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Tag: US

  • 12 FUTA students to complete studies in US

    12 FUTA students to complete studies in US

    The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Adebiyi Daramola, has counseled 12 students of the university, who will complete their programmes at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America, to be of good behaviour.

    The 12  are the fourth set of  students to benefit from an academic exchange programme between the two institutions.

    The VC urged them to sustain the good image of their university in America at a send-off organised for them.

    Reviewing the performance of the students  since the inception of the 4+1+1 programme under which selected FUTA students would complete the last year of their undergraduate programme in FAMU and proceed to do their masters, Daramola said: “I am very happy to announce to you that your predecessors in the programme have made us proud.  They keep our flag flying and keep making us shine.  I want you to make FUTA shine better.  Since the programme started, we have received positive reports about our students.  They have performed morally and academically well.  As I am talking to you, one of them, who went in 2014 will be completing his Doctorate in April, 2017.   That is why I always say sky is not just the limit, but the starting point for the serious type.  Therefore, I urge you to utilise this rare opportunity to your full advantage.”

    Daramola urged the students to justify their parents’ investment and be good ambassadors of their country.

    He also spoke of a similar programme taking off in Germany next year.

    “Our collaboration with world class universities keep soaring.  By next year, our students will be going to Germany.  This is because we want them to have opportunities their peers in other universities in Nigeria do not have,” he said.

    In his address, the Director, International Office, FUTA, Prof Akintunde Akindahunsi, counseled the students to face their studies and not misuse the opportunity.  He described  America as a land of opportunities open to both success and failure, depending on one’s choice.

    Responding on behalf of his peers, Oladosun Olayinka of the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering (MME) assured the University Management and parents that they will be of good behaviour.

    Another student, Akintola Taofeek of the Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering said: “I did not expect this coming my way when I started my studies here, but I see it as God’s making.  I want to advice other students to study hard because there is no time success cannot come one’s way.”

    Chidinma Obinegbo described the exchange programme as a privilege. “I am really excited with this achievement.  You cannot come by this opportunity in other higher institutions in Nigeria.  It is a rare privilege that should not be abused,” she said.

  • 9/11: U.S. remembers victims, vows to crush terrorism

    9/11: U.S. remembers victims, vows to crush terrorism

    The United States (U.S.) yesterday vowed to strengthen its effort to combat terrorism, saying extremist ideologies would not be allowed to flourish anywhere in the world.

    The U.S. in a release on the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on World Trade Centre (WTC) in New York and the Pentagon which left thousands of people dead, said that countries of the world must stand together and work to defeat the scourge. It called for renewed commitment to fighting terrorism, as the activities of terrorists remain potential threats to freedom and world peace.

    The statement from the U.S. Mission to Nigeria reads: “Tomorrow marks the 15th anniversary of one of the most tragic days in the history of the United States. Terrorists staged attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon. They were only prevented from completing another attack by the heroism of the passengers on board of United Flight 93. The images of that day are forever imprinted on our memories.

    “The events of that day revealed the character of American citizens who demonstrated their courage and willingness to sacrifice for their fellow men and women.

    “Sadly, tragic events throughout the world have shown the ongoing horrific impact of terrorism in Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Belgium, among many other countries. Far too many families have experienced pain and loss as a result of terrorism. It is clear that we all must stand together and work to defeat this scourge.”

    The U.S. said it would continue to remember the victims of the attack, calling for renewed international commitment to defeat terrorism across the globe.

    The statement added: “We must defeat terrorists and all that they represent, and at the same time work tirelessly to promote dialogue, peace, and reconciliation in order to resolve the complex problems that we face in this interdependent world.”

  • Forthcoming US presidential election

    I have followed with keen interest and from the vantage point of being in America at this auspicious time, the national conventions of the American Republican and Democratic parties in Cleveland Ohio and Philadelphia Pennsylvania respectively. I am also anxiously looking forward to the election in November. This is because whatever happens in the USA has ramifications all over the world. As it is popularly stated, “when one sneezes in Washington DC, the rest of the world catches cold”. USA whether one likes it or not, is an exceptional country. It is the most powerful economic power in the world. Its currency is the reserve currency of the world leading to its accusation of dollar imperialism. It has the most powerful military in the world with a reach that is unmatched by any other nation on earth. This military power is deployed in space on earth, under the sea and in strategic silos in many parts of the world. It has salt water navy that is deployed on all the seas of the world. When there is a human crisis of hunger and outbreak of pandemic disease, it is the USA that most of the world looks up to. It’s farmers who are four percent of its population has the capacity to feed the whole world. America constantly renews itself through the ingenuity of its people, immigration from all over the world and belief in God and some kind of what its historians and politicians used to call its manifest destiny. Needless to say America is largely a faith based country of the Judeo-Christian tradition

    In spite of all these great attributes America has some shortcomings and internal problems. Internally, the country is severely divided between the forces of its racist and slave holding past and those of the liberal present that believes in its founding credo that “all men are created equal and endowed by their creator to certain unalienable rights among which are the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It is also separated by the extremes of wealth and poverty as well as those who believe that the problems of our world would not be solved by resort to force always but by dialogue, diplomacy and mutual understanding. President Dwight Eisenhower, a former Allied commander in Europe during the Second World War who subsequently became US president had occasion to warn his country to beware of being taken over by the military-industrial complex, that is to say, those forces who constantly wish to put AMERICAN industrial power and processes on war footing for the benefit of the rich minority of less than one percent of the people who use their awesome power to dominate and manipulate national politics. There is also the vicious racism which pervades all sectors of the American society, be it employment, industry, the military, church and state education, health, politics and policing. Because of the disadvantaged position of descendants of slaves in relation to that of their slave-holding masters, it has proved impossible to bridge the social and cultural gap that separates the two. Thus blacks had been kept down by lynching and Jim Crow in the past and by unemployment and poverty in the present and police brutality manifesting in unrestrained shooting of young black peoples without provocation. Admitted that there is black on black violence in the urban ghettos in which blacks are confined, the general violence in America is aided by the so-called second amendment to the USA constitution allowing citizens to carry fire arms. This widely misunderstood right has led to loss of millions of lives of Americans in needless violence. There are studies showing more lives have been lost due to gun violence than lives lost in wars in which America has been involved. In spite of several pleas by the current US President Barak Obama and weeping parents, Americans are held down by the gun lobby of the powerful American Rifle Association which funds election of several members into the US Congress. These then are the fundamental issues facing America which those running for the presidency and the Congress have always been called upon to address during elections every four years.

    The current struggle for power is between on the Democratic Party’s Hilary Rodham Clinton, former First Lady to President Bill Clinton, former Senator representing New York State and recently American Secretary of State. Opposing her is Donald J. Trump, a boasting billionaire also from New York. He made his fortune in property development in many parts of the world and in casino and gambling. He is given to amassing wealth by unscrupulous ways such as setting up a university and duping people to part with their money by suggesting to weak-minded people that he could teach them the secret of becoming billionaires like himself. In short he is a totally objectionable character but he has been able to touch the sore nerve of general distrust of politicians and discontentment of those Americans left behind by the forces of globalization that has led to manufacturing industries and therefore jobs being transferred to Mexico, India, China and other underdeveloped countries with cheap and skilled labour with lower wages and less rigorous environmental regulations. Trump is promising to possibly deport all illegal immigrants taking away jobs from Americans and build a wall against future immigrants crossing the Mexican border into the USA. In a world torn apart by terrorism which he says is inspired by Islam, Trump has said he will ban all Muslims  from coming to America and Newt  Gingrich, one of his supporters and former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives wants to go further by deporting Muslims from America. Trump says American under him will abrogate NAFTA, WTO, Paris Protocol on climate change and tear apart NATO unless members pay up. Many of what he is saying resonates with blue-collar white workers in the United States because many of them are not well informed due to their little education. Those who know Trump say he does not mean what he says and that he is a demagogue who will say anything to get elected. In my life I have seen this type of AMERICAN politician before in the person of the Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater who ran as a Republican presidential candidate against President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964. Goldwater famously said “moderation in the defense of Liberty is no virtue and extremism in the defense of freedom is no vice”; he also threatened to use nuclear weapons against American adversaries and was promptly defeated in a Johnson landslide victory.

    The difference this time is that the Democratic opponent of Trump, Mrs Hilary Clinton carries quite a bit of electoral baggage. First no woman has ever run for president of the USA before. Thus she is seen as some kind of a threat to deeply held idea of the place of the woman in AMERICAN society. Second she is a Clinton and many Americans do not like the idea of dynastic succession. Thirdly, she has antagonized the poor base of the Democratic Party by being too close and cozy with Wall Street of bankers and the rich. Fourthly, while Secretary of State, she used private server for her e-mails thus exposing secret USA documents to enemy hacking. This has led to FBI investigation in which she came out in unfavorable light. And finally, she has been unreasonably accused of being responsible for American foreign policy debacle in Libya and the Middle East in particular leading to destabilization of the entire region. She has also been accused of being the brain behind American accommodation with Iran over that country’s nuclear power ambition which saw Iran foreswearing nuclear ambitions for the foreseeable future in exchange for lifting of global sanctions against it and guaranteed by the USA, Britain, Russia, China France and Germany. The forces in America egged on by Israel that would have wanted a war with Iran remain dissatisfied with the Iran deal justifiably thinking Iran would in future break the agreement. Some of what Mrs Clinton is being crucified for are totally unjustified but that is politics!

    There is no doubt in my mind that Hilary Clinton will be a great president. She is probably the most prepared person by experience for the post.   President Barak Obama openly stated this at the Democratic Party’s convention and most people agreed with him. All things being well, she will be elected president in November. This is of course with the proviso that no damaging e-mails are released by   Wikileaks/Russia and no major acts of terrorism in America or Europe traceable to the Islamic caliphate or ISL breaks out before November. The world will be much safer if and when Hilary Rodham Clinton, rather Donald Trump, joins Angela Merkel of Germany Theresa May of Great Britain in the increasing club of female leaders of the world.

  • US adds Nigeria, six others to list of world’s worst violators of religious freedom

    US adds Nigeria, six others to list of world’s worst violators of religious freedom

    •Labels IS, Boko Haram as most egregious abusers of religious freedom

    The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is recommending that the State Department add Nigeria and six other countries to its list of 10 nations that engage in the worst violations of religious rights.

    USCIRF wants Nigeria, Central African Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Vietnam be designated as CPCs [Countries of Particular Concern].

    However, “non-state actors such as Da’esh [also known as ISIS or the Islamic State] and Boko Haram continued to rank amongst the most egregious abusers of religious freedom in the world,” according to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2015 released by the State Department.

    “Da’esh continued to pursue a brutal strategy of what Secretary [John] Kerry judged to constitute genocide against Yezidis, Christians, Shia, and other vulnerable groups in the territory it controlled, and was responsible for barbarous acts, including killings, torture, enslavement and trafficking, rape and other sexual abuse against religious and ethnic minorities and Sunnis in areas under its control,” according to the report.

    “In areas not under Da’esh control, the group continued suicide bombings and vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks against Shia Muslims,” it added.

    Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), the department issues a yearly report describing the state of religious freedom in each foreign country, and designating countries with egregious religious freedom violations as CPCs.

    “Earlier this year, the Department designated 10 nations as CPCs under IRFA: Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan,” USCIRF noted in an August 12 statement.

    “USCIRF agrees with these designations,” and recommends that the State Department take further action designating the seven additional countries as CPCs as well.

    “Pakistan’s government, for example, clearly meets IRFA’s CPC standard, but has never been so designated,” USCIRF pointed out.

    The State Dept. report details a number of religious freedom violations in Afghanistan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia, including the brutal torture and murder of a woman in Kabul, Afghanistan who was falsely accused of burning the Koran and other mob killings for supposed apostasy from Islam.

    Non-violent methods of religious discrimination were prevalent as well, according to the report.

    “Around the world, governments continued to tighten their regulatory grip on religious groups, and particularly on minority religious groups and religions which are viewed as not traditional to that specific country,” according to the State Department.

    “Researchers Roger Finke and Dane Mataic of Penn State University found that the number of countries that require some sort of registration has increased significantly over the last two decades, to nearly 90 percent of all countries.

    “Finke and Mataic assess that, while some of these countries regulate religion in what appears to be a non-discriminatory way, many of the measures used to regulate religion, or to decide what is a valid and recognized religion and what is not, are clearly discriminatory,” said the report.

    Angola, Azerbaijan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, North Korea, Eritrea, Brunei, Burma, Vietnam, Central African Republic, Hungary, Bahrain, Ukraine, and Russia were found to have continued or increased religious regulations.

    Some of these countries—such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Brunei—have regulations that favor either Sunni or Shi’a Islam and often violently punish those with other beliefs, the report stated.

    Steps toward peace between Islam and other religions were made in several countries, it added.

    In Kenya, a group of Muslims reportedly shielded Christians who were being attacked on a bus; in the Central African Republic, Christians and Muslims peacefully marched together during Pope Francis’ visit to the country, leading to the demolition of barriers between Christian and Muslim neighborhoods; and the United Arab Emirates reportedly allowed a second Catholic church and the first Hindu temple to be built in the country.

    The report also highlighted a Canadian court that ruled that the federal government could not require persons to remove “religiously based clothing” from their faces to take the citizenship oath.

  • ‘US pushed UK into Iraq War too early’

    The United States pushed the United Kingdom into military action in Iraq “too early,” a former British ambassador to the United Nations has said in the wake of the Chilcot report.

    The long-awaited report said ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair had overstated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein – and military action was not a last resort.

    Sir Jeremy Greenstock, UK ambassador to the UN in 2003, said Mr. Blair had wanted a UN resolution backing action.

    But he told the BBC that senior U.S officials thought it was a “waste of time.”

    The Chilcot report was published on Wednesday having taken seven years to compile.

    Sir John Chilcot – chairman of the UK’s Iraq War inquiry – concluded Mr. Blair had sent ill-prepared troops into battle and had “wholly inadequate” plans for the aftermath.

    The 2003 invasion had not been the “last resort” action presented to MPs and the public, Sir Chilcot said, adding that there had been no “imminent threat” from Saddam Hussein, and the intelligence case was “not justified.”

    Sir Greenstock said he felt Mr. Blair had wanted to wait longer before taking military action.

    It would have been “much safer” to give weapons inspectors in Iraq another six months to continue their work, he added.

     

  • AFRIFF, Ford Foundation sponsor 15 students to US film school

    AFRIFF, Ford Foundation sponsor 15 students to US film school

    In the second edition of its scholarship scheme, the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), in collaboration with Ford Foundation,  is providing capacity development for another season 15 film students to the popular Montana State University, United States, for a summer course.

    The beneficiaries who travelled to the US yesterday were selected from the AFRIFF Talent Development Workshops sponsored by Access Bank and Africa Magic at the 2015 edition of the festival which held in Lagos. The initiative provides beginners and intermediate courses for young people in their choice areas of filmmaking.

    The scholarship scheme which is meant  to advance the aspirations of these burgeoning talents,  is an intensive hands-on training camp on various aspects of filmmaking with emphasis on documentary filmmaking.

    Although 20 students qualified for the scholarship, 15 have been granted visas by the American embassy so far. They include 13 Nigerians, one Ghanaian and one Rwandan.

    They are: Morakinyo Fapohunda (Lagos), Leke  Oyeyinka (Ogun), Kalu Nnamdi Anaga (Enugu), Damian Ashinjo (Benue), Richard Odilu (Delta), Tunray Femi (Delta), Kelechi  Nduka (Anambra), Dan Ikpoyi (Delta), Adebusola Adeboyejo (Ondo), Kenechukwu  Nwatu from   Enugu; Alero Okorodus (Lagos), Joy  Igbe (Benue), Susan Akalazu (Imo), Osei Owusu Banahene (Ghana) and Vanessa Uwase (Rwanda).

    Also in the partnership is Arik Air, Montana State University and Africa Magic.

    Last year, the scheme had a total of 35 participants; 15 young film students, selected by AFRIFF for the Ford Foundation scholarship, and 20 upcoming filmmakers, who attended first-hand training at Relativity School, Los Angeles.

    Mr.  Paul Nwulu, Programmes Officer for Ford Foundation, said they already had proposals for 10 of the 15 guys who made the training last year. According to Nwulu, the choice of Montana State University was strategy owing to the quality of training they offer.

    For Founder/CEO of AFRIFF, Ms Chioma Ude, the scholarship is one in a series of other talent development initiatives of the six-year-old festival. According to her, the skill acquisition and youth development initiative was designed to use filmmaking as an authentic vehicle for youth empowerment.

    AFRIFF’s vision, according to Ude, is to raise awareness about African cinema, its vast potential and the tremendous socio-economic impact of creative professionals in Africa. She noted that the first four years of the festival were strategically intended to build the AFRIFF brand and gain the brand notoriety that will allow partnership of global brands like Ford Foundation and Relativity Media.

    AFRIFF has since its first edition in 2010, provided free training and talent development opportunities for young people and aspiring filmmakers. The festival has provided cutting edge education in Sound for Film, Cinematography and Screen Writing for over 500 students, in partnership with Sound & Motion Technical College and City Varsity, Cape Town, South Africa. AFRIFF has also worked directly with students of the National Film Institute, Jos; PEFTI Film Institute, Lagos; the Creative Arts Department at The University of Port-Harcourt; Department of Media & Theatre Arts at The University of Calabar and The Theatre Arts Department of The University of Uyo. The Desicon Group was the 2014 sponsor of the AFRIFF Talent Development Workshops.

  • Terrorist activities on decline worldwide, says US

    The U.S. State Department said on Thursday that the number of terrorist attacks in Nigeria and other parts of the world declined last year for the first time since 2012, and that such attacks were becoming more decentralized and diffuse.

    The State Department’s acting coordinator for counterterrorism, Justin Siberell, said the drop was due to fewer attacks in Nigeria,Iraq and Pakistan.

    However,same could not be said of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, the Philippines, Syria and Turkey where terrorist attacks and deaths increased.

    He said more than 55 percent of attacks attributed to terrorists last year occurred in Iraq, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

    Terrorist attacks fell by 13 percent compared with 2014, while fatalities caused by terrorist activity declined by 14 percent, the agency said in its report on global terrorism, which tracks trends in political violence.

    “The global terrorist threat continued to evolve rapidly in 2015, becoming increasingly decentralized and diffuse,” the report said.

    “Although terrorist attacks took place in 92 countries in 2015, they were heavily concentrated geographically, as they have been for the past several years.”

    Data compiled by the University of Maryland for the State Department showed there were 11,774 terrorist attacks worldwide during the year, in which more than 28,300 people died and roughly 35,300 others were wounded.

    Islamic State militants posed the greatest terrorism threat globally despite significant losses in territory in Iraq and Syria last year, the report said. The group made gains in Libya, however, where it has about 5,000 fighters, the report said.

    It said Islamic State-aligned groups had emerged in other parts of the Middle East, south and southeast Asia and West Africa, although the relationship between the groups and Islamic State leadership was “symbolic in most cases.”

    The terror sect Boko Haram has pledged loyalty to ISIS.

  • US gives NDLEA $10m

    US gives NDLEA $10m

    The United States has provided training to 1,580 officers and supplied equipment worth $10 million to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    The Consul General, John Bray, made this known at the presentation of 11 operational vehicles to the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Agency, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah, in Lagos.

    The envoy promised to increase support to the NDLEA in drug control.

    Abdallah said: “Mr. President is pleased with the impressive scorecard of the Agency. The recent discovery of a super methamphetamine laboratory in Asaba, Delta State and the arrest of suspected drug kingpins, including four Mexicans and five Nigerians, is very encouraging.”

     

     

  • US, France, others storm Abuja for Boko Haram summit today

    A security summit  on ending the Boko Haram menace is coming up today in Abuja  amidst  increasing signs of closer military cooperation between regional powers and international support.

    Expected at the event are French President Francois Hollande, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Britain’s top diplomat Philip Hammond, among the senior foreign dignitaries.

    The US will be represented by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, along with the State Department’s Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Justin Siberell.

    The  U.S. diplomats will huddle with their African counterparts in hopes of escalating the fight against Boko Haram, just as analysts say signs of real progress are finally emerging in the fight against the brutal jihadi terror group.

    They are likely to push for an expansion of informal education centres for children of families displaced by Boko Haram, some 300 of which the State Department says have already been established.

    But behind the scenes, the Obama administration is also expected to seek greater influence over the direction of the multinational African military campaign against Boko Haram.

    Presidents Idriss Deby (Chad), Patrice Talon (Benin Republic),Paul Biya (Cameroun) and Mahamadou Issoufou (Niger Republic)  are also invited, along with delegations from the European Union and the West African and Central African blocs.

    Nigeria said this week “the successful conclusion of ongoing military operations” and “the speedy resolution of the humanitarian crises” would dominate the talks.

    Boko Haram was named in the latest Global Terrorism Index as “the most deadly terrorist group in the world” in 2014. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed since 2009.

  • US firm partners UNILORIN on power

    A New York-based company, Arrow Capital LCC, is partnering with the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to generate 500 megawatts of solar energy in Nigeria.

    The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Brian Travis, said while signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with authorities of the university at the weekend that the project would cost the firm about N600 billion.

    Travis added that the project would be sited on the UNILORIN campus, saying “University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) is an ideal location for a solar power. The backbone of the electricity distributions of Nigeria runs through this line.

    “They run through Egbin thermal power station in Lagos up to Shiroro Dam in Niger State. So it is a great honour and location for us.

    “Interestingly, when President Muhammadu Buhari came to the United States last year, he announced the country’s commitment to solar power and President Barack Obama announced that jobs from the solar industry are growing in the country.”

    Travis said the project, expected to be completed in five months, would supply 10 per cent of the country’s power needs.

    “It is going to supply 10 percent of power to Nigeria; we have three major grids and with significant manpower, we will extend to Lagos, Kano and other parts of the country,” he said.

    On his part, the UNILORIN Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, said the project would meet the institution’s power and training needs.

    He said: “The total consumption of the UNILORIN is four megawatts and they are going to generate 500 megawatts.  They have made all arrangement to sell the rest to the Federal Government.

    “We at the UNILORIN see it as an opportunity to contribute to the efforts of the federal government in terms of power generation and distribution.

    “Again, we are looking at the benefits the university will derive from the whole exercise. This includes, most importantly, the constant power supply to our university.  We cannot over emphasise the need for that because we have a lot of departments that depend on constant power supply; especially our biomedical research.

    “This also, will go a long way in encouraging our own graduate students in their research to generate data that will be acceptable and comparable to other people around the world.

    “The company intends to build a solar panel assembly plant that will afford our engineering students to get state-of-the-art training and skills of producing solar panels.

    “It will also afford our entrepreneurship centre the opportunity of training the middle level manpower that will be needed to assemble and maintain such facilities when made available to the general public.

    “The positive effects that the project will have on Kwara state, on Nigeria as a whole are enormous and we look forward to the fruitful completion of the project. They intend to start immediately after the signing the MoA and it is our target that come October this year, the project will be part of what UNILORIN will commission through the various guests that will be here.”