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13TH BRAINSTORMING SESSION ON
THE PLIGHT OF NIGERIANS IN FOREIGN
PRISONS: THE CHALLENGE OF TRANSFORMATION
Monday March 18, 2013
L-R: Professor Ayo Ajomo, Amb. Olu Adeniji and Chief Jonathan
Olopade at the 13th brainstorming session in NIIA Lagos
The
sharp increase in global terrorism, especially in light of deepening
religious extremism, has prompted great concerns about migration and
free movement of people and goods in international relations.
Several Nigerians have opted to eke out a good living abroad but
without adequate preparation for the journey. Some others have
consciously engaged in the crime of drug-trafficking and have been
convicted. In fact, many of them are on death row. Many reasons for
this situation cannot be far-fetched: ignorance of the existing
punishment provided for in the law of countries Nigerians are
travelling to; wilful disregard for such laws when they are well
known; consideration that prison conditions abroad are quite better
than those in Nigeria in the event they are caught and convicted;
consideration that life itself is a risk; perhaps more
significantly, misinformation about what to get in the foreign land.
And true enough, many Nigerians are seeking honour and wealth
without wanting to pay their dues through the required respect for
law and dint of hard work. As a result, they have offended the laws
of their host countries and have been tried and convicted. Some
others are yet to be tried and are therefore still languishing in
detention. Nigerians do not merit to spend the better part of their
life in the prison. The general public needs to be well informed. In
this regard, how do we get a better deal for Nigerians in foreign
prisons? Many Nigerian prisoners abroad have legally protested
against their transfer to, or continuation of their jail term in,
Nigeria. Many other Nigerian prisoners abroad are actually having a
rough deal and will want help from the Government and people of
Nigeria. What should be done? It is in an attempt to find solutions
to the problems of Nigerians in foreign prisons that the Institute
organised its 13th Brainstorming Session on The Plight of
Nigerians in Foreign Prisons: The Challenge of Transformation on
Monday, 18th March 2013 at the Louis Mbanefo Rotunda of the NIIA.
A cross-section of the audience at the 13th brainstorming session
BOOK PRESENTATION AND SYMPOSIUM ON
SUSTAINING NIGERIA'S TECHNICAL AID CORPS SCHEME
Thursday January 31, 2013
The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)
organized a public presentation of two scholarly research
publications in honour of Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi and a
Symposium on Sustaining Nigeria’s Technical Aid Corps Scheme on
Thursday, January 31, 2013. The event was chaired by Nigeria’s
former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR,
PSC, DSS. Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Executive Governor of Ondo State was
the special guest of honour. The book titled ”Nigeria and the World:
A. Bolaji Akinyemi Revisited”, published by the NIIA was reviewed by
Professor Nuhu Yaqub, Vice Chancellor, Sokoto State University.
While the book titled “Perspectives on Nigeria’s National and
External Relations: Essays in Honour of Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi”
was reviewed by Ambassador Marc Egbe of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
L-R: Gen.
Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and Prof.
A. Bolaji Akinyemi , CFR in Lagos
Nigeria and the World: A. Bolaji
Akinyemi Revisited
(Lagos:NIIA, 2012)
Edited by:
Bola A. Akinterinwa
Perspectives on Nigeria’s National and External Relations: Essays in
Honour of Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi
(Ibadan, University Press Plc, 2012)
Edited by:
Thomas A. Imobighe
Warisu O. Alli
NIIA-ISS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA
Sunday, 4th November - Tuesday, 6th November, 2012
L-R: Prof.
Bola A. Akinterinwa, Prof. George Obiozor and Dr. Jakkie Cilliers at
the conference
in Lagos
The
global community is currently faced with threats of natural
disasters, especially in terms of climate change. In the same vein,
the governments and peoples of West Africa are increasingly
confronted with threats of technology-driven terrorism, state
disintegration and deepening poverty. In the case of Mali, for
instance, the principles of peaceful co-existence and non-acceptance
of forceful change of government have been jettisoned and have been
generating many problems: first with the coup d’état that ousted the
democratically elected government; and secondly with the subsequent
unilateral declaration of independence by the Tuareg. This
development has also led to a serious dispute between Mali and the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in particular,
and also between Mali and the global community, in general.
In
light of this emerging trend, NIIA, in collaboration with the
Institute of Security Studies (ISS), Pretoria, South Africa
organised a conference, aimed at carrying out an indepth analysis of
the situation in the Sahelian region of Africa against the
background of the recent United Nations Security Council's
declaration authorising the use of military force to end the
secession in Mali.
A cross section of diplomatic specialists,
including envoys, security operatives, academics and other
stakeholders participated in the event.
 A
A cross-section of the audience at the international conference
Public Lecture
on
ENERGY SECURITY
AND SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF NIGERIA'S NUCLEAR
POWER PROGRAMME
October 4, 2012
Dr. Franklin
Erepamo Osaisai delivering his lecture in Lagos
The Chairman/Chief
Executive , Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Franklin Erepamo
Osaisai, delivered a Public Lecture on "Energy Security and
Sustainable Developoment: The Case of Nigeria's Nuclear Power
Programme" on Thursday,
October 4, 2012 on the platform of the Institute. The event
was chaired by the former Director-General of Nigerian Nuclear
Regulatory Authority, Professor Shamsideen Babatunde Elegba. The
Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Ita Okon
Bassey was the Guest of Honour. The Minister was ably
represented by the Director-General of Federal Institute of
Industrial Research (FIIRO), Lagos.
Click here for lecture
slides
A
cross-section of the audience at the public lecture
Inauguration
of NIIA Governing Council
On Thursday, September 20, 2012, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru,
Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs inaugurated a new Governing
Council for the Institute in Abuja. The inauguration came on the
heels of the Performance Agreement done by the minister with the
permanent secretary, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, undersecretaries,
directors, and the chief executives of agencies under the ministry.
The cardinal objective of the Performance Agreement is to ensure
accountability, promote efficient service delivery and greater
service output. These factors are component issues in good
governance.
Major-Gen. Ike
Omar Sanda Nwachukwu (Rtd)
Chairman, NIIA
Governing Council
In order to facilitate the attainment of this objective, Government
carefully empanelled a galaxy of academic and diplomatic
professionals with very impressive credentials. The Council is
comprised of 12 members, with Senator Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu as
Chairman. The appointment of Senator Nwachukwu is most appropriate.
He combines administrative, political, diplomatic and military
experiences with national cultural background and upbringing, thus
making him very unique. For instance, in terms of military
background, he was Provost Marshall of the Nigerian Army. He rose to
the level of a Major-General before he left the army. Politically
speaking, he was Governor of the Old Imo State. He was Senator of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At the administration and diplomacy
level, he was a Minister of Labour and a Two-time Minister of
External Affairs. In fact, he was appointed a member of the
immediate past Governing Council of the NllA but, for reasons of
force
majeure could not participate.
A
cross-section of the NIIA Governing Council Members
Read more
12TH BRAINSTORMING SESSION ON
THE BAKASSI PENINSULA: TEN YEARS OF ICJ RULING
AND PROLEGOMENA TO RESULTANT PROBLEMS
THURSDAY, 23 AUGUST 2012
R-L: Prof.
Bola A. Akinterinwa, Prof. Deji Adekunle and Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi,
CFR
in Lagos
The long standing dispute between Nigeria and Cameroun over the
ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula, which was apparently laid to
rest by the ruling of the International Court of Justice, provides
an example of judicial arbitration at the international level. The
ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula, and other territories on the
Nigeria-Cameroun border, was a protracted dispute that involved
several attempts by leaders and representatives of both countries to
resolve, although without success. However, both countries agreed to
the adjudication of the International Court of Justice.
One neglected
but significant issue is the right to self-determination for Bakassi
inhabitants. This universal right, which is enshrined in United
Nations (UN) Charter, as well as in the Charter of the African
Union, was consciously ignored by the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) sitting at The Hague in Netherlands,
which decided in 2002 to give sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula
to Cameroon.
The ruling has not only failed to solve the problem at hand, but has
also created newer problems and grievances, including the rights of
Bakassi people to their ancestral land. Some have argued that
Nigeria should not have accepted the agreement because it adversely
affects her political, economic and strategic interests in the
region. It has also been pointed out that no nation of the world
willingly cedes out its territory to another nation.
The truth is
that the agreement did not take into consideration the overwhelming
desire of the Bakassi people to remain Nigerian citizens in the
Nigerian political entity. The people of Bakassi have, on several
occasions, vehemently opposed the idea of their incorporation into
the Cameroon Republic in Central Africa. They want to be Nigerian
citizens in West Africa because of their cultural affinities with
their kith and kin in certain Eastern states of Nigeria. Cameroon,
which has always been a difficult neighbor, has attempted, over the
years, to impose her sovereignty over the Bakassi, in spite of firm
resistance from Bakassi inhabitants.
Ten years after the ICJ ruling, agitations have remained strong
among Nigerians and especially among the inhabitants of Bakassi who
are supported by their traditional rulers. They have been calling
for the re-visitation of the issue. The people of Bakasssi have
written to the UN asking for a plebiscite in which they will
exercise their right to self-determination. There have been reports
of the formation of militant groups in the area that are ready to
take up arms to achieve their aim of self-determination. In line
with ICJ statutes, the Nigerian government has until October 10,
2012, to submit petitions to the ICJ seeking the reversal of the
Green Tree Agreement.
Indeed, Nigeria is not the first country in the world to be given
the opportunity for such redress. A number of countries have applied
for revision of ICJ rulings in the past. Elsavador and Honduras
(2002) applied for the revision of judgment of September 11, 1992 in
the case concerning the land, Island and Maritime frontier dispute;
Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001) applied for the
revision of the judgment of July 1996 in the case concerning
application of the convention on the prevention and punishment for
the crime of genocide; Tunisia and Libyan Arab Jamahiriya applied
for the revision and interpretation of judgment of February 28,
1982, in the case concerning the continental shelf. The question,
however, is the determination of the extent to which
the ICJ’s
decision can be binding on a nation state, especially if such a
decision was taken without scintilla of regard to the interest and
future of the people of Bakassi.
A
cross-section of participants at the NIIA 12th Brainstorming
Session in Lagos
It is in order
to examine these issues and suggest the way forward that the
Nigerian Institute of International Affairs held its 12th
Brainstorming Session on The Bakassi
Peninsula: Ten Years of ICJ Ruling and Prolegomena to Resultant
Problems.
The
event took place at Louis Mbanefo Rotunda, NIIA.
A cross section of diplomatic specialists,
including envoys, defence attachés, academics and other stakeholders
which include representatives of the people of Bakassi participated
in the brainstorming session.
2ND SYMPOSIUM ON
NEW FLOWS OF
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT FROM REPUBLIC OF KOREA (SOUTH KOREA)
TUESDAY,
AUGUST 14, 2012
R-L: Prof.
Bola A. Akinterinwa, Amb.
Desmond Akawor,
Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi and Amb.
Choi Jong-Hyun
in Lagos
The Nigerian
Institute of International Affairs in collaboration with Random
Dynamic Resources Limited organized a symposium on New Flows of
Foreign Direct Investment from Republic of Korea on
14th
August 2012 at the Bolaji Akinyemi Auditorium in Lagos. The
symposium was organised in commemoration of of the 67th Independence
Anniversary of the Republic of Korea.
A cross section of foreign investors, diplomatic specialists,
including envoys, defence attachés, and academics that have had
experiences in government, participated in the symposium. The
event was chaired by Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi. His
Excellences, Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea, Desmond Akawor and
South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Choi Jong-Hyun presented the
lead papers.
Click the link
below to download presentations:
Korea: New Inflow of
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
New
Flow of Foreign Direct Investment from Korea to Nigeria
R-L: H.E. Amb. Ade Adefuye and Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi at the
3rd NIIA Symposium on "the Visit of US Secretary of State, Hilary
Clinton, to Nigeria and the Future of Nigeria-US Relations: What
Role for the Nigerian Media?"
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