At
UN, Nigerian Minister Dodges Heat on His Mandate, Aid to Myanmar
Regime, Tax and Parking Tickets: on Auto Pilot
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, January 22 -- Nigerian Foreign Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe
brought a $1.5 million check for Haiti to the UN's Ban Ki-moon in New
York on Friday. Afterwards Inner City Press asked him about Nigeria's
previous bilateral grant of $500,000 to the military government in
Myanmar, months after Cyclone Nargis hit that country.
What
had changed
Nigeria's policy, and what follow up had there been on the Myanmar
regime's use of the $500,000? Video here, from Minute 6:22.
Ojo
Maduekwe said
the money had gone straight to Myanmar's government so as to be a
"speedy response." But it was months after the cyclone.
Here, Ojo Maduekwe here, the Secretary General made a flash appeal.
But that was also true in Myanmar. Click here for
Inner City Press' first, exclusive story.
Ojo
Maduekwe
said, "it's not that what we did last time was wrong, just that
we're improving."
Inner
City Press
asked if the Minister had spoken with his President at all during the
weeks he has been in Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. Video here,
from Minute 5:35. Ojo Maduekwe said no, he had not been able to
speak with the President, but he feels he is carrying out his
policies.
Later
on Friday, as
Inner City Press moderated a second session of Ojo Maduekwe with
reporters, Omoyele Sowore asked how Ojo Maduekwe could thus claim to
have a mandate, adding that he had supported Sani Abacha.
Ojo
Maduekwe
called the question disrespectful and said he would not answer it.
But see video here.
Inner City Press, as moderator, re-phased the question, and asked Ojo
Maduekwe to answer. He did, at length, arguing that while picked
by the President, he represents his region, and the Federal
Government of Nigeria.
Not
allowed was
this question: if Sudan's Omar al Bashir visited, who would decided
to enforce the International Criminal Court warrant or not?
Inner
City Press
asked Ojo Maduekwe if he had discussed with Ban Ki-moon the violence
at Jos, and the plight of Nigerians in the Bakassi Peninsula. Ojo
Maduekwe said that the crackdown in Jos showed that mediation by the
government is over, now it is about law, order and punishment.
UN's Ban and Ojo
Maduekwe, Myanmar and Bakassi follow up not shown
Citing
the
reported extra judicial execution of the leader of Boko Haram (No
Western Education), Inner City Press asked if any human rights
investigation had been done. "Same answer," Ojo Maduekwe
said, adding, "due process."
On Bakassi,
he praised
Cameroon's president's response and said he would be meetin with him
next week. But what about the UN's role? The question was asked
recently by the Press at a UN noon briefing, but never answered.
Footnote:
Inner City Press also asked Ojo Maduekwe about the back parking
tickets and real estate taxes the Nigerian Mission and diplomats in
New York own, click here
for Inner City Press' previous story.
Ojo
Maduekwe on camera said his Permanent Representative Ms. Joy Ogwu
would briefing him and Nigeria will "do what is right"
after "I take administrative action." Video here, from
Minute 8:41.
Later
on Monday he
called it an administrative matter and referred another reporter to
the Mission, where they channel the questions to their lawyer. What
was that again, about doing what is right? Watch this site.
In
front of the
Nigerian Misssion on Friday morning was a protest, of the "missing"
President. "If you see him, call 1-800," a toll free
number, one sign said. Next door on 44th and 2nd is a soup cart run
by Azim of Afghanistan, with tasty lamb and lentil soup for four
dollars, bread included. If Azim pays his taxes in the City of New
York, why can't Nigeria?
* * *
UN
Loses Focus on Darfur, Pushes to Silence Questions of it Climate
Change Role
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, January 20, updated
-- Darfur, which along with climate change used
to be called the UN's and Ban Ki-moon's top priorities, has fallen
further by the roadside.
Days ago, the UN's
own broadcaster in Sudan,
Miraya FM, reported that "the Sudan Liberation Movement
(SLM)-Abdul Wahid Nour Faction called on the United Nations/African
Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) to intervene and rescue civilians
from aerial bombings [by the] Sudan Armed Forces in Kutum, North
Darfur."
At
UN headquarters
in New York, Mr. Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky has for the past week
resisted in noon briefings taking any questions except about Haiti,
telling Inner City Press "today I'm sticking to Haiti." So
Inner City Press asked UN top peacekeeper Alain Leroy about the
Darfur report, at the end of a briefing on Haiti on January 18, but
has yet to receive any answer.
On
January 20, Mr.
Nesirky said he would at last take non Haiti question. Inner City
Press asked about Darfur and climate change (but was cut off from
asking if the UN is doing anything about the 400 killed and 4000
displaced in ethnic and religious clashes in Jos, Nigeria. Ironically, subsequent to this cut-off,
the UN Secretariat prepared, approved and issued a canned statement on
Nigeria, here.)
Of
the Darfur
report, by the UN's own radio station and on its ReliefWeb.int,
Nesirky said he hasn't heard of it. On climate change, when Inner
City Press asked about a quote
in the UK Guardian by top US climate
negotiator Jonathan Pershing that it is "impossible to imagine a
negotiation of enormous complexity where you have a table of 192
countries involved in all the detail."
Nesirky
responded
that Mr. Ban had seen the Guardian interview, and that Pership had
been contacted and said he was misquoted. The Guardian, however, has
not run any correction, and it is unclear if Pershing or the UN has
requested one.
Inner
City Press
would have asked, but Nesirky insisted that no further questions
could be asked at the briefing. (He said it could be asked
afterwards, but as noted he has left unanswered for weeks numerous
questions Inner City Press has emailed to him, and even some asked
during the briefings this year.)
Press and UN's Nesirky, watching TV, Miraya FM and
Darfur not shown
Inner
City Press
would also have asked, on Sudan, about the death sentences just
imposed on JEM rebels for the attack on Omdurman, on the "sacking"
of numerous governors in the run up to an election the UN said it
cared about, as well as other questions -- but Mr. Nesirky permitted
no more questions, even after a week.
Since
the UN says
it was able to procure a statement by Pershing that his seemingly
anti-UN statement was misquoted, one wonders if the UN saw one of its
Darfur experts on Al Jazeera last week, calling "extremist"
those who say that Omar al Bashir should actually being put on trial
in The Hague, where he has been indicted. Is that now UN policy? Or
is the UN just not paying attention? Watch this site.
Update
of Jan 20, 6 p.m. -- better late than never, two days after
asking,
then after a second ask, this was provided:
Subj:
Re: Follow-up on your questions
From:
DPKO at UN.org
To:
Inner City Press
Sent:
1/20/2010 5:51:16 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Matthew
- Here
is information from DPKO concerning Darfur:
Following
reports
of fighting between GoS forces and SLA/AW fighters around Insuru area
on 16 January, UNAMID team conducted a security assessment patrol to
the area on 17 January. The team visited the scene of attack at
Furoge village (40km northwest of Kutum) and interacted with the
SLA/AW commanders and locals who reported that on 16 January, at
about 12:00 hours, GoS military supported by Arab Militia from Dowa
(13km northwest of Kutum) and Birmaza (53km northwest of Kutum)
launched an attack at Furoge market area. During the attack, 15
locals were reported killed and 20 others injured. On 18 January,
UNAMID Team Site in Kutum carried out humanitarian assistance in the
area and offered medical treatment to critically injured patients at
Furuge Clinic. The team site also plans to supply water to residents
of Furuge.
We'll
have more on this, watch this site.
, 
