The Future Nigeria

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Let’s tell our leaders that enough is enough!! Join the March 16 rally HERE

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Mo’Nique became the fifth black woman to win an acting Oscar on Sunday night, 70 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first to do so for “Gone with the Wind.”

The 42-year-old standup comedienne portrayed an abusive mother in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

“I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all she had to so that I would not have to,” Mo’Nique said in accepting the Oscar.

Her character, Mary Jones, is terrifying and violent and reveals her own brutalized past in the end.

Mo’Nique, who hosts The Mo’Nique Show on BET, was the overwhelming favorite in the run-up to the Oscars, having racked up supporting actress wins at the Golden Globes, Spirit Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, among others.

In the supporting actress category, the only other black Academy Award winners were Jennifer Hudson for “Dreamgirls” (2006) and Whoopi Goldberg for “Ghost” (1990). Halle Berry is the only black Oscar winner in the best actress category, earning the honor for “Monster’s Ball” (2001).

Seven black men have won acting awards, including Denzel Washington, who won best actor for both “Training Day” (2001) and “Glory” (1989).
Courtesy of: starpulse.com

Best Picture: “The Hurt Locker.”

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart.”

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side.”

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds.”

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker.”

Best Foreign Film: “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Argentina .

Best Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, “The Hurt Locker.”

Best Animated Feature Film: “Up.”

Best Art Direction: “Avatar.”

Best Cinematography: “Avatar.”

Best Sound Mixing: “The Hurt Locker.”

Best Sound Editing: “The Hurt Locker.”

Best Original Score: “Up,” Michael Giacchino.

Best Original Song: “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart,” Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

Best Costume: “The Young Victoria .”

Best Documentary Feature: “The Cove.”

Best Documentary (short subject): “Music by Prudence.”

Best Film Editing: “The Hurt Locker.”

Best Makeup: “Star Trek.”

Best Animated Short Film: “Logorama.”

Best Live Action Short Film: “The New Tenants.”

Best Visual Effects: “Avatar.”

With support from its “Special Research Fund” (BOF), Ghent University is able to finance doctoral scholarships for candidates from developing countries who wish to obtain a Ph.D. at Ghent University . No restrictions are imposed on the field of research; nevertheless preference will be given to topics that are relevant for development. Relevance for development measures the degree in which the action of development corresponds with the expectations of the beneficiaries, the needs of the country, global priorities and the policies of partners and donors.

There are two types of scholarships: full grants for starting PhD students and grants with a maximum duration of 1 year for students finalizing their PhD research at Ghent University .

Type 1: Grants with duration of 2×2 years for starting PhD researchers. This type of grant is intended for new PhD researchers who want to obtain a PhD degree at Ghent University .

Duration: There is an initial period of two years, which can be extended by an additional two years, depending on the evaluation of the progress report.

Who can apply? The candidates must come from – and must also possess the nationality of – one of the countries specified on the Institution’s website.

How does it work: The candidate applies to Ghent University jointly with a promoter of Ghent University . The Research Council makes a selection of the applications based in part on the recommendations obtained from members of the Council for Development Cooperation. The recommendation is based on the evaluation of the doctoral project, the qualifications of the applicant for the doctoral scholarship and the scientific/scholarly potential of the promoter’s research group(s). The development of the research potential of the institution can also be taken into account in the evaluation.

How much funding is involved: The value of the scholarship depends on, a.o., the researcher’s family situation. The monthly allowance is approx. € 1,545.

Type 2: Grants with a maximum duration of 1 year, for finalizing PhD research at Ghent University . This type of grant is for PhD researchers who have already carried out a substantial part of their PhD research and who need maximum 1 year to finalize their PhD.

Duration: The grant can be either 6 or 12 months.

Who can apply: Candidates must come from – and must also possess the nationality of one of the specified countries. They also must prove that the doctoral research they have done so far, is clearly linked to Ghent University , meaning that previous collaboration with Ghent University must exist.

How does it work The same application and evaluation procedure as for the type 1 grants is followed, with the exception that the feasibility to finalize the doctorate within the time span of the requested grant will also be taken into account for the evaluation of the applications.

How much funding is involved: The value of the scholarship depends on, a.o., the researcher’s family situation. The monthly allowance is approx. € 1,545.

Deadline: March 22 2010

Further information: BOF@UGent.be

Get a chance to win an I represent Nigeria Tshirt AND a carton of Indomie!!!!

Just answer these questions, and as usual after a raffle, the winners will be unveiled!

What does the Young Person of the Year 2010 do for a living?
Where is she based?

Gifts are to be given every week!

“We Are the World: 25 for Haiti,” the all-star remake of the classic 1985 charity single, premiered on Friday night during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The song features dozens of today’s biggest musical artists, ranging from Kanye West and Pink to Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett, and unlike the original, it also features a large number of rappers. However, the genre’s biggest star said that to him, musically speaking, nothing could ever come close to the original.

“I have an interesting take on that,” Jay-Z said Saturday at the annual “2 Kings” dinner, which was sponsored by Sprite and Bing and took place during NBA All-Star weekend. “I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: ‘We Are the World,’ I love it, and I understand the point and think it’s great. But I think ‘We Are the World’ is like [Michael Jackson's] ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched. I’m a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that’s going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts: [Millions have been raised] through text [donations] to Haiti. So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but ‘We are the World’ is [musically] untouchable like ‘Thriller’ is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable.”

Jay said he felt that a new song should have been written instead of re-creating the 1985 classic.

“I would have loved that idea better,” he said. “As everyone knows, I have tremendous respect for Quincy Jones. Of course, I think he’s a genius, as everyone else does. But, I think it’s time for us to make a new song. I tried to do that with ‘Stranded,’ the song Jay, Rihanna and U2’s Bono and the Edge premiered at the ‘Hope for Haiti Now’. I didn’t try to make ‘We Are the World,’ but I tried to make our take on how we felt.”

In fact, Jay and LeBron James spent the early part of Saturday giving back in Dallas. They visited a local Boys & Girls Club and gave out not just scholarships, but words of advice and inspiration telling the kids to pursue their dreams.

The “2 Kings” dinner and after party was held at the W Hotel in Dallas. Diddy, Mario Lopez, Terrell Owens, Magic Johnson, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame’s Dave Winfield were among those who attended.

Courtesy of: mtv.com
“We Are the World: 25 for Haiti,” the all-star remake of the classic 1985 charity single, premiered on Friday night during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The song features dozens of today’s biggest musical artists, ranging from Kanye West and Pink to Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett, and unlike the original, it also features a large number of rappers. However, the genre’s biggest star said that to him, musically speaking, nothing could ever come close to the original.

“I have an interesting take on that,” Jay-Z said Saturday at the annual “2 Kings” dinner, which was sponsored by Sprite and Bing and took place during NBA All-Star weekend. “I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: ‘We Are the World,’ I love it, and I understand the point and think it’s great. But I think ‘We Are the World’ is like [Michael Jackson's] ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched. I’m a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that’s going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts: [Millions have been raised] through text [donations] to Haiti. So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but ‘We are the World’ is [musically] untouchable like ‘Thriller’ is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable.”

Jay said he felt that a new song should have been written instead of re-creating the 1985 classic.

“I would have loved that idea better,” he said. “As everyone knows, I have tremendous respect for Quincy Jones. Of course, I think he’s a genius, as everyone else does. But, I think it’s time for us to make a new song. I tried to do that with ‘Stranded,’ the song Jay, Rihanna and U2’s Bono and the Edge premiered at the ‘Hope for Haiti Now’. I didn’t try to make ‘We Are the World,’ but I tried to make our take on how we felt.”

In fact, Jay and LeBron James spent the early part of Saturday giving back in Dallas. They visited a local Boys & Girls Club and gave out not just scholarships, but words of advice and inspiration telling the kids to pursue their dreams.

The “2 Kings” dinner and after party was held at the W Hotel in Dallas. Diddy, Mario Lopez, Terrell Owens, Magic Johnson, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame’s Dave Winfield were among those who attended.

Courtesy of: mtv.com

It is my inimitable pleasure to announce the first edition of the Sentinel Nigeria Magazine of Contemporary Nigerian Writing! Let it suffice that none of the superlatives in the English Language, conceived to define the feelings of the heart, quite captures my delight now.

I must give honor to my friend and publisher, Nnorom Azuonye, whose vision this is, who had the idea shared that was the kernel of this literary magazine. To my wonderful editorial board; ‘Auntyji’ Kanchana Ugbabe, Unoma Azuah and Ifedigbo Nze Sylva, to Ivor W. Hartmann who offered to help with editing at a very critical stage – to you all I say; ‘You have my heart, you are our continents’ finest!’ And to my Board of Contributing Editors? Chuma Nwokolo, Ibraheem Waziri, Kola Tubosun, Toyin Adewale-Gabriel, and all you fastidious giants – I can only pray that God replenishes for each of you the strength of Atlas, to keep holding up our literary world in trust.

Without further ado I present, for your refined enjoyment, the first edition of the Sentinel Nigeria Magazine;
http://www.sentinelnigeria.org/issue1/

Richard Ugbede Ali,
Editor in Chief, Sentinel Nigeria Magazine,
Administrator www.sentinelnigeria.org
Bwari Village,
Abuja,
Nigeria.
+ 2348062392145
Richard.ali@sentinelnigeria.org

Comedian AY allegedly let his temper get the better of him at the Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos some days back.

Reports in Saturday Punch Feb 6 said that on eyewitness account, AY who was on his way to Port-Harcourt was pleading with security agents on behalf of a lady who had been stopped from boarding her flight because she didn’t check in some fluids she was carrying.

All hell was however let loose when a female security agent said something to AY as he immediately dealt her two dirty slaps back-to-back and shoved her out of the security post after which he confidently walked into the boarding gate before he was stopped by the other shocked security agents who prevented him from boarding his flight because of his violent act.

AY was reported to have stormed out of the airport with swear words, “f**k you and f**k your airport”

Read the articles here

For a while now i have been concerned about the relevance of the NYSC scheme. This is not the first time. Its only that being in my final year in a Nigerian University, i know that it will only take a number of months for me and my colleagues in other Universities to be posted somewhere in service of our fatherland. And i am worried. Call me sentimentimental, biased, unpatriotic, lazy, unadventurous or even ignorant.

In fact, my Editor has argued that since i have not gone on service myself, then i do qualify to criticise the scheme even though my concerns are valid. That does not change the fact that i am worried. It’s only human given the negative experiences of Corps members. I should mention here also that the experiences are not always negative though. I am worried about my safety and the safety of all other thousands of Youth Corpers like me who will be posted to towns and communities we have never been before in service of our fatherland. I am concerned about how we will survive financially on the meagre allowance Corps members are offered monthly for a year. Pray, how are we expected to serve our fatherland with love and strength and faith on #9,750 in a strange land?

Yes, I am worried about how corpers like me will cope in the event of an outbreak of religious crisis that is fast becoming a fad especially in the Northern part of the Country. Even if we have forgotten, the families of Ibukun Akinjogbin, Leke Akande and Tola Odusola who fell victims to yet another avoidable tragedy while serving their nation sometime ago wont have forgotten about the deaths of these three promising young men in the 2008 Jos crisis. Of course, Ibukun, Leke and Tola are not the only ones; many others have also been killed while on assignments that their nation has sent them. These are young people, who lost their lives yearly in the service to their fatherland. Cases have been reported of where some die in auto crashes, in some cases are lost in transit with their whereabouts unknown and while the unfortunate female ones get raped to death. A proponent of the NYSC said the three corps members could have died any other way, yes, but the fact remains that at the time of their deaths, they fell victims because they went to serve a country, that failed them when they needed it the most.
The state of our roads is another issue not just to Youth Corp members but to every Nigerian that ply them for one reason or the other. The Benin-Ore road is a glaring example. Despite billions that have been allegedly spent in the reconstruction of the road, it still remains a death trap that has killed many innocent people. The Benin –Ore is not the only one, we also have the Lokoja express road, Lagos-Ibadan express roads as other examples of bad roads that need attention. Nigerians are tired of complaining about the same thing everyday and in our typical way; we have resorted to asking God for His protection when we need to ply those roads. If the FRSC should tell us the number of corps members that die yearly in road accidentswhile travelling to their states of posting, we will be shocked.

A complete waste of our human resources yet we talk of national integration when thousands of people die from avoidable road accidents. Sadly enough, even air travel isn’t exactly safe. We all can still recall how hundreds of people perished in Lisa village and how many people died in Port-Harcourt on their way home for the Christmas holidays.
Yearly, many people die from avoidable political and religious crisis. Many people will not in their life time visit some parts of the country due to recurring crisis there. The recent Jos crisis is still fresh in our memories.
My dear colleague at work Joe and I have been arguing about the relevance of the scheme. To him, the scheme allows for national integration, development in rural areas and allows mutual understanding, promotes peace and give Corpers a deeper understanding of their country. In fact, he just came back from Ebonyi , the State he served five years ago to pay a visit to the friends he made back then. Yes all these and more are good and true about the scheme and while the positive sides are applaudable, the bad sides are very disturbing.
While it may be difficult to ask for a complete overhaul of the NYSC Scheme, i implore the authorities for a complete restructuring of the programme including the review the policies that guide the redeployment of students to their places of postings, allowances, security and other factors hindering the programme. The purpose of the programme notwithstanding, it high time we woke up to the reality on ground that the present socio- economic and political challenges in the country have not created a conducive environment for the fulfilment of the goals of Youth Corp service. As such, every one irrespective of being a Nigerian do not necessarily act as his brothers keeper and does so mostly in cases where you speak the same language. The government is not helping matters as their rather non- challant attitude to the obvious problems of the scheme is disturbing. If national integration and patriotism is the fundamental objective of the NYSC, people can simply carry out their service in their home states, or the states where they studied, or their preferred locations. At the most they could be posted to the rural areas, to be deprived of various comforts for one year in the service of their fatherland. It should be noted that physical presence does not necessarily guarantee true patriotism. Consequently, Youth Corp members get posted only to their geographical zone where at least they can be at least safe should there be need for an emergency. For instance, indigenes form the any part of the South West should be posted to the south west though not their state of origin. This means that an indigene of Lagos State maybe posted to the villages in Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo or Osun states. The same thing should go for other indigenes from other geographical zones too. Again, i know the proponents of the NYSC scheme will say that the purpose of the scheme will be defeated but i dare say change is the constant thing in life and every responsible government has a responsibility amend its polices to suit the ever changing demands of the human environment. Fact is we cannot continue to lose the very core of the strength of the nation- our youths who make up almost 65% of the Nigerian population. If we cant control the accidental discharge of policemen who kill youths on a daily basis or repair the roads to reduce the rate of car accidents on our highways that claims again more youths or provide quality education for them, provide jobs or even create an enabling environment, the government should at least make policies that will at least keep them safe. Still on national integration, the dictionary defines the word as “The act of combining into an integral whole”, this means when a people are integrated into a whole, then who rules should not matter right? Then, why did it take so long for Fmr.VP Jonathan Goodluck to be sworn in as President pending the arrival of the arrival of President Yar’Adua from his sick bed? Of course we all know that tribalism was a big factor in the delay… talk about national integration … (i digress).This only goes to show us that our history as forcefully lumped together colonies to make the Nigerian nation is a basic problem (Again i digress). Though it is commendable that a laudable scheme like the NYSC was established to foster unity, i dare say its objectives are failing. Today, many parents out of fear influence the postings of their wards so the NYSC scheme itself is not entirely an objective programme.
Also, I have met people who without the NYSC are truly their brothers’ keepers irrespective of tribe, class and religion. I know many good marriages where the Partners are of different tribes and who did not meet through the NYSC scheme.
Another issue of concern is the allowances that Youth Corp members are given. No matter how we look at it, the allowance is too small for Corpers living in an unfamiliar environment. There have been arguments that since it is not a salary, Youth Corp members should at least manage it given the bad economic situation in the country. How is an adult expected to adequately take care of himself with a meagre allowance of #8000 on monthly in a country where the prices of commodities keep sky rocketing on a daily basis. Well, maybe they are not expected to be too comfortable but they should not be derived too. Note also that in some places of primary assignments, Corpers are not given accommodation and while some can conveniently afford to rent good accommodations, others can not.
Again, in a county where jobs are not readily available to graduates, one is forced to think about the future of the graduates after serving their fatherland for a year when such a year could have been channelled into building the foundation for a professional career. In a country where unemployment and brain drain is rife due largely to the harsh economic conditions, graduates should be allowed to find legitimate employment as soon as possible and not be constrained by a waning NYSC programme which has outlived its usefulness. In fact, they can be encouraged to learn skills that will make them self employed instead of posting then to schools or local governments where their skills are grossly underutilized. To buttress this point, a writer in an article wrote that the scheme “to most discerning observers, has become nothing more than a source of cheap labour in far flung places and particularly in states whose governors would rather dole out state funds to all manner of mendicants, including women of easy virtue who, at a time were being paid to wean them off prostitution rather than employ enough teachers and revamp their ill-equipped schools. Nowadays, not a few states in the North routinely wait for Corps members to fill up their schools where some are even designated principal or Vice- Principals indicating a dearth of personnel in an area as important as education.” Truth is deploying newly graduated lawyers, engineers, accountants, etc., to the classrooms to teach will not solve our educational problems and from my experience as a student teaching goes beyond just impacting intellectual knowledge and that skill often times is gotten from professionals teachers especially if the student is at the primary or secondary school level. Besides, not every intelligent person is a good teacher. More so, what exactly do the Government of the states where schools practically wait on Corps members do with their education budget allocation? One should also note that most of these Corps members are not exactly young given the trouble of securing admission into Nigerian Universities in the first place.
In addition, the living conditions of Corpers in camps are dehumanising to say the least. Virtually all the Corpers complain of this. Many times because of the bad state of the bathrooms, many have resorted to relieving themselves in the bus thereby exposing themselves to infections and snake bites. I particularly remember a gist my cousin who went to serve in Kogi Statetold me about how a Corp member got bitten by a snake in the bush while defecating even though he didn’t die.
Mr. Abdulwahab Obomeile, NYSC Director of Publicity, In a Newspaper article last year, described the challenges of the NYSC as ‘operational problems and national occurrences.’ No troubles, but in a modern society like ours operational problems are preventable and at best avoided to create room for the necessary development. Numerous deaths of corps members in road accidents, starving wages, dehumanising orientation camps and murder of corps members in sectarian violence are not natural occurrences.
The relationship between a citizen and the state is dynamic and mutual. Citizens are to get the quality of the nation they deserve while Nations get the quality of citizenry they deserve. They are so dependent on each other they can’t stand independently but dependently. The hope of all well-meaning Nigerians who want the sense of identity that comes with having a land of your own is that some day Nigeria will be a great nation that Nigerians will be proud of, with good and pragmatic policies that will better the lot of its citizens , not just its Youths. Policies that will not make us enslaved, bitter and prisoners in our own nation.
Thus I stand in agreement with other well meaning Nigerians who are proponents of the-NYSC must-be restructured, its attendant achievements notwithstanding. Enough is enough. Youths cannot continue to be at the receiving end because some government officials have failed in their responsibilities.