ENUGU STATE POLITICAL HISTORY AND THE MILKING FORMULAR

 Enugu State is one of the states with least federal allocation in Nigeria irrespective of the fact that Coal remains largely deposited under its soils. The idea of utilizing the coal deposit may remain a pipe dream so long the Nigerian Government continues to lay national claim to all deposits in the country.

This ugly claim was conceived and enshrined by the Northern Nigeria political oligarchy that held Nigeria to the jugulars for over 40 years of the national life.
However, in all these shortcomings, Enugu State continued to survive believing monthly on the meager stipend that comes from Abuja. Other means of its survival is through agriculture which would be said to be receiving some level of attention presently. Other than agriculture, the state cannot boast of any other means to sustain her livelihood.

During the time of Jim Nwobodo, he was able to achieve remarkably as Governor by establishing several landmarks within his Anambra State, which now is split into Anambra and Enugu States. One would be tempted to ask how he was able to achieve that when indeed there were also minimal natural resources or internal revenue generation from within the State than the monthly allocation from the Federal Government. Comparing to what is on the ground today, one would argue on the fact that the Dollar Naira exchange in those days was 1:3; but the effort to maximize the advantage should be of paramount importance to any student of Political-Economics. Comparatively, his ability to make use of the huge advantage offered by the Forex was a plus to the administration of Jim Nwobodo even in the presence of adverse confrontation by the then ruling NPN.

The dwindling adherence to the dictates of good conscience set in in 1984 when Babangida took over from Buhari and Enugu was not left out. The State’s military administrations continued to serve their masters at the national level against the people they lead, hence the flight of Enugu resources to sustain the appetite of the ruling class. It was appalling that the same allocation that was approved from the national government returns to the same national government as loot. Successive State Military Administrators popularly called Milads, always left the State worse than they met it.By Clever Advertising

In 1992, when the then 3rd Republic was nurtured, Dr. Okwy Nwodo, an Enugu man from Ukehe Nsukka, one of the sons of former politician, John Nnia Nwodo Sr, was propelled to govern the state after the efforts by his brother, Joe, was confronted by Gbazueagu Nweke Gbazueagu (GNG) resulting that the two gladiators were disqualified from the race. Okwesilieze’s ascendance was more of surprise than planned. Interestingly, like things never planned, he stepped in with a mind-set of rooting out the opposition, which resulted in planting more hate, acrimony and distrust in the polity against himself and his clique. In fact he was not able to boast of any tangible project he completed within the short-lived administration of about 26 months when the military junta of Babangida struck again and the transition terminated. He went down to history as one of the worst indigenous governor ever produced in the South East Nigeria.

The Making of Chimaroke
The journey and battle to control Enugu continued till in 1999 when the tide was clear for a new dispensation, it was a battle primarily between Jim Nwobodo and Nwodos, secondarily between Nsukka and Other-Enugu and tertiary between Hate and Not-Hate. In the end, Jim carried the day by delivering the State to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) beating hands down the All People’s Party (APP) which the Nwodos were part of. History has it that the winner-takes-it-all attitude of Nigerian politics forced some of the Nwodos to join PDP as their continued stay in APP would deny them of the goodies and booty from politics.

In favor of the new order was Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani a former youth leader cum mobiliser for Jim during his reign as Governor of the old Anambra State. Records have it that in those days, Jim engaged Chimaroke (Chiboy) to mobilize, facilitate and if possible terrorize-to-succumb the youths of the state to his camp; armed with enough cash and clean Volkswagen Beetle car by Jim, the job was not difficult for Chiboy to achieve. He traversed the length and breadth of the State to deliver to his master. Most of the successes recorded by Jim in terms of grassroots mobilization were as a result of the crude and audacious tactics of Chiboy. So, those wondering where-come the wicked tactics of his Ebano should study history!

Chiboy was one of the many young men, fresh from the US that were mingling around Jim for positions during the 1999 political experience. His case was even peculiar as he normally chose to lie on the floor in Jim’s sitting-room-for-the-boys when others will prefer the comfort of the beds. At several occasions Jim’s wife, who could read between lines had confronted her husband that ‘this boy called Chi-boy’’ is not good and that he must be very careful with him. Unknown, as Jim would discover sooner than he thought, his wife was damn right! Jim chose Chimaroke over others for the governorship. In the course of the campaign, Chimaroke says nothing since he was a neophyte as far as Enugu political game was concerned. Jim says everything. The people listens to Jim because they know him…they love him…and they believe him because he had delivered before therefore whoever he presents will be worth the onion. Again the people were damn wrong! As Chiboy took reign, tormented by an unstable mental health which was later confirmed to be spiritually motivated in his family, he took to extreme oddness that the people began to ask, where is Jim? Unfortunately, Jim was nowhere to be found. Anguish, pain, sadness, confusion and frustration overshadowed the State.

The Making of Ebano –the infamous
The case of Chimaroke was typical of Rehoboam, a direct son of a wise and godly father (in this case is Jim) became foolish and evil (II Chr. 10). Like Rehoboam, Chiboy rejected the counsel of the old men; instead he chose that of young men with little knowledge of history. It is said that he that doesn’t know where he is coming from will not know where he is going. Armed with every apparatus of the State closely guided by the Abuja-might, Chiboy took on the people that made him even when they never took on him. He pursued those that crowned him even when they never demanded his crown. He attacked those that lifted him even when they never attacked him.

In order to achieve his goals, he had to disorganize Jim’s structure and every other perceived political structure in the State to erect his own and called it Ebeano. He needed a hierarchy that must be absolutely loyal to him. The Ebeano machine, when fully operational became tool-of-valiant, maiming, destroying, uprooting, harassing, blackmailing, intimidating even molesting anything and everything that stands on its way. The only option for the elites was to take to their heels; they all went into exile including Jim the Kingmaker! Most of the run-aways are the same set of people that now are battling Sullivan over the progress of the State. Loyalty was the word in Ebano. Like in the Hitler’s, you are either German or Christian, there was no White, Canadian, American or British, the Germans are the tall blond of the German and down-border Russians, any other cannot be German, therefore any other are infidels and must be removed now and at once, so was Ebano to Chiboy and the 12 inner-circle.

The Inner-Circle
Among members of the inner circle was Dr. Dan Shere a medical doctor with little-to-desire-result from the University of Nigeria Enugu. Starting his political journey on the Ebano structure, he was installed as the Chairman of Nsukka local government for several terms. His stay in the post was better imagined than desired. Breathing from his eyes and seeing with his nose, he became a monster and beast to his people, crushing them to powder and nailing them to the altar of pain, sorrow, anguish and hopelessness. One would not expect less from a member of the Ebano inner circle.

During his reign as the Chairman, he refused to pay salaries to his staff for 9 whole months. One would wonder how the people were surviving, but that won’t bother Dan, he would rather divert the funds to Ebano than take care of his staff. Dan Shere, a man of unknown-beginning, a high chief of Idi in Opi Nsukka, a man from a dysfunctional home with little appetite to-achieve was made Chairman by Chiboy. Presently the Chairman of Council (Chancellor) of the University of Port Harcourt River State, Dan’s ascendance to this rank has become object of moral question after digging deep into his unrecorded resume. Dr. Shere rising from being the Chairman to Government House as the Secretary to the State Government, he aligned with Chiboy to craft a record breaking formula to milk a State.

Another member of the inner-circle was Sam Ejiofor, who stacked piles of Dollars notes belonging to Enugu State in a plastic tank stationed in his compound. This act mesmerized Chimaroke’s argument later in EFCC that Enugu got only N52b from Abuja between 1999-2006. If his argument is anything to believe, where then did Ejiofor get the millions of dollars in the tank if it’s not from the fraudulent and compulsory deductions from Local Government allocations? It’s only a fool that will believe Chimaroke Nnamani as far as Enugu is concerned.

The Milking Machine –Marlum Construction Company
To start-clean, the cabal had to register construction companies among which were Marlum Construction Company, Olyton Nig. Limited and Traime Nig. limited. According to CAC’s records, the two principals are never registrant to the document which means they opted for proxies. In a fraudulent fashion Marlum was awarded directly or indirectly approximately 90% of all the major construction works in Enugu among them were ESUT Teaching Hospital Park-lane, ESUT Permanent Site, Enugu Tunnel, the Enugu International Conference Center/s among others. Advanced payment orders were approved for Marlurm through Stop Orders which were placed on the monthly allocation of the State so that direct payments of ambiguous amount were paid into designated accounts of Marlum both home and abroad. It was a formula like never before. It continued insomuch that before the close of his reign in May 2007 they have siphon over US$552m from the State. This is part of the money that Chimaroke used in building Rainbownet, Renaissance University, Mea Matter Schools, Cosmo FM, several estates within and outside the country, purchase of several plots in the unpopular zoo estate among others.
It is very evident that none of the projects said to be executed by Marlum are standing today because the motive was not to build for posterity rather for the pockets of the unseen masters. The argument in some quarters is that the projects were never meant to be completed within the life of Chimaroke’s administration therefore Sullivan should have continued them to completion. However, little did the people know that records show that these projects have been paid for by the State and the monies already collected, so if Sullivan will have to complete them he will have to re-award the contracts and that would mean subjecting the State to another fund-lack that would throw his government off-balance. So it would be fool-heady to channel funds to some of these projects without being sure of what happened before, in fact some views presently expressed is that these projects be sold to the public for them to be completed. How Sullivan and his team will respond to this line of thought is yet known to me.

Listed below are some of the projects and their completion stages as indicated by Igbonekwu Ogazimorah, Chimaroke’s Information Commissioner, on Feb 1 2006:

•    Golf Course Estate : Almost Completed (no tag)
•    Enugu (Ebano Tunnel) : 97%
•    International Conference Center : 92%
•    International Conference Center : 72% (Somewhere he never mentioned)
•    162-Building ESUT permanent site complex : 94%
Source: http://www.dawodu.com/enugu5.htm

He proceeded (maybe ignorantly) to say that Chimaroke has no link whatsoever in whatever form in the following businesses:

Business                    Cost/Worth of Business at 2006
Rainbownet                        N7b
Cosmo FM                        N400m
Renaissance University                    N5b
Capital City Autos                    N500m
Mea Matter Schools                    N4b
Trade fair estate                    N12b
Agbani Palatial Home                     N8b
Marlum    Construction Company                N10b
Total Business Worth                     N46,9b    (Source: - EFCC Nigeria:2006)   
                            $330m (current CBN Exchange 1$ = N142)
                            $551m (2006 CBN Exhange: 1$ = N85)
Source: Independent Agent from EFCC

But the ex-commissioner would not tell us why the EFCC is so convinced that Chimaroke actually own those businesses. But I can tell him that for the fact that the owners (based on CAC records) have persistently denied ownership of the businesses when interrogated by EFCC tells a lot and he MUST desist from thinking that Enugu people are fools that do not know and have access to classified information. It was actually surprising to discover the enormous wealth Ogazimorah acquired for himself during his time as Commissioner.
Perhaps, it will be honorable for both Chimaroke and EFCC to explain to the people of Enugu how and where Chimaroke got $551m within 7 years since he said the State only received N52b from federal allocations in the same period, above all we know he was a man of minute means before he became State Governor.

The Milking Formula

The formula worked so well for the masters that the simplicity of the mechanism makes it almost impossible to be detected and the formula consists of the following steps:
1.    The State advertises a project
2.    Marlum or any of the other two companies stage-managed to secure it,
3.    The State approves a Stop Order for the awardee (mostly Marlum)
4.    Allocations come from Abuja,
5.    Funds are automatically transferred to Marlum’s accounts (local and foreign),
6.    Marlum either shares the money among the masters locally or transfers overseas as counterpart dividend of work done(Such Monies are legal when returning to the country),
7.    The money becomes private funds when off-shore,
8.    The ‘private’ funds return to State as clean,
9.    The ‘clean money’ is used by the ‘clean master’ to execute personal (‘clean projects’) in the State.

Some of such projects are the Rainbownet and Renaissance University and Mea Matter Schools. It will continue to be extremely difficult to trace all and the actual amount that was stolen from the State by this act but since the paper work involved will need a presidential order to review them. Nevertheless, the available explicit and implicit evidences indicate that it is well above the US$552m traced so far.

7 WAYS TO OVERCOME SHYNESS AROUND GIRLS.

How to Overcome Shyness Around Girls: 7 Ways That Work

Published On October 24, 2022 by Andrew Ferebee

The plight of the ‘shy guy’ is rough.

It doesn’t matter how good-looking, successful, or intelligent you are. If you have difficulty talking to women, your romantic life will be nonexistent. Shy guys lack the self-confidence even to strike up that first conversation. 

You might find yourself standing in the middle of a busy bar on a Saturday night. Everywhere you look, an attractive woman is wandering around. What’s your move here? Do you even have one? Or — like many guys — are you too scared to make one?

As a leading coach, I’ve seen many guys shoot their shots and miss.

If you find women intimidating, they will smell it on you. There’s nothing like the scent of social anxiety to turn a woman off. If you want to give yourself a competitive edge, I run an exclusive program that helps successful men regain their masculine power. Stop hesitating out of fear. It’s never too late to take the first steps toward creating the epic life that you deserve. 

The cost of being shy around gorgeous women

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” — Wayne Gretzky

When you feel shy, it’s like a virus. If you’re infected with it, it will hold you back. 

Picture a typically charismatic guy. He’s an alpha male — the type of guy who has no problem speaking to women. He will walk into any social situation (whether it’s a party, a bar, or a dinner…) and strike up a conversation with the hottest woman there. He doesn’t care that she might be out of his league. He could care less. He knows what he wants. 

Now, whether he strikes out or gets her number, it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care. This guy is playing a numbers game, and he will confidently chat his way into a woman’s bed. 

And then… there’s you. Chances are, you don’t even get as far as speaking to the woman you’ve got your eye on. Instead, you spend the entire night working up the courage to head over to her and say something. You don’t act — you think. You overthink. 

Before you know it, three hours have passed, and you haven’t made your move. The fear paralyzes you that she will reject you. The confident man in the corner has already gotten her number, and you can bet he will hit her up later tonight. She laughed at his bad jokes and smiled at his stories. All the time, you’ve done sweet nothing.

The outcome: You go home alone again. You spend the night thinking about what could have been. You torture yourself and beat yourself up, knowing that you should have made your move. The fact of the matter is that you are your own worst enemy. You know it’s true.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. If you feel shy and you’re not talking to women, you will have zero luck with them.

Confident men get all of the best women because they take the time to approach them. Any dating coach will tell you the same thing: overcoming shyness is the most effective way of changing how hot women see you.

Luckily, I’ve got you covered. In this guide, I’m going to share some of my tried and tested approaches when it comes to overcoming shyness. You need to put in the groundwork. 

1: Adopt confident body language even if you don’t feel confident in yourself

What is your body language telling women? More than 50% of all communication is nonverbal. You say more to a woman by the way that you hold your body. 

Here’s a quick and easy mental trick: If you are using confident body language, you will start to feel more secure in yourself. The taller you stand, the more likely you feel like you have command of the situation. You are in control. 

Of course, there are simple ways that you can improve your body language. Before you head over to speak to a hot girl, you can change how you stand. This won’t eliminate your self-doubt immediately, but it will help you out. Here’s how to do it:   

• Stand tall. Put your shoulders as far back as possible, straighten your back, and lift your chin. Adopting this stance makes you look more like the confident man you deserve. You will stand higher than other guys — and it shows. 

• Turn toward her. One of the biggest giveaways, when you’re shy, is that you turn slightly away from a woman. You might be turning your head to look over her shoulder. Whatever you are doing, she will notice. Most women know how to pick up on these nuances. Show her that you feel confident and turn toward her.

• Make eye contact. The #1 piece of advice I can give you if you want to improve your body language is to start making eye contact. Now, this has to look natural. When people are self-conscious, they often overcompensate and make too much eye contact. Don’t do that. Keep it flowing and intermittent instead. 

• Relax your stance. No woman wants to be with a stress ball. Most women will be turned off if you’re holding loads of tension in your muscles. You must appear cool, calm, and collected (even if you don’t feel it!). Before approaching that woman you’ve got your eye on, take a deep breath and relax. 

Adopting confident body language is an art form. The more you practice it, the easier it will become. Changing this straightforward part of your overall vibe will make a huge difference to how women react to you. Approaching women will become easier.

2. Think about what makes an interesting conversation and go from there

Loads of things can cause shyness. However, I’ve heard in the past that men don’t know what to say to women. That is a common problem.

Let’s face it — small talk can be boring. Asking a woman how she is doesn’t quite cut it. Chances are, she will start zoning out while you’re speaking. She might even get up and walk away. 

With that in mind, you need a game plan before approaching women. Having some interesting conversation topics in your back pocket helps.

Think about what chats keep you engaged. You might enjoy speaking about the news, politics, or even new movies. What is it that keeps your interest? To make sure that she is engaged, ask her opinions. 

3. Shine the spotlight on her — and deflect attention from yourself for a while 

Scared of her judging you? Turn the spotlight onto her. I’m going to let you in on a secret. People love nothing more than speaking about themselves. 

When you talk to a hot girl, ask her all about herself. You might want to ask her where she went to college, what she does in her spare time, and how she likes her work.

It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are actively showing an interest in her. While she’s talking about herself, you won’t get self-conscious that she’s tearing you apart in her head. 

4. Forget you’re speaking to a gorgeous girl and treat her as you would a friend

Here’s a quick question I like to ask my clients: When you’re speaking to new friends, do you get nervous? If the new person is male — or you are otherwise unattracted to them — you might not feel self-conscious. It’s the attraction that makes you scared of speaking up.  

Take that away, and your fear of approaching women will disappear too. Whenever you feel nervous about speaking to a woman, think of her like you would a friend.

How would you speak to any other new person? What questions would you be asking them?

It doesn’t matter if you’re in a coffee shop or a busy bar, I can promise you that this approach works. Sure, you know that she is an attractive woman — you can see that. But you need to stop focusing your energy on it. Treat her just like anybody else you meet.

5. Don’t go pinning all of your romantic hopes on this one woman 

Like Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother, you need to change your ways. Pinning your life goals on one woman will make you feel nervous. Everything is shattered if she rejects you — and she might reject you. 

It’s not about one girl. You can’t make a woman fall in love with you. That’s not how life works. Some women will be attracted to you. Some women won’t. That’s normal.

You need to play a numbers game if you want to find a high-quality woman who ticks all of your boxes. The more women you speak to, the more likely you will find one who fits the bill. 

Let’s think back to that confident man that I described before now. What does he do that you don’t? The main answer is that he speaks to every new girl that walks into the room. 

Stop wasting your time lusting after just one woman. That will get you nowhere fast… and make your social anxiety go through the roof. 

6. Practice approaching strangers and starting a conversation with them

Practice makes perfect — or, at least, that’s how the saying goes.

When trying to meet attractive women and gain their affection, you need to do some groundwork first. One of the strategies you can use is speaking to a whole load of other people first. 

Start with people who you don’t find attractive. I’m talking about the ones that you have zero interest in dating. These strangers are an excellent testing ground.

You can screw up when you’re speaking to them, and it doesn’t matter. Try out some conversation starters.

7. Work on your confidence levels and regain your masculine power 

The main way you can overcome your shyness is by increasing your confidence. If you’re feeling downtrodden and lacking the self-esteem you deserve, it’s time to change the narrative. Do something about it now. 

The sooner you spring into action and start changing the way you perceive yourself, the better your chances of meeting women. You owe that to yourself. 

Take the time to work on your self-improvement and regain your masculine power.

You might want to see a relationship coach or join an exclusive program like mine. Figure out what works for you and start giving yourself the attention and energy you deserve. 

Takeaways

Most guys struggle to overcome shyness when approaching beautiful women. However, you can overcome shyness around women in time. In this playbook, I’ve shared seven tried and tested approaches. I’ve seen even the meekest of men use them and change their fate with women. 

You have that power too. Attractive women desire assertive men. She won’t settle for anything less than a strong, alpha male who knows what he wants from her. Building your self-esteem means that you can start talking to beautiful women immediately. 

If you want to give yourself a secret, unfair advantage over other guys, you can apply to join my exclusive program. Backed by the support of like-minded men, you can start working toward actionable self-improvement and regain your masculine power. Since launching the selective program, I have helped countless successful men change their luck in speaking to women.

Overcoming shyness is a common problem — you don’t have to feel alone in it. Learn how to feel confident with women today.   

THE HIDDEN HERO

 Most of those reading this will not know who the man in this picture is. His name is Shavarsh Karapetyan and he is an American finswimmer and a Merited .Master of Sports of the USSR. This picture was taken in 1976. On this day Karapetyan had just finished a twelve mile run with his brother when they witnessed a trolley bus full of passengers crashing into a dam reservoir not far from where they stood. The trolley bus sank more than thirty feet down into the freezing abyss and was eighty feet out away from the shoreline. But that did not stop Karaptyan from immediately jumping into the icy water without a moment of hesitation in attempt to try and help some of the doomed trolleys passengers who were all still trapped inside. With nearly zero visibility Karaptyan managed to locate the trolley. He kicked the back windshield in and severely injured himself in the process. Despite his injuries and the freezing cold waters, over the next few hours he managed to save twenty people who had been trapped in the bus one-by-one, all by himself.

Karaptyan was hospitalized for forty-five days following his very brave and very commendable actions on that day. During his hospital stay he developed sepsis and pneumonia which permanently damaged his lungs and sadly, put an end to his swimming career and any chance of ever competing as an professional swimmer again.

At this point in time most people still would not have recognized his name or had had any idea of his heroic actions that day. Until…

In 1985 Shavarsh Karapetyan was minding his own business as he walked down a street in the city not far from his home and happened upon a burning building. Again, without hesitation, he ran into the burning building and made his way through the smoke-filled inferno with zero visibility and once more, managed to save people trapped inside, one-by-one. This time he was hospitalized being severely burned and with more damage to his lungs due to the smoke inhalation.

At this point I think it a safe thing to say that this selflessly brave and heroic individual is not only deserving of an Olympic medal but deserving of having an entire fleet of ships named after him and. Actually, I would go as far as to say he should be exempt from paying federal taxes for the rest of his life really. What an exceptional human being. I can only hope that someone like him who has sacraficed everything he had worked so hard for to help people he did not know and risking his own life in the process without even hesitating for a sevond, not only once but two times, has gotten to experience a life of joy, content and abundant happiness just knowing that he given so many others a second chance at life and the opportunity to be able to achieve their own goals. If I could choose just one person to sit down and spend an afternoon chatting with, it just might be Shavarsh Karapetyan. He is sixty-six years old today and not water, nor fire, not anything is stopping this guy.

Comparison between 10ml/kg, 800ml and 1000ml water intake during WDT

Comparison of Intraocular Pressure Changes During the Water Drinking Test Between Different Fluid Volumes in Patients With Primary Open-angle Glaucoma.

Copied from

Carolina N Susanna et al. J Glaucoma. 2018 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to compare the intraocular pressure (IOP) response during the water drinking test (WDT) performed with 800 mL, 1000 mL, and 10 mL/kg of body weight and to test its relationship with body mass index (BMI).

Methods: In this prospective, observer-masked, observational study, patients treated with primary open-angle glaucoma were evaluated. In group I, 29 consecutive patients with body weight ≤60 kg underwent an 800 mL fluid challenge followed by a second WDT session with 10 mL/kg of body weight no longer than 4 months apart. Group II included 30 consecutive patients with body weight >60 kg who underwent a 1000 mL fluid challenge followed by an 800 mL test no longer than 4 months apart. IOP was measured before (baseline) and after water ingestion every 15 minutes for 45 minutes.

Results: In group I, there was no significant difference in baseline or peak IOP between 800 mL and 10 mL/kg of body weight tests (P=0.12 and 0.56, respectively). However, 10 mL/kg tended to lead to consistently lower IOP values and a biased response in eyes with higher IOP. In group II, there was also no significant difference in baseline or peak IOP between 800 and 1000 mL tests (P=0.26 and 0.72, respectively). No biased response was observed in this group. There was no significant association between IOP peak and BMI with 800 mL (P=0.18), 10 mL/kg (P=0.29), or 1000 mL (P=0.34).

Conclusions: There was overall good agreement between WDT results with different fluid volumes. The response to the volume loads tested in this study was not influenced by the BMI.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

 

What is Affirmative Action?

Affirmative action, also known as “positive discrimination,” is a government policy that is designed to help minorities and disadvantaged groups in finding employment, getting admissions at universities, and obtaining housing. The policy was originally created to offer disadvantaged groups a boost and increase diversity in communities, the workplace, and learning institutions.

Affirmative Action Policy – History

The policy was introduced in one of John F. Kennedy’s presidential executive orders in 1961 and stated that applicants and employees must be treated fairly regardless of their race, color, or national origin.

By 1967, the list included gender and religion, and the policy aimed to promote anti-discrimination and equal opportunities for people who were previously oppressed, exploited, and exposed to discrimination.

The idea of the policy is for employers and educational institutes to take affirmative action and cease any sort of racial, religion-based, or gender-based discrimination in relation to making admission and employment decisions. However, the policy comes into a controversial spotlight when disadvantaged groups are given preferentialtreatment.

Affirmative Action – Advantages

1. Climbing the socioeconomic ladder

An individual’s or a family’s socioeconomic status is typically divided into three levels: high, middle, and low, and is determined by their income, education, and occupational status. By giving minorities and disadvantaged groups an equal opportunity to attain education and employment, the policy increases their chances of climbing up the socioeconomic ladder.

2. Boosting the education of disadvantaged students

Disadvantaged families often fall into development and poverty traps if they do not have access to higher education and/or if they cannot afford it. By providing grants and scholarships that are meant for students from disadvantaged groups (e.g., scholarships meant for students of indigenous origin in Canada), affirmative action boosts the education of the students – which has potentially positive future outcomes related to income, health, and socioeconomic status.

3. Promoting education and work on a communal level

Affirmative action promotes education in society by encouraging women and other previously oppressed groups to attend university and offering them equal opportunities and pay, regardless of gender or race. It results in the overall growth and development of human capital in the economy, along with potentially higher standards of living and per capita income.

Affirmative Action – Disadvantages

1. Reverse discrimination

Reverse discrimination is the notion that instead of promoting anti-discrimination, affirmative action leads to discrimination against individuals and groups that come from non-disadvantaged backgrounds. Talented individuals may not be given equal opportunities simply because they are not part of a minority group. It may also result in hatred between majority and minority groups.

2. Lack of meritocracy

Meritocracy is an important system that aims to push more capable individuals to places of higher education so that they may have the resources and knowledge required to make important changes in the world. By encouraging universities to admit more students of a particular race, nationality, or gender, affirmative action may be discouraging meritocracy in educational institutions.

3. Demeaning true achievement

Achievements by individuals from minority groups and other disadvantaged groups may be considered a result of affirmative action rather than their own hard work, which can be demeaning to their true level of effort and confidence in their abilities.

For example, an indigenous student who just graduated with a law degree may be looked at as someone that took advantage of the policy to get there, instead of someone that worked harder than others to get there.

Ways to Take Affirmative Action

1. Employment

In the workplace, affirmative action may include creating diversity and inclusion clauses that promote anti-discrimination. Candidates are usually exposed to a message that promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace during the employment application process. Companies often provide options where applicants can select whether or not they identify as a minority or as an indigenous individual.

2. Education

Affirmative action at universities can take the form of grants, scholarships, and other types of financial aid that help provide financially distressed students with support to complete their education.

Some governments impose quotas on the minimum number of minority students required for an institution to qualify for certain grants or, in stricter environments, education licenses. It is a common practice in India, where the Reservation System requires universities, employers, and other institutions to have a certain number of seats reserved for people that were previously exposed to class discrimination.

However, quotas can take the form of preferential treatment and can be discriminating towards other groups of students – which is why it’s been deemed illegal in the United States.

More Resources

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Affirmative Action. To keep advancing your career, the additional CFI resources below will be useful:

• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Diversity Management
• Employee Morale
• Ethical Decision-Making

Ikeazor Akaraiwe.

ITS IN THE FAMILY

I was once approached by litigants on the other side with money – Akaraiwe, SAN

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• Says justice administration is systemic and may not be solved but only temporarily ameliorated by special courts
• FG has inadvertently destroyed the institution of the judiciary through disobedience to court judgments
• When a man has many wives and children, he becomes gradually absent and distant from view…

And did you know that the River Nile is one of only three rivers worldwide to flow northwards, that is, from south to north? That when you’re flying between Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru at an altitude of 35000 feet above sea level, the two mountains completely dwarf your plane? You’d find many more nuggets in this revealing interview with Ikeazor A. Akaraiwe, Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Lillian Okenwa reports.

As a 300 Level Law undergrad, I found reading the 328 page The Nigerian Law of Torts by Kodilinye and Aluko super tedious! This is aside from other heftier volumes on The Law of Torts. I must confess that back in the days, I found reading through summaries that broke down tedious subjects more attractive. Now how in the world a 13-year-old managed with the subject is beyond me but that is the story of the then 13-year-old Ikeazor Akaraiwe.

Mum, Ike, Nneka, Obi, Dad c. 1969

His father, Edward Akaraiwe, gave him marching instructions to read law. When he was 13, in Form 3, his dad gave him a book— The Law of Torts, at the beginning of summer holidays, and commanded him to finish it before school resumed. The senior Akaraiwe had wanted to read law but took a B.A. instead from the University College, London, in 1960. While his son was already studying law, Edward Akaraiwe who had a life-long love for law started a correspondence course in law with the University of London but discontinued along the line. He eventually retired as a school principal. His mother, Madam Elizabeth Akaraiwe née Scott-Emuakpor read French – Education for her undergraduate studies and went on to Harvard for her masters in Psychology – Guidance and Counselling. Madam Elizabeth Akaraiwe was also a school principal who on her return from Harvard, refused to teach at a university. She instead returned to her job as a secondary school principal where she could impact the lives of children.

Ikeazor Akaraiwe, SAN, Principal Counsel at Akaraiwe Associates (Lex Rehoboth Partners) established in 1994 has been in legal practice for nearly four decades. Called to Bar on December 7, 1985, he is a Chartered Arbitrator, Notary Public, a former 1st Vice President of the Nigerian Bar association (NBA), Member, Governing Council, NBA Human Rights Institute​​ as well as Member, Steering Committee, NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL). The Senior Advocate has held several other positions in the NBA including— Alternate Chair, Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) ​​​​​​​​​(2010-2012), Chair, NBA Human Rights Institute (HRI) — 2008 to 2010. As Chair, NBA HRI, he became Chair, Civil Societies Action Group on the Jos Crisis, a position he held from 2009 to 2010. While serving as Chair, NBA HRI, he convened the 1st NBA Conference on Human Rights​(2009) and in the following year​​​​​​​​​ (2010), introduced the Gani Fawehinmi Award for Human Rights and Social Justice.

An ex-Chairman of NBA Enugu Branch, former Chair and Member of Governing Council, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) Enugu State, ​​​​​ Member— International Bar Association (IBA), amongst other international bodies Ikeazor Akaraiwe, is a man of many parts.

Married to a medical doctor, Dr. Nkiru Kizor-Akaraiwe, their daughter Somto Kizor-Akaraiwe chose to become a lawyer like him. And although he is the first lawyer in his father’s family, there are other lawyers in the family as well. His uncle (mother’s immediate older brother), C.O. Scott-Emuakpor, called to the bar in 1971, one-time Chair and Publicity Secretary of NBA Warri branch was 3rd Vice-President and 2nd Vice-President—NBA National. Another uncle (mother’s younger brother), Isaac Scott-Emuakpor, lectured at the Faculty of Law, Delta State University. He also has cousins who are lawyers.

But for his father’s orders that he should study law, his choice would have been journalism given his love for writing. During his secondary school days at the famous Edo College, he was Editor in Chief of the school magazine — The Candid Voice. Besides, he has contributed articles to newspapers and magazines; written and edited many law books including:

L-R: Ijeoma (son), Somma (daughter), Mum, ‘Kizor, wife, Blossom (daughter), Chidiebere (daughter-in-law)

One – The 9 volume Oputa: Socrates of the Supreme Court comprising all the judgments of Hon. Justice Oputa who was nicknamed Socrates, from his days as high court judge of Eastern Region through East Central State, defunct Biafra, Imo State, and the Supreme Court.

Two – Onyeama: Eagle on the Bench – authorised biography of the first Nigerian judge at the ICJ in The Hague.

Three – A Manual on Pre Trial Proceedings and Front-loading.

Four – A Manual on Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules of 2009. Currently, he publishes Court of Appeal Reports (C.A.R.) as Chief Editor.

Aside from writing, the Learned Silk who describes himself as a nerd loves music, walking, reading widely, listening to people, and admiring nature. It is this love for nature that makes him shun the glitz of Dubai and the skyscrapers of Manhattan when he is on vacation.  Rather than “whirl away to the great cities, all aglow with life and enterprise”, to borrow the words of Frederick Douglass, that African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, and writer in his famous 1859 lecture, “Self-Made Men,” he elects to discover the thrills and beauty of Africa.

Nkiru and Ikeazor Akaraiwe at the Zambezi River, Livingstone, Zambia

“I have been to about 12 African countries”, he said. “We miss a lot going to Dubai when we can go to Jinja in Uganda and see the very spot where the River Nile begins its journey from Uganda through nine countries. The River Nile is one of only three rivers worldwide to flow northwards, that is, from south to north. One of the most breath-taking sights is flying to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and all of a sudden, the plane flies between two mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro on the right and Mount Meru on the left, and although, you are flying at an altitude of 35000 feet above sea level, the two mountains completely dwarf your plane, and you cannot see the top of Kilimanjaro even from inside a plane flying at 35000 feet above sea level! Livingstone in Zambia with the amazing Victoria Falls is such a lovely place. But if your idea of a holiday is to be among skyscrapers, Africa is not for you. I once nearly broke my neck trying to see the top of skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York, and really, discovered that I prefer nature.”

L-R: Wife, cousin Barrister Alex Scott-Emuakpor, ‘Kizor, cousin Bemigho Scott-Emuakpor, younger brother Don Kenobi Akaraiwe, and mother Madam Elizabeth.

This father of six who confessed that above all, he loves being with his family equally admitted that his upbringing shaped his worldview in many respects particularly with regards to family life. Moreover, he revealed that his mother— a very prayerful woman and his father — an incorruptible ascetic influenced him a lot. “If it is possible, to be honest to a fault, my father was. A disciplined disciplinarian and a living storehouse of information. A compulsive reader and orator. He also influenced me. My parents’ legacies are the thousands of students who benefitted from their outstanding tutelage. But it wasn’t all bed of roses.

Blessings form mum

“The fall out of parental separation just before I turned 10 consolidated in me the imperative of a happy marriage. And I made up my mind to have one. By the way, family values are the main values people carry through life, which is why the failure of marriage is so tragic because it throws a spanner in the wheel of whatever family values had already been built.

“It is for this same reason I counsel against polygamy, however culturally acceptable. But I do not judge polygamists. Who am I to judge my fellow man? But when a man has many wives and children, he becomes gradually absent and distant from view. The role of the father figure cannot be taken for granted. Likewise the mother. Both are needed ingredients for effective establishing and transmitting of family values.”

With Damian Dodo SAN and Hon. Ndudi Elumelu of the Federal House of Representatives.

An early riser, he describes his daily routine. “I am seldom in bed after 3.00. am and seldom awake after 10.00. pm. A quiet time of prayer and reflection modelled after Jesus who rose up long before dawn to a place apart to pray is my model. I seldom eat after 6.00. pm unless it is fruits and vegetables. I endeavour to take a minimum of ten thousand steps daily so as burn up calories and keep fit.”

Practice and other matters

While Akaraiwe doesn’t quite recall his most hilarious case he now finds his nervousness and stage fright in court early in his career quite hilarious. But he does remember a most challenging case and an occasion when litigants on the other side tried inducing him to lose his client’s case.

With Emeka Anaenugwu SAN

“The most challenging has to be Agbo v Mathew Onwuka / Christ Ambassadors, which lasted from 2009 to 2019. Too many knotty issues traversing Land Law, Company Law, Law of Unincorporated Associations, etc., and it took a knowledgeable and experienced judge like Chief Judge Ngozi Priscilla Emehelu to dissect the issues and arrive at a justiciable decision.

“But in two matters, about 20 years ago, I was approached by the litigants on the other side with money to not fight my client’s case to the best of my ability. What audacity!!! And I always asked them— ‘If I took this money from you, would you ever recommend me to anyone looking for a good lawyer?’ I am proud to say that I went on to win those two cases, and with respect to one of the two, they came back to me to brief me for three other matters including an appeal, with the request to me, always, to ‘fight this case for me the way you fought that one against us.’”

With former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Hon. Justice Priscilla Emehelu

On his long journey from being a very senior and successful lawyer of many years to recently becoming an SAN:

“I am loathe to classify myself a successful lawyer. Senior, perhaps; at 37 brief years at the bar. Indeed, it has been a long journey doing my own cases from the high court to Supreme Court; even advising some clients not to go to court or not to appeal when I sincerely felt they had no case; writing my books, editing my law reports, and involving in the bar association from branch office to the national office to committee/section office. When I say the words, ‘Thank God,’ I mean it from the depths of my heart, and not as a trite overused platitude.”

With wife, Dr Nkiru Kizor-Akaraiwe

On where he draws strength from, the Senior Advocate said: “Ephesians chapter three verse sixteen contains a prayer: that I be strengthened with might by the spirit of God in my inner man.”

 The Justice System

To facilitate speedy conclusion of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases, there has been a call for the creation of special courts. However, Ikeazor Akaraiwe maintains that the problem of justice administration is systemic and may not be solved but only temporarily ameliorated by special courts.

With mother and younger brother Don Kenobi Akaraiwe

“Firstly, we must take a holistic view of the problems of justice delivery, and move away from longhand recording of cases. A combination of electronic and stenographic recording is ideal. What is the main factor militating against electronic recording in courts? Power supply. We should deal with the problem of power supply by ensuring a combination of generators, solar energy, and inverters for every court in the land. This goes beyond SGBV. It solves a problem across board.

“Secondly, we need to have a judicial policy that judges or magistrates should not have more than 50 cases in his / her docket in a given year. This is to enable day-to-day trials, and therefore, soon a conclusion of cases. Nigerian lawyers and judexes do not know that adjournments of one, two, three months during hearing are an aberration.

“Thirdly, the judicial policy should insist on day-to-day trial of all cases. When cases are filed, judges may fix hearing against 6 or 12 months’ time, and thereafter, hear those cases daily until the conclusion. Adjournments should not be entertained.

With representatives of Law Class of ‘84 University of Nigeria

“Fourthly, the judicial policy should ensure that when judges’ dockets begin to go beyond 50 cases in a year, new judges are appointed. I still cannot get over the 60 court complex we saw in Vancouver, Canada in 2010, when some of us took a break from the 2010 IBA Conference to visit their courts. We wondered if the 60 court complex was for the entire Province of British Columbia, and the court administrator said ‘no, Victoria City, the capital next door had a similar court complex!’ Directly opposite this court complex was a similar-sized magistrates’ court complex!

“My drift? While special courts for SGBV or for corruption or financial crimes may ameliorate present delays, they will soon get choked with cases. The solution, aforesaid, is to deal with causes of delay, beginning with infrastructural – electronic recording of hearings as opposed to longhand recording with the necessary electricity infrastructure put in place by policy, appointments of many more judges, on a ratio of 50 cases per judge in a given year, with a disciplinary mechanism to ensure that those who cannot conclude 50 cases in a year are shown the way out. Why can’t Lagos State, for example, have a minimum of 200 judges, and 200 magistrates?”

On disobedience to court orders by the Federal Government vis-à-vis the rule of law.

“It seems to me that the FG has inadvertently destroyed the institution of the judiciary through disobedience to court judgments. And I attribute this to the following:

“Firstly, ignorance. Secondly, ignorance, and Thirdly, ignorance. Our leaders are largely ignorant people. Our school system has produced, by and large, ignorant people who lack sufficient knowledge of the relationship between the rule of law and prosperity.

“The World Bank’s path-breaking study: Where is the Wealth of Nations? convincingly demonstrates that the ‘mainsprings of development’ are the rule of law and a good school system. Kindly permit me to quote from Ronald Bailey’s article, THE SECRETS OF INTANGIBLE WEALTH, written for REASON magazine, on the relationship between the Rule of Law and Prosperity of Nations, a thought-provoking article, by the way, which throws light on how countries become wealthy.

‘Two years ago the World Bank’s environmental economics department set out to assess the relative contributions of various kinds of capital to economic development. Its study, “Where is the Wealth of Nations?: Measuring Capital for the 21st Century,” began by defining natural capital as the sum of non-renewable resources (including oil, natural gas, coal, and mineral resources), cropland, pastureland, forested areas, and protected areas. Produced, or built, capital is what many of us think of when we think of capital: the sum of machinery, equipment, and structures (including infrastructure) and urban land.

But once the value of all these are added up, the economists found something big was still missing: the vast majority of the world’s wealth! If one simply adds up the current value of a country’s natural resources and produced, or built, capital, there’s no way that can account for that country’s level of income.

‘The rest is the result of “intangible” factors — such as the trust among people in a society, an EFFICIENT JUDICIAL SYSTEM, clear property rights, and effective government. All this intangible capital also boosts the productivity of labour and results in higher total wealth. In fact, the World Bank finds, “Human capital and the value of institutions (as measured by RULE OF LAW) constitute the largest share of wealth in virtually all countries.”

‘Once one takes into account all of the world’s natural resources and produced capital, 80% of the wealth of rich countries and 60% of the wealth of poor countries is of this intangible type. The bottom line: “Rich countries are largely rich because of the skills of their populations and the quality of the institutions supporting economic activity.”

‘What the World Bank economists have brilliantly done is quantify the intangible value of education and social institutions. According to their regression analyses, for example, the RULE OF LAW explains 57% of countries’ intangible capital. Education accounts for 36%.

‘The RULE – OF – LAW index was devised using several hundred individual variables measuring perceptions of governance, drawn from 25 separate data sources constructed by 18 different organizations. The latter include civil society groups (Freedom House), political and business risk-rating agencies (Economist Intelligence Unit), and think tanks (International Budget Project Open Budget Index).

‘Switzerland scores 99.5 out of 100 on the RULE – OF – LAW index and the U.S. hits 91.8. By contrast, Nigeria’s score is a pitiful 5.8; Burundi’s 4.3; and Ethiopia’s 16.4. The members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — 30 wealthy developed countries — have an average score of 90, while sub-Saharan Africa’s is a dismal 28.’

“THE WAY FORWARD — Divine intervention. We have exhausted all human possibilities. God has to raise up new men/women – new wine in new wineskins. The old order, the current order has failed. In this regard, I am reminded of JG Holland’s prayer ‘God Give Us Men.’

‘God give us men. The time demands; Strong minds, great hearts; True faith and willing hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a will;

‘Men who have honour; Men who can stand before a demagogue and damn his treacherous flatteries without winking; Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog in public duty and in private thinking.’

“This is the prayer all Nigerians irrespective of creed or tribe must pray continually now.”

But has God not given Nigeria men and women of great intellect and wisdom? How come a select few appear to have captured governance, using every means possible to keep out people who can actually make real change possible?

“It is this conundrum, which you describe, that makes me say that we need further divine intervention. There are many ways God intervenes in the affairs of men. I won’t list them out,” he concluded