The United African Republic - Nigeria's proposed new name

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By Nduka Orjinmo

What is someone from the United African Republic called? Uranium or Urea?

The answer is keeping many Nigerians awake as they chew over a proposal to change the name of the country.

For two weeks, federal lawmakers have been traversing the country collating citizens' views to amend the constitution.

The idea was to gather suggestions for amendments such as electoral reforms and the system of government.

But citizen Adeleye Jokotoye, a tax consultant, dropped something of a bombshell at the hearing in Lagos.

He wants the name of the country changed as it was an imposition by Nigeria's past colonial masters.

The name Nigeria was suggested in the late 19th Century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who would later marry the British colonial administrator Lord Frederick Lugard.

It is derived from the River Niger which enters the country from the north-west and flows down to the Niger Delta where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean through its many tributaries.

But Mr Jokotoye wants the name changed and his choice of United African Republic - to reflect the hundreds of ethnic groups that comprise the country - has blown a storm.

These Twitter users have a theory where the idea for United African Republic, or UAR, ca

View original tweet on Twitter

There is already a new anthem, which isn't entirely new but a remix of the "old" Nigeria's:

View original tweet on Twitter

A new country needs a new currency, so:

View original tweet on Twitter

Which made musician Timi Dakolo, famous for his patriotic Great Nation song which is a staple at some official events, wonder what becomes of his music. Maybe a remix, Mr Dakolo?:

View original tweet on Twitter

And there was a reminder of the small matter of the loans Nigeria owes the World Bank, IMF and China. Some figured that a new name means a clean slate:

View original tweet on Twitter

But not everyone saw the joke in Mr Jokotoye's proposal and some were quick to set the country's priorities right:

View original tweet on Twitter

But what is someone from the UAR called? 

A few chimed in:

View original tweet on Twitter

View original tweet on Twitter

And the small matter of radiation connected to Uranium:

View original tweet on Twitter

As if he knew that some of his compatriots would not be impressed by his choice, Mr Jokotoye came armed with an alternative - the United Alkebulan Republic (meaning: United Mother of Mankind Republic), which quite frankly doesn't sound as pan-African as the first, but does have the same initials.

He also made other suggestions for the constitution, such as proposing amendments to the structure of governance, and taxation control - but for some reason these have not excited the popular imagination in the same way.

In the coming weeks as lawmakers sift through the bags of suggestions from Nigerians, no-one is sure what other ideas will bubble out.

But it is unlikely that we will see a United African Republic on these shores.

Which is a shame, as I quite like the idea of being addressed as a Uranium - it has a powerful ring to it.

BBC NEWS

Nigeria a failed state pretending to be normal – Moghalu

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Kingsley Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and presidential candidate in the 2019 general election, has described Nigeria as a failed state.

Moghalu, who was recently appointed as an Academic Visitor to the University of Oxford, UK said Nigeria is a failed state pretending to be normal.

His reaction came days after terrorists attack the Abuja-Kaduna train.

The ex-presidential candidate lamented that the inaction of security agents who were aware of the attack ahead of time, indicated that Nigeria is a failed state.

In a series of tweets, Moghalu wrote: “After reading reports of the terrorist attacks on the Abuja-Kaduna train, and of how security networks were reportedly aware in advance of the attack but did nothing, we must tell ourselves the truth: Nigeria is a failed state pretending to be a normal country.

“Our state failure can be reversed. Britain suffered from “The Troubles” (terrorism by the Irish Republican Army) decades ago, but today it’s a different story.

“Afghanistan is not our destiny, but we must change our political direction in 2023 to make that outcome a false prophecy.”

Kingsley Moghalu

@MoghaluKingsley

·

Oct 23

After reading reports of the terrorist attacks on the Abuja-Kaduna train, and of how security networks were reportedly aware in advance of the attack but did nothing, we must tell ourselves the truth: Nigeria is a failed state pretending to be a normal country.

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Dan Senor’s execrable take on the growing numbers of babies and children being killed in Gaza

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By Deji Komolafe, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Dan Senor, former Bush foreign policy advisor and co-author of a new book called "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World”, recently joined Fareed Zakaria on the latter s long running Sunday morning show on CNN, Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Here is a transcript of their conversation regarding the ever growing death toll in the Israeli siege on Gaza, especially with regard to children. 

ZAKARIA: How long -- if this campaign goes on for another month or two, more and more civilian casualties, will -- you know, the memory of the Hamas attack fades and the reality of pictures of Palestinians dying increases, how long do you think he has? 

SENOR: It depends how he frames this. If President Biden frames this accurately that Hamas is responsible for Israeli civilian casualties and Palestinian civilian casualties, that the reason Palestinians are being killed is because Hamas has chosen to wage its offensive military capabilities in hospitals, in U.N. run schools, near mosques.

[10:45:04]

Israel doesn't get to choose and the U.S. doesn't get to choose where Hamas fights. Hamas chooses where it wants to fight and is deliberately choosing it. It would be like -- the analogy I recommend President Biden give is it would be as though Russia located a missile launcher next to a Russian orphanage and was firing at Ukraine, and Ukraine responded and accidentally killed the -- they took out the Ukrainian orphanage.

The U.S. wouldn't blame Ukraine for that. It would obviously be Putin's decision. It was a strategic decision. And, I think, President Biden needs to start framing things in those terms and -- then I think the American public's tolerance for the images coming out of Gaza will be, you know, higher.

Dan Senor’s response is truly instructive as it shows an unfortunate reality regarding the subjective value of human life in this conflict. 

No amount of political engineering or public relations branding should ever compromise the humanity of ALL to call things exactly as they are. I am confident that the tolerance of the American people will never get higher for the gruesome images of babies, children and mothers being collectively slaughtered. 

Source: CNN

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Warren Buffett: All Successful People Have This One Rare Thing in Common

Warren Buffett

CC™ Digest - By Marcel Schwantes 

The difference between successful people and really successful people, according to the Oracle of Omaha..... 

Have you ever wondered how the most successful people achieve so much when they have the same number of hours in the day as the rest of us? To Warren Buffett, the 89-year-old chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and the third richest person in the world, it's not a mystery at all.

In the words of the Oracle of Omaha, "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."

Hang on, they say NO?

It feels counterintuitive, but give it some thought and Buffett's advice will ring true in virtually any context, whether it's investing, work, or your personal life.

So often we spread ourselves thin by saying "yes" constantly, and we end up taking on more commitments than we can handle. If you've been there, you know the outcome: increased stress and lower quality, whether it's of work, life, or just decisions in general.

Successful people say no to these 4 things 

The good news is that you can turn things around just by saying no. Does that mean it's easy? Of course not -- but it's worth the effort.

1. Exciting opportunities that aren't a good fit.

Always remember that devoting attention to something, whether it's an investment opportunity, a new project at work, or a new hobby, means taking time away from something else. This year forgo all those opportunities with potential in order to focus on the ones that are the most important.

2. 80-hour work weeks that cost you time with family.

Our culture has glorified the struggle of the entrepreneur and businessperson to the point where people feel like 60- or even 80-hour workweeks are something to brag about. Show me an 80-hour zealot and I'll show you a family or personal life that's been sorely neglected. Successful people choose balance over burnout.

3. Superficial networking events.

While some people slog through speed dating style networking events that go by in a blur of business cards, the smart ones spend their time nurturing a few truly valuable relationships. Successful people choose quality over quantity.

4. Going to incredible lengths to please people.

Spend too much time trying to please the people around you and you'll find you've neglected your own most basic needs. Successful people aren't self-absorbed, but they're also not going to cater to the people around them at the expense of their own lives and happiness.

Putting "no" into practice

As we start a new year (and a new decade!) it's the perfect time for you to step back and rethink your priorities. If you're still saying yes to the things above (and everything else that comes your way), you'll be amazed at what can happen when you finally start to say no. It won't be easy, and here's a quick exercise that proves it designed by Buffett himself.

Write down a list of your 25 most important goals. That may seem like a lot at first, but you'll hit that number quickly when you think about all the different directions you're trying to go in life. 

Next, circle the top five, and then (this is the painful but important part) cross out the rest.

No one -- not even the most productive person in the world -- has room for 25 goals. The really successful people are the ones who recognize that fact, accept their limited bandwidth, and choose to allocate their time to a few things that matter the most. Try emulating this practice and you'll be able to join their ranks.

Source: Inc.