BABILOWN~Mawolè

Images du Passé (26) Porto-Novo, Bateau à Quai, 1907

source

Images du Passé (25) Dahomey, Ecole Supérieure de Garçons, 1910

source

There Will Be a Country: Introducing Nigerians For Change

For several years, I have pondered on the reasons for inability of Nigeria to actualise its great potential and join the community of developed nations. About four years ago the idea of Nigerians for Change first occurred to me as I continued to watch the insidious effect of corruption, ineffectual leadership, religious intolerance, toxic ethnic nationalism and prejudice and the general attitude of Nigerians to the rule of law, impunity and criminality. I came to the conclusion that what Nigerian needs to survive as a viable country, is for its enlightened, honest and tolerant minds to come together in a none ethnic and none religious political organisation, with the single purpose to fashion out a new strategy to enable civil and democratic values take root in the country by transforming the quality of governance through good leadership and promoting enlightenment. The challenge now, is how to transform this theoretical solution to the Nigerian quagmire, into reality by finding effective strategies to deal with the usual monsters on the road to progress. In the intervening period, I have taken time to research the various problems of Nigeria, and pondered on several solutions. I have also talked to different Nigerians, debated the causes of the problems and solutions and formed an independent view of what Nigerians need to do to begin the recovery the country desperately needs, break the hold corruption ethnicity and religion have on the minds of the people and enable them embrace reason and knowledge; in the way and manner they are embraced in developed countries which has helped their progress. I have also realised that there are many types of Nigerians, those who are benefiting from the status quo, those who are waiting for their opportunity to loot, those who would like change but not prepared to risk anything because they are comfortable in their exiled countries, they will pledge everything but their time and commitment and a small patriotic, honest and committed Nigerians who will work for change if they are convinced that the strategy is credible and would be effective. It is for this last group of Nigerians that I write. On December 21 2011, I sent the mail below to a number of Nigerians who at that time left me with the impression that they are as concerned as I am, about the state of Nigeria. A few of them responded and made useful comments which I have followed up.

Ghana's extravagant funerals drive families into debt

In Ghana, where families host extravagant funerals that saddle them with debt, funeral crashing has become a weekend affair. A typical funeral typically takes place for three days, attracting hundreds of guests and costing more than a year’s salary. Some

members of the community complain that these showy events have gone too far, with some families even hiring professional mourners… continued

Images du Passé (24) : Porto-Novo, la Ville Indigène, 1910

source

Je Vous Présente Fatai Rolling Dollars

Dixit :Qui Croit que le Bénin Croît ?

La seule chose que je peux déplorer, c’est cette propagande qui laisse croire que la situation économique est bonne. Dire que la croissance économique est de 5,4%, ce n’est pas juste. Elle est beaucoup moins élevée. Elle est parmi les plus faibles de l’Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine. Et elle est peut-être même l’une des plus faibles en Afrique et notre effort doit être de faire en sorte que les Béninois en prennent conscience parce que c’est leur travail qui peut amener une croissance plus élevée et la motivation … Dixit Abdoulaye Bio Tchané

Nigeria as a social club

By Ogaga Ifowodo AS the battle for control of the Nigerian Governors Forum continues, we are reminded once again of how our pretence at nationhood reduces governance to absurdity. Depending on your disposition, we are currently being entertained or embarrassed by the fight for greater access to the main banquet hall where the national cake (actually, petro-dollars) is shared. If you consider this a gross exaggeration of the face-off between Governor Chibuike R. Amaechi and Governor Jonah Jang (as captain of President Goodluck Jonathan’s forces), then recall just one telling fact: So agitated by Amaechi’s election as chairman of the NGF was the Commander-in-Chief that he could not rouse himself to address the 50th anniversary summit of the African Union. I do not believe the wicked rumour-mongers who claim that prior to his speech the President had been driven to have one too many by the news. Suffice it to say that since then, his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has decided that its umbrella is not big enough to cover the President and an enemy-governor, causing it to push the latter into the rain. Moreover, Jang has accused his victorious opponent of rigging and proclaimed himself the duly elected winner, even though he secured only 16 of the 36 votes.

Nigerian sailor survives in air pocket for 60 hours

Nigerian sailor who survived for almost three days underwater by crouching in an air bubble after his tugboat capsized has spoken about his ordeal. Harrison Okene, a 29-year-old cook, was the sole survivor of the Jacson-4, which overturned after being battered by heavy swells last month. Eleven other crew members died as the vessel sank some 12 miles (20 km) off Nigeria's mangrove-lined coast. "It was around 5am and I was on the toilet when the vessel just started going down – the speed was so, so fast," Okene said by phone from his hometown of Warri. Scrambling out, he was unable to reach an emergency exit hatch and watched in horror as three crew members were sucked into the churning sea. The water swept him into another toilet as the boat plunged 30 metres into the freezing depths. Wearing only his underpants, Okene prayed as water seeped slowly but steadily into a 4ft sq air bubble in the cabin. "All around me was just black, and noisy. I was crying and calling on Jesus to rescue me, I prayed so hard. I was so hungry and thirsty and cold and I was just praying to see some kind of light." He had been underwater for almost 60 hours when he heard a

hammering on the deck. A team of South African divers scouring the waters on a presumed body recovery operation were shocked to hear faint hammering in reply.   AAs a diver's light approached, Okene hesitated to swim outside the air pocket in case the startled diver might use a jack-knife on him. "I went to the water and touched the diver. He himself shivered from fear. So I stepped back and just held my hand in the waters and waved it in front of his camera so they would see the images above deck." "The diver walked in and at the back there was an air pocket he was sitting in," Paul MacDonald, an officer on the support vessel wrote on Facebook. "How it wasn't full of water is anyone's guess. I would say someone was looking after him."…. continued

Bénin : 100 ans d’Amertume

L’État Colonial était un Instrument de Viol ; l’Etat postcolonial ou néo-colonial est un instrument de Vol. Du Viol au Vol qu’avons-nous gagné ? 60 ans de viol, 50 ans de vol… 100 ans d’amertume … Alao Bissiriou

US Threatens Nigeria Ban on Ship Safety Concerns

The U.S. has threatened to ban ships from entering Nigeria unless the sub-Saharan African nation improves security in its ports and waterways, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. U.S. authorities gave Nigeria a 90-day ultimatum to improve safety, according to Leke Oyewole, special adviser on maritime affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, at a conference in Lagos, citing a

letter from the U.S. government. He said the deadline expires in 45 days. As a result, Nigeria will revive its implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security code by August continued

Images du Passé (23) Porteuse, Natitingou, 1920

source

Development: What is the Ghanaian definition? (I)

It is quite easy to notice that the blueprint with which this country’s development stands is currently non-existent. This is evident in the fact that our contemporary political leaders and technocrats have neglected basic systems which could help ensure viable and sustainable development in this country without any fear of future relapse. The reality could be that our leaders have consistently been inconsistent and dishonest with Ghanaians. I boarded a commercial vehicle from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) some few days ago to buy airline tickets for a cousin of mine who was traveling to Europe. Barely two minutes of the journey, had the rain started coming down as though someone had offended the skies. Of course we are in the rainy season so such heavy down pours are not out of place. However, the impact of such heavy rains become manifest when the flash floods begin to expose the country’s level of infrastructure development (or the lack of it). Even the slightest sign of showers of rain tend to peel off the gloss on our so-called infrastructure. We experienced this when, upon reaching the traffic lights on the Liberation Road at the intersection of the Opeibea House and the Silver Star Towers, we were stuck in a pool of floodwater and virtually all the vehicles on that stretch of a supposedly first-class inner-city highway had to stop or use the pavement because the main road was flooded. Torrential rains and flooding have been in the news around the world over the past few days as they have ravaged and paralyzed many parts of Central Europe, the worst in over 500 years. And these are countries with highly sophisticated underground sewerage systems and dikes built decades ago to withstand the ravages of such flooding. The same cannot be said about Ghana. Literally the entire national capital and its surrounding areas become flooded with the slightest drizzle. So, to say that I felt scandalized by the situation I witnessed and experienced on the road to the airport on that fateful wet morning could be too charitable at best; but for the purposes of mass media ethics, it may fit the context. continued

Ghana's Gold-Mine Arrest, China's Latest Headache in Africa

In March 2013, Xi Jinping visited three African countries -- Tanzania, South Africa, and Republic of the Congo -- during his first trip abroad as the President of China. In 2012 alone, more than 2,000 Chinese companies have invested a total of US $20 billion. Increasing interaction between African countries and China seem to paint a rosy picture of the relationship, but the recent crackdown by the Ghanaian government on illegal gold miners, which resulted in the arrests of 124 Chinese workers in Ghana, has raised some red flags. As of June 7, five days after the crackdown, negotiations are still continuing in the hopes of resolving the crisis, according to the Embassy of China in Ghana. This is not the first time Chinese gold miners in Ghana have faced the imminent threat of being detained, .

beaten, shot, or even killed. In October 2012, a 16-year-old boy was shot to death while fleeing from armed security forces in the gold-rich Ashanti region. During that operation against illegal miners, more than 100 Chinese citizens were arrested. In the last few days, pictures sent from Chinese nationals, either arrested or still hiding out in the woods, are full of gory details and convey a sense of desperation continued

Benin to get $15mn Indian-aided tractor plant

Ouidah (Benin), June 11: Benin will become self-sufficient in tractors and could even export them to the West African region once a $15 million Indian-aided plant to produce 2,500 machines annually begins production a year from now. “The plant is to be funded entirely by a $15 million Indian line of credit,” Mahesh Sachdev, the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, who is concurrently accredited to Benin, said at the groundbreaking ceremony here Monday. “A comprehensive contract to put up this plant in 12 months has been awarded to M/s Angelique International,” he added. Headquartered in the Noida, Angelique International is a global project engineering, procurement and construction company that has a presence in 15 African countries. Sachdev expressed the confidence that “the Ouidah Tractor Plant will contribute significantly to agricultural renaissance in Benin and beyond,” adding: “Two similar Indian-aided plants are already running successfully in Chad and Mali.” “This important project is a part of the broad bilateral synergy spurred by President Thomas Yayi Boni’s historic state visit to India in March 2009. The visit highlighted that India and Benin shared high values such as democracy, secularism and quest for inclusive

socio-economic growth and non-alignment,” Sachdev said. Since Boni’s visit, bilateral trade has surged to $733 million in the fiscal ended March 31, making India among Benin’s top two trading partners. “Indian development assistance in various forms, including grants and lines of credit, has helped Benin in such critical sectors as railways, ambulances, buses and computers for university students, rural electrification, healthcare, flood-relief and this tractor project,” Sachdev said, adding that over the past six years, India has donated to Benin over 400 tractors which have been appreciated for their ruggedness and compatibility to local agricultural requirements. continued

Images du Passé (22) Ouidah, Porteuses de Sable, 1910

source (6)

Découvrez les 20 Plus Belles Filles du Ghana

Alougba, une Héroïne Béninoise Authentique

Comprendre La Ligne du Destin, de Romuald Binazon

Dixit : Edward Swoden, le Héros de Notre Vie Privée!

Dixit Edward Swoden, l’Homme qui a sonné l’Alerte contre la Destruction de la vie Privée par la CIA

Le Béninois et son pied de danse politique

Le Béninois est assez étonnant et pour tout dire insaisissable surtout en politique.. Quand les hommes de pouvoir se font réélire, ils  manifestent leur soupçon,  et crient à la fraude ce qui peut paraître compréhensible lorsque, comme en mars 2011, celles qui ont conduit au holdup électoral étaient avérées et grosses comme le nez au milieu de la figure. Mais quand en vertu des provisions de la Constitution, un membre de la Cour Constitutionnelle ou son président sont remplacés au terme de leur mandat, ils font un tollé monstre, poussent des cris d’orfraie et

ont l’air traumatisé, comme si ce renouvèlement était un scandale moral ou politique ! On en parle sur tous les toits et sur tous les tons, on jase, on glose sans fin, et certains sont si choqués qu’ils ont l’air de protester. Étonnant cette incapacité éthique de savoir sur quel pied danser en politique…! Amida Bashô

Nigeria: The Tallest Hotel, Intercontinental Lagos, Opens

Expectations are high as the InterContinental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, finally opens this month. At 100 metres high, the 23-storey building is the tallest in West Africa. The InterContinental Lagos boasts 358 rooms. All rooms offer stunning views of views of either the Lagos Creek or the Atlantic Ocean. With technology playing a key role in enhancing the guest experience, each of the rooms is equipped with high speed broad b

and services, in-room entertainment with CD, DVD, and VCD displayed on 42" plasma screens. The Club InterContinental rooms offer an experience with Bose music systems and Nespresso Coffee stations continued

Nigeria: Power Generation to Hit 20,000 Mw in 2014 - Sambo

Vice President Namadi Sambo said yesterday that before the end of 2014, the power sector is expected to generate 20,000MW of electricity. This is even as the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and the Niger Delta Holding Power Company (NDPHC) have set up three committees to fast-track the privatisation of 10 power generation plants and 11 power distribution companies under the National Independent Power Plants (NIPP) project. Sambo said all was set for President Goodluck Jonathan to commence the commissioning of the power plants, even as the issue of gas availability has been resolved leaving only transmission to be tackled.

The vice president who presided over a joint meeting of the NDPHC NCP at the presidential villa, Abuja commended the management of the NDPHC for successfully completing the NIPP power plants across the country. According to him, the way in which the management of the NDPHC handled the successful completion of the ten power plants is commendable. continued

Images du Passé (21) Le Clocher d’Athiémé, 1929

Dahomey. Le Clocher d’Athiémé construit par le R.P. Truhand, 1929 source

Nigeria : Sanusi, Unable To Shake Off Sex Scandal

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, appears unable to shake off a report that he funneled public funds to Maryam Yaro, a married mistress whom he gave a job at the bank he oversees. Premium Times was first to report the scandal in which Mr. Sanusi was accused of abusing his office in order to advance an amorous relationship with a woman. Read it HERE Several sources told SaharaReporters that Premium Times has been under intense pressure from associates of the CBN Governor since the expose was published. In the wake of the report, the CBN also issued a widely circulated rebuttal claiming that Ms. Yaro was never a staff of the bank, that she was employed at Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing Systems For Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), and that the governor had no hand in her recruitment. But records obtained by SaharaReporters suggest that the bank’s claims are an attempt to muddle up the facts. NIRSAL, to which Ms. Yaro is attached, is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by the Federal Government through a partnership between the CBN and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Besides, the project is domiciled in the Development Finance Department of the CBN.

It is the CBN’s human resource department that hires staff for NIRSAL, and it is Mr. Sanusi who approves all recruitments into the agency, insiders say. Records available to us indeed showed that, contrary to the CBN’s claims, Mr. Sanusi directly and personally approved Ms. Yaro’s recruitment. Investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that, after approving Ms. Yaro’s hiring and sending her file back to the bank’s human resource department, Mr. Sanusi sent a message to his mistress on June 25, 2012 saying, ‘I’m in South Africa. I approved your recruitment last week.’ Ten minutes later, Ms. Yaro responded: ‘You have made my day. Thank you so much. Let me know when you are back.’ continued

Illegal miners taking over Brong-Ahafo

The infamous illegal mining otherwise known as “galamsey” is rearing its ugly head in some parts of the Brong Ahafo Region. ‘Galamsey’ has increasingly assumed alarming proportions recently, especially in areas like Asutifi South and North and Tano North districts where the illegal miners have stepped-up their operations with impunity. In the Asutifi area, countless pit-sites keep springing up each day as thousands of people, including school dropouts and women, are engaged in the unlawful activity as their sole source of livelihood. Some foreign nationals from Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, Mali and China have joined the array of illegal miners in the Region. The dreadful practice is visible at Atongo village and its immediate environs in the Tano North district where it is threatening to pollute the Tano River, which is the main source to the Ghana Water Company’s treatment plant at Abesim that serves the Sunyani Municipality and nearby areas. The menace has given birth to consequences such as pollution of water-bodies and destruction of farmlands, insecurity, drug-abuse, high cost of living, and teenage pregnancy among other social vices

which are forcing many who cannot weather the storm of galamsey to relocate. Paul Evans Aidoo, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister at the first meeting of the Regional Coordinating Council, categorically stated Government’s position on illegal mining, charging Municipal and District Assemblies to adopt the necessary steps to arrest the situation within their jurisdictions. “I wish to reiterate President Mahama’s directive that MMDAs must collaborate with the Security Agencies as well as Traditional authorities to ensure that all persons involved in ‘galamsey’ are arrested and prosecuted, or else they will be held responsible for the non-compliance of the directive,” he stressed.   continued

Ghana : MCE Arrested For Galamsey

Residents of Upper Denkyira East in the Central Region were spellbound yesterday when they learnt of the arrest of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, Peter Kodi Owusu Ashia for his alleged involvement in illegal mining, popularly called ‘galamsey’. He was arrested by members of an inter-ministerial taskforce set up by President John Mahama to clamp down on activities of illegal miners in the country. An amount of GH¢17,000 was found on him during a search. The MCE was said to have been arrested together with officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for conniving with some illegal miners in the region whose activities have become a major source of worry for, not only the government, but Ghanaians in general.

A source at the Central Regional Police Command failed to confirm or deny the arrest of the officials when contacted. They were alleged to have extorted monies from some foreign nationals, who were neck deep in the illegal act. Under the current arrangement, foreigners, who engaged in ‘galamsey’, are immediately handed over to officials of the Immigration Service for prosecution or possible deport continued

Lettre à Pancrace sur Obama Intime et l’Afrique

Nigeria: Why I Cried in Public - Buhari

Former military head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has said that he had to weep in public because of the hardships Nigerians suffer despite the enormous wealth the country is blessed with. Buhari, who spoke in a radio interview in Kano yesterday, blamed the bad leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the country's numerous woes. "I joined politics on two grounds: first was, after I was out of the prison, people asked me to join politics, perhaps they saw the .

potential in me; the second was, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the changes it brought about compelled me to join politics and based on multi-party system if justice will be done to all," Buhari said continued

“Election Petition has divided Ghana more than ever”

The Editor in Chief of the Accra Daily Mail, Alhaji Haruna Atta says the ongoing election petition hearing at the Supreme Court has worsened Ghana’s division as a people, in spite of whatever positive accolades may be ascribed to it. He says claims that the petition will help deepen Ghana’s democracy or help improve the electoral system are theoretical, but six months after the 2012 elections, the reality is that “we are still behaving as if we are in an election year” with people taking strong, entrenched positions on the petition. “Six months after elections we really should have been coming together and moving on but six months after elections we are still expressing so much anger and frustration… I don’t think this petition, no matter what angle you give to it, no matter what gloss you put on it, it’s not uniting us.” He said Ghanaians can strengthen their democracy in many, many ways but certainly not with litigation. Haruna Atta said Ghana has “since 1992 seen a lot of electoral reforms that did not send us through this stress, tension and trauma. In 1992 it was said that the verdict was stolen, a book was written, it led to the introduction of transparent ballot boxes, then we went on into I/D cards with pictures, then we went on into this biometric system…” He said as a nation we have been able to do all these things without the present stress and trauma, and he would take with a pinch of salt, any claims that the petition is building democracy. “Maybe it’s just an academic exercise but I don’t think you need necessarily to flex your political muscle in this way to build democracy,” he told Radio Gold’s Gold Power Drive Thursday morning. He told programme host, Alhassan Suhuyini that the opposition New Patriotic Party had its foot firmly on the self-destruct button as a result of recent developments, among them the party’s handling of recent differences with one of its founding members, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby and the contents of a letter sent the party’s chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey by Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy, a former presidential aspirant of the NPP. “Dr. Arthur Kennedy’s letter says it all, about the paranoia, the intolerance and so on… Any political party that takes that path is taking the path of self-destruction,” he emphasised.

His paper had published that unlike the NPP which was making itself unattractive to voters per its actions, President John Mahama was making the ruling National Democratic Congress more attractive. “Truly, unless people don’t want to accept it, President Mahama is actually polishing up the NDC, making the NDC less vociferous of so many things and making it more attractive. If you read the story we make reference to the Media Foundation for West Africa’s monitoring of the airwaves during the election period. They were monitoring hate language, they were monitoring insults and-so-on-and-so-forth and a lot of the time the NPP came tops in the majority of the political groupings that used terrible language. “So it’s documented, I’m not making it up. And so any political party that makes intimidation, intolerance, insults and-so-on-and-so-forth, it’s definitely putting people away, it’s certainly not making itself attractive and it’s all come about as a result of this so-called petition.” He said he had himself been a victim of the insults being expressed in the party, with some claiming he had been bought and others saying he was hungry and that his newspaper had collapsed. continued

Ghana arrests Chinese over 'illegal mining'

Police in Ghana have arrested 161 Chinese citizens over allegations of illegal mining, immigration and Chinese embassy officials have said. "The Ghanaians have claimed that those Chinese are engaged in illegal mining," Yu Jie told the AFP news agency in the capital Accra on Wednesday. A spokesman for Ghana's immigration service said that all those arrested would be deported to China. He said the miners were arrested between Saturday and Wednesday. Their number brings to 181 the total figure of Chinese that the country's immigration office has detained within the past month in this African nation. Isaac Kojo Abraham, Senior Public Relations Officer at the Ghana Minerals Commission, said on Thursday that "all such people doing illegal mining in Ghana without the requisite documentation will be flushed out".

It was unclear if they would be charged in court in Ghana, Africa's second largest producer of gold, before being deported. Crackdown The arrests took place across the country, including in the central Ashanti region, long known for its rich gold veins. President John Dramani Mahama last month inaugurated a task force to clamp down on illegal miners. Known as galamsey, illegal mining is blamed for exacerbating land conflicts, causing runoff that pollutes water supplies and putting miners at risk of injury continued

Ghana Meets Naija’

The nation’s biggest and most respected technology company across the continent, RLG, has been sponsoring the Ghana Meets Naija concert since its debut in 2011 and continues to do so. This year, RLG is going to provide us with something HUGE! And when have they ever disappointed? Over 1000 Prizes are up for Grabs including free RLG mobile phones, RLG souvenirs ranging from wristbands, t-shirts, key holders and a whole lot more. There would be RLG Uhuru Tablets on display in the foyer for all VVIP and VIP ticket holders. That’s right. We’ll have plenty of RLG Uhuru devices and so if you haven’t held an RLG Uhuru device yet, come see it at this event and try your hands on the all-new RLG

Uhuru in the experiential purple lounge The excitement is going a full hilt. Follow GhanaMeetsNaija or GHMeetsNaija pages on facebook for more updates on exciting packages awaiting attendees of the 3rd edition of Ghana Meets Naija slated for Saturday 29th June, 2013 at the Accra International Conference Centre. continued

Images du Passé (20) Séminaire de St-Gall à Ouidah, 1930

LE FCSAD Crie “Héélou!” Contre les Dérives Atroces du Pouvoir

DANS UNE LETTRE OUVERTE, LE FRONT CITOYEN POUR LA SAUVEGARDE DES ACQUIS DEMOCRATIQUES INTERPÈLE LE PARLEMENT Le Front Citoyen pour la Sauvegarde des Acquis Démocratiques, en sa réunion extraordinaire du 21 mai 2013, a examiné avec une extrême attention les événements qui alimentent l’actualité politique du moment : l’affaire Sonacop et celle des ordonnances de non-lieu prises par le juge Angelo HOUSSOU et qui lui ont valu humiliations, séquestration, menaces de toutes sortes de la part du gouvernement et de ses agents patentés. Le Front Citoyen a été profondément bouleversé par ces atteintes graves portées à la dignité humaine et qui viennent s’ajouter à toutes les dérives répétées du gouvernement de Monsieur Yayi Boni. C’est pourquoi le Front a décidé de s’adresser directement à la Représentation Nationale à qui la Constitution a conféré le puissant pouvoir pour empêcher toute violation du droit des citoyens. Aujourd’hui, le Peuple veut savoir ce que dit l’Assemblée Nationale, sa réaction face à la gouvernance erratique et compulsive d’un homme qui a fait de notre pays un bateau ivre, sans gouvernail. Mais d’ abord les faits. QUELQUES  FAITS 1. Le juge Houssou se voit récemment confisquer son passeport, lui-même séquestré, en état de siège à son propre domicile fortement militarisé. Pour avoir simplement résisté aux pressions du pouvoir et à l’intimidation et osé dire le droit en prononçant le non-lieu sur l’affaire Patrice Talon. 2. Qui peut prétendre démêler l’écheveau du dossier SONACOP dans lequel, nous dit-on, se sont volatilisées des poignées de milliards de francs ? Le directeur général Houessou est relevé de ses fonctions et mis aux arrêts après avoir, comme de mise durant les deux quinquennats en cours, généreusement servi les intérêts personnels de son mentor à qui il doit sa nomination. Telle est la pratique du limogeage/emprisonnement « ingrat ». Mais il est également des limogeages/emprisonnements punitifs, réservés aux indociles comme le malheureux Somassè.  3. Le chantier du nouveau siège du parlement, conduit dans la plus totale opacité ayant occasionné des fraudes à milliards, sera finalement démoli selon une annonce du chef de l’Etat lui-même. Comme si l’on voulait effacer à jamais toute trace de malversation. C’est l’assainissement de la gestion selon le changement et la refondation. …

 

Les Images du Passé (19) Kandi, Chef en Déplacement, 1930

source

Du Royaume du Dahomey au Royaume du Bénin

Images du Passé (18) Bohicon, le Marché, 1910

Bohicon (Dahomey), le marché – Bohicon, est une ville carrefour sur la route principale et le chemin de fer Cotonou-Parakou, proche d’Abomey. Son marché est célèbre dans le pays, notamment pour les moutons.

 source

Nigeria: Sanusi - When Private Life Becomes a Public Affair

On June 2, 2013, Premium Times published an exclusive report on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)'s Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. The story entitled "Sanusi Lamido, his CBN Mistress and their Sweetheart Escapades", which graphically tells the story of the illicit, extra-marital love affair between the CBN Governor, and Mrs. Maryam Waisu Yaro, an Assistant Director at the CBN, is generating mixed reactions. Some of the "early responders" condemn Premium Times for poke-nosing into the private affair and love life of the CBN Governor, even insinuating that Premium Times is possibly hounding the CBN Governor for nursing the ambition to become the Emir of Kano or the President of Nigeria. Other commentators insist that Premium Times acted in order by holding up the private life of the CBN Governor for public scrutiny, and that by publishing this story Premium Times has not transmuted into a tabloid. There are some particularly cynical remarks that suggest that the Goodluck Jonathan Administration or persons within the Administration had employed Premium Times to harangue and damage the person of the CBN Governor and undermine his continuity in office. And there are some views which ridiculously suggest that Premium Times is being used by those affected by the anti corruption work of the CBN Governor in the banking sector. The suggestion that Premium Times is running an errand of witch-hunt for the Jonathan Administration in publishing the story is

disingenuous. As far as we know, the CBN Governor is part and parcel of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration. He was appointed by the President ( and deemed appointed by this President); he is on the President's Economic Management Team; and with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala-the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, he was a vocal and fanatical advocate of the removal of oil subsidy way back in 2011 and 2012, warning that if oil subsidy was not totally removed, the Nigerian economy would, in no time, collapse. So ardent, combative and pugnacious is he in his public positions that he did not hesitate to lampoon Olusegun Obasanjo as "a good farmer but a bad economist" when the former President argued against the CBN Governor's insistence on introducing a single five thousand naira note denomination in 2012. continued

Je Vous Présente JJ Rawlings

Juin 1979 le Mois de l’Hécatombe Politique au Ghana

La date centrale de cette révolution est à coup sûr le 16 juin. A cette date, en 1979, l'ancien militaire et homme fort ghanéen Ignatius Kutu Acheampong a été abattu après que le Lieutenant d’aviation Jerry Rawlings a pris le pouvoir, à la suite d’un coup d’Etat. Acheampong lui aussi était venu au pouvoir par un coup d’état en 1972, dans un Ghana politiquement instable, et a dirigé le pays, entre populisme , démagogie et corruption, pendant ces années 70, période de crise économique et politique, jusqu'à ce qu’une révolution de palais dirigée par le général, Fred Akuffo l’eût renversé. Acheampong a été admis à la retraite dans son village d’Ashanti par le nouveau régime, mais il ne jouira pas longtemps de cette retraite dès lors qu’une révolution nationale mettait fin au règne d’Akuffo, le 4 juin, et amenait au pouvoir le sous-officier Jerry Rawlings.

Moins de deux semaines après que Rawlings a été installé en tant que nouveau chef d'Etat du Ghana, Acheampong a été exécuté sur une accusation de corruption. Mais il s’en fallait de beaucoup pour calmer la colère grandissante du peuple contre la clique militaire sortante. Colère dont Akuffo et cinq autres militaires feront les frais un peu plus tard dans ce même mois de juin de l’année 1979. Binason Avèkes   source

Dixit : la Soi-Disant Croissance Économique de l’Afrique

Les médias internationaux continuent de donner l'impression que l'Afrique connaît un regain économique. C'est sans doute le cas pour une infime minorité. En revanche, pour la grande majorité la réalité est dans la douleur et la souffrance  … Dixit Jerry Rawlings

Ghana: Révolution du 4 Juin, Rawlings s’en Prend à ses Successeurs…

Ghana : Révolution du 4 Juin 1979, Rawlings s’en Prend à ses Successeurs et Prône le Réarmement moral

Nigeria grabs excellence award at US Science, Engineering show

By Prince Osuagwu Nigeria’s representatives at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in Phoenix, US last week clinched the United Technology Company (UTC) Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering. The duo of Duro-Aina Adebola and Zainab Bello from Doregos Private Academy Iyana Ipaja, Lagos invented a urine-powered generator to win the award and prize money of US$3000 in scholarship. The award-winning invention seeks to provide affordable and sustainable energy sources as a solution to the epileptic power supply in developing countries without the attendant consequences caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the students’ teacher who supervised the invention and accompanied them on the trip, Mr Oluseyi Lawal, “the project works on the principle of electrolysis and energy conversion. It works like the conventional generator; the direct current output of the generator is connected to the urine electrolytic cell to ensure continuous production of the hydrogen-oxygen which ensures the continuous running of the engine”.

Lawal added that, “the generator is environmental friendly. The exhaust gas produced from the generator is water vapour, which is non-toxic, compared to carbon monoxide of conventional carbon based fuels. I commend the students for their ingenuity, innovation and creativity.” Speaking on the need to drive and encourage innovation among youth, Corporate Affairs Manager, Intel Corporation, Mr. Osagie Ogunbor stressed that Intel was committed to encouraging interests in Science and Technology especially among the youths. in Vanguard

Ghana : Illegal mining threatening Gyedu residents

Residents at Gyedu, one of Newmont’s Ahafo Mine host communities in the Asutifi District of Brong-Ahafo Region, say they live in fear because the activities of illegal miners are threatening their very existence. Houses and structures in the town have now become death traps for occupants, hanging on pits dug by illegal miners who prospect for raw gold in the community. When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the community, it was revealed that majority of the illegal miners were people who had travelled from the western part of the country to mine in the area. Residents say this has been going on ever since the Ahafo Mine began actual mining in 2006. Nana Owusu Anin, Mawrehene (sub-chief) at Gyedu, told the GNA that most of the pits the illegal miners operated in are also close to schools.

He said efforts made by the community leaders to stop the illegal miners had proved futile, adding that since many of the operators use offensive weapons and are well armed it has been very difficult to get rid of them. Nana Anin said some mining activities even take place at the centre of the town, thereby affecting most of the high tension poles erected in the area. continued

Kufuor, Mills only reversed Ghana’s achievements – Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has accused the administrations of former presidents John Kufuor and John Atta Mills of only reversing the many achievements chalked by the nation. Mr Rawlings therefore sees President John Dramani Mahama as the messiah to put Ghana’s development back on the right track. He was speaking at the Cadres Forum to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the June 4 Uprising on Monday. “June 4th, the great day the Armed Forces led this country in a revolt against oppression and corruption. In spite of the many achievements, many setbacks and reversals have also taken place. “But for more than a decade now, Ghana appears to have been moving towards an irreversible situation down a tunnel, thanks to Presidents Mills and Kufuor/John II and John III. “President Mahama has the responsibility to pull this country out of that tunnel. How well, how far and how soon John IV can achieve that is hard to say.” According Mr Rawlings, “Recently there have been some calls for a new revolution to again restore those values [which necessitated the uprising]. We do not have to allow the politics of our country to descend to the point where bloodshed and violent revolt [is] seen as the only means to restore those values.” The former President also stated that if the ruling National Democratic Congress fails to “clean up” the party, it would be “very difficult” for the party to retain power in 2016. continued

Images du Passé (17) Ouidah, le Temple du Python

source

We will continue live broadcast of election petition hearing – GBC

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has given an assurance that it will continue the live broadcast of the election petition hearing currently going on at the Supreme Court. The assurance, which was given by the Director-General of the corporation, Major Albert Don-Chebe (retd), through the Daily Graphic yesterday, clears the dark cloud that hung over the live coverage of the petition in view of the huge cost involved. According  to  Major   Don-Chebe,   the  live  coverage cost the GBC about GHc130,000 daily. That means after 24 days of proceedings at the Supreme Court, the live coverage has imposed a cost of GHc3.12 million on the GBC, which is already reeling under serious financial challenges. Major Don-Chebe, speaking on some Accra-based radio networks last week, had expressed concern over the cost implication of the live coverage of the election petition to the corporation. In view of that, he said, the GBC could not sustain the live coverage of the Supreme Court proceedings forever.

He, however, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that “we intend to continue the coverage”. Major Don-Chebe said the GBC was holding discussions with some of its major stakeholders to see how best the corporation could be supported to continue the live coverage. Responding to suggestions that the GBC could leverage on the live coverage to rake in more revenue through advertisements, he said the election petition hearing was a very serious national matter that should not be diluted with advertisements. continued

Images du Passé (16) Phare de Cotonou, 1930

Phare de Cotonou. – « Je suis parti un soir de Lomé et le lendemain matin je suis arrivé à Cotonou, Dahomey : côte basse, toujours, la barre, la plage, la longue rangée d’arbres et le wharf hérissé de grues. Une seule chose distingue Cotonou de Lomé : à Lomé, le phare est à gauche du wharf ; ici, on l’a planté à droite. Mêmes barcasses, mêmes chaloupes à vapeur venant chercher à bord passagers et bagages. Même panier ». Source : Martet, Jean, Les bâtisseurs de royaumes, Paris, Albin Michel, 1934…. source

Obasanjo Advises Nigerians to Partner With FG On Flood Prevention

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday in Abeokuta urged Nigerians and civil society groups to partner with the Federal Government to tackle flood in the country. The former president said this at a one-day workshop on "Building a Coordinated Approach to Flood Disasters in Nigeria". The workshop was organised by the Centre for Human Security (CHS), an arm of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL). "We are here to find a lasting solution to flood disasters in this country; I will not say that we are fools because already we are learning from our mistakes. The good thing about flood is that even though it's a natural occurrence it is reasonably predictable and it's seasonal and you also can predict places that may be affected. "Normally, flood should not be a disaster; it is only when we are caught unawares that it becomes a disaster since it is seasonal and

reasonably predictable. "Why not therefore adequately prepare ourselves for it; I believe that the aspect of how to prepare for it is what brought us here," Mr. Obasanjo said. Mr. Obasanjo said that the Federal Government and United Nations agencies were working together on how to manage flood-related issues. He said the government should not be left alone to prevent and avoid floods. He said the states, local governments, civil society groups and corporate organisations had crucial roles to play. "So, I believe strongly that all these groups and individuals as well as corporate organisations are also important in tackling flood disasters," he said…. continued

Bénin : De l’Utilité de la Mauvaise Gouvernance

Mon Idéo Va, Court, Vole et Tombe sur…

Le Salaire de notre Rêve

Au Bénin, depuis au moins le début du Renouveau Démocratique sinon même depuis l'indépendance en passant par la longue nuit de la Révolution, à chaque échéance, nous découvrons la médiocrité relative de nos gouvernants ainsi qu'un vice récurrent des hommes de pouvoir : la corruption et l'enrichissement personnel. Tous travers que nous rangeons sous le terme policé de la mal-gouvernance. Que le gouvernement soit « démocratiquement élu » comme c'est le cas formellement sous le Renouveau Démocratique, ou qu'il se soit imposé de lui-même comme ce fut le cas pendant la Révolution, le peuple est très vite déçu par le décalage entre ses attentes et sa vie quotidienne ; celle-ci, loin de s'améliorer se dégrade. Ce qui n'empêche pas le système politique de relancer à chaque fois la machinerie de l'espérance et le peuple, ou ce qui en tient lieu, de donner en plein dans la fiction d'une nouvelle donne politique. Au Bénin, ce mouvement de Sisyphe a cru devoir se réaliser à travers la recherche ou la découverte de ce qu'on appelle l'oiseau rare. Mais l'oiseau rare n'est qu'une esthétisation de la fonction dénégatoire qu'assument nos dirigeants. En fait de quoi s'agit-il ? Supposons que nos dirigeants ne se montrent pas régionalistes ; supposons qu'ils ne soient pas corrompus ; supposons qu'il n’y ait sous leur règne aucune affaire, aucun scandale politico-financier ; supposons qu'ils ne s'accaparent pas des médias ; supposons que rien de ce dont depuis 50 ans nous avons pris l'habitude de charger nos gouvernants ne puisse leur être reproché. Supposons alors que tout ce qu'on constate concernant un président de la république qui n'a jamais trempé dans une affaire de corruption et a scrupuleusement respecté la démocratie, soit le fait que le pays n'a pas avancé et que nous serions au moins aussi pauvres à la fin de son mandat qu'au début. Nous aurions alors pris conscience qu'en vérité notre sort ne dépendait pas du Président ; que nous sommes une nation qui est dans un continent qu'on appelle Afrique où les autres nations ne sont pas mieux loties que nous, en raison d'une pesanteur historique que nous n'avons jamais pris le temps d'exorciser ; en raison d'un état d'aliénation symbolique et intellectuelle incompatible avec le développement mais dont nous ne nous soucions pas des implications sur notre vie quotidienne et notre devenir collectif ; en raison d'une mise à l'écart politique du peuple, dont nous ne sommes même pas conscients, parce qu'elle procède d'un héritage du passé colonial, etc.. Nous nous rendrions alors compte que nous ne sommes ni la Norvège pour créer un groupe industriel et commercial performant comme

Nokia ni la Corée du sud pour nous lancer dans une politique capitaliste et diplomatique agressive à l'échelle du monde ; ni le Japon pour, en l'espace d'une génération, nous hisser parmi les économies non-occidentales les plus performantes et les plus respectées. Ce qui, soit dit en passant, ne veut pas dire qu’entre la Norvège et le Japon il n’y aurait pas eu de la place pour un peuple travailleur et décidé à assumer son destin. Notre vérité nous serait alors apparue en pleine lumière du jour. Cette vérité que nous dénions dans nos rêves d'espérance politique, dénégation symbolique pour laquelle les régimes successifs et leurs présidents nous servent de trompe-l’œil, de masques et de boucs émissaires. Nos hommes politiques ont bien compris la fonction symbolique qui est la leur, tiraillés entre leurs intérêts personnels et ceux de la logique d'aliénation qui continue de régir nos destins collectifs en nous réduisant à la minorité politique du monde. Alors, leurs agissements crapuleux, la compulsion quasi-irrémédiable à la corruption, le goût de l'enrichissement personnel, les excès antidémocratiques auxquels il faut ajouter à titre idiosyncrasique quelque rationalisation idéologique sous couleur de régionalisme, et d’autres vices du même genre, toute cette mauvaise gouvernance indécrottable et récurrente n’est que le salaire bien compris de la fonction qu'ils acceptent de jouer pour que nous continuions de rêver ou de croire à ce que nous ne sommes pas. Rêve dont le réveil serait pour nous pénible, et source d’une déchirante révision de notre être au monde. Éloi Goutchili

Images du Passé (15) Pobè, Danse d’une Vodunci, 1925

source