Niger Deltas Descent Into Rags

By Josef Omorotionmwan (opinion)

Can the agitation by the people of the Niger Delta or the occasioned "war of survival" ever end? Would such operation of having some section of the country as "scrap or spare parts", only for the maintenance of the other parts ever cease?

Truly, the defining moments of Nigeria as a continuing united entity will be determined by the answerers to these questions in not too distant time from now. A country made up of different ethnic groups, in the simplest term, could be likened to polygamy. Nothing sustains a good polygamy as wisdom. A marriage of convenience contrived by the colonial masters, in which they unsolicitedly wedded different ethnic nationalities to a common husband, the Federal Government, and gave the husband the unhindered instrument of coercion to sustain the matrimony, cannot be said to be a perfect union. After all, even a marriage of convenience that is predicated on the use of excessive force must, sooner than later, hit the rock.

With the suffocation of the Niger Delta of erstwhile autonomous entities into a subjugating alliance and the derogatory appellation, "ethnic minorities" boldly engraved on them, no one would say that it is an act of omission that everything portends to a grand design to suppress and possibly compress the Region of Niger Delta.

A recent Report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria presents a most sordid but true picture of the Niger Delta as "A Region suffering from administrative neglect, crumbling social infrastructure and services, high unemployment, social deprivation, abject poverty, filth and squalor, and endemic conflict"

Even at that, right from the biblical days, maids who surreptitiously found themselves on the matrimonial beds of their masters, have sooner or later, ascribed on themselves privileges of their newfound status. Faced with a seemingly moral transgression of a maid, however, the products of such transmogrification have invariably demanded their entitlements as heirs. If today we find the youths of the Niger Delta in such melee, should they be branded militants because they are refusing to be fated as their progenitors? Can we at this point also feign total ignorance of the fact that one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter?

While successive Federal administrations are aware of the problems they have inflicted on the Niger Delta Region, regretfully, not much could be said to have been done by way of remedies or affirmative actions. The portable and discriminating display of interest by the Federal government should not be a riddle to the discerning mind.

And so soon, it has become convenient for the federal government to forget that the Independence Constitution of 1960 as well as the Republican Constitution of 1963 gave the States 50 percent of the total revenue derived from their Regions, which policy lasted for as long as WAZOBIA held sway in the Regions.

Today, there is all the noise that so far, the creation of the Ministry of the Niger Delta, with all its imperfections, is the boldest attempt at bringing succour to the oppressed people of the Region. If subsequent palliative measures have been far from successful, what assurance should anyone now have that the new Ministry would make the essential difference? Not much, perhaps. At least, the signs on ground are not encouraging. True to type, the Commander of the army of occupation has established his command base in faraway Abuja and he will be launching out from there when development is supposed to be about the people and the area. Again, if it is true that morning shows the day, the paltry initial allocation of N50 billion for the Ministry in this year's appropriation is nothing to write home about as it can hardly cover the overhead costs, talk less of development. By the Niger Delta standard, it could be said that the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is fully developed. Yet, the same FCT, Abuja has a whopping allocation of N137 billion in the current budget. This is like putting more water into the pot that already contains water and leaving the empty pot still empty. And in the telling years of the development of Abuja, apart from plump allocations to the FCT itself, large sums were allocated to every Ministry for its infrastructural development in Abuja. That was how we saw the development of Abuja within an integrated context.

When it comes to oppressing the Niger Delta and its people, anything goes. Is it by accident that indigenes of the South-South Region have been constructively excluded from the management of their God-given resources? Just imagine the following sad scenario: It is now 23 years since Rilwanu Lukman was this nation's Minister of Petroleum Resources. The only open sign of his indispensability is that today he is back to the same beat. A new Group Managing director has just been appointed. As usual, he is from the North. The NNPC has seven Executive Directors. In the life of the Organisation, no indigene of the South-South has ever been appointed as an Executive Director. The Group Executive Director, Corporate Services is considered the very nerve centre of the NNPC as he occupies the gateway to the organisation, in-charge of employment, promotion and postings. In four quick successions, the occupants of this position have been invariably from the North. As for the LNG in Bonny, the Executive Managing Director has always been an expatriate while the Deputy Managing Directors have been Northerners. As for the king of them all, the Petroleum Development Trust Fund (PDTF), the Executive Secretary is always from the North, perhaps as an inalienable right!

Was it also by accident that in the dark days of the Emperor, not Emperor Haile Selaisse, but Aremu Obasanjo and his kinsman, Engr. Kokpolokun, they established the Olokola LNG Plant between Ondo and Ogun States. We hear that this plant is the largest in Africa and it has a capacity to employ more than 4,000 workers. To the Core Delta, entry into such a juicy area is verboten.

This army of occupation has every reason to be uninterested in stopping gas flaring, in spite of all the hue and cry we hear from them. After all, revenue from penalties and fines on companies engaged in flaring ranks very high; perhaps next to the realization from actual sales of crude oil and gas. Rather than pass this revenue to the areas that suffer the degradation, the Government has a field day sitting on, and wallowing in, the plundered wealth.

We have always believed that when a part becomes greater than "the sum of its whole", then, the end is in sight. The only question is when. Even with her giant size, Nigeria's problems are subsumed in the problems of the Niger Delta. Whereas President Yar'Adua's seven-point agenda more than capture Nigeria's problems, the problems of the Niger Delta Region can only be accommodated within the context of a ten-point agenda:

(1) The essential demilitarilisation of the Niger Delta region;

(2 The genuine and sustainable development of the region;

(3) The rehabilitation, education and gainful employment of the agitated and angry youth;

(4) The non-politicising of award of contracts for projects in the Niger Delta;

(5) The equitable substantial allocation of funds for the timely development of the region;

(6) The deployment of penalties and monies collected for gas flaring and the like to the appropriate regions suffering the damage;

(7) The considerate quantum of employment of the people of Niger Delta in Oil companies and their subsidiaries;

(8) The adjustment of the imbalance in the ethnic compositions of those controlling all companies and parastatals established by the Federal Government in the Oil industry;

(9) The review of the allocation of oil blocs to make the people of Niger Delta part of the beneficiaries; and

(10) The non-politicizing of citing of Petroleum related Projects;

Essays like this are supposed to end with predictions but predictions are pretty hard to make. Fortunately, some genuinely concerned citizens of the world are already doing a good job elsewhere. We are reminded of a recent Report by the United States of America, which sees Nigeria as gradually gliding towards disintegration. We are not equipped to think that this does not appropriately capture the Nigerian situation. Neither do we expect that this Report should be tossed out of the window with the left hand, much as we pray and hope that the prediction does not come to pass.

All the same, the will to survive remains a natural and fundamental principle. And as expressed in most civilized Constitutions, including Nigeria's, the right to survive is a fundamental phenomenon, worth upholding and fighting for. Guided by this understanding, a lot can be achieved on the side of progress. For all we know, there can only be modest development; there are no modest revolutions. And pushed to the wall, even the goat would bite!
-e-mail: joligien@yahoo.com
Source: This Day, 19^th February 2009.

Back

Tasks Before Niger Delta Ministry

Ifeatu Agbu (opinion)

The drive to fast-track development in the oil-rich, but neglected, Niger Delta region is gathering momentum as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Ufot Ekaette, and the Minister of State, Elder Godsday Orubebe, have continued to engage the various stakeholders in the region. They have visited the state governors in the nine Niger Delta states where they held meetings with key players. They have also met executives of oil companies and the Niger Delta committees of the National Assembly. All these meetings were intended to enlist the cooperation and support of the stakeholders as partners in the onerous task of rapidly transforming the Niger Delta.

This is a commendable initiative by the new ministry and it needs to be sustained because the socio-economic transformation of the Niger Delta is too complex to be left for only one or two agencies of development. Undoing the damage wrought by decades of neglect and injustice requires partnership and synergy. The ministry and other relevant agencies should serve as rallying points for harnessing the energies and ideas needed for the comprehensive development of the region.

Virtually all the stakeholders agree with the new ministry that there is high level of poverty and underdevelopment in the Niger Delta. To give effect to the urgent task of transforming the region, several strategies and options are being considered. In all, however, funding remains the most critical factor. There is no doubt that the N50 billion allocated to the ministry in the 2009 budget is too meager to make any appreciable impact. The minister recognizes this fact, but pleads that they be allowed to commence work with what is available.

While one agrees that there is no time to waste, the process of getting a supplementary budget must be initiated now as a-N50 billion budget, which in real terms makes provision for only N18 billion for new projects, would obviously do no more than merely scratching the surface. The big ticket projects in the Niger Delta need massive injection of funds for them to be translated into reality. For instance, the coastal road envisaged in the regional master plan would cost well over N50 billion to complete.

In this wise, it is expected that the minister's interaction with members of the National Assembly committees on the Niger Delta would yield good dividend. The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Niger Delta, Mr. James Manager, captured the mood of his colleagues when he said that "the struggle of the people of the region is an age-long one and government at different times intervened by doing so many things. But unfortunately, the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria going down into history has not succeeded in creating the enabling environment for the people of the Niger Delta to realize their full potentials."

The common thread that ran through the issues raised in all the visits and meetings of the ministers is the fact that the Niger Delta region needs development urgently not only to catch up with other less endowed parts of the country, but also to assuage the anger of the restive youths in the creeks. Surely, the message is not lost on Ekaette who was confronted at every turn by people who were not convinced that the ministry has any chance of making a real difference in their lives. Ekaette confessed that most of the people were skeptical and some even cynical about the role of the new ministry. Against this background, the ministry officials have a duty to go the extra mile to convince the people of the region that they are actually going to bring something new to the table.

Indeed, most people are adopting a wait-and-see attitude to the ministry. As the latest among the several organs that have been set up to rescue the Niger Delta from the quagmire of poverty and neglect, all eyes are on the Ekaette-led ministry to see what new things it has to offer. So far, the approach of bringing all stakeholders on board appears promising and encouraging. It makes sense to pull all resources together to confront the injustice and inequality that have ruled the lives of the people in Nigeria's oil basin. The minister is, therefore, right in calling all major stakeholders, including the oil companies, to wake up from slumber. It is indisputable that the Niger Delta deserves a lot more than it is getting now. The oil companies operating in the region have only created oasis of wealth in a desert of poverty, a situation that must change now for the region to lip-frog into the modern era, replete with functional basic facilities and widespread prosperity.

The oil companies which are being accused of operating with lower standards in Nigeria have been given new marching orders to raise their yardsticks to internationally acceptable levels. Ekaete urged them to embark on special training programmes to enable indigenes of their host communities fit into some aspects of oil production in order to give them a sense of belonging. He noted that continued marginalisation of the people could only heighten tension and criminality often engendered by hunger, idleness and ignorance.

The minister, who listed host communities' grievances against the oil multinationals, said: "We have come to a point in the history of the region where we have to adopt drastic measures dictated by the circumstances of the time, to provide succour for the people. Unlike in the past when communities were contented with minor schemes and freebies, oil companies should now begin to provide basic infrastructure that can guarantee long-term benefits for the people of the region."

Not quite surprisingly, the oil firms did not take the minister's reprimand lightly. Some of the officials told the minister pointedly that they should not be blamed for the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta, noting that it was the constitutional mandate of the Federal Government to shoulder the responsibility.

Such buck passing could hardly serve any useful purpose. The records show that the oil companies have not done enough to meet their obligations to the region just as the Federal Government has not lived up to the expectations of the people. Both should change their attitude towards the region by showing greater commitment to its development.

Now, more than ever before, all stakeholders need to collaborate to lift the region from the abyss of underdevelopment. The challenges of developing the region are such that all the stakeholders must sincerely partner to achieve the desired goal.

In response to the need for coordinated efforts, the NDDC set up a clearing house called the Partners for Sustainable Development [PSD] Forum. This important organ brings together representatives of federal and state governments of oil-bearing states, youth and women leaders, traditional rulers as well as the organized private sector, civil society, the mass media and international development agencies such as the UNDP and the World Bank. Their main function is to ensure that the developmental activities in the Niger Delta by all stakeholders are synchronized. This important organ should be more alive to its responsibility and the ministry will do itself a lot of good by making use of the forum.

Now that the development efforts in the region are expected to be driven by the Master Plan, there is bound to be better coordination and faster delivery on projects that would make profound impact on the lives of the people. The new ministry has a duty here by quickly buying into the implementation of the master plan. In fact, it should join the NDDC to drive it. The 15-year period of the plan must not be allowed to run out without any significant impact on the Niger Delta.

The ministry should also move quickly to win the confidence and trust of the various stakeholders. Assignments should be given to development partners with specific time frames to ensure optimal performance. The wrong notion that the Master Plan belongs to the NDDC must be jettisoned for good.

History beckons on the ministry led by Ekaette to bequeath an enduring legacy by ensuring that all the development agencies in the region work harmoniously for the overall good of the Niger Delta.
Source: This Day, 19^th February 2009.

Back

Hater
By Maya Angelou

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all their time trying to make you look small so they can look tall. They are very negative people to say the least. Nothing is ever good enough!

When you make your mark, you will always attract some haters...

That's why you have to be careful with whom you share your blessings and your dreams, because some folk can't handle seeing you blessed...

It's dangerous to be like somebody else... If God wanted you to be like somebody else, He would have given you what He gave them! Right?

You never know what people have gone through to get what they have...

The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don't know my story...

If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!

We've all got some haters among us!

Some people envy you because you can:

a) Have a relationship with God

b) Light up a room when you walk in

c) Start your own business

d) Tell a man / woman to hit the curb (if he / she isn't about the right thing)

e) Raise your children without both parents being in the home.

Haters can't stand to see you happy.
Haters will never want to see you succeed.
Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be on our side.
How do you handle your undercover haters?

You can handle these haters by:

1. Knowing who you are and who your true friends are
*(VERY IMPORTANT!!)

2. Having a purpose to your life: Purpose does not mean having a job. You can have a job and still be
unfulfilled. A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be.
Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you.

3. By remembering what you have is by divine prerogative and not human manipulation.
Fulfil your dreams! You only have one life to live.....when it's your time to leave this earth, you 'want' to be able to say, 'I've lived my life and fulfilled 'my' dreams,... Now I'm ready to go HOME!

When God gives you favour, you can tell your haters, ' Don 't look at me...Look at Who is in charge of me...'

Pass this to all of your family & friends who you know are not hating on you including the person who sent it to you.

If you don't get it back, maybe you called somebody out!
Don't worry about it, it's not your problem, it's theirs..
Just pray for them, that their life can be as fulfilled as yours!
Watch out for Haters...BUT most of all don't become a HATER!

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

Maya Angelou

Back

The 48 Laws of Power
By Robert Greene and Joost Elffers

Law 1

Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

Law 2

Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

Law 3

Conceal your Intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

Law 4

Always Say Less than Necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Law 5

So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

Law 6

Court Attention at all Cost
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.

Law 7

Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.

Law 8

Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary
When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains – then attack. You hold the cards.

Law 9

Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Law 10

Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
You can die from someone else's misery – emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

Law 11

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

Law 12

Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.

Law 13

When Asking for Help, Appeal to People's Self-Interest,

Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.

Law 14

Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.

Law 15

Crush your Enemy Totally
All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.

Law 16

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.

Law 17

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people's actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

Law 18

Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous
The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

Law 19

Know Who You're Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs' clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.

Law 20

Do Not Commit to Anyone
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.

Law 21

Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker – Seem Dumber than your Mark
No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.

Law 22

Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
When you are weaker, never fight for honor's sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

Law 23

Concentrate Your Forces
Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.

Law 24

Play the Perfect Courtier
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.

Law 25

Re-Create Yourself
Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.

Law 26

Keep Your Hands Clean
You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat's-paws to disguise your involvement.

Law 27

Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.

Law 28

Enter Action with Boldness
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

Law 29

Plan All the Way to the End
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.

Law 30

Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

Law 31

Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.

Law 32

Play to People's Fantasies
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.

Law 33

Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

Law 34

Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.

Law 35

Master the Art of Timing
Never seem to be in a hurry – hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.

Law 36

Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

Law 37

Create Compelling Spectacles
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.

Law 38

Think as you like but Behave like others
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.

Law 39

Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.

Law 40

Despise the Free Lunch
What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

Law 41

Avoid Stepping into a Great Man's Shoes
What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

Law 42

Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual – the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them – they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

Law 43

Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.

Law 44

Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.

Law 45

Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.

Law 46

Never appear too Perfect
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

Law 47

Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

Law 48

Assume Formlessness
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes

 Back

As Idi Amin arrives for AMAA
By Akeem Lasisi

The African Movie Academy Awards has caught a big fish in the person of Hollywood Oscar award winner, Forest Whitaker, who has arrived Nigeria for AMAA's grand finale holding in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on April 4.

Whitaker won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin in the 2006 film, The Last King of Scotland.

The actor, producer and director, who has also won a Golden Globe and made history as the fourth African American male to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, following in the footsteps of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx, was filled with excitement in Lagos on Wednesday, when AMAA Chief Executive Officer, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, introduced him and other arriving foreign film makers to the media and other stakeholders.

"I am excited to be here," Whitaker said. "I have worked in several parts of Africa – Uganda, Angola etc. But coming down to Nigeria to be part of AMAA and meet other film makers excites me. I am excited about what you are doing, and I want to see what is happening here."

The film maker, who, to prepare for his role as dictator, Idi Amin, in The Last King of Scotland, gained 50 pounds, learnt to play the accordion, and immersed himself in research and spent time in Uganda meeting with Amin's friends, relatives, generals, and victims, while also learning Swahili and mastering Amin's East African accent, added that he was open to the possibility of working with other practitioners in Nigeria.

Whitaker has seen a good number of Nigerian films on which he, however, did not pass any judgement.

According to him, there is room to get better, as many professionals too always try to. Asked how Nigerian film makers can get better at it, he stressed the importance of honing their stories.

He noted that low budgets were not an excuse as, according to him, everyone can make a film once the story is right.

"It is about trying to be specific about stories and continung to tell them right," he said. "The question is, 'What's your story? How are you going to tell it? What's your aesthetics? These are universal issues that, once addressed, people will like to see the film."

Anyiam-Osigwe, who also exuded excitement, noted that all was set to have another successful AMAA show.

She explained that the fact that the awards is a continental thing, and the one that cuts through the Diaspora, gave her the confidence to invite Whitaker and other participants from different parts of the world.

Among those who have also arrived are contigents from Uganda (including film maker, Okuyo Prynce); those from Kenya, Malawi, Egypt and foreign media, including a group from Germany.
Source: Punch, 3^rd April 2009.

Danny Glover and Forest Whitaker Become Chiefs In Nigeria

"ONLY THE MEDIOCRE ARE ALWAYS AT THEIR BEST."

April 6 was a really beautiful day. The people of Nkwerre village in Imo State, Eastern Nigeria might have thought they were just lucky to have a day as nice as this but the reason that day was all shiny and new was because a lost son had returned.

Forest Steven Whitaker,an Academy Award-, Golden Globe-, and Emmy-winning actor, producer, and director returned home to Nigeria.

I was the only journalist that got lucky to be right there as he was welcomed with fellow star, Danny Glover. Right there before my eyes, they were given prestigious chieftaincy titles reserved for nobel and well respected men.

Whitaker, sorry chief Whitaker was given the title-"Nwannedinamb a Of Nkwerre" meaning "A Brother in Foreign Land" while Chief Glover received the title- "Enyioma of Nkwerre," this means "A Good Friend."

It took me a while to believe I was actually there with world stars in a small village in Nigeria. I have not fully recovered.

I was really proud to be who I am when Chief Whitaker thanked the King for allowing him to breathe the air and feel the wind in a different way. To feel his blood differently. I was moved to tears and filled with mixed emotions when he said "Now I know where I stand, it is the greatest gift anyone can receive."

Chief GLover was also honoured and said this was home for him. We all moved on to the Ayiam-Osigwe family house to celebrate. I took in slowly, the privilege of seeing them dance to the beats of Africa and savouring every mouth full of Jollof-rice, semovita and egusi soup, our native dish.

For me, a 24 year old Newswatch magazine senior staff writer in Lagos, I would never forget this day. Since I got back to my desk, I have recounted the stories to my colleagues over and over, now I want to tell the world.

I believe his visit, his new identity, his title, his words and who he is would inspire Nigerians especially those on the road to shunning corruption and believing in hard work.

Back