Mr Aaron Ringera, the corruption investigator.

Mr John Githongo, the mismanagement and corruption whistle-blmower on the run!

Aaron Ringera, former high court judge, now corruption chasser has been reported to have met with corruption and mis-management whitsle-blower Mr John Githongo.

The two are reported to have met during a conference in Guatemala, Latin America last Friday.

None of the men is willing to tell the press what transpired during their meeting.

The media, however, is of the opinion that Ringera was attempting to get a document on Anglo Leasing scandal signed by Githongo, a document the Attorney General would like included in the case file Ringera handed over to him a number of weeks back.

Self-exiled former Ethics and Governance Permanent Secretary travels alot from country to country holding paid lectures attended by big number of audience and his lectures are on corruption in Kenya.

His lectures provide him with a living and it is believed he makes a lot of money because he chooses lecturing to audience that have total hate directed to the Kibaki government. When he was in Norway on Kibaki government’s mission, before defecting to self-exile in the UK, he was paid large sums of money after his few days in the country.The international community can pay large sums of money to anyone who speaks to them on negative issues on African countries.

Africans in Norway have decided to force through their rights to be appointed to occupy senior positions in the government.

Many Africans vote for different parties in Norway. They have now discovered that they are being used as rubber-stamps by Norwegian politicians during their climb to the top of the political pyramid.

Many African people are well educated and many have held top positions in their countries before coming to Norway, either as refugees or immigrants.

Some of them could easily run ministries very well as Permanent Secretaries, (Statssekretærer), or senior departemental heads if the ruling coalition gave them the opportunity.

Africans will now ask the government to appoint at least one black person as a Permanent Secretary in any ministry the government may so decide.

Norway does not have assistant ministers. There is, however, no reason why a black man cannot be appointed to run a ministry as a minister.

The best suited job for an African is that of Minister for Development Aid, now held by Erik Solheim of the Socialist left Party. The job deals with foreign countries and most of the discussions and negotiations run in English. So an African with good knowledge of Norwegian and English would have no difficulties having this job.

Other possibilities are appointments as ambassadors. There is no question why an African living in Norway cannot be appointed ambassador, for example, to South Africa, Malawi or Gambia etc.

Africans that African Press has spoken to say “the time has come to be included in the running of the country, now that the African community has grown in number and therefore should be represented in decission making at the highest level. The Prime Minister and the King of Norway will  get a formal letter from Africans at the end of the month demanding to be considered for appointments.”

The Norwegian prime minister and the King should take the Africans seriously and consider the demand. The demand and eventual inclussion will help move the country ahead harmoniously.

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN.

africanpress@chello.no

 ……if so, what have you done for your country first, and then our continent, Africa?

A personal reasoning……………….

Black in Norway? Does that determine, you are from Africa? 

White! Are you really white? And if you believe so, then where are from?

Yes, you might answer either from Norway, Germany, Sweden etc. We have been fooled psychologically over the years into thinking we are smaller and less fortunate.

We get characterised by small pictures, even the mapping being scalled to be very small in order to pin us down.

And it is only the black African that can change all these and enlighten the world about who we really are. And when I say black African, I mean you and me are the one to start the change.

Does this sound familiar?
Carl is from Sweden.
Peter is from Great Britain.
Carlos is from Chile.
Zhuhaib is from Pakistan.
Zangjie is from China.
Suleh is from north Africa or Morrocco, but, mfufu is from Africa?

The Asians specify where they come from. A black man or woman chooses to beat around the bush.

And this, we have accepted and learn about through the books and pictures we get in schools, pictures that potray us and Africa as underdog in comparison with others, be it people or countries.

It is we, the Africans, that must stop all these so that the thoughts by those who look down upon us and always consider us inferior to them be educated to respect and understand that mankind is equal in the eyes of the creator.

Africa is the second largest continent in the world. It covers 6% of the world, with a large population of over 900,000,000. It is second to Asia! 

If you ask an Asian where he comes from he says India, China, Vietnam etc, being specific and when you ask an “African” , in most cases you will get an answer: I am from Africa and then later a concrete answer may come, Gambia, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya… etc

Gambia is  one of the smallest countries in Africa and has almost nothing in common with other countries in East and Southern Africa except our colonial history and that we are black. Its like a Polish and a German both white as they say but culturally different, etc

Africa is actually 3 times bigger than Europe yet Europe has 11% of the worlds population. Africa 3 times bigger has 14% of world population. This just tells you that due to population increase and lack of space, in time Europeans will have to immigrate in search of space and they will not be moving to Asia, but most definitely Africa.

I think we as Africans should start thinking in terms of taking care of ourselves first, our families and countries, then the neighbour-liness and by so doing we will actually be taking care of the continent we all love.

Love your country, be direct, and proudly say the country you come from when asked instead of beating the bush. By so doing, we develop Africa, the continent we so dearly love. 

any comments?

By Ira Ndunda, African Press in Norway, APN.

africanpress@chello.no

The United Nations out-going Secretary General Kofi Annan is an African from Ghana married to a white Swedish woman. Not that we are are against it!

7th Secretary-General of the United Nations
In office January 1, 1997 – December 31, 2006

Kofi Annan being an African UN top man should have made Africa proud, yet we question his appointments in very senior positions like when he appoints his envoys to mission for him around the world. Not that we are against it!

Kofi Annan, although not Norwegian has appointed many Norwegians to be his envoys, appointments given to a small nation like Norway, simply because whenever he visited Norway, he was treated warmly and even taken skiing at the mountains of Norway. Not the we are against it!

Kofi Annan appointed the following to be his envoys from Norway, former permanent secretary Jan Egeland, former minister Terje Rød Larsen, former minister Thorvald Stoltenberg and lately the former prime minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. Four top positions for one country with a population of just a little over 4 million? Not that we are against it!

We are only asking questions.

Jan Egeland (born 1957) is the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Egeland was appointed in June 2003 by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and succeeded Kenzo Oshima. Born in Norway, he travels extensively, drawing attention to humanitarian emergencies.

Terje Roed-Larsen, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, addressing the Security Council.

Bondevik lost his job as prime minister when the coalition he was leading lost the elections. Annan gave him a job immediately.

Former Prime Minister Of Norway

When Bondevik was prime minister, he complained of depression and he was even send on sick leave by his doctor. He said at the time he was tired and had no energy to lead the country. Taking up a job as UN envoy definitely needs energy.

How many African former leaders have lost their jobs and Annan gave them one?

It is only that Kofi Annan should have given some positions to the continent of Africa, a continent that nominated him.

It is sad that a country is favoured this way by a Secretary General. We know Norway is clever to host their guests. They take them skiing, entertain them well and load them with gifts on their way travelling out of Norway.

If it was African country given many top positions like Norway got under Annan, European countries would have raised an alarm saying there may be corruption involved.

Gifts in Europe seems to be considered as “purely gifts”, whereas if the same happens in Africa, the Europeans immediately stamps it as corruption.

Now the end is coming for Annan at the UN. Africans must evaluate what he has done for them.

Do not forget that Sweden where his wife comes from also benefited when he appointed among others, Carl Bildt, former Swedish Prime Minister to be UN envoy for the former Yugoslavia. Bildt was recently appointed Minister in the new Swedish government. A report by Swedish media  a few weeks back has it that he is entangled in financial controversy that may not go well with his new ministerial position.

We also question one thing. Did Annan favour Norway by rewarding Norwegian leaders because Norway may have to paid more to the UN kitty? If it happened so, can it amount to indirect corruption?

By Korir, African Press in Norway, APN

africanpress@chello.no