UNILAG renaming noble but illegal, says Afe Babalola

Former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council of the University of Lagos, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) yesterday said the renaming of the institution after the late Chief Moshood Abiola was “noble” but illegal.

He said before the decision to change the name was taken, no amendment was made to the provisions of the University of Lagos Act.

President Goodluck Jonathan usurped the powers of the National Assembly by not seeking its backing, he said.

According to him, even though the motive was noble, the Federal Government followed an unconstitutional procedure.

He said such a decision would have been better effected if proper attention had been given to the provisions of the Constitution and the University of Lagos Act.

Babalola, who was Abiola’s lawyer, added that President Jonathan’s powers as visitor to the university did not include changing its name without recourse to the National Assembly.

In a statement, the senior advocate said many notable Nigerians who championed the call for the immortalisation of Abiola’s contribution to the current democratic dispensation were appalled at the manner with which the government about its decision. 

“It is my view that things could have been better handled,” he said.

To him, while it is proper to give honour where it is due, such must be done in accordance with the law. 

“Afterall respect for the law is an integral part of democracy itself,” Babalola said, and called for a review of the decision. 

“It is my hope that the authorities concerned will review their position and take appropriate step to do things in a lawful manner. 

“That to my mind would be the greatest honour to the late Bashorun MKO Abiola.”

Describing the renaming process as faulty, Babalola said: “It is pertinent to state that I do not entirely agree with the manner in which the government has gone about its decision.  

“To my mind, a decision to honour the sacrifice of a man such as the Late Bashorun MKO Abiola required much more thoughtfulness and thoroughness than that which the current decision seems to display. 

“I take this view in the light of the obvious illegality and unconstitutionality of the decision to change the name of the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University, Lagos.

 “The University is a creation of statute. 

“Everything relating to the University including its name, administration and control is provided and regulated by statute therefore necessitating that any action taken in respect of the University must comply with the provisions of the Law. 

“Therefore, the most important yardstick against which the decision must be measured is the provisions of the University of Lagos Act, Cap U9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

“The Act provides for the establishment, incorporation and administration of the University among others. 

“Section 1 provides as follows: •’Incorporation and objectives of the University:

• There is hereby established a University to be known as the University of Lagos (in this Act referred to as “the University”) to provide courses of instruction and learning in the faculties of arts, law, medicine, science, education, commerce and business administration, engineering, and any other faculties which may, from time to time, be approved under this Act.

“•The University shall be a body corporate and shall have perpetual succession and a common seal.’

“The above reproduced section of the Law without equivocation states that the name of the University is ‘University of Lagos’. 

“This amply demonstrates that the name ‘University of Lagos’ is derived from an Act of the National Assembly.

“Any other name other than ‘University of Lagos’ would run contrary to the provisions of the Act.

“With the above in mind, it is not difficult to see that the name announced by President Jonathan is unknown to the University of Lagos Act. 

“This is so for the following reasons: Being an Act of the National Assembly, the provisions of the University of Lagos Act can only be amended by another Act of the National Assembly.

“Prior to the decision of the Federal Government to change the name of the University, no amendment was made to the provisions of the University of Lagos Act.  

“The decision of Mr. President ostensibly acting in concert with the Federal Executive Council, amounts to an usurpation of the powers of the National Assembly. 

“Section 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended confers Legislative Powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the National Assembly which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.”

Besides, Babalola said the powers vested in the President as visitor had their limits.

“They do not empower him to unilaterally direct or effect a change in the name of the University. 

“I state this for the following reasons: The powers of the visitor are as expressly contained in the University of Lagos Act. 

“It is settled that where power is vested in any individual or body, such body or individual cannot exceed the powers which had been so vested. To do so would be to act ultra vires.

“A careful perusal of the provisions of Section 16 of the Act will reveal that the exercise of the powers vested in the visitor of the University must be consistent with the provisions of the Act. 

“This is the direct purport of Section 16(3)(b) which requires bodies and persons comprised in the university to give effect to the instructions of the visitor which are consistent with the provisions of the Act.

“Clearly, a unilateral change in the name of the university from that stated in Section 1 of the Act cannot under any guise, be regarded as consistent with the provisions of the Act...

 “The powers vested in President Jonathan under Section 16 of the University of Lagos Act are not wide enough to support the decision of the Federal Government to change the name of the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University, Lagos.”

Source: The Nation

Anambra PDP gives police 7-day ultimatum

Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state police command to pay it N334.95 Million as damages for allegedly disrupting its planned democracy day rally in Awka yesterday.

Though the party had on May 24, 2012 applied to the Anambra State commissioner of police for security at its state headquarters for the democracy day rally, which took place yesterday, the state deputy commissioner of police, Mr. Agyole Abeh, in a reply dated May 28, 2012 urged the party to postpone the rally to a later date in view of what he called ‘security situation’.

But in a letter addressed to the CP yesterday, the state chairman of PDP, Prince Kenneth Emeakayi, said the cancellation of the rally was belated, arguing that by the time the reply for security came to PDP office by 6.00 pm on Monday, after every arrangement for the rally had been completed.
According to him, the party had already spent N8.95 million for buses that conveyed party members from the 326 political wards in the state and also paid for food, drinks, canopies, seats, music, hotel accommodation, dance troupes, among others, asking police to refund the money to the party.
He also demanded that the police should pay N1 million to each of the 326 political wards in the state as a compensation for wasting the precious time of the people who trouped to Awka for the rally, only to be dispersed by stern –looking policemen.

Emeakayi demanded for a letter of apology from the police to be published in two national newspapers in Nigeria, threatening that if the police failed to meet the demands within seven days, the party would have no other option than to seek redress in a law court.

The chairman said: “I have no doubt in my mind that the CP of the Anambra State command who, himself is aware of our fundamental rights to peaceful assembly, free participation in the government of our country and belonging to any political party of our choice as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the African Charter on human and people’s rights, should understand that by 6.00 pm on May 28, 2012, all arrangements concerning the preparations for the rally scheduled for 9.00 am on May 29, 2012, must have been concluded.

Most of our invited guests had already arrived from outside the state before the receipt of the letter from the CP’s office informing us of the postponement by the police of our lawful and willful assembly.”

Imo workers to begin strike today

BARRING last minute suspension, Imo State workers will today commence an indefinite industrial action over unresolved industrial dispute with the state government.

The threat was contained in a statement by the State Public Service Negotiating Council, SPSNC, Trade Union Side, signed by the State Chairmen of Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, and Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Coleman  Okwara and Dr. Reginald Anyadike respectively and four others.
The circular read: “Labour has observed with dismay and consternation that government, in its usual disposition, has reneged by refusing to sign the agreement jointly reached with labour.”
The labour leaders argued that “this singular act portends high level of distrust, deceit and neglect to the principle of collective bargaining.”

They directed that “from the foregoing, workers under the Imo State Government employment are hereby called to sit at home from Wednesday, May 30, 2012”.

Vanguard gathered that the directive would subsist “pending when government shows enough seriousness, commitment and respect for the collective bargaining process earlier reached with it.”

Vanguardnews

News Flash: Reagan Ufomba bounced at APGA stakeholders meeting

Reagan Ufomba APGA man in Abia was humiliated recently in Ojukwu’s home in Enugu as he was barred from participating in the stakeholders’ meeting of the party. Ufomba who arrived the place wearing jeans and T shirt in an old bus, used for his campaign was bounced by security men as they insisted that he came with thugs numbering about 30.

Ufomba made frantic efforts to force himself into the meeting with his boys. Irked by this act the security men beat him to stupor as some of his boys fled. Those who were arrested were found with guns and other dangerous weapons. Reagan was rushed to the hospital.

It was learnt that Victor Umeh who was tongue lashed at the meeting sent Reagan to disrupt the meeting which was attended by Peter Obi. It was also learnt that Ufomba may have been expelled by APGA over this incident. Efforts to speak to Victor Umeh and Reagan Ufomba proved abortive.

Details later

Security challenge: Applauding the Abia example

The current security challenges facing the country today, especially in the North remind Nigerians, especially Ndigbo of the predicaments and frustrations faced by their people at the peak of kidnapping in the South East zone. Worst hit by the menace then was Abia State, which commercial city, Aba, was overtaken by the dare devil kidnappers. Residents of the city fled en masse and the once bubbling and ever busy city became deserted.

While other states in the zone battled with the menace, that of Abia State was the most celebrated and publicised for reasons best known to the sponsors of the crime in the state. Some cynics of the government even called for Governor Theodore Orji’s resignation for his failure to secure the state.

But if not for their amnesia, how would they have forgotten so soon that before the upsurge of kidnapping in the state, that there was a failed attempt to assassinate Orji, when his convoy was attacked by hoodlums within the boundary between Abia and Imo State, while he was returning from Owerri airport to Umuahia in late 2007. If not for God and the courage of his security teams to return fire in its deadly efficiency, maybe he might be dead by now and those behind it will have their way by swearing in his then deputy, Chris Akomas, who was later impeached.

While the state was about to recover from the shock of the attack on the governor, bandits took over Umuahia and Aba forcing banks and other private and public commercial operators to close shops.

Government efforts to curb the problem then initially failed to yield positive results as the robbers often overpowered and outsmarted the security agents with their heavily sophisticated weapons and tactics. The situation took a dangerous turn when kidnapping crept into the state and took on the residents and visitors in the state. Many saw the development as politically-motivated, considering the changes in the tide of political equation in the state that did not go down well with some people that lost in the new power equation.  Just like the Boko Haram sect, the kidnappers at a time became more tactful, desperate and sophisticated in operations beating security agents at will.

Some cynics called for the governor’s resignation for failure to provide security for the people, just like some people who are not comfortable with President Goodluck Jonathan government are calling for his resignation in the face of daunting security challenges that is novel, suicidal and can overcome any government.

Realising the enormity of the security challenges and its crippling effects on the economy of the state with Aba becoming a haven for the kidnappers, Orji took courageous and bold step to tackle it. A bill was passed by the State House of Assembly making kidnapping, a capital offence. Whosoever is caught in the act shall forfeit all he has acquired to the state government, as it is believed that such proceeds were from kidnapping.  After signing the bill into law, Orji dangled a stick and carrot before the kidnappers by granting them amnesty which few of them accepted, but other die-hards led by the notorious Osisikankwu with their sponsors rebuffed it.

At a time the policemen in the state were accused of conniving with the kidnappers to destabilize the state, especially when it became obvious that despite the state government’s support to them which included the provision of more than 250 patrol vehicles, increased allowances and other incentives, kidnappers were having a field day. But in the face of all these, Orji remained undaunted in funding the security agents to combat the crime. Within the interventions of the military in the battle against the menace in the state with camps at Ngwa High School Aba, Community High School in Ukwa-West and Goodluck Jonathan Barracks at Ohafia, the state government released billions of naira in providing necessary logistics for them to perform.

So, nothing was more deserving than the award of National Ambassador for Peace that was conferred on Orji in Umuahia recently by the former minister of FCT and chairman, National Council for Peace and Unity, Engr. Muhammed Abba Gana. With the prevailing security challenges in the country today, the Federal Government should borrow a leaf from the Abia government by funding the security agents adequately. A security think-tank with Orji in-charge might provide the magic wand to tackle the problem as was done in Abia sometimes ago.

Jonathan makes minor cabinet change

Abuja – President Goodluck Jonathan has confirmed Malam Bolaji Abdullahi as substantive Minister of Sports, the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has said.

Prior to his confirmation, Bolaji was the Minister of Youth Development and was also overseeing the Ministry of Sports, following the removal of the former Minister of Sports, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman.
Jonathan said that Suleiman had been relieved of his post to enable him concentrate on his political ambition.
Maku, who briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, said the newly sworn in minister, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, had been assigned to Ministry of Youth Development.

Abdulkadir,  who is from Sokoto State, replaced Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman.
On the forthcoming Summit on Environment in Brazil, the minister said that the council approved the participation of Nigeria to reflect the nation’s vision on the environment. (NAN)

Govt to go after politicians behind Boko Haram

Security panel’s advice accepted

Barring a last-minute change of mind, the Federal Government will soon begin a comprehensive investigation of politicians suspected to be behind terrorism, especially in the Northeast – hotbed of the deadly Islamist group, Boko Haram. 

This development follows the acceptance of the recommendation of the  Presidential Committee on Security Challenges in the Northeast. 

Also, the committee, headed by Amb. Usman G. Galtimari, has identified some routes in the Northeast where arms and explosives are allegedly  being imported into the country for terror attacks. 

Besides confirming the involvement of  aliens in terror attacks, the panel urged the Federal Government to deport illegal foreigners. 

It traced  the Boko Haram crisis to the extra-judicial killing of the sect’s leader and his followers in 2009 and the failure of the police to bring the culprits to justice. 

On the whole, the committee endorsed dialogue with Boko Haram if the sect leaders are ready to renounce violence. 

The panel made 10 short-term recommendations and three long-term options. 

The findings and recommendations of the panel are contained in the White Paper on Galtimari Committee which has just been released by the Federal Government. 

The committee was inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, on August 2, last year. 

Members of the committee are: Amb. Usman G. Galtimari(Chairman); Senator Ali Ndume; Chief Joe-Kyeri Gadzama(SAN); Col. Musa Shehu(rtd); Senator Bala Mohammed; Dr. Bello Mohammed; Chief Emeka Wogu; and Alhaji A.B. Shehu. 

Following the submission of a final report by the panel in September last year,  the SGF raised a seven-man White Paper Drafting Committee, which was headed by Comrade A. Mora. 

Other members of the committee are: Alh. Bukar Tijani; Esther G. Gonda; Alh. Abdullahi Yola; Mr. Usman Abubakar; Mr. Jubril Adeniji; Mr. L.E. Njoku; and Mr. U. Onwuanuokwu. 

The report reads in part: “The report traced the origin of private militias in Borno State in particular, of which Boko Haram is an offshoot, to politicians who set them up in the run-up to the 2003 general elections. The militias were allegedly armed and used extensively as political thugs. After the elections and having achieved their primary purpose, the politicians left the militias to their fate since they could not continue funding and keeping them employed. With no visible means of sustenance, some of the militias gravitated towards religious extremism, the type offered by Mohammed Yusuf. 

“It recommended that the Federal Government should direct the security agencies to beam their search light on some politicians who sponsored, funded and used the militia groups that later metamorphosed into Boko Haram and bring them to justice. 

“Government accepts this recommendation and directs the national Security Adviser to co-ordinate the investigation of the kingpins and sponsors to unravel the individuals and groups that are involved.” 

“It was reported that  members of the sect have transformed themselves into dreaded criminal groups recently and were now known by various pious sounding Islamic names. 

“The groups, which had hitherto employed the use of crude and locally made arms with few automatic weapons, are now linked to highly sophisticated weaponry and explosives imported or smuggled into the country. 

“Equally, their modus operandi had drastically changed from mere confrontation with security agents to modern day terrorism with a high precision rate. 

“Politicians in the country have employed the services of thugs and other groups and associations with large youth membership to intimidate their political opponents during electioneering activities. 

“The roots of terrorism, especially in Borno, Gombe, Yobe and Bauchi states could be traced to groups or associations, such as ECOMOG, Yan Kalare and Sura Suka which have links to prominent politicians in these states. 

“However, similar to the militant groups in the Niger Delta area, the groups usually grow out of control and become a threat to the politicians that supported and financed them. 

“States where sect members thrive should exercise the necessary political will to deal with this problem, notwithstanding the perceived implications to their sponsors. 

“Government accepts this recommendation and directs the security agencies to work with the state governments to deal with this matter.” 

On the rise of the Boko Haram menace, the panel attributed it to the killing of Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and many members of the sect in 2009. 

The White Paper added: “The immediate cause of the escalation of the sect’s violent activities is the extra-judicial killing of the sect’s leader and his followers in 2009 and the failure of Police authorities to bring the culprits to justice. The killing of Mohammed Yusuf, which was captured and circulated by video clips, was described as horrific, barbaric and unprofessional. 

“Although late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua later ordered an inquiry into Police handling of the case, no Government White Paper was issued on the outcome of the enquiry. The Boko Haram sect members believed that their leader and members were unjustifiably killed. 

“It recommended that the trial of the Police personnel responsible for the extra-judicial murder of Mohammed Yusuf and some of his followers should be expedited and publicised. 

“Government notes that the late President Yar’Adua did not order any enquiry into this matter, rather he directed the Police to investigate the matter and the result of that investigation had led to the on-going trial of the suspects.” 

The panel also demanded the review of Explosives Act of 1964 to prevent easy access to deadly substances by terror groups. 

It said: “The report expressed concerns over the easy availability of explosive materials through illegal dealers conniving with staff of registered explosives companies. 

“The committee observed that there is uncontrolled proliferation and circulation of illicit firearms, ammunition and explosives in the country. More worrisome is the availability of local expertise in the assemblage of explosive materials. 

“The country is presently awash with illicit arms procured from crisis-torn contiguous countries, which usually find their way into the country due to porous and poorly manned borders arising from the under-funding of the para-military agencies. Some of the firearms were also believed to be sourced illegally from unpatriotic members of the security forces while some explosives were sourced from the magazines of quarry companies. 

“The Explosives Act of 1964 should be reviewed in order to tighten the procedures for licensing as well as monitoring of companies dealing in explosives. 

“Government notes this recommendation and notes the further steps already taken to control the manufacture, importation, transportation and storage of explosive and accessories used for producing Improvised Explosive Devices(IEDs).” 

The Galtimari panel  confirmed the involvement of aliens in terrorism and recommended mass deportation of those suspected to be identifying with terror groups. 

It explained how Boko Haram members were trained and the routes through which they bring arms and ammunition into the country. 

It said: “The committee reported that leaders of the sect visited the Sahara Desert where their members were trained and provided assorted equipment. 

In addition, there were reports of transportation routes from Chad to Nigeria through Gamboru/Ngala border where trucks destined for Nigeria were loaded with goods and weapons possibly meant for terrorists and other criminals. 

“Some other identified routes include Tetewa from Cameroon through Bosso and Tudun Mota into Saga. 

“Also in Chad , it was found that the Banki border was a notable hub of smugglers. Others were Duji and Gashigar in Mobbar LGA, New Marte and Mafa, all of which link up in Maiduguri . 

“The report observed that there is massive influx of illegal aliens from neighbouring countries into Nigeria and beyond. Past enquiries on religious crises in the country have pointed out the involvement of illegal aliens in prosecuting sectarian crises. Most of them are unskilled and have no visible handwork which makes it easy for them to be mobilized for violent activities. 

“It was recommended that the Nigeria Immigration Service should reinforce security in the border areas to ensure that illegal aliens suspected of contributing to the prevailing insecurity in the zone are quietly eased out of the country. 

“Notwithstanding, the provisions of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and Persons as well as any cultural affinities existing between Nigeria border  communities and their kith and kin in contiguous countries. 

“Secondly, it was recommended that foreigners identified to have been staying illegally or have possible links with criminals or extremists should be profiled and repatriated to their countries. 

“If the insecurity arising from the activities of illegal aliens persists, government is advised to consider temporary closure of Nigeria ’s Northeast border and organising a summit with the affected countries to find a way out of the situation.” 

Notwithstanding, the panel implored the government to engage in dialogue with Boko Haram leaders upon renunciation of violence. 

It said: “The Committee observed that there have been no attempts by the Government and the security services to understand the ideology and motives of the Boko Haram sect by engaging sect members in dialogue. 

“The Committee recommended the urgent need to constructively engage and dialogue with the leadership of the sect as an essential strategy in bringing them on board. However, it advised that government should negotiate from a position of strength by allowing the security forces dominate the environment. 

“In addition, dialogue with the sect should be contingent upon their renunciation of violence and surrender of arms. 

“Government accepts this recommendation and encourages the intermediaries who have access to them to initiate this dialogue.” 

The White Paper also X-rayed the operation of the Joint Task Force in Borno State. 

It added: “The Joint Task Force (JTF) currently deployed to Maiduguri , Borno State , was in response to the breakdown of law and order in the city. 

“The JTF had somewhat succeeded in bringing the situation under control. Schools and markets that had closed at the height of the crisis have started re-opening. 

“Many of the sect’s kingpins have relocated to neighbouring countries due to sustained pressure exerted on them by the ongoing security operation. 

“However, there were allegations of high –handedness against the JTF, bordering on rape, destruction of property belonging to sect members, extrajudicial killing and harassment and intimidation of Maiduguri residents. 

“The Report recommended that a judicial Commission of Enquiry should be set up to look into the alleged atrocities committed by some members of the JTF while the Rules of Engagement (RoE) should be reviewed to reflect the low intensity nature of the military operations not only in Maiduguri, but in all similar operations. 

“The Report further recommended that the JTF should Endeavour to win the hearts and minds of the people but that in the present poisoned atmosphere, this would be difficult, if not impossible to achieve, since relative peace had to be attained before the JTF personnel could feel free to mix with the people in the State. 

“The Report recommended the replacement of the present troops with new ones from other unties, preferably with those who are familiar with the terrain and the peoples’ socio-political and cultural values. 

“The security agencies were also urged to commence immediate de-radicalization of the sect members who are found to be willing to renounce violence and embrace the Federal Government’s olive branch. 

“Government notes recommendations and the steps being taken by the DHQ to investigate the allegation and deal with it appropriately. 

The White Paper committee asked the government to act swiftly on its recommendations. 

The committee said: “The White Paper Committee wishes to underscore the Presidential Committee’s recommendation for a prompt implementation of the Report. 

“The timely implementation will, inevitably, serve as a lasting solution to the security challenges thrown up by the activities of the Boko Haram sect. 

“It is therefore recommended that the Federal Government  should circulate the report to all levels of authority, the security agencies as well as sensitize the generality of Nigerians to the necessity of supporting the security forces in safeguarding the nation’s security.”

APGA man Reagan Ufomba advised by his kinsmen to leave Abia and come back home

Despite his denial that he is not an indigene of Ogoni land, APGA man Reagan Ufomba has been advised by his kinsmen to leave Abia and come back home. Since the revelation by an Ngwa prominent indigene Chief Chukwu Wachukwu that Ufomba is from Ogoni land, the embattled politician has been running from pillar to post.

Ufomba who is enmeshed in debt controversy our investigation reveals is fighting tooth and nail to distance himself from his kinsmen from Ogoni. It was learnt that his original name is Koloku Oborokumo, and the name of his village is Tonki. His people said that since he has been rejected in Abia he should be proud to be identified as a brother to Ken Saro Wiwa. They insisted that at least he can come and vie for a councilorship position rather than kill himself to be the governor of a state that he is a stranger element.

Watchout for more details

BREAKING NEWS! WE SHALL TAKE UP ARMS AGAINST ABIA AWAKENING AND THEIR LIKES

OLD BENDE IN DIASPORA FORUM:

We have watched in utter pain as the government of Abia State keeps quiet in the face of glaring acts of terrorism, threats to life and orchestrated plans by NDI NGWA to resurrect kidnapping and insecurity in Abia State.

We have been patient enough and cannot wait until another spate of coor dinated mayhem is visited on our people. It is on this note that we have resolved as follows:

1. We shall take up arms against all members of Abia Awakening, Abia Post or such other groups or individuals who incense hate in Abia State.
2. That, we shall visit their meeting grounds identified so far in Aba and Owerrinta and not spare any person who has anything to do with them
3. That, the business of self – defence is protected by law and we shall put it to maximum advantage
4. Any hotel, public place or facility used by this group or individuals shall be meted with ruthless attack
5. It is wise to check a group who are already down and do not fear any fall
6. Old Bende people are usually the worse hit during periods of crises. When they promoted kidnapping, we lost lives and our properties. They did not lose anything
7. We call on all OLD BENDE PEOPLE to join hands in fighting the common enemy of progress called NDI NGWA.

Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Named One Of 50 Most Influential Books Of Last 50 Years

Prof. Chinua Achebe 

Things Fall Apart, the classic novel by Africa’s foremost novelist Chinua Achebe, has been named one of the “fifty most influential books of the last 50 years.” 

The selection was made by a group called “SuperScholar.” Achebe’s first novel, published in 1958 and translated into more than sixty languages, is one of several novels by other world acclaimed writers. Other novels on the list include Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Achebe, who is the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University in Providence, RI, is the author of five novels, several volumes of poetry as well as essay collections. His latest book, There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra, will be published in September, 2012.

50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 (or so) Years

In compiling the books on this list, the editors at SuperScholar have tried to provide a window into the culture of the last 50 years. Ideally, if you read every book on this list, you will know how we got to where we are today. Not all the books on this list are “great.” The criterion for inclusion was not greatness but INFLUENCE. All the books on this list have been enormously influential.

The books we chose required some hard choices. Because influence tends to be measured in years rather than months, it’s much easier to put older books (published in the 60s and 70s) on such a list than more recent books (published in the last decade). Older books have had more time to prove themselves. Selecting the more recent books required more guesswork, betting on which would prove influential in the long run.

We also tried to keep a balance between books that everyone buys and hardly anyone reads versus books that, though not widely bought and read, are deeply transformative. The Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa never sold as many records as some of the “one-hit wonders,” but their music has transformed the industry. Influence and popularity sometimes don’t go together. We’ve tried to reflect this in our list.

1. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958), as the most widely read book in contemporary African literature, focuses on the clash of colonialism, Christianity, and native African culture.

2. Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) reinvented the science fiction genre, making it at once sociologically incisive as well as funny.

3. Robert Atkins’ Dr Atkins’s New Diet Revolution (1992, last edition 2002) launched the low-carbohydrate diet revolution, variants of which continue to be seen in numerous other diet programs.

4. Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion (2006), drawing on his background as an evolutionary theorist to elevate science at the expense of religion, propelled the neo-atheist movement.

5. Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind (1987) set the tone for the questioning of political correctness and the reassertion of a “canon” of Western civilization.

6. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003), an entertaining thriller, has been enormously influential in getting people to think that Jesus is not who Christians say he is and that Christianity is all a conspiracy.

7. Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) transformed the way we view native Americans as they lost their land, lives, and dignity to expanding white social and military pressures.

8. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) more than any other book helped launch the environmental movement.

9. Noam Chomsky’s Syntactic Structures (1957), laying out his ideas of transformational grammar, revolutionized the field of linguistics and at the same time dethroned behaviorism in psychology.

10. Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Successful People (1989) set the standard for books on leadership and effectiveness in business.

11. Michael Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box (1996), though roundly rejected by the scientific community, epitomizes the challenge of so-called intelligent design to evolutionary theory and has spawned an enormous literature, both pro and con.

12. Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), in employing evolutionary determinism as a lens for understanding human history, reignited grand history making in the spirit Spengler and Toynbee.

13. Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose (1980) examines, in the context of a mystery at a medieval monastery, the key themes of premodernity, modernity and postmodernity.

14. Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning (1962) provides a particularly effective answer to totalitarian attempts to crush the human spirit, showing how humanity can overcome horror and futility through finding meaning and purpose.

15. Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963), in giving expression to the discontent women felt in being confined to the role of homemaker, helped galvanize the women’s movement.

16. Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom (1962) argued that capitalism constitutes a necessary condition for political liberties and thus paved the way for the conservative economics of the Reagan years.

17. Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence (1995) showed clearly how skills in dealing with and reading emotions can be even more important than the cognitive skills that are usually cited as the official reason for career advancement.

18. Jane Goodall’s In the Shadow of Man (1971), in relating her experiences with chimpanzees in the wild, underscored the deep connection between humans and the rest of the animal world.

19. John Gray’s Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (1992), in highlighting and elevating the differences between men and women in their relationships, challenged the contention that gender differences are socially constructed.

20. Alex Haley’s Roots (1976), by personalizing the tragic history of American slavery through the story of Kunta Kinte, provided a poignant challenge to racism in America.

21. Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time (1988, updated and expanded 1998), by one of the age’s great physicists, attempts to answer the big questions of existence, not least how the universe got here.

22. Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (1961) etched into public consciousness a deep skepticism of bureaucracies, which in the book are portrayed as self-serving and soul-destroying.

23. Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962, last edition 1978) changed our view of science from a fully rational enterprise to one fraught with bias and irrational elements.

24. Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People (1981) transformed people’s view of God, exonerating God of evil by making him less than all-powerful.

25. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) served as prelude to the civil rights advances of the 1960s by portraying race relations from a fresh vantage—the vantage of an innocent child untainted by surrounding racism and bigotry.

26. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), as an example magical realism, epitomizes the renaissance in Latin American literature.

27. Alasdair McIntyre’s After Virtue (1981, last edition 2007) is one of the 20th century’s most important works of moral philosophy, critiquing the rationalism and irrationalism that pervade modern moral discourse.

28. Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved (1987) provides a profound and moving reflection on the impact of American slavery.

29. Abdul Rahman Munif’s Cities of Salt (1984-89) is a quintet of novels in Arabic focusing on the psychological, sociological, and economic impact on the Middle East of oil.

30. Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed> (1965), attacking car industry’s lax safety standards, not only improved the safety of cars but also mainstreamed consumer protection (we take such protections for granted now).

31. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks’ The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), though not the final statement on the 9/11 disaster, encapsulated the broader threat of terrorism in the new millennium.

32. Roger Penrose’s The Emperor’s New Mind (1988) provides a sweeping view of 20thcentury’s scientific advances while at the same time challenging the reductionism prevalent among many scientists.

33. Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (1957) has become a key inspiration for conservative economics in challenging entitlements and promoting unimpeded markets.

34. John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice (1971, last edition 1999) is the most significant effort to date to resolve the problem of distributive justice and has formed the backdrop for public policy debates.

35. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series (seven volumes, 1997-2007), loved by children, panned by many literary critics, has nonetheless set the standard for contemporary children’s literature.

36. Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses (1988), which led Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a death edict (fatwa) against Rushdie, underscored the clash between Islamic fundamentalism and Western civilization.

37. Carl Sagan’s Cosmos (1980), based on his wildly popular PBS series by the same name, inspired widespread interest in science while promoting the idea that nothing beyond the cosmos exists.

38. Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation (2001) details the massive impact that the U.S. fast food industry has had on people’s diets not just in the U.S. but also across the globe.

39. Amartya Sen’s Resources, Values and Development (1984, last edition 1997) develops an approach to economics that, instead of focusing on utility maximization, attempts to alleviate human suffering by redressing the poverty that results from economic mismanagement.

40. B. F. Skinner’s Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) attacked free will and moral autonomy in an effort to justify the use of scientific (behavioral) methods in improving society.

41. Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago (in three volumes, 1974-78) relentlessly exposed the totalitarian oppression of the former Soviet Union and, more than any other book, was responsible for its government’s subsequent dissolution.

42. Hernando de Soto’s The Mystery of Capitalism (2000) argues that the absence of legal infrastructure, especially as it relates to property, is the key reason that capitalism fails when it does fail.

43. Benjamin Spock’s The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946, last edition 2004) sold 50 million copies and revolutionized how Americans raise their children.

44. Nassim Taleb’s The Black Swan (2007, last edition 2010) provides the most trenchant critique to date of the financial and monetary backdrop to the current economic crisis.

45. Mao Tse-tung’s The Little Red Book, aka Quotations From Chairman Mao (1966) was required reading throughout China and epitomized his political and social philosophy.

46. Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life (2002), though addressed to the American evangelical culture, has crossed boundaries and even led to Warren giving the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration.

47. James D. Watson’s The Double Helix (1969), in presenting a personal account of his discovery, with Francis Crick, of the structure of DNA, not only recounted one of the 20thcentury’s greatest scientific discoveries but also showed how science, as a human enterprise, really works.

48. E. O. Wilson’s Sociobiology (1975) challenged the idea that cultural evolution can be decoupled from biological evolution, thus engendering the fields of evolutionary psychology and evolutionary ethics.

49. Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), written posthumously by Alex Haley from interviews, portrays a complex activist for human rights at a complex time in American history.

50. Muhammad Yunus’ Banker to the Poor (1999, last edition 2007) lays out how “micro-lending” made it possible to provide credit to the poor, thereby offering a viable way to significantly diminish world poverty.

BREAKING NEWS: Suspect arrested with rounds of ammunition and hand grenade in Abuja

A man in his early 40's was arrested today in Abuja, with rounds of ammunition and hand grenade at the premises where the Ministerial Platform is going on.
More details soon.

Uncovered...Ex Kidnappers behind Abia Awakening Page on Facebook.

Facts are beginning to emerge on those behind the Abia Awakening and its members. In the past few months this news online, has been investigating members of this group which has been masquerading on the internet as advocate of so called good governance in Abia state. Our careful investigation revealed that the former governor of Abia state Orji Uzor Kalu is the sponsor of these boys whose identities showed are kidnappers from the Ngwa axis of Abia state.

These boys we learnt are Osisikankwu’s boys who are not happy over the killing of their master. They have vowed not to give up fighting Abia governor for flushing out kidnappers in the state, especially the killing of Osisikankwu.

In days ahead we will profile the identities of these blood thirsty boys and their relationship with late kidnap king pins. Its shocking!

South-East PDP blasts Buhari

THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, South East zone, yesterday, joined other Nigerians in condemning recent comments by former military head of state, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, in which he threatened bloodshed if the 2015 elections were rigged, saying his statement was “incendiary and bereft of patriotic intent.”

A statement by the National Vice Chairman of PDP in the zone, Col Austin Akobundu (rtd), applauded the prompt response from the Presidency and the party to Gen Buhari’s unfortunate outbursts.

It also commended President Goodluck Jonathan for showing restraint against the heckling of opposition politicians aimed at distracting him from prosecuting his transformation agenda.

The party said Gen Buhari’s unwarranted and provocative statement was capable of inciting more violence in a country already racked by serious security challenges.

The statement read: “We in the South East have good reason to be apprehensive anytime political leaders try to stoke up sectarian violence through inflammatory speech. Given our bitter experience, those who employ violence to serve political ends are never caught in the crossfire.

“Their victims, regrettably, have mainly been south easterners, youth corps members, church worshippers, business people or innocent bystanders.

“We call on our political leaders to guard their utterances and eliminate the rhetoric of violence from their repertoire, so that peace will reign. We need peace for development and progress.

“The South East PDP leader advised General Buhari to continue to lend his voice to matters of national importance but should do so with the measured tact of an elder statesman.

“Politics apart, it is impolitic for a person of his stately standing and someone who has fought for the unity of this country to descend into the arena of tendentious demagogy.”

The party, however, noted that since the 2011 elections were over, everyone must now join hands with the man who won the popular vote, President Jonathan, to move the country forward.

Buhari’s statement treasonable – Arewa Youths

THE Arewa Youth Forum yesterday slammed the former Military Head of State and 2011 Presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari over  his prediction of a bloody revolution if 2015 election is rigged. The youths in a statement  described General Buhari’s outbursts as misguided, treasonable and uncalled for.

According to the group, Nigerians must ensure that the prediction of General Buhari of imminent bloodletting does not see the light of the day as such will not only bring disunity, but has the tendency of producing numerous widows and orphans.

In a statement signed by the group’s President, Abdulkareem Tijani, the group while calling on Nigerians to shun Buhari’s call for violence and embrace peace and unity, said, ‘’Buhari’s recent statement that in 2015, violence that will follow the election will make the 2011 violence a child’s play, is uncalled for, misguided and treasonable.

“Buhari by the statement he made before the election in 2011 precipitated the violence that followed the 2011 presidential election and till now Nigeria has not recovered from the same.

‘’We call on all Nigerians irrespective of their states and religious back ground to see Buhari for what he truly is.. We hereby call on Nigerians to shun Buhari’s call for violence and embrace peace and unity.”

Also yesterday, the National Council for Peace and Unity stressed the need for leaders to control their anger and sentiments at all times especially at difficult periods like what Nigeria is going through at the moment.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Muhammed Abba-Gana, said that there was the need for Nigerians to put heads together to ensure speedy and happy resolution of all crises particularly that of insecurity so that we move on to bring progress and prosperity to our people.

According to Abba-Gana, the National Council for Peace and Unity will be setting up a peace and security committee that will be holding public hearings in major geographical zones in Nigeria starting with Lagos.

According to the statement, “Instead of Nigerians to vent their anger on the pages of newspapers or on fellow Nigerians, the committee shall provide a platform where people can discuss their grievances and it shall be documented. Nigerians are tired of losing their friends and loved ones as a result of violence. The number of orphans and widows in the northern part of Nigeria is on the increase. We must say no to disunity.”

Orji Uzor Kalu many woes... Putting up assets for sale

This is not the best of times for the ex-governor of Abia state Orji Uzor Kalu. Kalu is broke and he is not hiding it any longer.

Investigation by this online news revealed that Kalu's posh house in Gambia is now on sale . The house whch was built four years ago it was learnt was put at a ridiculous price as Kalu is in dire need of money as his trial by EFCC begins. Kalu is also facing serious problem in Gambia where he cited his businesses following his face off with Obasanjo. The Igbere born politicians Slok Airline has been grounded for months having failed to pay airline charges running into millions.

His bank is also collapsing as workers are being owed 10 months salary. The SUN newspaper is not spared as staff are owed salaries. No bank in Nigeria is willing to assist him. His house in Maryland USA which has been on sale for one year has witnessed no buyer. He is in a big financial mess, it’s factual.

Buhari dares Jonathan: Arrest me if you can

Against the background of alleged threats to arrest him on account of his predictions of a bloody response to any rigging of the 2015 elections, erstwhile military Head of State General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, dared President Goodluck Jonathan to carry out the threat.

Responding to the condemnations from the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to his assertion, Buhari said yesterday that only those now contemplating to rig the 2015 elections could have been afraid of the threat of a violent response.

While giving a robust defence of Buhari’s pan-Nigeria spirit,  his party, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC also chided President Jonathan for fixing his fellow Ijaws in prized national offices.

Support for Buhari also came yesterday from the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN which chided the administration for launching a personal attack on Buhari simply for giving a valid warning against election rigging.

*Buhari

The ACN said the attacks against Buhari were reflective of the determination of the ruling administration to use the instrument of power to return itself to power.

Buhari had stirred controversy while receiving a delegation of the CPC from Niger State on Monday.

Speaking in Hausa language while receiving a delegation of the CPC from Niger State, Buhari was quoted as referring to the Federal Government as the biggest Boko Haram. He was also quoted as saying: “God willing by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way. If what happens in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, ‘the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.’

Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati in the presidency’s reaction said by his reference to the north in his speech, Buhari who is an elderstatesman has reduced himself to “a regional leader who speaks for only a part of Nigeria”.

Denouncing Buhari’s outbursts, the presidency and the PDP had described the former head of state as a serial election loser renowned for inciting his supporters to violence and a blood thirsty politician.

Galadima defends Buhari

But responding yesterday, Buhari speaking through his close political associate and national secretary of the CPC, Alhaji Buba Galadima dared the President to arrest him, saying that not even his master, General Olusegun Obasanjo dared to arrest him.

He said: “Let them go and pick him as their mentors are now advising them to. If Obasanjo cannot arrest Buhari, I want Jonathan to do it if he can try it because they are hiring people all over the North to be talking for them because they can pay them money.

“They are picking on the General because it is him they are afraid of and because once you take away rigging, they are gone; but they have forgotten that their master, Obasanjo was the first to talk of do or die, do or die means blood, if you don’t do what I want I will kill you, that is what he said.

“The issue is very simple, if you are not a thief why should you be afraid if they say whoever steals should be killed? That is why they are afraid.”

Galadima said that Buhari was not the first to have noted the existence of three Boko Harams in the country.

“General Buhari said he was quoting Prof. Ango Abdullahi who said that there are three Boko Harams, the original one, the one that is now perpetrated by criminals that are now raiding homes and markets and government itself. Was it not Jonathan who said that there are Boko Harams in his government,” Galadima asked yesterday.

He further gave a strong defence of General Buhari’s nationalistic spirit saying that Buhari as a soldier fought civil wars that arose from election rigging in the Congo and in Nigeria.

“Are you saying that somebody of Buhari’s stature cannot warn those in authority that there is no need for the country to go into this? Why are we mis-reading things? The man should be commended for having the courage to tell those in authrotiy that they should behave well.”

He also dared the administration to publish the contents of the Lemu Panel inquiry on post election violence which he claimed exonerated Buhari of culpability and rather blamed the administration.

“Why are they afraid to publish a white paper because it indicted them as having been responsible for the election violence. I dare them if they are honest people and I dare PDP if they are honest people, let them conduct a free and fair election and let’s see whether they will win one councillor.”

We stand by what Buhari said — CPC

The CPC in a statement also flayed the Jonathan administration for perpetuating an ethnic agenda separate from what it said was the nationalistic thrust of Buhari while in power.

In the statement issued by the party’s national publicity secretary, Engr. Rotimi Fashakin, the party said: “As Head of State, his Oil Minister was Professor Tam David-West, a Kalabari man in Rivers State. As a Leader, he created the ambience for his ministers to work unobtrusively and devoid of executive meddlesomeness. But what do we find with Dr Goodluck Jonathan? All the appointees as oil ministers in his two-year reign thus far as President of Nigeria have been Nigerians of Ijaw extraction, like himself!

“Second, on October 1, 2010, there was a bomb blast during the year’s independence anniversary celebrations, with attendant deaths of many Nigerians. Without waiting for any preliminary report from the Security Agencies, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as President, told a traumatized Nation, “it is not MEND!

“Third, so far as President of Nigeria, Dr Good-luck Jonathan has shown very generous affinity for Nigerians of Ijaw stock in terms of appointments and promotions in the Federal Public sector. There is a marked lopsidedness that smacks of clannishness and ethnocentrism by the President!

“On Corruption and sleazy tendency, the Jonathan administration transcends all others before it! Nigerians are still befuddled by the impeachable show of arbitrariness by the regime in expending N2.67Trillion on fuel subsidy instead of the appropriated N240Billion in the 2011 appropriation act. As expected, the regime has attempted all manner of subterfuge to give Executive cover for the indicted people in the scam.

On Boko Haram, the party said:

“In January 2012, Dr Good-luck Jonathan told a bewildered nation, still smarting from murderous Bombings, that his government has been infiltrated by Boko Haram. In February 2012, a serving PDP senator from Borno South (Mohammed Ali Ndume) was arrested for being a member of Boko Haram.

In March 2012, Ndume deposed to an affidavit before a Federal High Court wherein he stated that Vice-President Namadi Sambo was aware of his activities with Boko Haram. In April 2012, General Andrew Owoeye Azazi , the National Security Adviser, averred that there was indisputable proof that Boko Haram is PDP. As things stand, President  Jonathan is the national leader of PDP.”

ACN denounces crude attacks on Buhari

The ACN also condemning the attacks on Buhari said the warnings by the former head of state was only directed against plans to rig the 2015 election.

The party also condemned the personal nature of the attack by the presidency which it claimed did not dignify the president.

In a statement issued in Osogbo, Osun State, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the statement for which Gen. Buhari is now being mercilessly savaged was nothing but a warning against those who may be planning to rig the 2015 general elections, hence should not have rankled anyone who believes in free, fair and transparent polls.

It said the viciousness of the seemingly coordinated attacks by the presidency and the PDP raise a lot of concern regarding their plans for the 2015 elections.

‘’We hold no brief for anyone. But it is true that if elections are rigged, as they have been so shamelessly and brazenly done by the PDP since 1999, naturally people will react, and in doing so it is impossible for anyone to predict how far things can go. This is what, in our opinion, Gen. Buhari warned against. If the presidency and the PDP have no intention to rig in 2015, why are they so worried about the consequences of such action?’’ ACN queried.

The party said Buhari’s warning was in order, considering that the 2011 general elections remain the most systematically-rigged polls in Nigeria’s history, irrespective of the so-called endorsement by some visceral foreign election monitors.

“The 2011 elections also left Nigeria divided along ethnic and religious lines”.

Source: Vanguardnews