Dave Thanks for forwarding us this piece of information. Lets now hope that Gambia's Biggest Fugitive will liaise with his lawyers and file a lawsuit against the Washington Times. Have a wonderful day Sanusi Owens --- Dave Manneh <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ************************************************************************ > Culled from The Free Africa Foundation > http://www.freeafrica.org/elites5.html > > Regards > Manneh > ************************************************************************** > > > NO TEARS FOR AFRICA’S INTELLECTUALS > > An FAF Publication in New African (October 1996). > > ---------------------------------------------------- > > The most painful and treacherous aspect of Africa's > collapse was the wilful and > active collaboration by Africa's own intellectuals, > many of whom were > highly "educated" with Ph. D.s, and who should have > known better. Yet a > multitude of them have prostituted themselves, > selling off their principles and > integrity to partake of the plunder, misrule and > repression of the African > people. In fact, according to Colonel. Yohanna A. > Madaki (rtd), when General > Gowon drew up plans to return Nigeria to civil rule > in 1970, "academicians > began to present well researched papers pointing to > the fact that military rule > was the better preferred since the civilians had not > learned any lessons > sufficient enough to be entrusted with the > governance of the country" (Post > Express, 12 November 1998, 5). > > The Prostitutes > > One such prostitute was Kokou Koffigoh who joined > President Gnassingbe Eyadema > as Togo's Prime Minister in 1992. New African > (January 1993) wrote that "the > opposition thinks Koffigoh has sold out the gains of > the Togo National > Conference by not carrying out its decisions and by > allowing President Eyadema > to return to power" (19). > > Another was Gwanda Chakuamba of Malawi, who was > appointed the chairman of > the "presidential council" by former Life-President > Hastings Banda in 1993. As > The Economist (20 November 1993) reported: > "Chakuamba was an old Malawi > Congress Party (MCP) and ex-minister, who was jailed > in 1980 for sedition and > released in July 1993. He then flirted briefly with > the opposition United > Democratic Front, but, while Dr. Banda was in > hospital, suddenly emerged as > secretary-general of ruling party and acting head of > state" (47). Chakaumba's > move was roundly denounced "as a betrayal to the > opposition, who had tirelessly > campaigned for his release following local and > international pressure on the > MCP government's poor human rights record. "Reliable > sources reported that > whilst he was in prison, Chakuamba was subjected to > immersion in water and was > chained hand-and-foot for months on end" (African > Business, December 1993, 29). > How could an educated man, whose basic human rights > were viciously violated in > detention, suddenly decide to join his oppressor? > > When Captain Yahya Jammeh overthrew the > democratically elected government of > Sir Dawda Jawara on July 24, 1994, the only minister > from the Jawara > administration enticed to serve the military regime > was the finance minister, > Bakary Darbo, a very well respected economist -- > even in international circles. > He was instrumental in getting the World Bank to > resume aid to The Gambia. On > 10 October 1994, he was fired by the military junta: > He was no longer useful to > them. Then on 15 November, he was accused of > complicity in the 11 November > abortive coup attempt. He fled to neighboring > Senegal with his family. > > Next to assume the finance ministry portfolio was > Ousman Koro Ceesay. When he > became no longer useful to the military junta, "they > smashed his head with a > baseball bat," said Captain Ebou Jallow, the > number-2 man in the ruling council > who defected to the United States on 15 October (The > Washington Times, 20 > October 1995, A15). > > Time and time again, despite repeated warnings, > highly "educated" African > intellectuals throw caution and common sense to the > winds and fiercely jostle > one another for the chance to hop into bed with > military brutes. The allure of > a luxury car, a diplomatic or ministerial post and a > government mansion often > proves too irresistible. Nigeria's Senator Arthur > Nzeribe once declared that > General Babangida was good enough to rule Nigeria. > When pressed, he > confessed: "I was promised prime ministerial > appointment. There is no living > politician as hungry for power as I was who would > not be seduced in the manner > I was to invest in the ABN, with the possibility and > promise of being Executive > Prime Minister to a military president" (The > Guardian, 13 November 1998, 3). > > So hordes of politicians, lecturers, professionals, > lawyers, and doctors sell > themselves off into prostitution and voluntary > bondage to serve the dictates of > military vagabonds with half their intelligence. And > time and time again, after > being raped, abused, and defiled, they are tossed > out like rubbish --- or > worse. Yet more intellectual prostitutes stampede to > take their places. > > African countries that have imploded in recent years > were all ruined by the > military: Algeria, Burundi, Ethiopia, Liberia, > Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, > Sudan, Uganda, and Zaire, among others. In country > after country in Africa, > where military rule was entrenched, educational > institutions (of the tertiary > level - universities, and colleges) have all decayed > --- starved of funds by > the military. Although the official excuse is always > lack of funds, the > military predators always find the money to purchase > shiny new pieces of > bazookas for their thugs. But the real reason? "It > is not in the best interest > of these military governments to educate their > people," says Wale Deyemi, a > doctoral student at the University of Lagos. "They > do not want people to be > able to challenge them" (The Washington Post, 6 > October 1995, A30). > > In Nigeria, the sciences have been hardest hit. > Science teachers have been > vanishing with such alarming frequency that > Professor Peter Okebukola, the > president of the National Science Teachers > Association of Nigeria, lamented at > the association's thirty-sixth annual conference at > Maiduguri that "good > science teachers are increasingly becoming an > endangered species" (African News > Weekly, 13 October 1995, 17). > > In spite of all this evidence, some African > intellectuals still vociferously > defend military regimes while their own institutions > --- the very places where > they teach or obtained their education --- > deteriorate right under their very > noses. One would have thought that these professors > and intellectuals would > protect their own institutions, just as the soldiers > jealously protect their > barracks and keep them in top shape. But no! For > small change, the > intellectuals have been willing to help and > supervise the destruction of their > very own university system. > > Another expendable intellectual prostitute was Abass > Bundu of Sierra Leone --- > the former secretary-general of ECOWAS --- though > his fate was less horrible. > When he was appointed by the 29-year-old illiterate > Captain Valentine Strasser > to be Sierra Leone's foreign minister in early 1995, > he left home to grab the > post in a cloud of dust. In August 1995 he was > tossed into a garbage bin in a > radio announcement. He claimed in a Voice of America > radio interview that "he > never applied to join the junta" (African News > Weekly, 8 September 1995, 12). > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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