ECONOMIC JUSTICE THROUGH FREE ENTERPRISE: '' Of Linda Ikeji.vs.Dele Momodu and of IBM.vs.Microsoft"

Hello Friends, It's been a long while...Abeg make una no vex, at least 10 koboko for me. I know by now you are all bored with the news of how Linda Ikeji (A Nigerian blogger) bought her NGN600 million mansion in Banana Island pitching her neighborhood with Michael Adenuga and Dantata. Okay, and you all know our charismatic Bob Dee: Prince Dele Momodu who rose to prominence and fame by showcasing the lifestyles of the wealthy among us even up to other West African coasts through his classical magazine: Ovation Magazine. Now, there's hardly any difference between what Linda Ikeji does and what Bob Dee does. They both showcase the lifestyles of the rich, gossip about politicians, celebrities and they make us salivate with pictures. However the difference is accessibility, while Ovation magazine is exclusive to the rich, lindaikeji is readily available to everybody for free. This brings me to the story of IBM.vs.Microsoft IBM in the past used to be a Computer company who manufactures Computer systems with it's own complex software applications for classified clients until Microsoft came and made computers and software application accessible to all and user friendly. Today, Linda Ikeji is as rich as Dele Momodu whom she met in the industry. If not richer, it's only a matter of few more years. Same as Microsoft Inc who today can buy IBM 10 times despite it's reorganization. My Point 1. Free enterprise all over the world has proven to be more profitable than paid enterprise, We should try as much as possible to make our products accessible to all by making them as free as possible. This is a reason why I love one of the verse of the JCI creed which states that "Economic justice can best be won through free men only through free enterprise" 2. We should all dare the untrodden path. Nigerians have a culture of always flooding a booming path. E.g Linda Ikeji made fortune out of blogging cos she blazed the trail when blogging wasn't popular as far back as 2006, today there are millions of bloggers including me via www.adeboyeadekunle.blogspot.com who hardly make 1 Naira from the trade, same as in telecommunications and other trade. Try something nobody has dared before and pursue it vigorously. With this new 're-invigorating spirit, we can create a sustainable economy that will not only last us but last our generation unborn. I remain yours Sincerely Chief Noisemaker Free APC Publicist Adekunle OluwagbemigaAdeboye

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Roberts, the daughter of a grocer, was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, on 13th October, 1925. After graduating from Oxford University she worked as a research chemist. Later she studied law and eventually became a barrister.

On 13th December, 1951 she married Denis Thatcher, a successful businessman. A member of the Conservative Party, Margaret Thatcher was elected to represent Finchley in October 1959. Two years later she joined the government of Harold Macmillan as joint parliamentary secretary for Pensions and National Insurance.

The Conservative Party was defeated in the 1964 General Election and Harold Wilson became the new prime minister. Edward Heath, the new leader of the Conservatives, appointed her as Opposition Spokesman on Pensions and National Insurance. She later held opposition posts on Housing (October 1965), Treasury (April 1966), Fuel and Power (October 1967), Transport (November, 1968) and Education (October, 1969).

Following the Conservative victory in the 1970 General Election, Thatcher became Secretary of State for Education and Science. In October 1970 she created great controversy by bringing an end to free school milk for children over seven and increasing school meal charges.

Edward Heath, the prime minister, came into conflict with the trade unions over his attempts to impose a prices and incomes policy. His attempts to legislate against unofficial strikes led to industrial disputes. In 1973 a miners' work-to-rule led to regular power cuts and the imposition of a three day week. Heath called a general election in 1974 on the issue of "who rules". He failed to get a majority and Harold Wilson and the Labour Party were returned to power.

In January 1975 Thatcher challenged Edward Heath for the leadership of the Conservative Party. On 4th February Thatcher defeated Heath by 130 votes to 119 and became the first woman leader of a major political party. Heath took the defeat badly and refused to serve in Thatcher's shadow cabinet.

James Callaghan replaced Harold Wilson as prime minister on 16th March 1976. Thatcher gradually adopted a more right-wing political programme placing considerable emphasis on the market economy. In January 1978 she was condemned for making a speech where she claimed that people feared being "swamped" by immigrants.

In 1978 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Denis Healey, controversially began imposing tight monetary controls. This included deep cuts in public spending on education and health. Critics claimed that this laid the foundations of what became known as monetarism. In 1978 these public spending cuts led to a wave of strikes (winter of discontent) and the Labour Party was easily defeated in the 1979 General Election.
Thatcher now became the first woman in Britain to become prime minister. In November 1979 Thatcher attended a summit meeting of the European Economic Community where she attempted to renegotiate Britain's contribution to the EEC budget.

Thatcher's government continued the monetarist policies introduced by Denis Healey. Inflation was reduced but unemployment doubled between 1979 and 1980. In 1981, Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced further public spending cuts. During this period public opinion polls suggested that Thatcher was the most unpopular prime minister in British history.

Thatcher's government also raised money by a programme of privatization. This included the denationalization of British Telecom, British Airways, Rolls Royce and British Steel.

On 2nd April 1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. The following day the United Nations passed resolution 502 demanding that Argentina withdrew from the Falklands. On 5th April the British Navy left Portsmouth for the Falklands. Britain declared a 200 mile exclusion zone around the Falklands and on 2nd May 1982 the Argentinean battleship General Belgrano was sunk. Two days later HMS Sheffield was hit by an exocet missile.
British troops landed on the Falkland Islands at San Carlos on 21st May. Fighting continued until Port Stanley was captured and Argentina surrendered on 14th June 1982. Thatcher's personal popularity was greatly boosted by the successful outcome of the war and the Conservative Party won the 1983 General Election with a majority of 144.

Thatcher developed a close relationship with President Ronald Reagan. They both agreed to take a firm stance with the Soviet Union. This resulted in her being dubbed the Iron Lady. However, Thatcher was furious in November 1983 when the United States invaded the British dependency of Grenada without prior consultation.

Thatcher's government continued its policy of reducing the power of the trade unions. Sympathy strikes and the closed shop was banned. Union leaders had to ballot members on strike action and unions were responsible for the actions of its members. The government took a firm stand against industrial disputes and the miners' strike that began in 1984 lasted for 12 months without success.

At the funeral of Konstantin Chernenko on 13th March 1985, Thatcher met the new leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Thatcher's views on the Soviet Union changed after Gorbachev announced his new policy of Perestroika (Restructuring). This heralded a series of liberalizing economic, political and cultural reforms which had the aim of making the Soviet economy more efficient. Gorbachev also introduced policies with the intention of establishing a market economy by encouraging the private ownership of Soviet industry and agriculture.

At a meeting on 13th November 1985, Thatcher rejected the idea of entering the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. However, the following month she attended the Luxembourg European Council and during the meeting Thatcher agreed to sign the Single European Act.

In April 1986 Thatcher was widely criticized for giving permission for US bombers to take off from Britain to bomb Libya following a series of Libyan inspired terrorist attacks.

Thatcher was returned to power for a third time when she won the 1987 General Election with a majority of 102 seats. The following year she became Britain's longest serving prime minister for over a hundred years. However, her popularity was severely damaged when the Community Charge (Poll Tax) was introduced in Scotland in April 1989 (the rest of Britain was to follow a year later). The new tax was extremely unpopular and led to public demonstrations.

In November 1990 Thatcher was challenged as leader of the Conservative Party. She won the first round of the contest but the majority is not enough to prevent a second round. On 28th November, 1990, Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister and was replaced by John Major.

Thatcher left the House of Commons in March 1992. Soon afterwards she entered the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven.

Better Heads Better Times Ahead

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, on Monday held a meeting with his Osun and Ekiti states counterparts, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola and Dr. Kayode Fayemi respectively, in Akure where they unfolded plans for economic ties among their states. The meeting also agreed to maintain a common position on the review of the 1999 Constitution that would ensure the practice of true federalism. Fayemi, who briefed journalists after the meeting said the three states had agreed to form an economic bond that would improve the lives of their citizens. He said the idea of integration was not about race but about contiguity between states that are neighbours and share the same geographical boundary and values. He said, “We believe that, as progressive minded people who are also governing a well educated and enlightened people, we should find a way to synergise our programmes. “We need to organise our states in a manner that our economies of scale would ensure better delivery of good governance. It is all about geographical contiguity.” Fayemi said the three governors were committed to making a difference in the lives of their people. “We want to collaborate and work closely together in the areas of power generation and distribution; we are looking at the rail system, edcation, health centre, renewable energy and other areas where we can touch on,” he added. Fayemi said there was the need for regional integration among the states of the zone. He said the state governors should not allow complacency so that there would not be a disconnect between the government and the people of their respective states. “We must not allow complacency. Our people love us but we have the burden of the mandate. There are lessons to learn. There are core values people know us for and these values must not be jettisoned because of politics. “We have to deliver dividends of democracy to our people. We have ties and we must not do anything to undermine the ties. If we allow the ties to slack, the opposition will penetrate our ranks and that will not be in the interest of our people who voted us into office,” he added. Aregbesola explained that it was not good for the three states to see themselves as separate entities because they were politically and economically connected. The governor, who said he grew up in Ikare-Akoko in Ondo State, noted, “We should work towards integrating the policies and politics of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and continue from where the late sage’s policies that made the South-West the leading light among other regions in the country stopped.” Mimiko congratulated the two visiting governors on their victories at the courts, and stressed the urgent need for regional integration to be coordinated by them for the benefit of the people of the South-West. Mimiko said the governors would work on a zonal rail-line and zonal power plant that would guarantee the economic development of the people. The governor advised his colleagues to create policies that would alleviate poverty so that the states would become global economic players in the future. Mimiko also said the governors should allow their people to feel the effect of governance so as not to have a sense of disconnect between government and the people who voted them into power. He regretted the fall in the standard of education among the students of the zone, and advised that they should focus on education, health and information and communication and technology among others. He said, “We must think of economic collaborative effort. We must have a Yoruba rail-line, generate electricity and create markets for investors. We must resume the path to development.” Mimiko urged his colleagues to utilise every opportunity available to them to push for the practise of true federalism where the states would be able to use resources at their disposal for the benefit of the people. He said the current quasi-unitary system of government being practised by the Federal Government was not in the best interest of the country.

Modern Slavery

First came the Arabs to conquer and enslave Africans while carrying away human cargoes and our natural resources across the Sahara Desert...after, they left us mosques and the Koran.

Then came the Portuguese and other Europeans...they too left us churches and the Bible while carting away human cargo and our natural resources across the Atlantic.

Now it is the turn of the Chinese, and the Neo-Slavery already started - look at the Nigeria police that cannot guarantee public safety holding an umbrella at attention for his Chinese Master!

Will the Chinese now leave us with Buddhist temples and the writings of Confucius and Mao Tse-Tong, while they continue to cart away more of our resources...?

Are Africans really created to be abused and used as SLAVES - mentally, physically and spiritually - by the other human races...?

The thought is FRIGHTENING!!!