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Dear leaders of Nigeria
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/14/nosaamanpour.jpg caption="Nosarieme Garrick"]
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following blog post was written by Nosarieme Garrick, 25 year old daughter of Nigerian government employees. She left Nigeria at a young age, and now seeks to promote activism within the Nigerian diaspora. This letter to Nigeria’s leaders is a personal appeal by her, and is not endorsed by CNN or its affiliates. “Amanpour” will pass this letter along to the Nigerian president’s office and we will post the government’s response as soon as we receive one.
Dear leaders of Nigeria,
I am a citizen of Nigeria holding a green card in the US. I left in 1998, after the death of Nigerian Dictator Sani Abacha, along with several others. After growing up in Nigeria, and watching others leave to pursue an education, it just seemed like the thing to do if you could afford it. Some entire families relocated to the UK, the US and other countries, other families sent their kids alone to foreign school, for a chance at a better education. Its now 2010, and some of us are itching to come back. I don’t think any of us were ever comfortable with the idea of abandoning our country.
I'm not sure how much longer I want to live abroad. After all, I would like my future kids to know where their mother's from, even possibly go to school there. However, all the brouhaha that has been stirred up in the news these past few months makes the country seem even more unappealing, than it was when it sent us in droves to foreign lands. I've kept in contact with some of the children in the Diaspora, and we've all discussed coming back home, but you keep giving us reasons to stay where we are. I hear you would like us to come back, but you've lost our faith, we don't believe in our government. Fear not, we are willing to work it out, it is our home, and so we’re ready to help you help us come back. Here are some suggestions of ways for you to make us consider the idea.
Our obvious reason for leaving was to get a better education, which is unfortunate because at Nigeria's independence we had the highest number of university graduates in Africa. The crumbling education system has contributed to the increased crime rate; being that our brothers and sisters back home, have very limited options. Maybe you could reconsider the budget cuts you made on education, and look into the proper training for teachers, in order for them to provide proper education for your children. This could be prepare them for a university education, or vocational training, not everyone needs or wants to go to university. Overseas we're taught that you can't get anywhere without a bachelor's degree, a lot of people have been the exception to the rule, but I'm glad I had the option to get a bachelor’s. Maybe we could provide that option for people back home by putting more money into the university system. Once we start to believe in our education in Nigeria, I doubt that people will feel the need to send their kids to the UK or the US for school.
You should think about consulting once more with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Remember, she used to be your former Minister of Finance? She’s now the Managing Director of the World Bank. According to The Punch Nigeria, she made this statement at the Institute of Directors conference in Lagos: ”One of the untapped growth drivers is Nigeria‘s youth. The time has come for us to focus on them and reap enormous development benefits or ignore them to the nation‘s peril.” See, she believes in our potential, don't let another country make use of us. Even Canada has been trying to lure us to their schools, they value our billions of dollars that we are ready to pay for a proper education. That money could go to Nigeria.
Turkish PM won't back Iran sanctions
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
Washington (CNN) - Turkey's prime minister declined to support President Barack Obama's push for tough new sanctions against Iran but said his country was willing to act as a mediator in the diplomatic standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has had a strategic alliance with Iran since the 17th century and wants a diplomatic solution to end the deadlock. Erdogan spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour while in Washington to attend the Obama administration's summit on nuclear security, saying, "I believe that we can find a way out."
"I am here for a diplomatic solution," he said. Countries that are members of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) "must all work together on this, and as (for) Turkey, we could act as a very important intermediary."
Turkey is a rotating member of the United Nations Security Council, which has demanded that Iran halt its nuclear fuel program. Iran has refused the demand and continued to produce enriched uranium, which in high concentrations can be used to produce a nuclear bomb.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the United States has accused it of trying to develop a nuclear bomb.
Tom's Take
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
NUCLEAR SUMMIT – Will nuclear summit in Washington succeed in uniting world against nuclear proliferation?
– President Barack Obama hosts leaders from more than 45 countries for a two day nuclear security summit in Washington
– Gathering is an unprecedented global effort to rally effort to secure vulnerable nuclear materials so they don’t fall into hands of terrorists or rogue states
– Summit is the centerpiece of Obama’s efforts to prevent spread of nuclear weapons and technology
QUESTION: Will world leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, support U.S. efforts to introduce new sanctions against Iran to stop its nuclear ambitions?
FULL POST
Bush official raps Obama on Sudan
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer; AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - Amid new questions about the credibility of next week's elections in Sudan, a former U.S. State Department official accused the Obama administration of wasting time on a new policy on the bitterly divided nation.
"They spent almost a year developing this notion of a 'new policy' toward Sudan," Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs under President George W. Bush, said Wednesday in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"And they came up with this notion of 'carrots and stick' which every administration has. So they wasted almost a whole year on a policy review, and yet they are still talking with many different voices."
She said the Obama administration is sharply divided on how to tackle Sudan, the largest country in Africa, and one that is rich in oil reserves.
"I think the biggest challenge for the Obama administration is they're divided. You see very mixed signals coming out from the special envoy (to Sudan) versus the secretary (of state)."
And now your feedback
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/17/feedback.jpg caption="Christiane – all ears for the feedback."]
The upcoming presidential elections in Sudan inspired the minority who spoke of hope for peace and disappointed the majority in the Amanpour audience, who felt there was “no political future.” Russia continued to be discussed among others who fervently expressed their concern about the potential hazard that nuclear weapons represented to the world.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.amanpour.com for more information.
Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Email Comments:
Hello Christiane
Let us call it Nuclear Week because USA and Russia are going to reduce their arsenal. This week can become a historical one if a humane decision would be made for the safety of all of the people and not only for a few. Nuclear weapon use has a extraterritorial consequence. If one use it in Iran 16 countries which are border with it would be affected. If it is used against Israil several countries are going to be affected. These two locations are presently the focus point of discussion. But the problem is general and not particular. My suggestion is to create an international guard for nuclear weapons. The guards should come from non-nuclear nations! Nuclear terrorism must be considered not only from Muslim, Kurd, Indians, Paks, Jews, Arabs, Blacks,.. or any stereotype; it should rather include: America outlaws, European Fascists and so on. The International Nuclear Guard should have full access to deposits of arms and control of its expansion. A UN body without VITO right must have control over it. Only in case that such body is formed and accepted by all nations I can feel safe in this world.
Bahman
The Hague- Netherlands
Tom's Take
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
On Amanpour, we’ll find out if Obama’s Cairo speech has had any lasting impact on U.S. / Muslim relations. Christiane is joined by controversial Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, in his first U.S. television interview since the Obama administration lifted his six year travel ban, and James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute. Ramadan is best known for his thoughts on Muslims in Europe and the compatibility of Islam with democracy. How does the American Muslim experience differ and what are the unique issues America’s Muslim population faces? There is plenty of other news to tell you about today. Here are some perspectives.
– Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
RUSSIA/U.S. – Does new U.S./Russia arms control agreement signal an era of improved relations between Washington and Moscow?
– Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in Prague in the Czech Republic sign an agreement to cut their strategic nuclear warheads by one-third, and delivery systems by more than a half
– It’s the biggest arms control agreement between the two countries in a generation, and comes as the U.S. pushes for tough new measures to prevent nuclear proliferation
– At news conference in Prague, Medvedev and Obama reaffirmed their commitment to pursue new sanctions against Iran if Tehran continues to refuse to suspend uranium enrichment
QUESTION: Does apparent U.S./Russia unity on Iran sanctions make it easier to convince other countries such as China to support enhanced sanctions against Tehran?
KYRGYZSTAN – Does the overthrow of the government mark the end of violence in the Central Asian republic?
– Opposition pledges to address citizens’ concerns as a former foreign minister announces that President Kurmanbek Bakiev has been forced out of office and she’s now in charge as interim leader
– Wave of protests yesterday left at least 75 people dead and hundreds of others injured after clashes between demonstrators and security forces
– Former president is believed to have fled to the south of the country with his entourage. Opposition wants to negotiate the terms of his resignation
QUESTION: Will new government in Kyrgyzstan be any more successful over the long term in dealing with endemic corruption, nepotism, and the economic grievances of the nation’s population?
SRI LANKA – Do today’s parliamentary elections mark the beginning of a new peaceful era after the three decades long conflict with the Tamils?
– Country holds its first parliamentary election since ruling party of President Mahinda Rajapaksa militarily defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year
– Turnout at polling stations is reported to be low, despite heavy security and deployment of 75,000 police and soldiers
– President’s party is expected to easily win the election. Many analysts believe political stability afterward would increase the pace of the country’s rapid economic recovery
QUESTION: If the President’s party wins the election, will he loosen his vice-like grip on the nation, and lift measures that opposition groups say are designed to stifle dissent?
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