By Inem Akpanso, Guardian
OVER the years, Madam Ekaete Idongesit had made a reputable name and prosperous
living dealing in two agricultural products-bitter kola and the popular local vegetable called Afang, which thrives in her native Akwa Ibom State.
She usually goes into the hinterland to buy the goods from her residence in Uyo and then transports them to Aba, the vibrant commercial centre in Abia State to a ready and lucrative market.
But things have taken a negative turn lately as Madam Idongesit has been unable to get her vegetables and bitter kola to the market because as she puts it: "The road to Aba is very bad. "
If Madam Idongesit and other traders and businessmen are having difficulty getting their goods to markets outside Akwa Ibom, those from outside are also lamenting over their dwindling fortunes following their inability to reach the markets in Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Abak and elsewhere.
A yam merchant from Makurdi, Benue State, Aku Joseph, recently complained that he had lost many of his customers in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene following his inability to deliver consignments of yam, as had been their arrangement.
He has not been able to do so, as according to him: "Three lorries fully loaded with yams sank in the muddy, pot-hole filled stretch of Ini- Itu- Mbonuso-Arochukwu and Ikot-Ekpene-Aba Roads a little more than a month ago.
"Before I could arrange to evacuate the lorries and pull them out of the mud, hoodlums came the second night, ransacked them, stole the yams and even injured one of the drivers.
"I do not think it is worth the risk anymore trying to do business through those roads because the loss I incurred the last time was quite heavy."
Recently, the National Executive Council of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) met in Uyo.
Many of those who went by road regretted ever making such mistake.
Some of them missed or were late for some of the most of the programmes because of delay caused by bad roads.
What the foregoing clearly indicates is that the pain caused to Nigerians by the deteriorated state of Federal roads cut across the country and that it is possible Akwa Ibom State may lay claim to being one of the states most adversely affected.
All over the country, in practically all the geo-political zones, but particularly in the South-East, South-West and South-South, the sorry state of Federal roads has attracted national and international attention.
The reason for the outcry is obvious.
The roads have become death traps; economic development has stagnated, as the Federal Government seemed oblivious to the situation.
In the South, the impetus good road network provides for economic development has suffered. Because of the poor state of federal roads linking the South West and South East, the South South and South East, farmers and traders have found it impossible to do business.
When they manage to overcome the obstacle of poor road network, the extra costs are passed on to the beleaguered consumer.
At present, all the Federal roads into Akwa Ibom are in a sorry state.
The road from Aba to Uyo has failed.
So have Ikot Ekpene-Umuahia Road, Abak- Azumini Road, Aba -Ekparakwa- Etinan as well as Ini - Itu Mbonuso - Arochukwu Roads.
The road to Arochukwu in Abia has completely collapsed.
Road users terminate their journey at a point; walk across the lengthy failed portion and then board another vehicle to continue their journey.
Same is the situation along Uyo-Aba Road where traders have taken to bush tracks to avoid bad spots and are often robbed and raped by hoodlums.
As a result users of these roads pay higher fares, or spend four hours and more on a journey that used to take between 45 minutes and one hour.
Most of the farmers in Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Nassarawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa and other food-producing states in the north with huge markets in Akwa Ibom and other states of the South-South and South-East are unable to come because of these bad roads.
Even the Calabar-Itu Road, the major link between Akwa Ibom and Cross River State and traders from the North to Akwa Ibom State, has also collapsed.
Little wonder then that the National Assembly Caucus members from Akwa Ibom State led by the Chairman and Chairman Senate Service Committee, Senator Effiong Bob, recently embarked on an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
Displeased with what they saw, they called for a quick remedy to the situation, which they blamed on the neglect of the area by the federal authorities.
To the Akwa Ibom representatives, the condition of the roads was unacceptable because there was no justifiable reason for the state, which produces oil, the major lifeline of the nation, not to benefit from the wealth it helps to create.
They attributed the situation to neglect by appropriate authorities in terms of repairs and maintenance and reasoned that if such steps had been taken, the roads would not have turned to the death traps they have become.
The poor condition of the roads has also exposed the lives of road users to considerable danger. There have been stories of traders being waylaid on the bush-paths and track-roads they divert into as alternative routes by robbers and hoodlums.
"In the past, traders, including women travelled in the early hours to Aba, Umuahia or Arochukwu to sell vegetables, fruits and smoked fish. But that is risky these days," Madam Idongesit, said.
She continued: "There had been instances where they were attacked by robbers and their goods and money stolen. Some were even raped. That is not good at all.
"Such bad things now happen because the roads are in a terrible shape. Unfortunately, it did just not happen. The roads deteriorated gradually and nobody did anything to arrest the situation."
When the Federal lawmakers asked for explanations from the Chief Engineer, Federal Highways, Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ihenacho Umeh, he said the roads were the responsibility of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to maintain.
He also tried to sooth the frayed nerves of the caucus members by explaining that, the Aba - Ikot Ekpene -Itu - Calabar Road have been pre-quantified and contract would be awarded in lots to cover the whole area before the year runs out.
This, however, did not satisfy the representatives who wondered why the roads would have been left to deteriorate to death traps before contracts for their repairs were awarded.
According to them, year after year, huge sums of money given to FERMA as allocations, yet nothing had been done on the roads.
Corroborating the stance of Akwa Ibom representatives, their Abia State counterpart, Senator Abaribe, condemned the poor state of roads in the two zones, attributing the situation to neglect
In fact, the story of roads would have been worse if the Akwa Ibom State government had not decided to rehabilitate some Federal roads in the state.
Roads so repaired include Ekim Itam-Ekom Iman Road, once a death trap before the state government dualised it,; Uyo- Oron Road, Abak-Ika-Etim-Ekpo-Iwukkem Road and Itak-Oko-Ita-Use Ikot Amama Roads, among others.
Residents of these areas who spoke with The Guardian commended the state government for the relief the repairs brought them, particularly for reconstructing Cardinal Ekanem Road, Ikot Ekpene, which is now used as diversion for vehicles going to Aba from Uyo.
The Senate Caucus Leader, Bob said: "We appeal to the Federal Government to come and help us. People can no longer travel to do business in Calabar, Aba or even Port Harcourt because of the deplorable state of the roads leading to theses states. This development has affected the economy of the state.
" Agricultural produce from Ini Local Council, one of the food baskets of the state, cannot be brought to market for sale. There are no roads for students to go back to school, no roads for traders from other states of the federation to come into the state.
"We are appealing specifically to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and the Minister of Works to, as a matter of urgent national importance, initiate action towards the rebuilding of these roads during he next dry season."
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Nigerian Bishop Visits His Priests In Southern Arkansas
Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma of Orlu, Nigeria, processes out at the end of Mass at St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia Oct. 25, followed by the Knights of Columbus honor guard.ARKADELPHIA -- Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma, bishop of Orlu, Nigeria, made a pastoral visit to one of his priests, Father Linus Ukomadu, pastor of St. Mary Church in Arkadelphia, Oct. 25.
Father Ukomadu also serves St. John the Baptist Church in Malvern.
Bishop Ukwuoma, who was ordained a bishop March 25, 2008, made his first visit to Arkansas. He said he has 35 priests working in the United States, including five in Arkansas. They are Father Chuma Ibebuike, administrator of Holy Cross in Crossett and St. Mary in McGehee; Father Pius Iwu, who is substitute priest for pastors who are studying Spanish in Mexico; Father Oliver Ochieze, administrator of St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Bay and St. Jude in Clinton; and Father Theophilus Okpara, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake in Lake Village and Holy Spirit in Hamburg. The bishop said that he would visit all of his Arkansas priests during the trip. He also visited with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor Oct. 27.
Currently, there are 15 priests from several dioceses in Nigeria serving in Arkansas.
Concelebrating the Oct. 25 Mass were Father Ukomadu and Father Tom Stehlik, CM, pastor of St. Anne Church in North Little Rock, who serves the Hispanic parishioners in Arkadelphia. Deacon Bud Daven from Malvern also served at Mass. Ten members of the Knights of Columbus served as an honor guard.
Bishop Ukwuoma said that he knew very little Spanish so he gave some remarks in English. He said he was raised in the Catholic faith by missionaries from Ireland as a youngster. They planted the seed for a vocation to the priesthood in him. There are several young people in his diocese who are called to be priests and sisters. It requires sacrifice through joy from the family. The whole community shares in the joy, he said.
After Mass, a potluck dinner was held in the parish hall.
The Awakening & In-Gathering of The Igbos
By: Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Jr.
On Friday and Saturday, August 30th and 31st of 2002 a historic event took place on the small island of St. Simons, Georgia which is located about seventy miles south of Savannah. A Chicago based group of Nigerians, who are from the Ibo tribe, called together Nigerians and all others from Canada to Haiti and all points in between, to come to the place on St. Simons Island known as Ibo Landing.
The Chicago based group of Nigerian, Ibo have an organization called "Ekwe Nche", which is in the Ibo tongue "A Clarion Call" organized this historic event on St. Simons Island, the event was called to mark the sanctification of the place where thirteen Ibo men cast themselves into the sea rather than live as slaves. It is said that these thirteen men locked arms together and jumped into the sea, to the great surprise and dismay of their captors.
The Ibo Landing event was held to acknowledge the heroism of these thirteen brave men and to give their spirits a proper and fitting memorial through an ecumenical service that was attended by several religious groups. Among the groups represented were, Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, who represented the High Priest and ultimate spiritual leader in Ibo Land. Okechukwu Ikejiani, M.D., a retired physician and professor from Canada, Mr. Bruce Dan Carey from Gary, Indiana and his wife Chief Dele Jane Asawe, who is of the Ibo tribe, Moreh Elisha Israel from Cincinnati, Ohio and Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Jr. spiritual leader of Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, in Chicago, Illinois.
On Friday morning all guest attended an opening ceremony, which was the breaking of the Kola Nut, an event by which all Ibo functions are begun which represents the cultural unity of the Ibo people. A tribal elder offered prayer, and everyone present washed their hands, then partook in eating the Kola nut, which was dipped in a mixture of peanut butter, honey and red pepper grounded into a powder. Dr. Justine Aujerize, of Chicago gave the welcome address and explained the purpose of the event.
The speech by elder statesman, Okechukwu Ikejiani, M. D., who is 85 years old, was very moving and insightful. Dr. Ikejiani was moved to tears as he appealed to the Ibos and African Americans present to united and develop the organizations necessary to work to better the lives of the Ibos who are still in Nigeria. Dr. Ikejiani has traveled extensively and he promotes Ibo culture, history and heritage in his lectures.
At 3:30 p.m. Mr. Bruce Dan Judah Carey, presented a paper on the history of the Ibo, Ndi, Igbo and the Hebrew people. Bruce's paper was both insightful and scholarly as he showed the connection between the Ibo people and their ancient Hebrew ancestors. Bruce detailed the various customs of the Ibo that are strikingly similar to the customs of the ancient Hebrews. Which include circumcision of their males on the eighth day after birth, abstention from pork and shellfish, the concept of rest from labor on the seventh day and observance of a day called Yomora Kippura, which comes in early fall, among the Ibo people and Yomora Kippura has all of the customs attached to it that a Jew finds in the laws concerning Yom Kippur.
Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, who represented the High Priest of Ibo Land, gave a powerful lecture on the conditions of the Ibo people under the current government of Nigeria, and he also spoke on the significance of the Kola Nut, in Ibo culture. Eze Nri Onyesoh, wore a red kipah with an eagle feather and a tallith, with 613 fringes, which is the garment worn by all Ibo priest when they officiate at a cultural ceremony. I found the attire of Eze Nri striking, because, I was wearing a Kipah and I wore my tallith, the only difference was that the Eze Nri wore his tallith, vertically, while we Jews wear our tallith horizontally.
Moreh Elisha Israel, spoke about the differences that he saw between the Hebrews and the customs of the Ibo people. Moreh Israel did not understand that the customs of the Ibo people were actually Hebraic in their content and structure.
I was invited to speak and I could only compare what I was witnessing to a true awakening of Ibo people to their Hebraic cultural roots. As I thought about why we were in St. Simons Island, Georgia, my mind returned to an episode in Jewish history concerning the Jews at Massadah, who in 73 a.c.e. cast themselves from the walls of their fortress rather come under the control of the Roman Empire. I was inspired by the history of the thirteen Ibo men, who were led by a chief of the Ibo nation, to revolt and become martyrs rather than slaves. My mind and spirit were led to the song by James Weldon Johnson "Lift Every Voice and Sing", in which the writer says in the last verse "Let us be true to our G-d, and true to our native land".
These thirteen men were in fact true to their G-d and true to their native land, and they followed one of their chiefs into martyrdom, when they refused to bow to their captors and become slaves.
Saturday August 31, 2002 was a momentous and awe stirring event, after the breaking of the Kola Nut and prayer, we all proceeded to the site of the IBO Landing. The owners of the property have maintained the actual site of the Ibo Landing for nearly 200 years. I was awe struck as the elderly white woman invited the group of 150 to come onto her property and conduct our services.
The "Ruach Kodesh" (holy spirit) overwhelmed me, as several of our group went out onto the actual landing site, and we prayed in the Ibo tongue and in the Hebrew tongue, for the spirits of those men that gave their lives for freedom. The pier has been preserved in its original condition; everything in that space was as it was nearly 200 years ago. It is a local legend that fishermen refuse to approach the site of the Ibo Landing, because it is said that you can hear the voices of those brave souls that became martyrs for freedom. The event was powerful, spiritual, awe inspiring and uplifting as we connected in a way that words cannot express with the souls of the departed.
The final part of our services was the sharing of the Kola Nut. An Ibo elder led us in prayer for the departed souls that engulfed the entire group with a singular thought. We became one people, with one G-d, one aim and one destiny.
The Ibo group Ekwe Nche has made a commitment to find other Ibo Landing sites up and down the east coast and to reclaim and redeem the souls of our lost brothers and sisters. The Ibo people are connected to the Gullah speaking people of Haiti, the Caribbean and Florida. The Ibo people are also found among the Geeche speaking people of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi. I am from South Carolina, I am a Geeche, I am an Ibo, and I am a Jew. Kol Israel Haraybim! (All Israel is responsible for each other).
On Friday and Saturday, August 30th and 31st of 2002 a historic event took place on the small island of St. Simons, Georgia which is located about seventy miles south of Savannah. A Chicago based group of Nigerians, who are from the Ibo tribe, called together Nigerians and all others from Canada to Haiti and all points in between, to come to the place on St. Simons Island known as Ibo Landing.
The Chicago based group of Nigerian, Ibo have an organization called "Ekwe Nche", which is in the Ibo tongue "A Clarion Call" organized this historic event on St. Simons Island, the event was called to mark the sanctification of the place where thirteen Ibo men cast themselves into the sea rather than live as slaves. It is said that these thirteen men locked arms together and jumped into the sea, to the great surprise and dismay of their captors.
The Ibo Landing event was held to acknowledge the heroism of these thirteen brave men and to give their spirits a proper and fitting memorial through an ecumenical service that was attended by several religious groups. Among the groups represented were, Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, who represented the High Priest and ultimate spiritual leader in Ibo Land. Okechukwu Ikejiani, M.D., a retired physician and professor from Canada, Mr. Bruce Dan Carey from Gary, Indiana and his wife Chief Dele Jane Asawe, who is of the Ibo tribe, Moreh Elisha Israel from Cincinnati, Ohio and Rabbi Capers C. Funnye, Jr. spiritual leader of Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, in Chicago, Illinois.
On Friday morning all guest attended an opening ceremony, which was the breaking of the Kola Nut, an event by which all Ibo functions are begun which represents the cultural unity of the Ibo people. A tribal elder offered prayer, and everyone present washed their hands, then partook in eating the Kola nut, which was dipped in a mixture of peanut butter, honey and red pepper grounded into a powder. Dr. Justine Aujerize, of Chicago gave the welcome address and explained the purpose of the event.
The speech by elder statesman, Okechukwu Ikejiani, M. D., who is 85 years old, was very moving and insightful. Dr. Ikejiani was moved to tears as he appealed to the Ibos and African Americans present to united and develop the organizations necessary to work to better the lives of the Ibos who are still in Nigeria. Dr. Ikejiani has traveled extensively and he promotes Ibo culture, history and heritage in his lectures.
At 3:30 p.m. Mr. Bruce Dan Judah Carey, presented a paper on the history of the Ibo, Ndi, Igbo and the Hebrew people. Bruce's paper was both insightful and scholarly as he showed the connection between the Ibo people and their ancient Hebrew ancestors. Bruce detailed the various customs of the Ibo that are strikingly similar to the customs of the ancient Hebrews. Which include circumcision of their males on the eighth day after birth, abstention from pork and shellfish, the concept of rest from labor on the seventh day and observance of a day called Yomora Kippura, which comes in early fall, among the Ibo people and Yomora Kippura has all of the customs attached to it that a Jew finds in the laws concerning Yom Kippur.
Okpala Eze Nri Chukwuemeka I. Onyesoh, who represented the High Priest of Ibo Land, gave a powerful lecture on the conditions of the Ibo people under the current government of Nigeria, and he also spoke on the significance of the Kola Nut, in Ibo culture. Eze Nri Onyesoh, wore a red kipah with an eagle feather and a tallith, with 613 fringes, which is the garment worn by all Ibo priest when they officiate at a cultural ceremony. I found the attire of Eze Nri striking, because, I was wearing a Kipah and I wore my tallith, the only difference was that the Eze Nri wore his tallith, vertically, while we Jews wear our tallith horizontally.
Moreh Elisha Israel, spoke about the differences that he saw between the Hebrews and the customs of the Ibo people. Moreh Israel did not understand that the customs of the Ibo people were actually Hebraic in their content and structure.
I was invited to speak and I could only compare what I was witnessing to a true awakening of Ibo people to their Hebraic cultural roots. As I thought about why we were in St. Simons Island, Georgia, my mind returned to an episode in Jewish history concerning the Jews at Massadah, who in 73 a.c.e. cast themselves from the walls of their fortress rather come under the control of the Roman Empire. I was inspired by the history of the thirteen Ibo men, who were led by a chief of the Ibo nation, to revolt and become martyrs rather than slaves. My mind and spirit were led to the song by James Weldon Johnson "Lift Every Voice and Sing", in which the writer says in the last verse "Let us be true to our G-d, and true to our native land".
These thirteen men were in fact true to their G-d and true to their native land, and they followed one of their chiefs into martyrdom, when they refused to bow to their captors and become slaves.
Saturday August 31, 2002 was a momentous and awe stirring event, after the breaking of the Kola Nut and prayer, we all proceeded to the site of the IBO Landing. The owners of the property have maintained the actual site of the Ibo Landing for nearly 200 years. I was awe struck as the elderly white woman invited the group of 150 to come onto her property and conduct our services.
The "Ruach Kodesh" (holy spirit) overwhelmed me, as several of our group went out onto the actual landing site, and we prayed in the Ibo tongue and in the Hebrew tongue, for the spirits of those men that gave their lives for freedom. The pier has been preserved in its original condition; everything in that space was as it was nearly 200 years ago. It is a local legend that fishermen refuse to approach the site of the Ibo Landing, because it is said that you can hear the voices of those brave souls that became martyrs for freedom. The event was powerful, spiritual, awe inspiring and uplifting as we connected in a way that words cannot express with the souls of the departed.
The final part of our services was the sharing of the Kola Nut. An Ibo elder led us in prayer for the departed souls that engulfed the entire group with a singular thought. We became one people, with one G-d, one aim and one destiny.
The Ibo group Ekwe Nche has made a commitment to find other Ibo Landing sites up and down the east coast and to reclaim and redeem the souls of our lost brothers and sisters. The Ibo people are connected to the Gullah speaking people of Haiti, the Caribbean and Florida. The Ibo people are also found among the Geeche speaking people of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi. I am from South Carolina, I am a Geeche, I am an Ibo, and I am a Jew. Kol Israel Haraybim! (All Israel is responsible for each other).
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
UK expats learn Nigerian culture
If you want to mary an Igbo man, you've got to know how to cook egusi soup" --Ebere Nwosu, school owner
By Ellen Otzen, BBC News
In one corner of the room, a bespectacled teacher, Alex Tetenta, talks lengthily about Igbo political customs.
Mr Tetenta is a radio presenter and politics graduate currently writing a book on Nigerian democracy.
He is surrounded by a handful of attentive young men, all Igbo, who have grown up in London.
Michael's family hails from Abia state in south-eastern Nigeria.
He is here, he says "because learning about my own culture gives me a sense of pride, something to hold on to, instead of just the Western stuff".
At the other end of the room, the school's founder Ebere Nwosu instructs a group of women in cooking egusi soup.
Dried chicken bones sizzle in a pan of palm oil. Red pepper, bitterleaf, and ground crayfish are laid out on a large steel table.
Lack of pride
Ms Nwosu, dressed in a striking yellow traditional dress, is a legal practitioner.
She grew up in north London and says she set up the school to resolve a lack of pride in African culture.
"I think a lot of us who have migrated from Africa to the UK or the United States tend to neglect our culture and adopt that of where we are, which is wrong."
Does she think the neglect happened as newly arrived immigrants tried to assimilate?
"My father is a solicitor and my mother a social worker. Not an ounce of Igbo was spoken to us as we were growing up. They spoke it between themselves, but never spoke it to us children. We were the victims of a 'pro-education' drive," she says.
Igbo culture and what sets it apart from the surrounding Nigerian culture is stressed again and again on the course.
"Egusi soup is a very common soup amongst Nigerians. There's a way in which the Igbos prepare it in comparison to the Yoruba - we don't put as much oil in our food, and we use more vegetables," Ms Nwosu explains to her students.
Each course lasts six weeks and comprises Igbo custom, history, arts and crafts and, of course, cuisine.
"If you want to marry an Igbo man, you've got to know how to cook egusi soup. If you can't cook anything else, at least have that under your belt and you're through the door," laughs Ms Nwosu.
Roots
Igbo culture has given rise to many great names.
Olaudah Equiano, one of the most prominent Africans involved in the British movement for the abolition of the slave trade, was believed to be an Igbo.
Other famous Igbos include Nigerian writers Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, as well as British athlete Christine Ohuruogu.
Kate Njoku has been following the course for six weeks.
"I wanted to learn more about my roots and my culture. I grew up in London and I've only been to the village in Nigeria where my family comes from once, when I was very young. It's a full course that teaches the language, the arts and the history - so I thought it would be perfect for me."
But not everyone here is Nigerian. Students come from the Caribbean and southern Africa as well.
Diana is from Zimbabwe but is going out with an Igbo man.
"It's time I learned how to cook Igbo food. That's the food my boyfriend eats. We've been coming to this restaurant for two years, buying take-aways. It's best I cook from home," she says.
Michelle Obama's cousin Jewish Rabbi Capers Funnye visits Israel
Clifford Bryan, Examiner
Michelle Obama's Jewish Rabbi cousin Capers Funnye visited the Jewish Agency absorption center for immigrants, in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Tzion, Israel today and will meet with Ethiopian immigrants to Israel. Nearly 85% of the Ethiopian Beta Israel community, comprising more than 110,700 people, have emigrated to Israel under its Law of Return, which gives Jews and those with Jewish parents or grandparents, and all of their spouses, the right to settle in Israel and obtain citizenship.
Rabbi Capers Funnye who is First lady Michelle Obama's first cousin once removed is also the first African-American member of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, serves on the boards of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and the American Jewish Congress of the Midwest, and is active in the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, which reaches out to black Jewish communities outside the United States, such as the Beta Israel in Ethiopia and the Igbo Jews in Nigeria.
Funnye is one of 150,000 African-Americans who practice Judaism in the United States and studies are showing African-Americans adopting Judaism is becoming much more common in the United States. One synagogue even noted about half of the people currently converting to Judaism are African-American.
Beta Israel claim they are descendants of the Tribe of Dan one of the ten lost tribes of Israel. Some believe they are the descendants of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
According to the Hebrew Bible, Jacob (progenitor of Israel) had 12 sons and at least one daughter by two wives and two concubines. The twelve sons fathered the twelve Tribes of Israel.
The Ten Lost Tribes are those Israelites who were deported by the Assyrians. In Jewish popular culture, the ten tribes disappeared from history, leaving only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah to become the ancestors of modern day Jews.
For whatever reason In modern times Israeli leadership has made a concerted effort to identify the lost tribes as part of the Law of Return.
African Jews
Lemba people (Vhalemba) from Southern Africa claim to be descendants of a lost tribe which fled from what is now Yemen and journeyed south. DNA testing has genetically linked the Lemba with modern Jews.
Sefwi tribe(Ghana)-They have practiced Hebraic customs of not eating pork, resting on Sabbath, and circumcision for hundreds of years. The community, largely based in Sefwi Wiawso and Sefwi Sui has been receiving a steady flow of Jewish visitors from the worldwide Jewish community.
Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice Judaism and are said to be descended from Mediterrenian Israelites migration into West Africa. Historical evidence is conclusive on Ibo Israelite origins. Outreach to Nigerian Jews by the wider Jewish world community gained official status in 1995 – 1997, when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sent a team to Nigeria in search of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Western rabbis and educators such as Rabbi Gorin have visited the community at times and Jewish communities in the West support those in Nigeria by sending books, computers, and religious articles. However, the State of Israel has, to date, not officially recognized the Igbo as one of the Lost Tribes.
Money, race, power, politics, the beat goes on. The jewish community in the U.S. has yet to fully accept Rabbi Capers.
As Michelle Obama and the Obama administration know sometimes we get so involved in playing the race card in the U.S. that the distinctions between reality and fiction are hard to define, a hard pill to swallow if this reality can be economically and socially damaging.
Friday, October 30, 2009
The New Face of Imo State University Teaching Hospital
By P. C. Mgbenwelu, This DaY/All Africa
Abuja — At the dawn of the administration of His Excellency Chief Sir Ikedi Ohakim Ksc (Ochinanwata), a close look at the policy of government revealed well thought out programme as contained in the 14 point agenda, christened the "NEW FACE OF IMO". Top among the issues tackled was the issue of "maintenance culture". To this effect, a workshop was organized by Douglas Consult which was targeted at training government workers on the importance of maintenance; stressing that maintenance is an indispensable ingredient for the sustainability of any system. To watchers of government, it was a welcome development.
Orlu people have waited with patient expectation to see this initiative of government of Sir Ikedi Ohakim on maintenance culture to reflect on the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH). It is heart breaking to know that the hospital after 5 years of being formally commissioned, has failed to produce reasonable services of moderately acceptable standards. It has failed to sustain its utility and value. This is a direct function of lack of continuous proper upkeep of the value of the Hospital to achieve operational reliability with maximum design output. The total neglect of the hospital by the present government under Chief Sir Ikedi Ohakim Ksc connotes social injustice. What did Orlu people do to deserve the treatment given to the only major facility sited in their zone?
If government believes that sustainable development can be achieved only when government establishment is adequately maintained, why has she turned her back on Imo State University Teaching Hospital Orlu? Is the establishment neglected so as to punish Orlu people or to make mockery of them? Since May 29th 2007 when this administration took over, not one block has been put on top of the other in this well thought out establishment. The road leading to the Hospital is in total mess. The massive sight under construction, which when completed would house, Radiological Diagnostic center has been over grown by weeds and has formed a habitat and haven for dangerous animals and reptiles. Could the reason for leaving the place unattended to be to scare students away from choosing the school as their medical University of choice? Or is it a long term plan of making the institution stinking filthy Garbage?
Is somebody planning to make the university lose its accreditation?
Structures for special clinic like Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT); ophthalmology; plastic surgery; have been grossly abandoned and Orlu people do not know if that is the current tenet of maintenance culture. We do not know if the present administration believes in continuity, if it does, the Nursing school, Hostels, lecture theaters and IMSUTH staff school, (both primary and secondary) which are almost in completion stages before May 2007, should have been finished by now.
A government which implements policies that are not people oriented, policies which will not benefit the greatest number, is government of exclusion and has no face either old or new. Orlu Zone Consensus Movement (OZCOM) would appreciate it if the government would take a bold step and proscribe the institution instead of hiding under the façade of innocence and credibility. What reasons does the government have to owe the Hospital staff salary for three months? Why should we say we have a functional system when the government cannot pay many months salary of House officers?
Recently in August of 2009, doctors at the teaching hospital went on strike. Their genuine pleas among other things were implementation of 24 months of monetization and 16 months of consolidated tertiary institution salary scale (CONTIS). Government's action towards these doctors has resulted in mass exodus of both consultants and resident doctors to places where they would be better treated and appreciated. They are gradually depleting in number making the institution a place where human and material resources are not put to its optimal use. Their strike actions and exodus may have resulted in preventable loss of lives. We have a government that should take this problem as a priority, but it wouldn't, because Orlu Zone is involved. Cry my beloved people.
The most horrendous of all is the abandonment of facilities procured by the past government under Chief Achike Udenwa to decay. CT scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine (MRI), phloroscopic machines etc, which would have aided diagnosis and treatment of patients as well as training of student doctors and nurses, are lying there uninstalled and unused. Sooner than later they would become out modeled or unfunctional or worse still spoilt. What reason has government got to abandon those equipments? A discerning mind would say, it is to make sure that the only meaningful state government establishment in Orlu Zone does not work.
The government should not be deceived by the attitudes of some political jobbers who keep praising government even when things are wrongly done. The same mouth they use in praising an administration will be used in criticizing it when it is out of power. It is only fair to state things the way they are. Orlu people are not happy over the total decay of infrastructural facilities in the Teaching Hospital.
Resident doctors and Consultants do not have quarters, but elsewhere it is provided. The Medical College which was finished during the last administration and commissioned by President Olusegu Obasanjo on the 23rd of May 2007, has not been equipped. Their offices are not fixed, no steady generator, no recreational facilities, though there are spaces for them. Doctors produced under the condition of students in IMSUTH will either be half baked or be a semblance of the system that produced them. Is this the "New Face"? OZCOM is of the view that it is the right of Orlu zone indeed Imo State to have that teaching hospital in its optimal state. If government would continually abandon the place, we would not have choice but to say that the institution suffers as a result of political gambit.
Orlu people are too rich to be pawns on the political chess board. They are too intelligent to be ridiculed. They are too numerous to be ignored. They are too powerful to be toyed with. The government is advised to score a good political point by doing things aright in IMSUTH, if not, Orlu people will have no choice than to believe that Orlu zone can only survive if it is in the hands of God.
Abuja — At the dawn of the administration of His Excellency Chief Sir Ikedi Ohakim Ksc (Ochinanwata), a close look at the policy of government revealed well thought out programme as contained in the 14 point agenda, christened the "NEW FACE OF IMO". Top among the issues tackled was the issue of "maintenance culture". To this effect, a workshop was organized by Douglas Consult which was targeted at training government workers on the importance of maintenance; stressing that maintenance is an indispensable ingredient for the sustainability of any system. To watchers of government, it was a welcome development.
Orlu people have waited with patient expectation to see this initiative of government of Sir Ikedi Ohakim on maintenance culture to reflect on the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH). It is heart breaking to know that the hospital after 5 years of being formally commissioned, has failed to produce reasonable services of moderately acceptable standards. It has failed to sustain its utility and value. This is a direct function of lack of continuous proper upkeep of the value of the Hospital to achieve operational reliability with maximum design output. The total neglect of the hospital by the present government under Chief Sir Ikedi Ohakim Ksc connotes social injustice. What did Orlu people do to deserve the treatment given to the only major facility sited in their zone?
If government believes that sustainable development can be achieved only when government establishment is adequately maintained, why has she turned her back on Imo State University Teaching Hospital Orlu? Is the establishment neglected so as to punish Orlu people or to make mockery of them? Since May 29th 2007 when this administration took over, not one block has been put on top of the other in this well thought out establishment. The road leading to the Hospital is in total mess. The massive sight under construction, which when completed would house, Radiological Diagnostic center has been over grown by weeds and has formed a habitat and haven for dangerous animals and reptiles. Could the reason for leaving the place unattended to be to scare students away from choosing the school as their medical University of choice? Or is it a long term plan of making the institution stinking filthy Garbage?
Is somebody planning to make the university lose its accreditation?
Structures for special clinic like Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT); ophthalmology; plastic surgery; have been grossly abandoned and Orlu people do not know if that is the current tenet of maintenance culture. We do not know if the present administration believes in continuity, if it does, the Nursing school, Hostels, lecture theaters and IMSUTH staff school, (both primary and secondary) which are almost in completion stages before May 2007, should have been finished by now.
A government which implements policies that are not people oriented, policies which will not benefit the greatest number, is government of exclusion and has no face either old or new. Orlu Zone Consensus Movement (OZCOM) would appreciate it if the government would take a bold step and proscribe the institution instead of hiding under the façade of innocence and credibility. What reasons does the government have to owe the Hospital staff salary for three months? Why should we say we have a functional system when the government cannot pay many months salary of House officers?
Recently in August of 2009, doctors at the teaching hospital went on strike. Their genuine pleas among other things were implementation of 24 months of monetization and 16 months of consolidated tertiary institution salary scale (CONTIS). Government's action towards these doctors has resulted in mass exodus of both consultants and resident doctors to places where they would be better treated and appreciated. They are gradually depleting in number making the institution a place where human and material resources are not put to its optimal use. Their strike actions and exodus may have resulted in preventable loss of lives. We have a government that should take this problem as a priority, but it wouldn't, because Orlu Zone is involved. Cry my beloved people.
The most horrendous of all is the abandonment of facilities procured by the past government under Chief Achike Udenwa to decay. CT scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine (MRI), phloroscopic machines etc, which would have aided diagnosis and treatment of patients as well as training of student doctors and nurses, are lying there uninstalled and unused. Sooner than later they would become out modeled or unfunctional or worse still spoilt. What reason has government got to abandon those equipments? A discerning mind would say, it is to make sure that the only meaningful state government establishment in Orlu Zone does not work.
The government should not be deceived by the attitudes of some political jobbers who keep praising government even when things are wrongly done. The same mouth they use in praising an administration will be used in criticizing it when it is out of power. It is only fair to state things the way they are. Orlu people are not happy over the total decay of infrastructural facilities in the Teaching Hospital.
Resident doctors and Consultants do not have quarters, but elsewhere it is provided. The Medical College which was finished during the last administration and commissioned by President Olusegu Obasanjo on the 23rd of May 2007, has not been equipped. Their offices are not fixed, no steady generator, no recreational facilities, though there are spaces for them. Doctors produced under the condition of students in IMSUTH will either be half baked or be a semblance of the system that produced them. Is this the "New Face"? OZCOM is of the view that it is the right of Orlu zone indeed Imo State to have that teaching hospital in its optimal state. If government would continually abandon the place, we would not have choice but to say that the institution suffers as a result of political gambit.
Orlu people are too rich to be pawns on the political chess board. They are too intelligent to be ridiculed. They are too numerous to be ignored. They are too powerful to be toyed with. The government is advised to score a good political point by doing things aright in IMSUTH, if not, Orlu people will have no choice than to believe that Orlu zone can only survive if it is in the hands of God.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
My fears for Anambra State
Emmanuel Mayah, Sun News Online
He is an Abuja insider and one whose mettle as a legal strategist has been tested in more ways than one. For over 13 years Barrister Ike Obidike has witnessed at point-blank range the execution of some of the most complex intrigues in Nigeria’s politics. Over time, this complexity has morphed into paradoxes finding peculiar expressions in two places: the Nigerian nation and Anambra State.
Propelled by a strong sense of self-worth, Chief Obidike is quick to tell you he is a proud indigene of Anambra State. He takes exceptional pride in the contributions of illustrious sons and daughters of Anambra to the Nigeria project. Gushing with praise, he reels of names like Chinua Achebe, Dora Akunyili, Chukwuma Soludo, Oby Ezekwesili and a host of others who have either conquered the world stage or played interventionist role on the national scene, having been drafted to help pull institutions back from the brink. Obidike pointed out that similarly, while great Nigerian scientists, scholars and technocrats have played interventionist roles in international institutions and in foreign countries, “their home country, their home states, sadly are in dire straits due to a deliberate disconnect orchestrated by our political managers.”
Obidike traces this shared paradox of Nigeria and Anambra State on a warped ideological system saying, “ While nations compete against nations to achieve greatness, Nigeria is busy competing against itself” and that “Anambra is a difficult state to govern; so complex that even the best man for the job, like the biblical Moses, cannot take it to the promise land. He spoke on the current political debacle to EMMANUEL MAYAH in Abuja.
New mistakes, old politics
I am greatly disturbed by what is going on in Anambra State. Anambra, just like Nigeria itself, is a worrisome paradox. It is the paradox of a great physician who cannot cure himself of a recurring headache. How do I mean? Anambra is blessed with illustrious sons and daughters who have set enviable records either on the national stage or the world stage, yet the state cannot rescue itself from what has long become a plague. It is like Nigeria, a nation that is quick to thump its chest in self-praise of its interventionist achievements in Liberia, Sierre Leone, Congo, Somalia and other places, yet its home is in shambles.
Like any well-meaning indigene of Anambra State, I am highly embarrassed by the horse trading going on in my state in the name of politics. They say that he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches. Are we so dumb that we still do not know where our problem is coming from? Are we so dumb that we still do not know where not to look for solutions? If you ask me, I will say that the answer to our problems is not in party politics rather in a new socio-cultural orientation.
With the kind of political foundation we are standing on, not even the best man from the best political party can take Anambra to the promise land. Honestly, I expected that before this next gubernatorial election, Anambra people should have reached a harmony and consensus inside the room, and then come outside to speak with one voice. The North is very good at that, so why can’t we borrow a leaf from them. The reconstruction of the Igbo states promised after the Nigeria Civil War has remained a mirage. Anambra is the worst hit of all the Igbo states by extraneous political influences aimed at undermining the reconstruction. We have to do the reconstruction ourselves, but instead of working together, we are working against ourselves. We are at a critical juncture in our political life and the matter should not be PDP, PPA, APGA or any other party. It is about the soul and destiny of Anambra. It is about putting an end to political slavery.
Achebe’s angst
Throughout his rule as civilian President and even up to the truncating of his third term gambit, Obasanjo was known for fuelling the politics of destabilization in Anambra state and in other parts of Igbo land. Back in 2004, this cultural custodian author of Things Fall Apart, took the extraordinary step of declining to accept the high honor awarded him in the 2004 Honours List by the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Achebe cited the injustice, slavery and the politics of destabilization whcih Obasanjo and his agents had imposed on Achebe’s home state of Anambra. Achebe pointed to the silence and alluded to the connivance of the Presidency in the destabilization of Anambra by political and business renegades. Five years down the line, the question is: has anything changed? Are there new Obasanjos? What other elements are out there? But whatever the forces, they can never be as formidable if the people are guided by a common goal and a common vision. We can never hope to get to the promise land if Anambra is in the grip of a small clique as usual, openly boasting of their connections in high places. That cannot take us to anywhere.
Many nations, many races, many nationalities are beginning to borrow from the Obama phenomenon. Before the primaries, the prayer of all well-meaning people was; let the good people come out. Let the Dora Akunyilis, the Charles Soludos, Ernest Ndukwes, come out; let our First Eleven march out; let our best brains, and we are not short of them, come out. Soludo has come out, but the whole thing is mired in controversy which takes us back to what I said earlier about the North. The primary that took place in Abuja should not have been allowed to degenerate into a show of shame. The Abuja primary ought to have been preceded by an Awka primary where the interest of Anambra state is made paramount. That way, we would have reached a consensus before coming out in the open. That way we would have had a constructive dialogue, not a diatribe as we are seeing. Now the Anambra case is again like a farce, a comedy of error and the whole world is watching and our enemies are laughing at us. When will we prove them wrong?
No Siddon-Look
The time has come for President Yar’Adua to show leadership and he could as well start with the imbroglio in Anambra state. Time has come for Yar’Adua to show leadership too at the party level using whatever internal conflict resolution mechanism. Anambra is in the eye of the storm; Nigeria also is in the eye of the storm. With one dysfunction after the other, in one state after the other, we are slowly gliding back to a pariah state. The world is leaving us behind, and I don’t know how any President can be comfortable while the so-called giant of Africa is being compared to failed states like Sudan. That is what the development index says. Only last week, the Mo Ibrahim Leadership in Africa Foundation released its development and good governance rating. Out of 43 countries in Africa, Botswana was first; followed by Cape Verde.
Ghana is 7th while our dear Nigeria came 37th. Our leaders should be worried, in fact sleepless with reports and ratings like that. Attention is shifting to Ghana. Companies and bid labour employers like Mitchelin, Dunlop, and Cadbury have moved or are moving to Ghana. One would have expected our leadership including the National Assembly to call an emergency session over this movement to Ghana. Obama travelled to Ghana and gave Nigeria the cold shoulder. It speaks volume and it was another way of saying, you guys are not serious. Ghana has displaced Nigeria as a strategic partner and sub-regional leader; meanwhile, we are busy squabbling and fighting amongst ourselves and splitting hairs about PDP, AC or APGA.
Last week too, I heard that the states and Federal governments have shared another excess crude dollars and I screamed: not again! We are repeating the mistakes of the past. Why not plough that money into railway, agriculture or the university? Honestly, it has never cease to amaze me how Sanusi, the CBN governor mustered the courage to suggest that President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda should be pruned to two manageable agenda. What Sanusi was invariably saying was that the President should bite what he can chew. At this stage it is difficult to say how much the President has been able to chew, given that the performance of the seven-point agenda is still hazy. One is being charitable in this assessment with the hope that all the managers of the respective agendum are giving it their best shot.
He is an Abuja insider and one whose mettle as a legal strategist has been tested in more ways than one. For over 13 years Barrister Ike Obidike has witnessed at point-blank range the execution of some of the most complex intrigues in Nigeria’s politics. Over time, this complexity has morphed into paradoxes finding peculiar expressions in two places: the Nigerian nation and Anambra State.
Propelled by a strong sense of self-worth, Chief Obidike is quick to tell you he is a proud indigene of Anambra State. He takes exceptional pride in the contributions of illustrious sons and daughters of Anambra to the Nigeria project. Gushing with praise, he reels of names like Chinua Achebe, Dora Akunyili, Chukwuma Soludo, Oby Ezekwesili and a host of others who have either conquered the world stage or played interventionist role on the national scene, having been drafted to help pull institutions back from the brink. Obidike pointed out that similarly, while great Nigerian scientists, scholars and technocrats have played interventionist roles in international institutions and in foreign countries, “their home country, their home states, sadly are in dire straits due to a deliberate disconnect orchestrated by our political managers.”
Obidike traces this shared paradox of Nigeria and Anambra State on a warped ideological system saying, “ While nations compete against nations to achieve greatness, Nigeria is busy competing against itself” and that “Anambra is a difficult state to govern; so complex that even the best man for the job, like the biblical Moses, cannot take it to the promise land. He spoke on the current political debacle to EMMANUEL MAYAH in Abuja.
New mistakes, old politics
I am greatly disturbed by what is going on in Anambra State. Anambra, just like Nigeria itself, is a worrisome paradox. It is the paradox of a great physician who cannot cure himself of a recurring headache. How do I mean? Anambra is blessed with illustrious sons and daughters who have set enviable records either on the national stage or the world stage, yet the state cannot rescue itself from what has long become a plague. It is like Nigeria, a nation that is quick to thump its chest in self-praise of its interventionist achievements in Liberia, Sierre Leone, Congo, Somalia and other places, yet its home is in shambles.
Like any well-meaning indigene of Anambra State, I am highly embarrassed by the horse trading going on in my state in the name of politics. They say that he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches. Are we so dumb that we still do not know where our problem is coming from? Are we so dumb that we still do not know where not to look for solutions? If you ask me, I will say that the answer to our problems is not in party politics rather in a new socio-cultural orientation.
With the kind of political foundation we are standing on, not even the best man from the best political party can take Anambra to the promise land. Honestly, I expected that before this next gubernatorial election, Anambra people should have reached a harmony and consensus inside the room, and then come outside to speak with one voice. The North is very good at that, so why can’t we borrow a leaf from them. The reconstruction of the Igbo states promised after the Nigeria Civil War has remained a mirage. Anambra is the worst hit of all the Igbo states by extraneous political influences aimed at undermining the reconstruction. We have to do the reconstruction ourselves, but instead of working together, we are working against ourselves. We are at a critical juncture in our political life and the matter should not be PDP, PPA, APGA or any other party. It is about the soul and destiny of Anambra. It is about putting an end to political slavery.
Achebe’s angst
Throughout his rule as civilian President and even up to the truncating of his third term gambit, Obasanjo was known for fuelling the politics of destabilization in Anambra state and in other parts of Igbo land. Back in 2004, this cultural custodian author of Things Fall Apart, took the extraordinary step of declining to accept the high honor awarded him in the 2004 Honours List by the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Achebe cited the injustice, slavery and the politics of destabilization whcih Obasanjo and his agents had imposed on Achebe’s home state of Anambra. Achebe pointed to the silence and alluded to the connivance of the Presidency in the destabilization of Anambra by political and business renegades. Five years down the line, the question is: has anything changed? Are there new Obasanjos? What other elements are out there? But whatever the forces, they can never be as formidable if the people are guided by a common goal and a common vision. We can never hope to get to the promise land if Anambra is in the grip of a small clique as usual, openly boasting of their connections in high places. That cannot take us to anywhere.
Many nations, many races, many nationalities are beginning to borrow from the Obama phenomenon. Before the primaries, the prayer of all well-meaning people was; let the good people come out. Let the Dora Akunyilis, the Charles Soludos, Ernest Ndukwes, come out; let our First Eleven march out; let our best brains, and we are not short of them, come out. Soludo has come out, but the whole thing is mired in controversy which takes us back to what I said earlier about the North. The primary that took place in Abuja should not have been allowed to degenerate into a show of shame. The Abuja primary ought to have been preceded by an Awka primary where the interest of Anambra state is made paramount. That way, we would have reached a consensus before coming out in the open. That way we would have had a constructive dialogue, not a diatribe as we are seeing. Now the Anambra case is again like a farce, a comedy of error and the whole world is watching and our enemies are laughing at us. When will we prove them wrong?
No Siddon-Look
The time has come for President Yar’Adua to show leadership and he could as well start with the imbroglio in Anambra state. Time has come for Yar’Adua to show leadership too at the party level using whatever internal conflict resolution mechanism. Anambra is in the eye of the storm; Nigeria also is in the eye of the storm. With one dysfunction after the other, in one state after the other, we are slowly gliding back to a pariah state. The world is leaving us behind, and I don’t know how any President can be comfortable while the so-called giant of Africa is being compared to failed states like Sudan. That is what the development index says. Only last week, the Mo Ibrahim Leadership in Africa Foundation released its development and good governance rating. Out of 43 countries in Africa, Botswana was first; followed by Cape Verde.
Ghana is 7th while our dear Nigeria came 37th. Our leaders should be worried, in fact sleepless with reports and ratings like that. Attention is shifting to Ghana. Companies and bid labour employers like Mitchelin, Dunlop, and Cadbury have moved or are moving to Ghana. One would have expected our leadership including the National Assembly to call an emergency session over this movement to Ghana. Obama travelled to Ghana and gave Nigeria the cold shoulder. It speaks volume and it was another way of saying, you guys are not serious. Ghana has displaced Nigeria as a strategic partner and sub-regional leader; meanwhile, we are busy squabbling and fighting amongst ourselves and splitting hairs about PDP, AC or APGA.
Last week too, I heard that the states and Federal governments have shared another excess crude dollars and I screamed: not again! We are repeating the mistakes of the past. Why not plough that money into railway, agriculture or the university? Honestly, it has never cease to amaze me how Sanusi, the CBN governor mustered the courage to suggest that President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda should be pruned to two manageable agenda. What Sanusi was invariably saying was that the President should bite what he can chew. At this stage it is difficult to say how much the President has been able to chew, given that the performance of the seven-point agenda is still hazy. One is being charitable in this assessment with the hope that all the managers of the respective agendum are giving it their best shot.
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