about forcing the government to deport the illegal Muslims, black or otherwise. The French are beginning to want them OUT. People in Paris are PO'd today. I usually avoid even abbreviations like that, but it is really descriptive of the mood.”
Now, reports are that the rioting has spread beyond Paris, HERE, although the main official response seems to be that tourists are safe, and move along, there’s nothing to see here (There wasn’t in Watts in 1965, either).

Today, November 4th, marks the beginning of the War on Terror against the west. France, which worked harder to be conciliatory with Islam than any other European nation, is paying the price for trying appeasement in place of self-defense. Today, three men were arrested in London with plans to blow up the White House and U.S. Congress. Amreican media noted this by doing stories on a missing girl in Aruba, the Libby indictment, and vulgar tee-shirts.

We need to recognize that this war is only partly on Iraqi soil, and pay our opponents the respect of taking them seriously. Even as the intelligentsia sneers at Homeland Security and terror alerts, the Paris that is burning is in France, not Kentucky or Maine or Texas.

Why America Has Failed To Capture Osama Bin Laden

GWB: Yeah! Hear me now!

As I was wondering, I was thinking of the possibility of the impossibility.
Why America has not been able to catch Osama bin Laden.
What if Osama bin Laden repents?
Will America forgive him?

What if the devil decides to repent?
Will God forgive him?

You think I am nuts to have such weird thoughts.
Well, with God all things are possible.

But, I know why America has not been able to catch Osama bin Laden.
Because of the fact that Osama bin Laden is using occultist power of the HAMZAD that the devil gives his devotees to make them invisible and invincible to humans. Most Arabs and Indians have this HAMZAD. It is a satanic power.

America has failed to catch Osama bin Laden, because America has been relying on ordinary mortal force and that cannot work against the diabolical supernatural power of the HAMZAD used by Osama bin Laden.

All the great pastors and prophets in America could have joined hands together to pray for the capture of Osama bin Laden. But, I am afraid that God may not answer their prayer. Why? Two wrongs cannot make a right. America has sinned against God. America is as good as Sodom and Gomorrah or even worse. Where men are bonking men and women are bonking women, unborn babies are being murdered in millions every year all over America, witches and wizards have licenses to practice their evil acts on their victims, sex maniacs and voyeurs are all over the place from New York to New Jersey. Even anonymous sexual intercourses where you fxxk unknown people or demons through holes in walls are taking place in clubs and other atrocities. And the hypocrisy of the American clergy, the white sepulcher of Christendom as aptly described by our Messiah Jesus Christ:
Whited sepulcher is a phrase from the Holy Bible (Matthew 23:27) where Jesus says to the Pharisees: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness." The term Whited means the same thing as "whitewashed," and the phrase describes a hypocrite, meaning the men were respectable on the outside but rotten on the inside. Also identified in “White Lies and Whited Sepulchres in Conrad's “Heart of Darkness”.

These so called Christian ministers in America have lost their power, because of their hypocrisy in racial discriminations, class discriminations, sectarian discriminations and using chicanery, usury and the fearful wrath of God to extort money from the laity already hoodwinked and misled to believe that answers to their prayers and miracles have price tags. The more offerings and tithes you pay to these ministers the more blessings, favors and provisions you will receive from God. They are exactly like those people Jesus Christ described as charlatans, crooks and rogues who have turned the house of God into a den of thieves.

Therefore, America is in quandary of contradictions, contrarieties and anomalies that have confused the American government and American society.
No wonder President George Walker Bush is confused and committing terrible blunders in the war on terror with the daily loss of precious American lives and the lives of citizens of other nations. If there was no invasion of Iraq, the over 2,000 American soldiers killed so far would still have been alive today and over 100,000 Iraqis would not have been killed by Saddam Hussein even if he was Count Dracula.

If America wants to succeed in the on going suicidal war on terror and capture Osama bin Laden, America must repent first and denounce all the sins and atrocities sanctioned by many legislations in America such as gay marriages, unwarranted abortions, unlawful possession of firearms, drunkenness, and other evils. Because, before the Almighty God, America and the Al Qaeda are both guilty of horrible and terrible sins, crimes and evils against God and against humanity. And God said that He will destroy the destroyers of the earth.

Without the mercy and power of God, America cannot capture Osama bin Laden and America cannot win the war of terror.

I hereby rest my case.