Cash and carry politics: has anything changed?

The article below was written when PDP held sway. But, has anything changed since then?

Influence of Big Money In Nigerian Politics, By Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

Premium Times April 28, 2015 By Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú

Politics is speech, money is also speech, but whose money speaks in politics? In politics, money is not just speech, money is power! It was revealed that Mr. Jonathan spent N2trillion on his failed campaign to secure his return to office. We have no idea how much the All Progressives Congress (APC) spent on the campaign trail for General Buhari to win for comparison. However, we witnessed the open bribery of monarchs, Church leaders, community leaders, militants and anyone they could find.

The issue of campaign finance is a difficult one in politics. It is more difficult in a country with a high index of intergenerational poverty like Nigeria. The high cost of political campaign for office seekers and the present ways of meeting the costs ties the hands of elected officials because they must recoup their investments by pandering to the whims of moneybags, godfathers and special interests who funded their campaigns. A politician cannot represent the interests of his or her community/constituency when he has solicited and taken contributions from special interests to finance a costly election. Such politician can only be governed by a sense of obligation to his/her benefactors. From the 2015 campaigns at all levels, we have seen that the infusion of cash has great ability to influence electoral outcomes.

Tough days ahead in Brazil

Brazil Senate approves controversial austerity measures

Violent protests erupt over spending freeze that will affect healthcare, education and social programmes.

Brazilians have been on the streets protesting after the Senate approved a 20-year freeze on government spending that a UN official described as a "historic mistake".

The upper house voted 53 to 16 on Tuesday to lock in the spending ceiling.

Centre-right President Michel Temer says tough measures are needed to get Brazil's finances back under control, but his austerity policies have drawn sharp criticism and prompted violent protests.

Opponents say the austerity measures, which will affect spending on health, education and social programmes, are an attack on the poor in a country where wealth distribution is already among the worst in the world.

Police were out in force in the capital, Brasilia, to protect government buildings from demonstrators during the upper house vote.

Read full story here.

Why threats of death every time?

Saudi woman arrested for posing outside without hijab in defiance of strict moral code

Woman threatened with death after photograph went viral.

A Saudi woman who defied the country's strict dress codes by abandoning her hijab and black abaya robe and posing outside with her head uncovered wearing a floral dress has been arrested.

Late in November the woman tweeted the picture of herself, which was circulated on social media, leading religious conservatives to demand her imprisonment, and even her execution.

On Monday, police in the country's capital of Riyadh said they had arrested the woman, who is accused of "violations of general morals," a spokesman, Fawaz al-Maiman said, AFP reported.

Read more and see the "objectionable" photo here.

(Nigeria) FG-instigated, NCC-directed data tariff increase as from December 1: further pummelling for an already battered citizenry

One wonders what sort of regulation this is! As people have note, NCC is supposed to act in the interest of citizens and ensure healthy competition among telecom operators, not kill competition

Outsiders are interested in supporting tech development and entrepreneurship in the country while the government is coming up with antagonistic policies

The internet somehow keeps the youth engaged. NCC should carry out an intelligent regulatory function, not this type that calls the competence of the body to question

It is no longer news that come December 1 this year, there is going to be a steep increase in data tariff by the big mobile telecommunication networks in Nigeria.

From news making the rounds on the media, the regulatory body for telecom operations in Nigeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), at the behest of the Federal Government has mandated telecom service providers to increase data tariff and adopt a uniform price structure.

One wonders what sort of regulation this is! As people have note, NCC is supposed to act in the interest of citizens and ensure healthy competition among telecom operators, not kill competition. 

Trump trumped Clinton to clinch the US presidency

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. (Daniel 4.17)

Politically inexperienced and socially crude Trump trumped Clinton, the suave political heavyweight to clinch the world's number one citizen title. Congratulations Mr Trump, President-elect of the US. Despite your notorious past, I believe there is a divine purpose for your emergence as the victor and my prayer is that God will use you to His glory. May you not democratise evil, deny the godly heritage of America and desecrate sacred human and family values like the outgoing administration. 

Where did world leaders get it wrong on the Islamic terrorist problem?

What is terrorism? The Advanced English Dictionary defines terrorism as 

the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear

Terrorism is a worldwide problem and it cuts across race, politics and religion. But today, terrorism appears to be exclusively linked to Islam, leading to the coinage of the term "Islamic terrorism". This is because it is the only brand of terrorism that is mostly known nowadays. Globally, Islamic terrorism eclipses other brands of terrorism. Al- Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and a long list of other Islamic terror groups are causing mayhem in many countries of the world. 

Some have argued that Islam as a religion is what fosters terrorism on the world because terrorist ideology is an inherent part of Islamic theology. They aver that there is no way one would subscribe to Islamic fundamentalism without veering into terrorism. The religion of Islam calls for spreading their brand of theocracy by any means necessary. Others have countered that true Islam is a religion of peace and that terrorists are not true Muslims or at best, are Muslim extremists.

To whichever divide of the argument you belong, the fact remains that the world is in trouble. World leaders, especially those of the West, probably underestimated the problem. It is not too late to wake up to reality and decimate this hydra-headed monster. As one American puts it, "The only way that we as Americans can defeat terrorism at home and across the world is by accurately targeting its root causes."

http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/terrorism-global-problem-not-muslim-one-152527580

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/world-response-terrorism/476337/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_terrorism

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/omar-alnatour/muslims-are-not-terrorist_b_8718000.html