When Innocent People Loose Their Lives ( The Case of the Malaysian Airliner MH17)

The world is really becoming scary with each passing day. Planes with hundreds of passengers disappearing without trace and innocent lives being lost due to people's greed for power and the determination to ascend to the highest level of power. I just don't understand the tragedies that has befallen the people of Malaysia. Who would have thought they would have lost two jet liners with almost more than 500 passengers together with the crew members within a period not less than 5 months.

The first Malaysian Airliner MH370 got missing in flight together with 239 passengers and crew and the whole world still can't track the location of the plane. The second tragedy was the Malaysian Airliner MH17 which was allegedly shot down by only God knows who, over Eastern Ukraine closer to the Russian border. This plane had 298 passengers and crew. This flight was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was allegedly shot down. Now the question is, who shot the plane down? This is where my conspiracy theory comes in.

Firstly, the region in question is a "No Fly Zone" as the Ukrainian Government Forces are battling rebels who are fighting for a separate country in Eastern Ukraine, and the region is a war zone. Were the air traffic controllers not  aware of this situation before allowing that flight path to be chosen? The moment the tragedy happened, the Ukrainian Government was quick to accuse the rebels of shooting down the jet liner. The rebels also have denied shooting down the plane. Now the weapon allegedly used in this act was the Buk Missile which was being used by the Ukrainian Military and was supplied by Russia. Now the natural thing to do is to blame Russia for this tragedy as the weapon allegedly used originated from Moscow, but the Ukrainian  Government must also bear in mind that these weapons were seized from their military installations in Eastern Ukraine when the rebels launched their offensive against the Kiev government.

It becomes more interesting as the West is still not happy with Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, so it could also be that lets create a situation whereby Russia will be accused of an atrocity, then lets pile up sanctions on Moscow, isolate her and make her feel powerless and also make her vulnerable to attacks from all fronts in Europe. But in all these, who suffers most? Its the innocent people who are the worst hit. Until the conclusion of investigations into what actually happened to the MH17, whether it was shot down or it was due to a mechanical fault, lets hold our horses and not jump to conclusions. For any hasty conclusion and irrational decisions taken due to this tragedy might further escalate tensions in the region and if care is not taken might lead to a Third World War. 

My condolences and sympathies goes out to the families of the innocent lives lost in this tragedy.

The Palestinian Question (When Innocent People Suffer)

Once again the Middle East is in a sort of turmoil due to the conflict that has started between the Hamas militants in Gaza and the Israeli Government. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have resolved to bomb the Hamas rocket launch sites in Gaza. The Hamas militants who are regarded as terrorists by both the US, Britain and the Israelis have also made up their mind never to relent in their efforts to resist the Israeli occupation of their land. Both parties are claiming ownership of several territories in Palestine. It seems the one with so much power and the ability to defeat the other party always emerges the winner. For the past one week or so, both Hamas and the IDF have been firing rockets and bombs at each other with the IDF causing more harm and damage to Hamas held areas of Gaza. When at all will these senseless killings end?  Why can't these two parties sit down and dialogue and reach an amicable peace settlement?

More innocent women and children are being killed as the bombs and rockets rain down on both Gaza and the Israeli cities. It seems the UN Security Council have totally lost its voice and it is in mute mode. Both sides have to be condemned as the death toll keeps on rising. As usual, the hypocrisy of the world powers is being seen clearly. So when will the innocent women and children in Palestine stop suffering and also live in a land where they can move around without fear of being killed by an Israeli bomb or a Hamas rocket attack. Both sides must be held accountable for these senseless death. Will the so called world powers call the two parties to order or bring them to the peace table for the world is fed up with the Palestinian Question which sees no end in sight? Posterity will judge us all, for an eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind.

Whatever Happens In Ukraine...

Once again the world is seriously on tenterhooks as to what is happening in the Ukraine, Crimea to be precise. One side is talking about the illegality of what the other has done and the other side is also saying that they have the right to protect their interests if they feel threatened. First of all, how was the former Ukrainian President, Victor Yanukovych kicked out of office? Who engineered the whole crisis and currently who are the ones benefiting from the mess created?

 I presume the beneficiaries would be licking their lips by now as they have gotten what they wanted. But the former president agreed to most f the demands of the protesters and it suddenly took a dramatic twist as he had to flee for his life.  The Ukrainian  crisis seems to be a test case for the balance of  global power as some world powers such as the USA and her European Allies behave with impunity any time they feel their interests are threatened. They lied to the whole world about WMDs in Iraq , invasion of Afghanistan, Libya, the use of drones in Pakistan and other places where innocent civilians were killed. The UN just sat down and allowed all these atrocities to be committed without any condemnation. 

Whatever happens in the Crimean region of Ukraine would have far reaching consequences on the global economy and the world is not ready for another war that would distort the peace that is being enjoyed currently despite the pockets of conflicts going on in some parts of the world. Russian President, Vladimir Putin would not sit down for the West to have their way in Crimea. He would do everything to secure Russia's military bases in the Crimea. These bases must not fall into the hands of rogue elements who took part in the ouster of  Victor Yanukovych.

I have a hunch there is a well cooked out plan to isolate Russia and make her look vulnerable in the eyes of the western allies. This plan would definitely lead to serious repercussions on the whole world. The price of crude oil and other important commodities would shoot up and those of us in the developing countries will feel the full brunt. War must be avoided as much as possible and diplomacy must be employed to solve this crisis. As at the time of writing this post the Crimean Parliament had voted overwhelmingly to join Russia and had set a date for a referendum for the people to decide on the issue. I hope and pray the whole world will respect the outcome of the referendum because whatever happens in the Ukraine affects the whole world. The hypocrisy must end now as some of the powers take some bad decisions which their allies deem to be good and sees nothing wrong with them but when similar decisions are taken by Russia then, sanctions and other punitive measures must be applied.                                                                                             

Nigeria Takes A Bold Step

Nigeria being Africa's most populous country took the unprecedented and much awaited step by passing an anti-gay law on 13th January, 2014. This law criminalizes homosexual and lesbian activities in Nigeria. We all know that most of the Western nations frown on this measure. Nigerian law makers mooted that idea some years back, but they were met with so much condemnation by most of the Western nations. The country was even threatened with a withdrawal of aid and other forms of assistance if her leaders went ahead to pass the law.

As the law has been passed now, the Western nations are just bidding their time to come out with a measured and well calculated response. Are they going to withdraw the aid and grants as they threatened to do? It is high time most countries on the African continent stop relying on the West for much of their aid and grants and other forms of handouts. This would enable them to take bold decisions and call the bluff of these western nations who intend to impose their cultures on as. We as Africans must develop our resources by adding value to them. We should encourage trade partnerships amongst the various countries on the continent. Why do we find it very difficult to trade amongst ourselves but are ready and willing to kowtow to the trade agreements imposed on us by the western nations? 

I admire the Nigerians for the bold step they have taken and from what i have heard and seen, majority of Nigerians support the anti-gay law passed by their government. Lets do our best and follow Nigeria's example. God bless Africa. 

Fare Thee Well, Madiba

Africa and the world was hit with the sad news of the passing of one of the world's most revered and illustrious sons. he whole world was filled with so much grief and sorrow as the news started to spread. Many people thought this was one of the usual hoaxes that the media used to peddle so as to increase their customer base.

But this time the news was true and within some few minutes of Nelson Mandela's passing, the tributes started pouring in. The social media sites such as facebook, twitter, google plus, linkedin etc etc have been awash with tributes from all corners of the earth. These tributes were coming from world leaders, politicians and the ordinary men and women on the streets from Accra to Cape Town and from Moscow to Tehran, etc etc. 

Nelson Mandela indeed lived a life of forgiveness, reconciliation and in fact he had forgiveness in his blood. He had to endure torture and humiliation from his captors who did all things possible in their powers to break him down, but Madiba never broke down and also never gave up.

Nelson Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years in prison. During this time, he contracted tuberculosis and, as a black political prisoner, received the lowest level of treatment from prison workers. However, while incarcerated, Mandela was able to earn a Bachelor of Law degree through a University of London correspondence program.

A 1981 memoir by South African intelligence agent Gordon Winter described a plot by the South African government to arrange for Mandela's escape so as to shoot him during the recapture; the plot was foiled by British intelligence. Mandela continued to be such a potent symbol of black resistance that a coordinated international campaign for his release was launched, and this international groundswell of support exemplified the power and esteem that Mandela had in the global political community.

In 1982, Mandela and other ANC leaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison, allegedly to enable contact between them and the South African government. In 1985, President P. W. Botha offered Mandela's release in exchange for renouncing armed struggle; the prisoner flatly rejected the offer. With increasing local and international pressure for his release, the government participated in several talks with Mandela over the ensuing years, but no deal was made. It wasn't until Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by Frederik Willem de Klerk that Mandela's release was finally announced—on February 11, 1990. De Klerk also unbanned the ANC, removed restrictions on political groups and suspended executions.

This is the man we are all celebrating and not mourning for Madiba has lived a well fulfilled life. Will our African leaders be ready and willing to live by the ideals of this great man? Posterity will judge us all if we dont honor this great man by emulating his examples and walking in his footsteps. Madiba fare thee well and may our ancestors  give you a rousing welcome as you join them, and may God Almighty grant you a resting place in His bosom. The lion of Africa sleeps tonight, God bless Africa.

The Journey Of Death

My heart is heavy with grief and sadness as i write this post. Why should our brothers and sisters die such needless deaths in the Mediterranean sea in their quest to seek greener pastures outside the continent? Over the past two weeks the media has been awash with horrifying images of bodies of African migrants who got drowned while trying to journey in boats to the Italian island of Lampedusa. It was reported that about 300 of the purported 500 migrants on board the crude boats died as a result of  the boat capsizing due to the bad weather on the high seas. More of these unfortunate deaths are still being reported as the days go by. What about those who died on the Sahara Desert? Most of these deaths go unreported and no proper burial is given to them. Mother Africa weeps for her children who embark on this "Journey of Death" to Europe. I sometimes ask myself why our brothers and sisters embark on this dangerous and perilous journey to Europe? One would say that they embark on these journeys to Europe to make sure they make some money and see to it that their families back home on the continent have a better life. But to me, i would say that this shows that we have a serious leadership crisis and failure in Africa as our leaders would rather amass wealth and stash huge sums of money in foreign bank accounts. Rather than see to the well being of their citizens, our leaders always have their personal and selfish interests always as their first priority. The citizens are just asking for good roads, better education systems, good drinking water, employment avenues and many more. If all these are done by our leaders, no African would think of embarking on this "Journey of Death" to Europe to live a better life as they are being made to believe. We should stop blaming the white man for every thing that goes wrong in Africa and put pressure on our leaders in Africa to do the right thing. The days of colonialism are fast gone and we as Africans can do better than the blame game we always stick to. Just to quote the words of Mr. Franklin Cudjoe of Imani Ghana, "Italy should not allow the Eritrean Government to convey the dead bodies of Eritreans back to the Dictatorial hell hole called Eritrea. That would be triple jeopardy. Please let the unfortunate brave political slaves die as martyrs and their souls rest for ever in Italy." May their souls rest in peace.

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