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Optimism on Nigeria's war on poverty

Optimism on Nigeria's war on poverty

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zeeblebot

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6908754.stm

"Optimism on Nigeria's war on poverty
Nigeria has been the source of more bad news than good recently. But our correspondent Mark Doyle says meeting two very impressive Nigerians in the last week has put him in a much better mood.
,,,"

STS

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Nigeria.....the country where corruption by it's leaders cost ....oh, hell, here's a quote from the article:

"Without seeking to befog you with statistics, corruption has cost us 220 billion pounds ($500 billion) of development assistance that has been stolen from this country since independence by our past leaders.

“That is to say that the money that past Nigerian leaders have stolen in a 40-year time could have recreated the beauty and glory of western Europe six times all over in this country"

Don't hold your breath on Nigeria getting any better. With all it's oil, they still need a billion/year in aid? What's up with that?

Rajk999
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Originally posted by Sam The Sham
Nigeria.....the country where corruption by it's leaders cost ....oh, hell, here's a quote from the article:

"Without seeking to befog you with statistics, corruption has cost us 220 billion pounds ($500 billion) of development assistance that has been stolen from this country since independence by our past leaders.

“That is to say that the money ...[text shortened]... ny better. With all it's oil, they still need a billion/year in aid? What's up with that?
Makes you wonder how is it that only African countries have such blatant large scale corruption.

D
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Quarantined World

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Originally posted by Rajk999
Makes you wonder how is it that only African countries have such blatant large scale corruption.
Corruption is a global pandemic, it's just that it's more reported when it occurs in African countries. There was the recent cash for honours scandal in the UK. There's plenty of other examples in Britain, I imagine that for any country you could find plenty of examples of corruption.

STS

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Originally posted by DeepThought
Corruption is a global pandemic, it's just that it's more reported when it occurs in African countries. There was the recent cash for honours scandal in the UK. There's plenty of other examples in Britain, I imagine that for any country you could find plenty of examples of corruption.
"more reported" when it occurs in Africa? Stuff and nonsense, if anything the reverse is true. Corruption in western countries when exposed makes massive headlines and gets major coverage, it goes mosty unnoticed in Africa, and covering it is considered boring back-page stuff.

Rajk999
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Originally posted by DeepThought
Corruption is a global pandemic, it's just that it's more reported when it occurs in African countries. There was the recent cash for honours scandal in the UK. There's plenty of other examples in Britain, I imagine that for any country you could find plenty of examples of corruption.
Start talking sense or change your name to 'ShallowThought'. Its more appropriate.

STS

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Originally posted by Rajk999
Start talking sense or change your name to 'ShallowThought'. Its more appropriate.
It is curious how someone could have such a bass-ackwards perception of things, not only wrong, but 180 degrees out of whack.

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How about the Enron scandal then, the only reason that it got reported was that the company went belly up.

Reports are given with the assumed context of Africa being basically corrupt, and the West not being corrupt. If you bothered to dig a little deeper you'd find that the West is just as, if not more corrupt since there's more money around to be corrupt with. When bribes are handed over in Nigeria, it isn't Nigerians who are paying the bribes it's the oil companies and they are based in the West.

How about another example, BAe systems was investigated by the Serious Fraud Office for handing over bribes in return for lucrative defence contracts in Saudi Arabia and Romania. In the end the government let them off the hook on the grounds of "national interest".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6065352.stm
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6604629.stm

Of course you're too busy criticizing the Africans to bother to look at your own countries' histories of corruption.

STS

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Originally posted by DeepThought
How about the Enron scandal then, the only reason that it got reported was that the company went belly up.

Reports are given with the assumed context of Africa being basically corrupt, and the West not being corrupt. If you bothered to dig a little deeper you'd find that the West is just as, if not more corrupt since there's more money around to be c ...[text shortened]... iticizing the Africans to bother to look at your own countries' histories of corruption.
Odd.....you mention worldwide reporting with outraged public responses that resulted in government investigations, etc., then talk about African reports being given short shrift because it's expected...the exact opposite of your original claim.
Which is it? You are contradicting yourself.

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Originally posted by Sam The Sham
Odd.....you mention worldwide reporting with outraged public responses that resulted in government investigations, etc., then talk about African reports being given short shrift because it's expected...the exact opposite of your original claim.
Which is it? You are contradicting yourself.
Well you see, reports of corruption in Africa are given in the assumed context of Africa being corrupt - the basic tone is: "Oh look, Africans being corrupt again, not like here.". When corruption in this country surfaces and can't be ignored, it causes a scandal. But it is always reported as if it is the exception and not the rule. This is what I was trying to express, and getting the wording spot on isn't aways easy. So, try to argue against the substance rather than nit picking over phraseology. You even get the chance to have the last word as I'm off out to see my sister now so won't be able to post until this evening or tomorrow.

STS

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Originally posted by DeepThought
Well you see, reports of corruption in Africa are given in the assumed context of Africa being corrupt - the basic tone is: "Oh look, Africans being corrupt again, not like here.". When corruption in this country surfaces and can't be ignored, it causes a scandal. But it is always reported as if it is the exception and not the rule. This is what I wa ...[text shortened]... I'm off out to see my sister now so won't be able to post until this evening or tomorrow.
I'm sorry, when you said that corruption in Africa gets reported more when it occurs there than it does in the west, I thought that's what you meant.

A

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Originally posted by Rajk999
Makes you wonder how is it that only African countries have such blatant large scale corruption.
No doubt some would say they caught it from the 'colonial' powers!

STS

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Originally posted by Alcibiades
No doubt some would say they caught it from the 'colonial' powers!
Yes, that's it exactly, even 40 years after being given total self control, Nigeria is still suffering from the influence of the evil europeans.

AThousandYoung
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Originally posted by Rajk999
Start talking sense or change your name to 'ShallowThought'. Its more appropriate.
This is the only corruption index I could find.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781359.html

The most corrupt countries according to this index are not in Africa.

P
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Originally posted by AThousandYoung
This is the only corruption index I could find.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781359.html

The most corrupt countries according to this index are not in Africa.
I'd say five out of the top ten isn't so bad.

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