Abolish al-majiri system, Mark tells Northern Govs

ABUJA—SENATE President, David Mark, yesterday, blamed leaders and politicians from the North for the growing almajiri in the region, saying they must urgently rise up to ban the system.
This is even as he said the Federal Government would no longer condone criminal acts by people in the country on excuse of unemployment.
Mark, who spoke during a debate on a bill, “A Bill for an Act to Repeal and Re-enact the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act 2003”, sponsored by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, PDP, Cross River Central, was reacting to the issue of parental negligence raised by Senator Alkali Abdulkadir Jajere, ANPP, Yobe South.
Jajere had sought a stiff legislation compelling parents, particularly in the North, to take adequate care of their wards, saying it was time for the almajiri system in the region to be done away with.
He also gave a heart-rending picture of how he grew up without knowing his parents because of the system.
He gave a horrific story of the life he went through as an almajiri child.
According to him, it is by the grace of God that he was enrolled in school.
He also recalled that many of such children never had the opportunity he had to be educated.
Moved by Senator Jajere’s graphic story, Mark said: “It is amazing when we tend to make excuses for our failings. If you cannot gain employment you, go and join a terrorist group so that you can be employed.
“You join Boko Haram because you have no employment. If you are poor, then you begin to trade and traffic in human beings so that you can be rich.
“These are all excuses. What about the people who are buying these people outside. Is it because they can’t find employment or because they are poor? I think we should stop making excuses.
“Everything is reduced to the level of unemployment in the country. Nigeria is not the only country where everybody is not employed. That you are not employed does not mean you should go and do something very bizarre.
“You open up a baby factory; you begin to sedate people and remove their organs to sell. It’s just never a good excuse for some of the things that we do.”

Chinua Achebe: 1930 – 2013

THE death of Africa’s foremost writer, critic and cultural pathologist, Chinualumogu Albert Achebe is a great loss to a world where the wisdom of sacred spoken and written words is observed with high reverence.

A way to measure the loss could be the quantum of tributes that have continued to pour in from writers, Presidents across the world, the Senate of State of New York, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the National Assembly.

They eulogised Achebe as a penetrating writer with acute imagination, as a global citizen with outstanding concerns for the world’s problems. Achebe, like Okonkwo, the hero of his famous novel,

Things Fall Apart, at a young age, established his fame with his landscaping, Things Fall Apart, an imaginative narrative, which he wrote at 28. He was admitted to the University of Ibadan to read medicine, but after a year, he opted for English and found his passion in elevating Africa through the African story.

 The iconic novel told the African story with African perspectives.

 By telling the African tale in an English manner, Achebe employed the English language in a way that made it carry the beauty, colour and tradition of African spoken art and weight of experience. His significance as writer  further lent credence with the import which he brought through his peculiar way of writing to the ethnographic and ethno poetical aesthetics of African literature, history and tradition.

Besides creative writing which established Achebe’s fame in the world of letters, he was also an important critic and essayist. One of his most important works was “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” published in Massachusetts Review. 18. 1977. It was a response to the stereotypical images bandied about Africa by colonial writers and administrators about the continent as a place of perpetual darkness and underdevelopment.

His political views were built into his artistic visions, which were credibly and beautifully conveyed by his arresting fictional characters. Achebe rejected national honours twice to demonstrate his disapproval of how Nigeria was being managed. He loved Nigeria with great concern.

The publication, last year, of the controversial, There Was A Country, an autobiographical narrative that engaged Nigeria’s history from the colonial times through the different civilian and military regimes down to the civil war was his parting shot.

Achebe was a great mentor. He was the founder of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, the popular Okike Journal of Creative Writing at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He was first Editor of African Writers Series of Heinemann Publishers, he helped nurture and published many renowned African writers including Ngugi wa Thiong’o of Kenya, Ayi Kwei Armah of Ghana, Okot p’Bitek of Uganda and Mongo Beti of Cameroon.

Achebe died abroad, an unhappy man at 82. In the Igbo tradition, he should have lived among his people to uphold the ofo, staff of authority of his family. He did not recover from the scars of the civil war. He bore till death, the scars from a car accident that made him wheel-chair bound. He would be interred in his native town Ogidi today.

He would be remembered for his candour, humanism, insight, intellect, traditionalism and as a great family man whose humility translated to respect for humanity.

Akpabio and the future of Akwa Ibom

Except the Nigerian Constitution is amended before April 2015, one thing is certain: all the governors who have served two terms in office will no longer be qualified to re-contest for such offices. This is because our Constitution says a person cannot occupy the office of a governor for more than two consecutive terms. One of the governors who will have to obey this constitutional provision in 2015 is Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State whom, as if to confirm the expiration of his stay in the Government House, his people have already asked to represent them in the Senate come 2015.
Akpabio took office as governor of the State first in 2007 and was re-elected for a second term in 2011. Akpabio’s journey to Akwa Ibom State Government House was a peculiar one. Those who have the benefit of history would recall that he was not one of those that could be considered top contenders for the top job in the oil-rich state even though by experience he appeared eminently qualified.
Before 2007, he was a commissioner during the two terms of his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah. But make no mistake, Akpabio was not known to be Attah’s anointed successor though many see his appointment into Attah’s cabinet as what brought him (Akpabio) into political limelight. Before joining Attah’s cabinet, Akpabio was a lawyer in private practice in Lagos. His appointment into Attah’s cabinet was his debut in secular political scene aside his involvement in student politics and activism in the University of Calabar where he obtained his law degree.
But whichever way one looks at it, the fact that Akpabio served during Attah’s two tenures is an eloquent testimony that he had something valuable on the table, for there were not more than two commissioners who enjoyed such rare privilege. Attah’s cabinet was Akpabio’s preparatory ground. As commissioner in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, a very strategic ministry, Akpabio familiarised himself with the political terrain and structures in the state and became a grassroot politician, little wonder that he remained one of the most relevant and popular amongst his colleagues.
During this time too, it became obvious that Akpabio was a man of wits and charisma. Of course, shortly before the end of Attah’s second term, Akpabio’s body language indicated that he was interested in his boss’ job but he did not appear to be so much of a force to reckon with. Apparently due to the level of political awareness at the time, the number of aspirants within his party alone was so much that Akpabio’s name would simply be drowned in a sea of names.
Secondly, the fact that Attah could not seek another term in office emboldened many political heavyweights who, before then, were not comfortable about challenging an incumbent. So, within the PDP alone, there were well over fifty aspirants for the office of the governor and at least a fifth of this number had clout good enough to unnerve Akpabio. In this category were very experienced, older and better connected politicians such as Chief Don Etiebet, Dr. Ime Umanah, Grp. Cpt. Sam Enwang just to mention a few.
Besides, at the time, there was the speculation that Gov. Attah preferred another aspirant Dr. Udoma Ekarika to succeed him. Ekarika, a medical doctor by profession, was another commissioner who served during Atta’s two tenures. He also became son-in-law to Attah during that period. As if to confirm the speculations concerning Attah’s preference of him, Ekarika served in two sensitive and strategic ministries, first the ministry of health and then the ministry of works which was and is still believed to be the juiciest ministry in the state.
There was also speculation that Ekarika’s campaign was funded by the Government House and one would not have any struggle leaning to this thinking because, again for those with the benefit of history, any of Ekarika’s campaign outings was a carnival of some sort. With all these forces that Akpabio had to contend with, it was mysterious how he emerged the PDP flag bearer in the state because in a state that was predominantly PDP, the PDP primaries could simply pass for the main election.
One could not but come to the conclusion that Akpabio was indeed a man favoured by God and loved by his people whose dogged loyalty and unreserved support delivered to him the keys to the Government House. Good enough, time has a very subtle way of banishing all such intrigues to the faint memories of history and so the journey to the Government House in 2007 may not be of much importance today. What is of more importance now is the race for the same office in 2015.
And for those who think it is not yet time for politicking, they will be shocked by how much work has been done already and the strategies, alignments and realignments going on in Akwa Ibom political circles. As usual, the race will not be free of intrigues. But there are a number of major factors that will determine who occupies Akwa Ibom State Government House come April, 2015. As is typical of a number of states in our country, Akwa Ibom is a multi-ethnic state with the three dominant tribes being Ibibio, Annang and Oron in that order of dominance.
Again, unfortunately though, in a society where ethnic considerations play a critical role in decision making, it would be foolhardy to play down on it in the political calculations that will determine who rules a state such as Akwa Ibom. Worthy of mention at this point is the fact that since inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the Ibibios and Annangs have occupied the Government House in the persons of Governors Victor Attah and Godswill Akpabio respectively. Already, politicians from the Oron ethnic extraction have begun the agitation that the next Governor should come from the area.
Their argument is that since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, no politician from the area has served as Governor. As if to add a touch of seriousness to the agitation, a number of persons mostly from the region have either openly declared interest or been touted as possible successors to Akpabio. On the other hand, there is already the counter argument in some quarters that rotation of governorship in the state is not exactly along the ethnic lines but along the three senatorial districts which are not neatly delineated along ethnic lines.
If this argument is sustained, it means that the next governorship slot will not just fall on the laps of the Oron people as the Eket senatorial district, to which they belong, also has a number of local governments of the Ibibio extraction. Whichever way the argument goes, one thing is sure. This political permutation, which many may consider perfidious, will certainly be a veritable notion that will support and fuel the usual intrigues and manipulations when the time is ripe.
Another factor that will determine who becomes Akpabio’s successor is that AkwaIbomites would want a governor that will, in the least, match the achievements of the man who, in recent times, has been rated by many as best governor in Nigeria. While still savouring the rare achievements of the man whose vision for his people has given birth to an empowered populace and a private sector driven economy, acting as a catalyst to Nigeria’s Industrial revolution, Akwaibomites are watching to see who takes over the governance of the state from Gov. Godswill Akpabio. Adahada writes from Lagos.

Asari-Dokubo, a liability to Jonathan, says varsity don

Kabiru Mato is a professor of Political Science and Director, Institute for Anti-Corruption Studies of the University of Abuja. He is a strong voice in northern politics. In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Abuja he came hard on former militant leader, Asari Dokubo over his recent statement that Nigeria will cease to exist if President Goodluck Jonathan is not reelected in 2015. According to him, that statement is a declaration of war on the Nigerian State, warning Jonathan to distance himself from Asari Dokubo as he has become a political liability.
Professor Kabiru further warned against any plans by serving and past political leaders to manipulate the 2015 elections.  “People’s votes must count. Any attempt by people in or out of power to manipulate the will of the people will be met with serious consequences. If those in power want to use that opportunity to do anything wrong with the votes, it will be too bad for this country,” he warned.
Below is the full excerpts of the interview…
Battle against corruption
I think the most important thing to understand here is to know why there’s this high level of corruption in Nigeria. We should also consider the areas where they’re more prevalent. Is it in the public or private sector? My answer to this is that corruption is in both sectors. Corruption will thrive in the private sector if its endemic at the public sector level. What I mean here is that, the level of corruption in government has to do with those who are entrusted with running the affairs of the state. My attitude to corruption is that no government all over the world can completely stamp it out of its political landscape. But what other governments do is to reduce it to its lowest minimum. In our own case, it has become so unfortunate. Institutions that are supposed to fight corruption are being reduced by the same government that put these institutions in place. For instance, in the area of funding, you can’t fight corruption if you are allocated penury.
The people you’re fighting are in the public and private sectors, and they’ve tremendous wealth. This is democracy. If you’re trying to fight these people, they have resources at their disposal to fight back. The legal system is very expensive. For you to convict anybody, you have to convince the court that the individual or group of people are guilty. For you to do that, you need to go through rigorous legal process. The institutions fighting corruption in Nigeria are handicapped because they lack the financial capacity to effectively prosecute those accused of corruption. They don’t even have the funds to get sound lawyers or do proper investigation. This is fundamentally the problem. For instance, the two cases involving former governor of Delta State, James Ibori and former managing director of Intercontinental Bank, Erastus Akingbola are from the private and public sectors. Because of the amount of wealth they’ve acquired, they were able to clear all the charges of corruption against them.
As you can see, outside of Nigeria, they were tried in competent courts. It has been said that the British government spent £5 million in prosecuting James Ibori. If you translate that money into Naira, you realise that it is the budget of both the EFCC and ICPC. And that was what another government spent in prosecuting a case. Resources are scarce here and our own government can’t fund them. With deficit in the provision of infrastructure, the government can’t afford to channel so much resources into fighting corruption. I still believe the current state of funding is largely responsible for the poor successes anti-corruption agencies have been recording in their fight against corruption. I think the effort the government is putting in fighting corruption is below the mark.
Jonathan and Nigerians’ confidence
The truth of the matter is that most of the problems we face today in Nigeria aren’t the creation of President Jonathan or his administration. They’re problems that have accumulated over time. My attitude to this is that politicians must begin to realise that, when they’re aspiring to certain political offices, they should do so with the full consciousness that what they’re asking for are assets and liabilities. It isn’t all about driving in long convoys or enjoying the benefits of the office. It is also about the neglect of education, infrastructure, health sector and so many other things that have piled up over time to produce the kind of general state of insecurity and apathy that we’ve in Nigeria. The president who’s contesting for an election should be able to know the magnitude of these problems. It is not enough for anybody to say that he didn’t create these problems and therefore not the solution to the problem.
The fact of the matter is that Nigerians are at liberty to assess any government and that is the beauty of democracy. Nigerians are at liberty to assess Jonathan either as good or bad. This is what you can’t take away from Nigerians. Leadership must be able to take responsibility for actions. We elected the government and they should be able to create the enabling environment in helping Nigerians fulfill their common goals. What you have in Nigeria is a government that complains too much.
Dokumbo’s war threat
I don’t take people like Asari Dokumbo seriously. I don’t take them seriously because of their antecedents and not because they’re not Nigerians. Whatever people like that say shouldn’t mean anything. A sensible Nigerian will not come out and do what he’s doing. People like Asari are becoming political liabilities to President Jonathan instead of being political assets.

Private jet owners to pay higher charges (New aviation policy)

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday approved a new national civil aviation policy that will see all private jet owners in the country paying higher charges in accordance with international best practices. Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah who briefed State House Correspondents alongside her colleagues, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, Transport, Idris Umar, Minister of State Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, after the weekly FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said the existing aviation policy which was last revised 11 years ago did not provide for strict enforcement of payment of charges by private jet operators.
She said the private jet operators were not paying what they should pay. According to her, “the question is not of taking advantages, it is a question of doing the right thing. Are they paying what they are supposed to pay? The response is no, they are not. But we want to make sure that they do pay what they are supposed to pay. “These are part of the what the policy is addressing. We want to make sure that private jets are private jets and commercial jets are commercial jets and each will operate within the boxes they are meant to operate. So we don’t want to overcharge anyone, we dont to undercharge we want to do what is global standards”.
The policy she noted also addresses issues pertaining to the rights of passengers and owners of aircrafts, while spelling out clear guidelines on general aviation. The new policy has captures enforcement of rules to enhance standards. With the revised policy, the Accident Investigation Bureau AIB, would now ensure that its responsibilities go beyond investigation of accidents but implementation of outcomes and findings. Oduah said, “You must all agree with me that since then several things have taken place.
The security situation has changed and so the challenge has become more paramount that we must be intune with the global standards. We had to also revise the policy to ensure that safety is given optimum importance in the way we do things, definitely technology is involved in using the airports and so you can see its very important that we enhance the technology that we have within our airports and our airports facilities and so several of these was the essence in which we had to quickly review our aviation policy. “In doing that major highlights were general aviation. When we talk about general aviation we are talking about the private jets.
As of today we have about a hundred of them and having them we have no law, no policy no regulation to make sure that they are operating the way they should operate within ICAO laws and our aviation policy. But most importantly to be in tandem with global best policies, we also had to highlight passengers bill of right. What that means is that all passengers rights are being protected and at the same time the rights of the airlines operators should be protected as well so that you do not have conflict between passengers and operators. The policy has to take into cognisance the fact that you must have healthy operators. It is only when you have healthy operators that safety can be given the regards that it should be given. So in doing that you have to create a new directorate that focuses on economic and commercial regulations. For us it is very important.
Again when an airline is unhealthy they will have difficulty in complaince as far as the safety regulations are concerned, but the policy has to address those issues. “We also highlighted the bilateral relations that we have. What has been happening in the past, we had bilateral relations that are supposed to be reciprocal in nature but in practice it is not. We get paid royalties which does not resolve our problems so we had to change it to where we have full benefits of our bilateral relations which regards to airline operations. “Then that of national carrier, to have a policy that really addresses how we accomplish the national carrier that is in tandem with what Mr. President had promised, a private sector driven national carrier that represents who we are, what we are and our aspirations are taken into cognizance.
General safety and security at the airport, how best we can address them and monitor them because it has become a challenge in view of the new security issues that has emerged. “Generally we talked about Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). The policy was very elaborate on how AIB should operate. AIB should not just investigate accidents and incidents they should ensure that the outcome of their report is fully implemented. So AIB will police NCAA to ensure that all the outcome of their invesitagion is adequately addressed. Finally it is the cognizance of the need to have a national climate policy, the policy addresses the framework that will drive that issue very well. We have been having climate issues and its not going to stop so we must have policies that will address these issues”.
The Council also approved the sum of N19.4 Billion for the construction of the Karshi Water Supply Scheme under the rural development efforts of the Federal Government, saying that the project would be completed in 30 months. The Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said that the water project would address the issue of water scarcity within Karshi and its environs. The project is to provide potable water and irrigation to that growing suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Akinjide, explained that the project, would involve the construction of two dams to adequately cater for the agriculture and domestic/industrial use of residents of the area.
Transport minister, Idris Umar, made a presentation on the performance of his ministry in 2012, detailing the rehabilitation of rail lines and inland waterways. Aside the resuscitation of the Lagos-Kano rail-line, he said there are plans to collaborate with private sector to increase and improve inland waterway transport. While speaking on the performance of his ministry, the Minister of Transport, Idis Umar said that a total sum of N49.6 billion was approved for the ministry but only 56 per cent of the ministry’s budget has been released According to him, the ministry recorded remarkable achievement in the resuscitation of the rail system for the movement of people and goods as alternative to road transportation.
Umar maintained that the rail transportation from Lagos to Kano has been running smoothly, saying that the ministry would partner with the private sector to ensure further development of the transport sector.

Please Help Save A soul(Adebukola Adeyemi)

Please help save Bukky and also say a word of prayer for her. Read about her below, thanks.
Adebukola Adeyemi is a young woman. An indigene of Lagos State, from the Oluwa Family. She’s a graduate of Mathematics from the UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS and a National Diploma holder in Estate Managment from YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY.

She has been diagnosed with Acute Kidney/Renal failure and urgently requires a kidney transplant procedure worth 8 Million Naira. Presently she undergoes dialyses twice every week at LAGOS UNIVERISTY TEACHING HOSPITAL (LUTH) just to survive and the need for the transplant has been regarded as top priority for her chance to survive.
We call on well-meaning Nigerians, NGOs, religious institutions and you LL readers to please come to her aid and help this young African woman with so many dreams to fulfill.
Her account details are;
Adeyemi Adebukola
First Bank Plc
No: 3061412656,
For further details, please contact ADEYEMI ADEMOLA RAZAK (brother), ADEYEMI MOBOLAJI OLAYINKA on any of the followings:
BBM 2600e997 08038511623, 08023591538, 08033440913   http://m.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10151677402116412 Let’s save a soul. God bless you all.

London attack: Britain probes possible Nigerian link

Britain is investigating a possible Nigerian link to attackers suspected of hacking a soldier to death in London while shouting Islamic slogans, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Two suspects have been taken into custody after the attack, which the British government said appeared to be an act of terrorism. Police have not identified the suspects.

The sources, speaking independently, said a Nigerian link was being investigated but gave no further details about the nature of the link.

 Police spokesmen declined to comment.

A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after the killing showed a man with hands covered in blood, brandishing a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day,” the black man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a wool jacket and jeans and speaking with a local accent, shouted in the footage obtained by Britain’s ITV news channel.

“This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

The attack was the first apparent Islamist killing in London since suicide bombers struck transport in July 2005. The capital was shocked by the bizarre scene of a killer covered in gore, declaring his motive to onlookers.

Police shot the two suspects while trying to arrest them, and the wounded men were taken into custody. No information was immediately released about the identity of the suspects, but two sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters authorities were investigating a possible link to Nigeria.

“I apologise that women had to witness that, but in our lands our women have to see the same thing. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don’t care about you,” the videotaped man said before crossing the street and speaking casually to the other attacker.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to France to return to London and chair an emergency national security meeting.

>>>breaking news>>>Man killed in suspected UK terror attack

>>>breaking news

A man has been killed in a machete attack in south-east London. The Met Police said a murder inquiry was being led by its Counter Terrorism Command.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would “never buckle” in the face of terror attacks. Footage has emerged showing a man wielding a bloodied meat cleaver and making political statements. Police confirmed two men had been arrested in connection with the murder.

There are unconfirmed reports that the dead man was a soldier. Both French President Francois Hollande and MP Nick Raynsford said the dead man had been a soldier at Woolwich barracks.

The footage shown on the ITV website shows a man, speaking to the camera, saying: “We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” He added: “I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

They first hit the man, thought to be a British soldier, with a car in broad daylight. Then the two attackers hacked him to death and dumped his body in the middle of a southeastern London road.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone,” said a meat-cleaver-wielding man with bloody hands, speaking in what seems to be a London accent.

“The only reasons we killed this man this is because Muslims are dying daily,” he added, in video aired by CNN affiliate ITN. “This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth.”

London Soldier Attack: Britain probes possible Nigerian Islamic link

Britain is investigating a possible Nigerian link to attackers suspected of hacking a soldier to death in London while shouting Islamic slogans, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Two suspects have been taken into custody after the attack, which the British government said appeared to be an act of terrorism. Police have not identified the suspects.
The sources, speaking independently, said a Nigerian link was being investigated but gave no further details about the nature of the link.
Police spokesmen declined to comment.
A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack.
A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after the killing showed a man with hands covered in blood, brandishing a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife.
“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day,” the black man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a wool jacket and jeans and speaking with a local accent, shouted in the footage obtained by Britain’s ITV news channel.
“This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
The attack was the first apparent Islamist killing in London since suicide bombers struck transport in July 2005. The capital was shocked by the bizarre scene of a killer covered in gore, declaring his motive to onlookers.
Police shot the two suspects while trying to arrest them, and the wounded men were taken into custody. No information was immediately released about the identity of the suspects, but two sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters authorities were investigating a possible link to Nigeria.
“I apologise that women had to witness that, but in our lands our women have to see the same thing. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don’t care about you,” the videotaped man said before crossing the street and speaking casually to the other attacker.
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to France to return to London and chair an emergency national security meeting.

VoxAfrica TV: Mandela’s daughters sue him for control of his money

The battle on who should own the Nelson Mandela brand has intensified as two of the former South African president’s daughters, Zenani and Makaziwe, sue their father for the rights to his artworks and control of his millions.
According to a newspaper report, the two sisters intend to fight an April 2004 Johannesburg High Court order which gave Mandela the right to instruct Ismail Ayob, his then lawyer, to stop managing his financial, personal and legal affairs.
The court order barred Ayob from selling any of Mandela’s artworks.
The legal wrangle has raised concerns and some analysts have called the sisters’ action “unAfrican”.
“It has very negative implications for the name of Nelson Mandela because he’s not only a father to the daughters that are taking him to court, he is a global icon. The message it sends out the world is that the legacy of Nelson Mandela is being rubbished while he is still alive,” said Prince Mashele.

Mandela’s current lawyer, Bally Chuene has filed an affidavit in response to a lawsuit brought by the sisters, who are represented by Ayob. The story headlines have upset many Johannesburg residents who have called the court action selfish and said it’s motivated by greed.
In another court battle the two sisters are trying to push Mandela’s long time friend and advocate, George Bizos and other advisors out of companies connected to Mandela.
Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Mandela allege amongst other things that Bizos and other associates were not appointed by the former president as major shareholders or directors, and have applied for a legal order to have them removed.
If the application is granted, Makaziwe and Zenani will be the only two directors of the companies set up to manage proceeds from the sale of his image.
Analyst Prince Mashele says the ongoing legal wrangles will worsen when Nelson Mandela dies
“It’s very clear, they have already given out the signal that when he (Nelson Mandela) is gone, they will fight over his estate, that’s the message that comes out of this. I mean, they have the audacity to fight over his estate while he is still alive, what more when he is gone,” asked Mashele.
Nelson Mandela is old and frail and has been admitted to hospital three times in four months. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 is a global symbol of tolerance and the struggle for equality.