A rare map of the most complex conflict on earth

The war in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was one of the most complex conflicts on Earth, even before the defeat of the M23 rebel movement, perhaps the conflict's most powerful combatant, in late 2013. 

Although there are more than 1.6 million people displaced, along with frequent fighting between the Congolese government and the region's constellation of armed groups, the conflict often defies a label as straightforward as "war."

Even after M23's downfall, the region is home to scores of combatants whose motivations range from plunder, to ethnic self-defence, to overthrowing the Congolese government, to overthrowing the governments of neighbouring countries. 

Violence is occasionally aimed at the Congolese state, whose military is one of the region's major human rights abusers and a primary driver of displacement. But overall, the war in the Congo is a more like a web of mutually reinforcing social and political conditions, rather than a confrontation between easily definable ideological or political opponents.

As a result, mapping the conflict can be incredibly difficult. And the conceptual challenges aren't the only reason that territorial maps like the ones that have become familiar for followers of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq are so difficult and time-consuming to produce for the Congo.

Misinformation travels more easily than people in the DRC's mountainous and underdeveloped eastern edge. And mapping the region's armed groups requires meticulous ground-level fieldwork in a difficult and often dangerous environment.

The Congo Research Group, a project at New York University's Center on International Cooperation, has now produced a definitive map of one of the world's most severe yet least-covered and least-understood conflicts. The map, which was published in October, shows the areas of influence for 69 armed groups in the eastern Congo, displaying where these groups carry out attacks, impose taxation, or have a notable operational presence.

It's an invaluable piece of scholarship and reporting — and it shows just how complex the situation has gotten.

© Provided by Business Insider Eastern Congo MapEven with no prior knowledge of the conflict, which has endured in some form since 1996, the map conveys one of the biggest obstacles to normalcy in the region: There are too many active armed groups.

While most of them field fewer than 200 fighters each, their sheer number reflects the Congolese state's inability to exert its authority over the region, or to incentivize these groups to lay down their arms. It also reveals a lack of cohesion among combatants — and the ease with which local warlords or even political leaders can mobilize their own militias.

© Provided by Business Insider North Kivu mapThe groups are also constantly splintering and shifting. According to the Congo Research Group report that accompanied the group's map, there were 20 armed groups in the region in 2008, while the map shows the areas of influence of nearly 70 such groups.

As Christoph Vogel, a senior fellow at the Congo Research Group and one of hte creators of the CRG map, told Business Insider, the map is just a snapshot of a highly fluid ground-level situation.

"The half-life of such a mapping is extremely short as conflict in eastern Congo is constantly evolving," says Vogel, who adds that researchers learned of "two 'new' small militias just days after publishing this map."

"It is literally impossible — even for the UN mission and the government itself — to have absolutely correct and precise information on each armed group’s exact zone of control," Vogel told Business Insider.

Militias and the national military often operate in the same areas, and the offices of the central government sometimes remain open even in places where anti-government groups are strongest. "In many areas, influence is not monopolized," Vogel said.

Another built-in challenge of mapping the conflict is that the size of an armed group's area of influence also doesn't necessarily correlate with that group's actual strength.

"Some stronger groups who traditionally maintain rather tight control in small areas  appear ‘weaker’ on the map than smaller but very mobile groups covering intermittently a much larger area," Vogel said.

Even with these inherent drawbacks, the map is gives a vivid sense of how the conflict in the eastern Congo has persisted for so long — and of why even a seemingly major development like the defeat of a leading rebel movement wasn't enough to solve the region's problems.

SOURCE: msn news

EFCC docks Dasuki, Yuguda, Bafarawa others, on fresh corruption charges

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda; a former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa; Mr. Bafarawa’s son, Sagir; and others on fresh charges bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust.

The charges against all the accused persons are currently being read to them at Court 24 of the FCT High court, Abuja.

We will serve details on the charges and proceedings in court in subsequent updates.

The EFCC had on Monday charged Mr. Dasuki, a former Director of Finance at the Office of National Security Adviser, Shuaibu Salisu; a former General Manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Aminu Babakusa; Waripamowei Dudafa (now at large), a former Senior Special Assistant, Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan; and two firms, Acacia Holdings and Reliance Hospitals.

They were docked at the Federal High Court Abuja on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering and criminal breach of trust.

SOURCE: Premiumtimesng

UN: Women can contribute $12 trillion to global growth

Women can contribute an additional $12 trillion to global growth by 2025, the Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Mukhisa Kituyi told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the International Forum on Women in Business held in Nairobi on Monday, Kituyi said that many economies are driven by women.

“It is the women that are always on the farms, it’s they that you find at the market, Kituyi said.

“The majority of the poor in the developing world are women, and economic opportunities, financial empowerment, access to technological capabilities is critical if women are going to realize the agenda of inclusive prosperity,” Kituyi said.

“It is the aim of this conference to bring more than 1 million women to the market by the year 2020,” he added.

Also present at the conference was Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, who called on African States to empower women in business.

“Today the challenge is to move women into business, to move them from the farm and the marketplace so they can get the benefit of participation in the everyday life of the economy, and this is why this conference is vital today.”

The International Forum on Women in Business was hosted by the government of Kenya and the International Trade Centre, in conjunction with the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi. Policymakers, the business community and representatives of Women Business Organizations will convene to discuss actions to increase the participation of women in the economy.

SOURCE: http: msnnews

NIGERIA ARMS DEAL PROBE: ...More Revelations As The Sharing Goes On

Ex-VP, Sambo Received N20m From Dasuki Monthly- Ibrahim Idris Wambai, former Accounts 

Officer II, Office of NSA.

“In December 2014, I took cash of N4million to Col. Madaki(rtd) in his residence in Wuse II Abuja. I had made many cash payments to Doyin Okupe, Ahmad Idris (PA to ex-NSA), ADC to former First Lady Patience Jonathan as payments for monthly operation allowances.

“The documents showing evidence of the payments are in the office of Yazidu Ibrahim in cash payment files. The exact amounts paid and date of payments I cannot remember but are available in the files.

“The venue for the collection of the money was my office and the money was given to me from the cash in the strong room “So many cash payments were made on a monthly basis to the following beneficiaries: Office of the former Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo (N20,000,000). The money was being collected by former Deputy Chief of Staff; ADC to former President (amount not known but in cash payment files; Chief Personal physician to former President Goodluck Jonathan; former coordinator on anti-terrorism, Gen. Sarkin Yaki; former Director PC4, Gen. Terba Waya (rtd); Personal Assistant, Domestic Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The amounts and frequency of payments to the beneficiaries as well as the list of other beneficiaries are in the cash payment files

“I also witnessed several payments in cash to various people. Prominent was about payment of N300million to former Chairman on Security and Intelligence, Dr. Bello Matawalle from the cash in the strong room.

“To get details of cash payments in Naira and individuals and organizations summary and vouchers from January 2011 to July 2015, the documents are kept in Yazidu Ibrahim’s former office. These should be collected from the Director of Finance and Administration, Col. Jafaru Mohammed. I and Yazidu Ibrahim can supply the files and the summary.

"(Five firms were used to transfer money from the ONSA). The amounts of the five companies are ACACIA Holdings Limited (N600,000,000) via account no. 1017330319 with UBA and N650million via account no. 0122012650 with ECOBANK Nigeria Limited; Reliance Referral Hospital Limited (N750m) via account no.2022394057 with First Bank Nigeria Plc; Jabbama Global Nigeria Limited(N400m) via account no. 1013898095 with Zenith Bank; Continental Development etc.”

SOURCE: PM News

THE 50 THINGS EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT SEX

Found this interesting article on UK Daily Mail written by Sexpert Tracey Cox, who revealed the 50 things females need to know in bed. Read below and share your thoughts...

1. You’ll have your first orgasm by yourself. Few of us are lucky enough to start our sexual lives with a lover who’s so patient and skilled he can teach us about our own body.

2. Enthusiasm and being willing to try (almost) everything once is what makes you sexy. Looks, breasts, legs up to your armpits – they’ll only take you so far.

3. A vibrator is the quickest, easiest, most effective way to stimulate the clitoris, which is how most women have an orgasm.

4. You won’t become ‘addicted’ to your vibrator.

Using it often won’t put you off having the ‘real thing’ - quite the opposite!

Women who regularly use sex toys have higher libidos, orgasm easily and report less sexual dysfunction. About the only ‘bad’ thing that can happen is feeling a bit numb from having it up too high. Panic not - It’s temporary.

5. Only 20 per cent of women can orgasm purely from intercourse.

His ex-girlfriend who used to climax every time, effortlessly, within minutes of him penetrating, was lying.

6. If he can’t kiss, he’ll be useless in bed.

Especially true of men who stick a stiff tongue down your throat the second you lock lips.

7. The male sexual system is join-the-dots stuff. The female sexual system is complicated and not terribly well thought through.

Who thought putting the clitoris outside the vagina would be a good idea?

8. Anyone can be good in bed. But you do need a good working knowledge of your subject, experience and be willing to take and give feedback.

9. It’s obvious if you don’t like sex. All the tips and tricks in the world can’t teach you how to fake I’ll-die-if-I-don’t-have-you-now desire

10. The chances of you both climaxing together is extremely unlikely. So let’s all stop pretending and stop faking just because that’s what couples do on telly and in the movies.

11. If you fancy a threesome, do it with someone you’re not in love with. It goes a lot smoother in your head than in your bed and not much fun if you’re a frothing mess of jealousy and insecure paranoia throughout.

12. You’ll have a much better sex life if you match up with someone who has the same libido. Everyone’s sex drive spikes at the start but about eight months in, you’ll get a good idea of how much sex you both naturally crave. Mismatched sex drives are the main reason couples fight about sex. If you can possibly manage it, stick with your tribe.

13. No one is born a brilliant lover. Sex skills can be taught and brushing up on the basics, just to check you’re on the right track, is something everyone should do. We can all improve.

14. It doesn’t mean you’re boring in bed if he wants to try something new. Let go of the concept that ‘you should be enough’.

It’s hard enough making love happily to the same person for the rest of your life. If you don’t have variety, you’ve lost the game before it’s even started.

15. Men are visual. They like looking at sexy things. This is the main reason why men watch porn.

It’s usually that innocent.

16. Both men and women like foreplay. Quickies are great now and then but dreary and unsatisfying if that’s all you’re offered.

17. Don’t confuse love and lust. You spend a tiny proportion of your lives having sex.

It helps if you quite like hanging out together the rest of the time.

18. Men generally like to be touched twice as hard as women do. Their skin is thicker. This doesn’t mean you should be rough though.

19. Giving oral sex without using your hands is about as effective as bobbing for apples in a bucket of water with your hands behind your back.

21. The more different ways you can orgasm, the more orgasms you’ll have. This means forcing yourself to try a new way to climax if you can only do it one way.

22. The first time you have sex shapes you forever.

If losing your virginity was a positive experience, you’re more likely to view sex as something that’s healthy and enjoyable and lovers as nice people who can be trusted.

If your first time still haunts you years later, consider working it through with a good sex therapist.

23. Men aren’t just out for sex. But it’s easy to spot the ones who are. They won’t hang around past date three if you don’t put out.

24. There is such a thing as bad oral sex. And not all men adore oral sex.

25. Erections come and go during sex. It doesn’t mean he’s not enjoying it, it means he was focusing on you and not receiving any physical stimulation.

26. It’s often easier to orgasm solo than it is with a partner, especially when it’s with someone new.

27. The most likely time you’ll fake it is at the start. You don’t want to seem anything less than perfect. It’s later on, when you start teaching each other what really does it for you, that you’ll have your first real orgasm.

28. All men watch porn. But that’s OK because lots of women do too. Don’t read too much into it.

29. Stop worrying about your weight.

Men are far more forgiving of your wobbly bits than you are. He’s not looking at your thighs and thinking ‘Ew! Porridge’, he’s thinking, 'Let me get my hands on those'. Sexy is a state of mind, not a body size.

30. All sex positions are a variant of the basic five: him on top, her on top, side-by-side, from behind and standing.

31. If you never initiate sex, your partner will feel like you only have sex to please them. Besides, initiating sex makes you feel powerful which is an aphrodisiac.

32. Women feel like sex a lot at certain times of the month and are repulsed by the idea at others. This is normal. The female libido fluctuates wildly during the monthly cycle.

Let your partner know this information so they don’t take it personally – and where you’re at right now.

33. Real men don’t always get erections. Stress, age, alcohol and lots of medication all affect them.

You don’t need an erect penis to have a good time in bed. Most women have their best, most intense orgasms through oral sex.

34. Genitals come in all different shapes and sizes. Don’t compare yours to the porn stars: they’ve all been ‘tidied up’, bleached and waxed.

35. If you’re thinking of getting a ‘designer vagina’, you are barking mad. Vaginal tightening after a particularly horrible birth is one thing but opting for a ‘labial face-lift’ is as risky as the above-the-belt version.

Except worse because there’s a risk of permanent loss of sensation if too much skin is removed or ultra-sensitivity if a nerve is exposed.

This effectively means your ability to orgasm is compromised - or removed. You look fine as you are. Really.

36. Having sex purely to get the cuddle at the end isn’t healthy. If that’s what you’re really after, go see a friend or your Mum instead of a lover. Better still, get a dog.

37. Some men ask for sex when what they really want is love.

Women aren’t the only ones who use sex to get affection. Having sex is a sneaky, ‘manly’ way of getting close to you.

38. Sex long-term is very different than sex short term. It doesn’t mean you don’t fancy your partner because you’re not spontaneously gagging for it every day, six years in.

39. He’s not a mind reader. No-one knows what it is you feel like, at any given moment, other than you.

40. Mouths are good for lots of things but telling your partner what you like and don’t like is the most important use of all.

41. Refuse to feel guilty about your fantasies. What you get up to in your imagination is your business.

42. Sex is smelly, noisy, sweaty and unflattering. Leave your ego at the door and replace it with your sense of humour. If you haven’t broken wind at the worst possible moment, you’re probably playing it too safe.

43. The more you have sex, the more you want sex. Stop having it and you’ll forget how good it feels.

44. Think before you share your sexual fantasies. Make it clear what you’re doing it or you may come home to a ‘surprise’ you definitely didn’t expect.

45. It’s OK to stop having sex from time to time.

Sometimes life is too stressful (work worries, death of a parent) or children too demanding. Taking a sex break takes the pressure off and stops either of you freaking out because you know it’s not permanent.

46. Kids kill your sex life. But you can wrestle it back again once they’re hit age two.

47. If you can talk though your sex problems you can nearly always solve them.

48. Don’t try to put yourself in a box. Women are far more erotically plastic than men and much more likely to be aroused by the person, rather than their gender.

49. If you’re feeling bad after sex you’re sleeping with the wrong person.

50.Sex is about give and take. You don’t have to reciprocate in the same session but if you’re constantly lying back and taking, you’re a selfish lover. Not sexy. Not lovable.

Why we are yet to disclose details of corrupt officials returning stolen funds — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday explained why his administration was yet to release names of corrupt former officials of the past administration who voluntarily surrendered their loot.

Speaking in Lagos at this year’s edition of the annual Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation Lecture, President Buhari said “any disclosure now may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries”.

Mr. Buhari said, “As I stated recently, a good number of people who abused their positions are voluntarily returning the illicit funds. I have heard it said that we should disclose the names of the people, and the amount returned.

“Yes, in due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information available to the public on the surrendered funds, but I must remark that it is yet early days, and any disclosure now may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries.

“But we owe Nigerians adequate information, and it shall come in due course. It is part of the collective effort to change our land from the bastion of corruption it currently is, to a place of probity and transparency.”

Read full speech by President Buhari below.

INCORRUPTIBILITY; A SPIRITUAL PREMISE FOR MATERIAL WELLBEING KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI AT THE OSIGWE ANYIAM-OSIGWE FOUNDATION LECTURE HELD ON DECEMBER 11, 2015, AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA.

PROTOCOLS
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I want to begin by appreciating the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation for its impact on the development of ideas through its annual lecture series. The fact that the themes of the lecture series have focused on critical puzzles bordering on human development lends credence and justification for the sustenance of the lecture series.

It is no doubt that an event like this demands a lot of sacrifice financially and otherwise. Apart from the contribution of the lecture series to human development, it has also unveiled the genius personality of Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe, whose philosophical insight is gradually finding place in the psyche of academics globally, particularly at a time when Africans are determined to rewrite their own history.

The topic of discourse at this session, which is corruption, significantly ties into my vision for our great country, Nigeria, that we must kill corruption before corruption will kill us. My being here to deliver the keynote address at today’s session is instructive on the resolve of this government to interface with initiatives that are fundamentally patriotic and assisting in our path to socio-economic and political recovery.

In the last general elections, in the midst of a number of issues upon which we campaigned as a party, the one that gained higher currency in the psyche of our people was that Nigerians needed leadership that could be relied upon to tackle the orgy of corruption in the country.

While our programme of action identified corruption as a very dangerous challenge that must be curtailed if our country could ever generate a future of hope, the issues of collapsing educational system, diversification of our economy, fostering a welfare based agenda for the disadvantaged, infrastructural development, among others, were also very prominent in our campaign focus.

The primary attention that tackling corruption earned in the course of our campaign and in determining the final outcome of the election underpins how seriously Nigerians see corruption as a fundamental factor crippling the progress and development of the country. Nigerians are, indeed, convinced that except we curtail corruption, the country will remain in perennial regression.

It is upon this conviction of our people that corruption poses great danger and should be curtailed that we anchor our hope. It underpins our assurance that the efforts of this government in checking corruption will yield significant successes in the final outcome.

In other words, we note that sheer heroism cannot achieve the elimination of corruption from our social space. What is most required is the conviction of the populace that corruption is an antithesis to social cohesion and development, and must be eliminated. We must get to a point where every Nigerian begins to hate corruption with a passion, and collectively determine to root it out of our body polity.

Any effort to try to deal with corruption without a convinced populace will end as spasmodic, ephemeral exercise, lacking the appropriate social impact. When we are talking about corruption conventionally, it is a manifestation of the human mindset. It is the human beings that manifest corruption.

To win the war on corruption, therefore, begins with the people accepting that there is an error to be corrected in their lives, that there is a need to refocus and re-orientate the values that we cherish and hold dear. It requires change of mindset, change of attitude, and change of conduct.

The decision of the Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation to choose corruption as the topic of discourse at this session is, therefore, encouraging to this government, pursuant to our vision that winning the war against corruption requires our synergy, a collectivisation of our resolve that corruption must be eliminated in the social psyche of the Nigerian nation.

Even in my earlier years in service to our country, I had personally identified the destructive impact of corruption. Taken from the narrow perspective of the embezzlement of public funds, its social consequence of gross economic inequality alters the basis for social peace and security.

When given the opportunity to play a leading role in our national history in 1984, we acknowledged that corruption is not just about the embezzlement of public funds but that the perversion of our consciousness and mindset was the point at stake. This was the basis of our WAR AGAINST INDISCIPLINE (WAI) – Indiscipline in any way and manner is a form of corruption of the human essence. That was why we waged campaigns against indiscipline, and its many manifestations in the 1980’s during my tenure as Head of State of our great Nation.

Sadly in this season, we find ourselves in a Nigeria where indiscipline has been taken to an unprecedented level. Th rule of law is grossly perverted, and corruption has been elevated to a way of life at all strata of the society. In striving to reorder our country and put it on the path of recovery, we have thus identified the need to tackle corruption head-on. In this regard, we have taken steps towards recovering a reasonable amount of the money that was looted or misappropriated from public coffers. Investigations are ongoing on public officers who served, or are still serving, and those whose conduct are questionable will be compelled to accept the path of honour and surrender their loots.
As I stated recently, a good number of people who abused their positions are voluntarily returning the illicit funds. I have heard it said that we should disclose the names of the people, and the amount returned. Yes, in due course, the Central Bank of Nigeria will make information available to the public on the surrendered funds, but I must remark that it is yet early days, and any disclosure now may jeopardize the possibility of bigger recoveries. But we owe Nigerians adequate information, and it shall come in due course. It is part of the collective effort to change our land from the bastion of corruption it currently is, to a place of probity and transparency.

Quite frankly, the anti-corruption war is not strictly about me as a person, it is about building a country where our children, and the forthcoming generations, can live in peace and prosperity. When you see dilapidated infrastructure round the country, it is often the consequence of corruption. Poor healthcare, collapsed education, lack of public utilities, decayed social services, are all products of corruption, as those entrusted with public resources put them in their private pockets. That must stop, if we want a new Nigeria. And that was why I said at another forum that people need not fear me, but they must fear the consequences of their actions. Corrupt acts will always be punished, and there will be no friend, no foe. We will strive to do what is fair and just at all times, but people who refuse to embrace probity should have every cause to fear.

Look at the corruption problem in the country, and tell me how you feel as a Nigerian. Our commonwealth is entrusted to leaders at different levels of governance, and instead of using the God given resources to better the lot of the citizens, they divert them to private use. They then amass wealth in billions and trillions of naira, and other major currencies of the world, ill gotten wealth which they cannot finish spending in several lifetimes over. This is abuse of trust, pure and simple. When you hold public office, you do it in trust for the people. When you, therefore, use it to serve self, you have betrayed the people who entrusted that office to you.

Again, how do you feel year after year, when Transparency International (TI) releases its Corruption Perception Index, and Nigeria is cast in the role of a superstar on corruption? In 2011, out of 183 countries, Nigeria was 143 on the corruption ladder. In 2012, we were 139th out of 176. In 2013, we ranked 144 out of 177, and in 2014, we stood at 136th out of 174. Hardly a record to inspire anyone. In fact, it is sad, depressing and distressing. Our country can be known for better things other than corruption.

In the process of trying to recover stolen funds now, we are seeking the cooperation of the countries were these loots were taken. Time it was, when such nations may have overlooked our overtures for assistance to fight corruption. However, we now live in an era where corruption is anathema, looked upon as something that should be tackled head-on because the actions of the corrupt can have global impact.

It is to be noted that resolving the problem of corruption transcends merely arresting and trying people that have held public office. This is because, to curtail corruption, we have to reorder the mindset of all. Empirical facts have shown that even those who are critics today are most times not better than those they criticize. When they are availed the same or similar opportunities, they act likewise. In other words, those who didn’t have the opportunity criticise and blow whistle but when they get into office; they become victims of the same thing they criticize. Nigeria must grow beyond that point, and be populated by people with conviction, a new breed without greed, radically opposed to corruption.

This points to the fact that curtailing corruption might require a more broadened social engineering. It, indeed, requires conforming every mindset in the social order to the moral tenets in which propriety anchors as a way of life.

That was why in the earlier dispensation, we saw corruption beyond the embezzlement of public funds. We knew that a morally upright personality, a disciplined person, will not embezzle people’s money or betray the confidence reposed in him after being elected or appointed to manage any office.

We knew that due to the perversion of our mindsets, people would rather abandon pedestrian bridges and flyovers and run through the traffic in very busy highways. We understood the economic and social worth of every Nigerian and the need to preserve their lives; we tried to enforce compliance with commuters using the pedestrian bridges provided for their safety. We even went as far as enforcing the discipline of queuing to board buses and not the chaos of scrambling with its attendant dangers. The people saw where we were headed, and cooperated with us.

That effort of the past was under a military regime, a dictatorship as it is classified. Now we are under a democracy. The democratic system has its benefit in the rule of law and the fact that a man cannot be assumed guilty until it is so determined by the court of law.

With the rule of law and its advantages, the same could however pose as serious limitations to curtailing corruption when the legal system is not adequately reinforced. The onus, therefore, is on those who run our legal process to ensure that the corrupt does not go free through exploiting the weakness and lacuna in the system.

I agree with Anyiam-Osigwe that corruption is an attitude and it is about the wrong attitude. The problem with tackling corruption is that when people have become used to a particular way of doing things, even if it is not the proper way, they find it difficult to change.

We all know that to lie is not good. But we have a sense of justification each time we tell lies. This sense of justification encourages us always to do the wrong thing. It is in this context that the mindset becomes an issue. There is the need to bring back our minds to the pure state of the human identity.

While changing the mindset of the people is integral to dealing with the manifestation of corruption socially, it is also important to heal the wounds inflicted by the corruptive indulgence of specific people who have been entrusted with public positions or funds.

Thus, it is the responsibility of government to investigate reported cases of corruption. In the process, suspected culprits could be arrested, detained or questioned. All these efforts would eventually end up with prosecuting the case in court. A government that closes its eyes to brazen corruption loses its essence, the very reason of its existence. Such a government is sheer flippancy, a waste of time, moral and sociological absurdity.

In Nigeria, it needs be said that two problems stare us in the face. First is that our laws need to be strengthened if we must realistically contend with the miasma of corruption. The second is that we must correct the gaps in our legal system that are exploited to frustrate the process of justice. A number of anti-corruption cases have been rendered inconclusive due to legal limitations.

Dealing with corruption, requires the collective will of every Nigerian. Without our collective will to resist corrupt acts as a people, it will be difficult to win the war. We in the leadership will provide the right example. We will not pay mere lip service to corruption. We will eschew it in every aspect of our lives. However, we are but few, in a country of more than 170 million people. We need the mass army of Nigerians to rise as one man, and stand for probity in both public and private lives. It is only then that we can be sure of dealing a mortal blow on corruption, which will engender a better country.
Nigeria has been brought almost to her knees by decades of corruption and mismanagement of the public treasury. We must come to a point when we all collectively say Enough! That is collective will, and that is what will bring us to a new state and status. If this country will realize her potentials, and take her rightful place in the comity of nations, we must collectively repudiate corruption, and fight it to a standstill. It remains eternally true: if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.

SOURCE: Premiumtimesng 

In what has now become an annual and personal reward system for actors of sorts, which I feel is needed for an ingrained development for Nollywood, my annual list of ‘Best Actresses and Best Actors’ in Nollywood for the year has been something for me to look forward to compiling as with what many readers of my critiques also look forward to reading.

In 2013, Mercy Johnson got the top diadem from me and in 2014, Nse Ikpe Etim got the Best Actress award. For the year 2015, I and my usual team of professional critics sat down once again to draw up a list after watching a number of films through the year. But something quite interesting caught my attention this year; the rise of television series on Nigerian television more than ever in terms of quality and direction. This development seems to have been triggered off by Africa Magic and its original films and commissioned fares and other established independent producers caught the bug too.

Thus, whilst I and my team did a lot of film watching, we also could not ignore the power of the acting in some television series we watched and followed and I decided to also add some actresses who did quite well in such series to my list.

This year, I must give Special Mention to some actresses who did not make my list in the top five category (and it was difficult making a final choice for this year, I must admit) but are surely in my top ten list which unfortunately cannot be expanded as the template is only for five persons annually. These actresses are  FATHIA BALOGUN for the movie ‘Torera’ and HILDA DOKUBO for the movie ‘STIGMA’. I applaud these actors and wish them all the best.

Using the usual templates of Interpretation, Characterization, Internalization, enunciation and the actor’s visualization of the role portrayed, the following are my Top Five Actresses for the year 2015….

NUMBER 5: OGE OKOYE

Sometimes, actors get to a curve in their careers which, when taken, becomes the catalyst for a resurgence in their artistry. Having featured in perhaps hundreds of Nollywood movies, most of which might be termed second-bit in execution which helped in making her a stereotype, Oge found the right vehicle for the critiquing of her acting prowess in ‘Hotel Majestic’, the telenovela series on Africa Magic. In her role as a feisty Room Service Worker in the series, one can tell she energises her character with a passion and with nuances which are not overtly over the top nor in anyway under-interpreted. She makes the character both irritating and fascinating at the same time. Whatever it is she set out to prove in the series, I would say she has considerably achieved and might go on to achieve more if she is circumspect about taking another curve which might take her back to the ‘Asaba-esque’style of acting before now.

  

NUMBER 4: GENEVIEVE NNAJI

In ‘Road to Yesterday’, her debut opus as a Producer, Genevieve strives to show the world a double intention of talent, one behind the camera and the usual in front of it. She plays the role of a self-tortured wife who goes through a distended stream of consciousness as she trudges a symbolic road to her personal anagnorisis. In her interpretation of the role, Genevieve gives her panache, which at times borders on wooden reactions to expressions of emotions which seem restrained rather than reactive. However, she gets the audience’s empathy in her portrayal which says a lot. There was a sublimal message in her acting this time; a ‘Bow down , Bitches’ underlying theme to her challengers and I would think she pulled it off somewhat to make her statement; that she’s back on the turf.

NUMBER 3: WERUCHE OPIA

It was a pleasant surprise to watch ‘WHEN LOVE HAPPENS’a few months ago and to note that a new stand-out actress had all the points for her interpretation and almost perfect portrayal of her character. Weruchie Opia, new to me and to many others on the scene, packs quite a punch and her portrayal of the character Mo Bankole-Smith was well-executed and I could see that she gave credible attention to the ‘Whys, Wherefores, Whats and When’of her character in every scene. The movie is a romantic comedy and with Weruchie, there was no overt attempt to be over-the-top in exaggerations as directed or subtlety as required. This young lady is one to watch out for in Nollywood, if she’s going to be staple in the industry and not only would I make her my Number 3, I would also endorse her as the ‘Best New Actress’for the year, notwithstanding if she might have done any other movie before this. Such was the breath of Fresh Air she brought to the scene.

NUMBER 2: IVIE OKUJAIYE

  

Perhaps in 2015, more than ever in her career thus far, Ivie proved to everyone that she packs more than a punch. Her role as a beguiled Room Service worker in ‘Hotel Majestic’ is one which she obviously gives her all and takes the viewers into the psyche of her character. The viewers feel her pains, her indecisions, her minute happiness and all what the character has to show. Ivie dexterously IS that character; a pleasure to watch for the critics and one who is undoubtedly the backbone of the series. I predicted a few years ago after she won the AMBO reality talent hunt that she would go far in the industry. It ‘hasn’t taken her that long to cover a huge distance.

NUMBER 1. STEPHANIE (OKEREKE) LINUS

Stephanie Linus would be my choice for the Number One spot in 2015. Her portrayal of Dr Zara in her self-directed movie ‘Dry’, had some flashes of brilliance and intensity which showed a brilliance in interpretation and internalization. Perhaps, the poignant theme of the movie, which borders on the stigma of VVF in the underaged females in Northern Nigeria added to the sympathy value for her character but that she was able to pull it off convincingly in my opinion speaks volumes about her attention to the intricacies required from the character. Stephanie perhaps merged her cause as an actress and director into the passion of the character and successfully blotted blurred lines about her artistry in the movie. What finally won it for me was the long scene where she gave a monologue in front of a large crowd at the National Assembly. She was sterling in that scene, a culmination of her character build-up and a great crescendo. Having been off the scene for a while, her comeback is deservedly a delight and it is likely she will get more laurels for this movie in 2016.

SOURCE:  Charles Novia