Wednesday, July 16, 2014

CLIMATE TERRORIST: Examining the role of Climate Change as root cause of Rising Terrorism in West Africa

The growing threat of Boko Haram and other violent extremists in West Africa has become a daily reality evidenced by bombings, kidnappings and horrible slaughter of innocents. Not only are they gaining sufficient roots but it is assuming a proportion and sophistication that far outpace the capabilities of conventional state security organisations to deal with them. From Kano to Gao , fundamentalist continue to unleash unjust and extreme interpretation of religion on civilians while weak, corrupt and inefficient governments struggle to provide sustainable protection for  them. Twice in a month, the leaders of ECOWAS have met in Accra to discuss among other things, the reality of terrorism as transnational and regional security problem.  Attention has been given to rising Islamist activities as a major cause. Others causes noted in countless literature include arms proliferation, weak governments and unsophisticated security apparatus to pre-empt and counter terrorist attacks. Some literatures even suggest that the rise terrorism in Africa is self-evident in our culture. That African culture is inundated by culture of violence that permeates the fabric of most African countries. Even though these reasons may hold true, they are largely immediate rather than root causes of terroris
Climate change and climate variability is the driver of terrorism in West Africa than anything else. Rising temperatures, shorter rainy seasons worsen by erratic rainfall and diminishing yields amplify completion for diminishing resources. In northern Nigeria where Bokko attacks and kidnappings are daily occurrences, rainfall reduced by 30% since the 1970s according to Imo Ekpoh in a 2011 study of climate variability in northern Nigeria.  With about 95% of agriculture in the region rain fed, a 30% reduction in rainfall exacerbated by persistent drought is a formula for disaster. Dry and lifeless land put more pressure on people. As livelihood sustainability become impossible they will look for ways out of their predicament, and when a cult leader or terrorist says, “Follow me”, they just might do so.
 Again climate change and climate variability accelerates environmental degradation as much as environmental degradation accelerates climate change.  Poor rainfall coupled with extreme weather events such storms and floods advances degradation of vegetation and consequently land cover and fertility. Reduced soil fertility directly impact for prices of foods and poverty in such an ecologically sensitive region. This is a straight sentence to poverty, deprivation and despair - excellent conditions for terrorist groups to cash in and recruit poorly educated individuals, to their sundry causes, people who are desperate to improve their lot in life.
In the final analysis, poverty, injustice, violent extremist and terrorism will continue to plague Africa in general and West Africa in particular for some time to come unless the root causes of diminishing resource, climate change and climate variability are addressed. Until West African leaders wake and adopt clear adaptation measures such as social protection and empowerment of the vulnerable. Some humanitarian efforts here, some military assistance there, some words condemning terrorist attacks, some words threatening large-scale military intervention, appear to be the extent of the West’s reaction, at least overtly, to the growing terrorist threat in West Africa. However, these act to reactionary rather than preventive.
While other nations can help, until all of West Africa’s leaders make a determined effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation and build climate-resilient societies and economies, and improve social protection and justice, the region will continue serving as a breeding ground for terrorists.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

DINKO: GHANA; THE PREDICAMENT OF A SLEEPING GIANT

DINKO: GHANA; THE PREDICAMENT OF A SLEEPING GIANT: GHANA; THE PREDICAMENT OF A SLEEPING GIANT   We are living in a time where the spirits and hopes of our people hav e fallen. Cyn...

GHANA; THE PREDICAMENT OF A SLEEPING GIANT







GHANA; THE PREDICAMENT OF A SLEEPING GIANT
 
We are living in a time where the spirits and hopes of our people have fallen. Cynicism has found a dwelling place in our souls. Rising to meet the new challenge has deluded our courage. Holding to our values of commonality has tattered. And Black star of Africa has become dimmer than darkness in our backyards. Our youth have replaced zeal and creativity for peasant contentment and lush desire to satisfy personal comfort to the neglect collective progress. 
We are a selfish people not because we are pursuing individual interest but when we neglect our neighbors’. The youth are the representatives our future and progress. Whenever the representatives of the people loose morality, the downfall of a civilization becomes inevitable. Extreme partisanship deeply entangled in tribalism and selfishness has jettison nationalism from our hearts and in its place, greed and hatred. One’s success as a politician is dependent on how brutal and insulting you can be and not the happiness that he brings to humanity through development. The youth are satisfied to count the number toilets NGOs build as government achievement. Our leaders has surrendered and betrayed the reason why they are elected to ruthless international financial institutions that make money at the expense of the sweat of the Ghanaian worker. Economics has no meaning if it cannot ensure higher living standards and elimination of misery from our youth. History equally is meaningless if it cannot inspire our hearts to fix what is broken and build on what works. Science and technology has become a realm of speculation. Science must be the sharp knife that will cut the cord of poverty and build a solid economic foundation that propels our people into greater heights.
The youth is our greatest asset yet we have been socially cloned to accept the status quo. Sadly we have joined and are actually the main accomplice in our current toxic politics. Instead of educating the masses, our leaders exploit our ignorance to rule rather than govern. In this context, education seizes to be our schooling system that gives us nothing except turning us to memory cards for keeping information and reproducing them at request. Education has no meaning if the educated cannot turn information into innovation. Educating and turning our energies to productive ventures, combined with zeal to research and innovate can turn our carpenters into world-class craftsmen and our traders into prosperous business executives. The greatest agents of social restructuring are traders and the media.
The greatest asset we have is what is on the surface and not what is in or comes from the earth. Resource development must therefore be about putting skills and inspiration in the hearts of our people. For it are only human resource that is truly renewable and not any other material resource. I admit as a student of resource development that in theory some resources may be “renewable” but it is only the human spirit that can be renewed without causing any harm to the sustainable development.
There is sufficient energy and creativity in our youth to propel development. We just have to put our minds to it and it shall be achieved. Nothing however shall be achieved if we do not take a step out of our current body politic and social values. Nothing shall be achieved if our youth do no unclench their fists and hold together a new opportunity. Nothing will be achieved if we do not change our hearts and see the new light. We have lost many opportunities. We cannot afford to lose it again.