Nigeria May hold World Bank Presidency

By Sandrine Rastello

Some African nations are planning to nominate Nigeria’s Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become president of the World Bank, an official on the lender’s board of directors said.

Okonjo-Iweala, who was a managing director at the Washington-based World Bank until August, would be proposed by South Africa, according to the official, who spoke on condition of not being named because the talks are not public. South Africa also represents Nigeria and Angola on the 25-seat World Bank board.

South African Treasury spokesman Jabulani Sikhakhane said “we’re not commenting on the issue,” when contacted on his mobile phone today. Mac Maharaj, a spokesman for South African President Jacob Zuma, did not respond to a message left on his mobile phone.

“It’s great there’s a conversation about merit,” said Kevin Gallagher, associate professor of international relations at Boston University. “She knows a heck of a lot about development. I’m not so sure what her thoughts and record is with respect to environmental protection,” he said in reference to a topic of increasing interest at the World Bank.

While the bank promised a “merit-based and transparent” selection process, the position has always been held by a U.S. citizen proposed by the U.S. president. Two days before a March 23 deadline, President Barack Obama’s administration has not announced its candidate to replace Robert Zoellick, who has said he will step down when his term ends June 30.

‘Quite Surprising’
“The minister hasn’t put herself forward for the position and she’s not actively seeking it,” Nigerian finance ministry spokesman Paul Nwabuikwu said. “That’s why it’s quite surprising the amount of support that the idea is getting from Africa and other parts of the world.”

The World Bank’s board has said will decide on a shortlist of as many as three candidates, whom it will interview, and that it wants to make a decision by April 20.

The plan to nominate Okonjo-Iweala was reported earlier by Reuters, which also said Brazil will nominate former Colombian Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo. Ocampo didn’t return a call to his office at Columbia University in New York.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa “and other active developing countries in the World Bank are discussing the issue,” Carlos Cozendey, secretary for International Affairs at the Brazilian Finance Ministry, said in a statement while declining to confirm Ocampo’s candidacy. “The president of the World Bank should be chosen by his merit and we think it is very positive to have an open competitive process,” according to the statement.

U.S. Nomination
Okonjo-Iweala’s possible candidacy may not be enough to derail a nomination by the U.S., the bank’s largest shareholder, said Uri Dadush, director of international economics at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. The U.S. last year also backed Europe’s pick for the International Monetary Fund against Mexico’s candidate.

“The only scenario I can imagine where it would make it difficult is if the U.S. doesn’t come up with a strong candidate themselves,” Dadush said. “But if they do and they are convinced they have a good candidate, I don’t think the African countries can stop this.”

Another declared candidate is Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs, who is backed by developing nations including East Timor, which said it nominated him.

-- With assistance by Arnaldo Galvao in Brasilia, Maram Mazen in Abuja and Franz Wild in Johannesburg. Editors: Kevin Costelloe, Gail DeGeorge

To contact the reporters on this story: Sandrine Rastello in Washington at srastello@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Wellisz in Washington at cwellisz@bloomberg.net;

Some Facts About Nigeria

Nigeria i/naɪˈdʒɪəriə/, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. The three largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. In terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split half and half between Muslims and Christians with a very small minority who practice traditional religion.
The people of Nigeria have an extensive history. Archaeological evidence shows that human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BCE.[5] The area around the Benue and Cross River is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BC and the 2nd millennium. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was coined by Flora Shaw, the future wife of Baron Lugard, a British colonial administrator, in the late 19th century. Since 2002 there have been a spate of clashes in the north of the country between government forces and the Boko Haram militant group which seeks to establish sharia law.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the seventh most populous country in the world, and the most populous country in the world in which the majority of the population is black.[6] It is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Picture Talk: A Nigerian artist Paints Nigeria with Excellence

The paintings of Naija

Remembering Gani Fawehinmi in A vow in a Thunderstorm By Yemi Olakitan

A vow in a Thunderstorm: A book Review
By Yemi Olakitan

A vow in a thunderstorm contains 222 pages of captivating work of fiction. Written by Chike Obayi, the book is dedicated to the late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi who spent most of his life fighting against human rights infringements by corrupt military leaders. The author seems to have obtained his inspiration from the life of the Fawehinmi. The main character of his story walks the same path as the late activist. Obayi writes with clarity, imagination and a simplicity that one would find in the writings of great storytellers such as Cyprian Ekwensi or Chinua Achebe. Obayi writes with great promise and delivers his plot with enough enthusiasm that convinces his audience that he has both the talents and the imagination to deliver his stories.
Tijani, a young brilliant boy vowed to spend his life fighting for the rights of the less privileged in his society after he witnessed died of tuberculosis while in prison for a crime he did not commit. Tijani promised his father that he was going to study law and he would strive to use the legal profession to bring solace to the oppressed.
Written in simple language, the author tells his story brilliantly without boredom or unnecessary details he seems to command a kind of touch for keeping the readers glued as he moves from one stage of the story to the next. Obayi traced the story of Tijani’s life to his earliest educational background and showed the readers how the character strives to keep the promise he made to his father by fighting for the rights of the oppressed and the underprivileged and exposing the wrongful acts of the wicked ones in the society. He borrowed from Ibo land immensely in his use of proverbs, similes and metaphors, which are not far feched in the book.
While in secondary school at the Kings College, Lagos, Tijani rose to the position of clerk in the school informal law court by fighting for the rights of the junior students. In keeping with the promise he made to his late father. He fought courageously against the infamous compulsory free purchase culture of the college, in which senior students were forced to buy a long list of beverages and other items for senior students. This illegal practice ensures that the junior student used his money to purchase the items while the senior student freely enjoys the purchase. Sometimes a student has to steal in order to meet up with the CFP. A refusal to purchase the listed items means that the concerned student would suffer innumerable punishment in the hands of the students.
An alarmed Tijani takes the matter to the lower student court and appeal the judgment of the lower court. At the upper court he was able to win the case and the oppressed students were free. This is the beginning of Tijani’s fight against abuse of the peoples’ human rights. He went on to study Law at the University and he continued his fight for the eradication of all acts of intimidation and oppression in the university community. Tijani is a multitalented young man who plays football very well and his love of the game gives him popularity. In chapter 11 of the book he even took his love for the sports to the higher institution, which made him even popular.
As an undergraduate studying Law, Tijani displayed outstanding courage in chapter 13 of the book. When he exposed the members of a notorious secret cult operating in his school. The cult known as NASTO had kidnapped Kutoye, the son of the university’s Vice Chancellor over the student union election. This has pushed the university into confusion. Tijani displayed the courage of detective in the matter. He trailed the cultists to their hiding place. He recorded their discussions and obtained enough evidence for the arrest of the offenders. The head of the cultists Prof. Ozia was exposed in the process. All these were as a result of Tijani’s efforts in the face of threats to his life. He helped the police to get to the bottom of the matter and saved the life of his friend Kutoye who would have been killed. Tijani kept the vow he made to his father even in the university days. Tijani’s radicalism, like that of the late chief Gani Fawehinmi arises out of a desire to fight for justice and promote the welfare of humanity. Like the late chief Gani Fawehinmi, Tijani was determined to face danger in order to fight for justice and the enthronement of truth. Chike Obayi had rightly dedicated the book to fawehinmi’s memory. A vow in thunderstorm would make an interesting reading particularly to the youths. It provides an experience that many of the younger ones have not had before which may also yield them valuable lessons in human relationships and in many issues of life.
Obayi takes the reader through villages and the Lagos city to tell his tale. He makes use of words such as Igwe thereby using his cultural experience and language in the choice of location and the behaviuos of his characters. Although he did not provide a bibliography of difficult words at the end of the story, he left the readers to do the interpretation.
Obayi tells his story well and the readers could easily see that his inspiration came from the late Fawehinmi one of Nigerian heroes human rights advocacy. However, he err a bit on the part of suspense. Someone, one is able to predict the kind of life Tijani will leave from the earlier chapters of the book. A critical analysis of the book cannot overlook the issue of suspense. Obayi could have created more suspense in the plots by using some flashback instead of unfolding the story methodically as it occurred.
However, his use of imagination is good as he is able to use descriptive words and much imagery to tell the tale. For example, in his description of the chaotic situation of Lagos city in chapter seven, he wrote, ‘‘people were moving in almost all directions and in haste with no-one seeming to care for the other. It looked as if an invisible hand was propelled the movements. Here and there. People were conversing in a language he did not understand. Yellow painted buses cruising past in opposite directions with some passengers hang out from the doors like monkeys. He wondered whether something was wrong. ‘’
A vow in a thunderstorm will remain a great honour to the late Fawehinmi who truly deserved whatever monuments one might erect in his memory wether in the form of a literature or a sculpture. The author, Obayi Crescent Chikezie Agweri was born on September 28, 1966 at Nsukka in Enugu state. He attended Adada Secondary School. Npologu in Nsuka and Lagos state University where he obtained B.A Hons in Philosophy and a Masters in International Relations and strategic studies. He is married to Ngozika Eunice and they are blessed with children. Chike Obayi leaved in Lagos with his family.

Traditional Religion is Supreme- Ebun Osunnike

Traditional Religion is Supreme- Ebun Osunnike
By Yemi Olakitan

Ebun Osunnike (Iya Adunbuyinbo) is the President of International Congress of Orisa Congress, Lagos state Chapter, an umbrella organization for all the Orisa Worship in Nigeria and in the Diasporas. Osunike is dedicated to the propagation of traditional religious worship. She fervently believes that a return to tradional religion will bring about a beter society. In the interview with Yemi Olakitan she bares her mind on various issues affecting tradional religion in Nigeria and while she believes that traditonal is the best. Excerpts

• It seems that most people have abandoned traditional religion and stick to Christianity and Islam, Why have you remained in it?
The Christians and Muslims have not abandoned our traditional religion. They are deceive themselves when they say that they have abandoned our traditional practices and I will tell you why this is so. There are ways in which they still observe our traditional religion. The Muslims still use what they call ‘‘Tira’’ which is a kind of Charm if look at it well. During the Salah celebrations, a good Muslim must slaughter his own ram and share such with the neighbors.
In the Christian Bible Jesus died for the sins of the world. The death of Christ was a sacrificial offering. In the old testament of the Christian Bible, God told them to make sacrificial offerings of bulls and rams. Therefore, it is all interwoven and related. Tradition is supreme and we are all involved in these practices in one form or the other. Each religion has its own rites and rituals. So, don’t tell me that they have abandon tradition. No, they have not abandon tradition because they all practice it in one disguise or the other. In actual fact, traditional religion is the first-born. Look at our Muslim and Christian bothers, particularly in Yoruba land, there are few names that do not have a connection with a Yoruba deity. Our names are either attached to Ogun the god of iron, Ifa the God of Divination, or Osun, the River Godess. These are deities that are attached to traditional religion, although these people may claim to be Christina’s or Muslims. The fact is that their traditional religion is the religion of our ancestors. Look at Governor Fashola. He may claim to be a Muslim; his name is derived from Ifa. Traditional religion is the first. Islam and Christianity are foreign religion. Islam was imported from Saudi Arabia while Christianity was imported from Europe. They are not our culture originally. We accepted these religions because we do not know the value of what we have. The white man knows what he has and he packages it well and he gave it to us and we accepted his own religion to the neglect of ours. I have been a Christian before, my Baptismal name was Ruth and I have been a Muslim as well, my Muslim was Falilat. I have examined the two and I am convinced that Orisa Worship is pleasing to me.

• Does it not feel a little odd sometimes, been a traditionalist among a sea of Muslims and Christians?

I grew with traditional religion. My father was a staunch traditionalist and so was my mother. I know the value of what we have. We have inherited a strong religion full of deep spirituality and strong philosophy of life. Honestly, there is nothing in Christianity or Islam that is not in Orisa Worship. My father’s name was Ogundeyi, my son’s name is Ogunshina and my other son’s name is Ifashola.
You see, traditional religion works if you practice it with truthfulness and right living. I believe in the Orisas. People have different problems. Christians, Muslims and even atheist they all come to us for help including those who condemn us in public. I want to appeal to Christians to stop castigating us. They say, all we do is evil. This is a lie!
People come to us with problems and we are able to help them. Some come with unemployment problems, some barrenness problems, some have business problems. We consult the Orisas for the solution and the solution is always there.

• Tell us about your work and your association
Well, I am the president of the Orisha Congress in the whole of Lagos state. I went to Abuja to establish it. I have established it in Minna, Sokoto, Benin Republic and every states of the Western Region. We are present in the United States of America. We are in Europe as well. Professor Wole Abimbola in Ile Ife established Orisa Congress, when he was a Professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife. He is the President of the Association, worldwide. Yemi Elebun Ibon is the National President of the Congress of Orisa Worshipers. Traditional religion is the first-born and it is supreme.
Let me use this opportunity to address some things, there are some people that go about parading themselves as Orisa Worshipers. They are dressed in white attire and they sit in public places begging for money. These people are not part of us. It is not a Yoruba Culture to beg for money. It is not even in the tenets of Orisa worship. It is completely unacceptable. You don’t beg for money. You work with you hands. This is what the Orisas instruct is to do, although there is a certain deity that instructs his followers to go and ask for money and pray for those who gives. However, this comes up at a particular season and when that season is past. You cannot continue to do as if you are beggar. It is totally out of the religious inclination of Orisa Worship to turn oneself into a beggar and be begin in the name of religion. I have trained several priestesses and some of them are in the United States and some are based in the UK. Some are in Ghana. You cannot find them beg for money. Those who are doing that have deviated from tradition.
Our Association is fully registered with the government. We are registered just like the Christian Association of Nigeria. However, the government does not recognize us. They give attention to the Muslims and the Christians but not to us. We want to move close to the government but our government be like a woman who gives birth to three children but abandon one. They have thrown traditional religion away. We are the true identity of the country. The others are foreign importation. In traditional religion, you cannot lie. If you do evil, evil will overtake you. Many people cannot be here that is why they hide under Christianity and Islam and yet many still come to us for deliverance. As an Osun Priestess for example, I cannot lie or cheat. It is what Osun ask for that I must ask for. If Osun does not ask for money, I cannot ask for money. Yet, you will never lack. All the Orisas do not encourage wickedness. Therefore, it is a lie to attribute traditional religion with evil. I also want to appeal to the Nollywood people who are making films to portray us in good light. When they portray us in a bad light, they are castigating our collective cultural heritage. Christianity and Islam are just a question of good branding. Let us portray our culture and tradition in a positive light to the outside world.

• What other advice do you have for the Government?
The government should recognize us more. A father who has three children but throws away one is not a good father. If the Christians can help in nation building, we can also help. The Boko Haram issue, for example, they are not spirits, they are human beings. The government should involve all of us in finding solutions to the problem of the nation.

At the Synod of the Methodist Chuch Lagos Central

Boko Haram Must be brought to Book- Rt. Rev. J.O Kehinde Adeyemi
Diocesan Bishop of Methodist Church
By Yemi Olakitan

The Federal Government has been called upon to urgently deal with perpetrators and sponsors of ethno-religious violence and insecurity in the country. The Diocesan Bishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Lagos Central made the call at the 3rd Synod of the Diocese organized to mark 170 years of Methodism in Nigeria and 50 years of autonomy of the Diocese of Lagos Central. The theme of the synod was ‘Behold I am doing a new thing.’’ The Synod, which happened at the Adeniyi Oluwa Memorial Chuch, Olodi Apapa was presided over by the Diocesan Bishop. In his address on the state of the nation, he lamented the sad security situation in the country. In his words, ‘‘it is very sad that the nation has been enmeshed in complex social, economic and political problems for over two decades with no solution in sight. The security situation in the country is in dire straits for any meaningful development. The continuous reign of terrorists, armed banditry, monumental crime and violence will only make the touted drive for foreign investment and economic prosperity a mirage. It is unfortunate that criminals are overpowering the government and disrupting law and order. Our leaders must bring Boko Haram and their collaborators to book. Government must have the political will to deal with all those that have been arrested in connection with violence in the nation,’’ he said.
He said the Federal government must equip the Nigerian police with modern equipments and training to perform their statutory duties satisfactorily.
Church leaders, Members of the press and distinguished men and women from all walks of life, attended the synod.