NIGERIA/SOUTH AFRICA: Two brothers at daggers drawn
on MARCH 11, 2012 · in PERISCOPE
1:03 am
Email0
By Jimoh Babatunde, with agency reports

With the refusal of the Federal Government of Nigeria to allow 84 South Africans come into the country between Sunday and Tuesday in retaliation for the deportation of 125 Nigerians penultimate week, the stage is now set for the fight of two Africa giants.

It is reported that the Nigerian government may also review the status of all South Africans living in the country to ascertain the validity of their visas and work permit.

The decision of the government is informed by the lack of response from the South African government over the uproar that the deportations of the 125 Nigerians have generated. Nigeria has given five conditions to South Africa to restore normal diplomatic and bilateral relationship with it as it believes the action of South Africa was deliberately targeted at Nigerians.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, said “no nation should take Nigeria’s brotherliness, maturity and friendly business environment “whereby companies, including South African companies, are making more profits from Nigeria than in South Africa for granted.”

The Minister said the government was determined to maintain the dignity of Nigerians everywhere, adding: “When a Nigerian is deported on flimsy excuses, there will be appropriate reaction. It may not be retaliation but it will be reciprocal, one way or the other.

“Let it be known that South African officials do not have monopoly of deportation of travellers. Henceforth, any deportation of Nigerians will be met with equal measure or reciprocal measure; we will not let it go unreciprocated.

“It will be measure for measure; we will not let it go unreciprocated. The signal must go out not just to South Africa but to the rest of the world that when you treat Nigerians with disrespect, we also will find a way of treating your nationals with disrespect. No country has a monopoly of treating Nigerians with disrespect; we too can hit back”.

This issue that might degenerate into a big diplomatic row between both countries would have been avoidable if the125 Nigerian passengers aboard Arik Air and South Africa Airways flights had been allowed into South Africa penultimate Friday.

The South Africa Port Health Authority and the Immigration Service refused them entry on the ground that they had invalid yellow fever vaccination cards bringing to fore the maltreatment of Nigerians in that country.

The Nigerian Government swung into action immediately as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, condemned the actions of South Africa’s immigration authorities as not being in tune with international best practices.

He maintained that Nigeria has no yellow fever epidemic, which is why most countries do not require yellow fever vaccination certificates from travellers coming from Nigeria before allowing them entry.

“Yellow fever is an issue mostly with countries in the Southern Hemisphere,” Ashiru noted.
Foreign Relations analysts have already condemned South Africa’s action.

But findings shows that Nigeria is one of the countries listed as being at risk of yellow fever transmission and countries requiring yellow fever vaccination for travellers arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

So, South African Government requires a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate from all passengers over one year of age who arrive or are transiting through South Africa, from a country or region listed by the World Health Organization as infected by yellow fever.

From the October 1, 2011, South African authorities required all travellers arriving from the listed countries to show proof of yellow fever vaccination. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required from all visitors, including travellers who are transiting through South Africa.

Travellers unable to present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate issued at least 10 days before arrival in South Africa may be refused entry or placed in quarantine. There is no discretion for travelers without a vaccination certificate to be vaccinated on arrival.

Many of the passengers described the excuse given by the South African Authorities for the entry denial as embarrassing to Nigeria and Nigerians. One of the passengers, Olaminde Olaofe, told NAN that they obtained their cards from government authorised health agencies in Nigeria and added: “This is very embarrassing and dehumanising.
“It is an embarrassment not to us as passengers alone but to the Federal Government of Nigeria that another country will say the document we, as Nigerians, obtained in our country is fake.

“We had arrived there about 5.30 a.m. and until now we are still kept at the airport by the immigration officer under the claim that our yellow fever cards are not recognised.

“Some of us are not first time travelers to South Africa and we had used the same yellow card before to enter the country.

“I obtained my card from Eti-Osa Local Government along with my brother. While I am allowed entry, my brother is held by the immigration people.”

Olaofe said 33 school children on excursion were also affected.

Ashiru said the process of deportation was against international conventions. “It was a shock and I find it difficult to accept that the deportation was on the basis of yellow fever card. Normally, the visa would not have been issued without the yellow fever card.

Many Nigerians have joined in condemning the action of the South African Government. Hon. Abike Dabiri_Erewa, described the act as “continuous unwarranted hostilities against Nigerians by the South Africa government”.

But a Nigerian tour operator said the blame should be placed at the door steps of the Nigerian authority.

The tour operator who pleaded anonymity said the South African Health Authorities could have discovered the hidden truth that most yellow fever cards carried by Nigerians were secured at the airports from touts.

He said “I challenge you to go to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport now, there are touts who will get you a yellow card for less than N1000.”

The tour operator said the argument that the Nigerians have yellow cards should not be taken serious as the genuineness of such cards cannot be trusted.

He said Nigerian authorities should do the right thing at the airports so as to put an end to the harassment of the country. “It is evident that our port health systems in Nigeria are not as robust as they ought to be. Putting in place effective travel vaccination processes that satisfy international standards are not rocket science, given the relatively small numbers of people that need them.”

He added “I concur with the South Africa Immigration and Port Health that they don’t recognise the yellow cards and that signature on the cards were irregular.”

But other observers have slammed the South African government officials as a people without conscience because of the vast resources – both human and material – that Nigeria expended in the process of fighting apartheid South Africa,

We all recognize some of these differences, but others often hide in plain sight. Shaunti Feldhahn, a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, author and speaker recently wrote a fantastic book, For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men. In it, she recounts the surprising truths she learned about men after interviewing more than one thousand of them.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to interview Shaunti for our radio broadcast, HomeWord with Jim Burns. In our discussion, we spoke about ten things guys wish women knew about men. I think you’ll find these ten things fascinating! Even more, I believe that in understanding these issues, you’ll be equipped to lead your marriage to a better place!

Men would rather feel unloved than inadequate and disrespected. Husbands need to know that their wives respect them both privately and publicly. Men thrive when they know that their wives trust them, admire them and believe in them. Shaunti Feldhahn’s research indicated that men would rather sense the loss of loving feelings from their wives than to be disrespected by them.
A man’s anger is often a response to feeling disrespected by his wife. When a husband becomes angry with his wife, he may not come out and say, “You’re disrespecting me!” But, there is a good likelihood that he is feeling stung by something his wife has done which he considers disrespectful and humiliating.
Men are insecure. Men are afraid that they aren’t cutting it in life — not just at work, but at home, in their role as a husband. They may never vocalize this, but inwardly, they are secretly vulnerable. The antidote? Affirmation. To men, affirmation from their wives is everything! If they don’t receive this affirmation from their wives, they’ll seek it elsewhere. When they receive regular and genuine affirmation from their wives (not flattery, by the way), they become much more secure and confident in all areas of their lives.
Men feel the burden of being the provider for their family. Intellectually, it doesn’t matter how much or little a man makes, or whether or not his wife makes more or less money in her career. Men simply bear the emotional burden of providing for their family. It’s not a burden they’ve chosen to bear. Men are simply wired with this burden. As such, it is never far from their minds and can result in the feeling of being trapped. While wives cannot release their husbands from this burden, they can relieve it through a healthy dose of appreciation, encouragement and support.
Men want more sex. Everyone’s natural response to this is probably, “Duh!” But, that response is probably for the wrong reason. We primarily assume that men want more sex with their wives due to their physical wiring (their “needs”). But, surprisingly, Shaunti Feldhahn’s research showed that the reason men want more sex is because of their strong need to be desired by their wives. Men simply need to be wanted. Regular, fulfilling sex is critical to a man’s sense of feeling loved and desired.
Sex means more than sex. When men feel their wives desire them sexually, it has a profound effect on the rest of their lives. It gives them an increasing sense of confidence and well-being that carries over into every other area of his life. The flipside of this coin also carries a profoundly negative affect. When a husband feels rejected sexually, he not only feels his wife is rejecting him physically, but that she is somehow rejecting his life as a husband, provider and man. This is why making sex a priority in marriage is so incredibly important!
Men struggle with visual temptation. This means the vast majority of men respond to visual images when it comes to women. And, this doesn’t just mean the guys with wandering eyes. Even the most godly husband cannot avoid noticing a woman who dresses in a way that draws attention to her body. Even if it is just a glance, these visual images are stored away in the male brain as a sort of “visual rolodex” that will reappear without any warning. Men can choose whether to dwell on these images and memories or dismiss them, but they can’t control when these images appear.
Men enjoy romance, but doubt their skills to be romantic. True, many men appear to be unromantic clods, but it doesn’t mean that they want to be that way! Men want to be romantic, but they just doubt their ability to pull it off. They are plagued by internal hesitations, perceiving the risk of humiliation and failure as too high. Wives can do a great deal to increase their husbands’ confidence in their romantic skills through encouragement and redefining what romance looks like. For example, a wife may balk when her husband asks her to go along to the hardware store, but it’s likely that he’s asking because he sees it as a time they can get away as a couple and hang out together. What’s not romantic about that?
Men care about their wife’s appearance. This isn’t saying that all men want their wives to look like the latest supermodel. What men really want is to know that their wives are making an effort to take care of themselves (and not letting themselves go) because it matters to them (the husbands). Husbands appreciate the efforts their wives make to maintain their attractiveness.
Men want their wives to know how much they love them. This was the number one response of men. Men aren’t confident in their ability to express this, but they love their wives dearly. Men want to show how much they love their wives and long for them to understand this fact.

Authorities at a prominent Corporate Area all-girls high school are reportedly struggling to deal with several sexual attacks on young girls by older students.

School authorities on Wednesday summoned parents to an emergency meeting as more and more young girls started reporting horror stories of cases where they were forced to perform sexual acts with the older girls.

The Gleaner understands that some girls in the upper school usually endeavour to recruit the young girls from the first and second forms.

A parent who attended the meeting told The Gleaner that a plethora of issues were discussed.

“They called the emergency meeting yesterday (Wednesday) to address the behavioural patterns of students in the school,” the parent said.

Circulating porn

The parent added that they were told the children were “circulating pornography and a lot of things”.

The parent also said the acting principal and the teachers were very frustrated with what was happening at the school.

“Lesbianism is so rampant at the school in the bathrooms. I’m very, very concerned,” the worried parent said.

A senior student, who spoke with The Gleaner, revealed that the pornography being circulated was that of a grade-10 student performing oral sex on an adult male.

The student, who reportedly recorded the sex act, sent it to her peers via Bluetooth.

The student said the lesbianism problem at the school was getting out of control with increasingly more public displays of affection, even in front of faculty members.

“The lesbians are just getting prime. They don’t really care,” the student said.

The student explained that a recent decision to move the grade-seven girls from a block that was in proximity to the grade-11 block was spawned by the fact that the upper-school girls were preying on the lower-school girls.

“When they are ready, they lock up the seven-grade bathroom and you can’t get in. When you open the door, it is fifth-form girls in there,” she said.

The senior student said some of the girls openly admit that they are lesbians and others say they are bisexual.

Use of force

Another student explained that some fifth-form students use force to sexually molest some first-formers and the situation is now of major concern at the institution.

“The older girls are having sex with the younger girls by force. It is not the first time it is happening. The lesbians them a go on bad,” she said.

A parent who said she was aware of the situation was quick to point out that the parents need to play their part.

“The practice is getting out of control but instead of labelling the students, persons should instead try to assist. The situation is a crisis at the school but it is really a testing of faith,” one parent said.

“We have to try to guide them at home. They can change, they just need our guidance,” she added.

The Gleaner spoke with a group of girls yesterday who appeared to be on lunch break. They too confirmed the reports of lesbianism at the institution.

Some of the girls said it was something that has been going on at the school for a long time.

“I know about it. I am not sure of the details but it is not something new. It has been going on for a long time and the girls are not giving it up,” one of the girls said.

Students scared

However, some students said they did not know about the activity while others seemed too scared to talk to the media as they would neither confirm nor deny the reports.

A parent said: “Come this morning, the solution was that they would take away all the BlackBerry phones because that is what they have been using to circulate the pornography.”

She added: “One parent said her daughter saw two girls making out in the bathroom.”

The parent also disclosed that the acting principal said the school could not take action against the girls’ activities without concrete evidence.

She said the acting principal gave a toll-free number for students and parents to call with information without revealing their identities.

“Really and truly, I don’t want my daughter to get lost in the system,” the parent said.

When The Gleaner contacted the acting principal for an official response, she declined to comment, claiming she was unaware of such a situation and that the meeting held on Wednesday was just a regular parent-teacher association meeting.

It had been reported last year that lesbianism was a growing challenge in the education system, especially at some all-girls institutions.

President of the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education, Dr Grace Kelly, had said the matter was significant and called for attention.