Members Of G-L, Here is a quote that will probably set you thinking. Chinua Achebe,in his book The Trouble with Nigeria,wrote, " It is totally false to suggest,as we apt to do,that Nigerians are fundamentally different from any other peoplw in the world.Nigerians are corrupt because the system under which they live today makes corruption easy and profitable;they will cease to be corrupt when corruption is made difficult and inconvenient....The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian Character.There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else.The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responbility,to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership...... I am saying that Nigeria can change today if she discovers leaders who have the will,the ability and the vision."(Chinua Achebe,The Trouble with Nigeria{Oxford:Heinemann,1983}).See Also "This house has fallen:Nigeria in crisis by Karl Maier...Published by Penguin Books"Things have continued to fall apart.Ofcourse,focusing on leadership alone misses the point.As Ishola Williams,a liberal-minded retired Nigerian general who now works with the Berlin-based anti-corruption group Transparency International,notes " A leader does not come from heaven;he comes from a group of people.If the people are good followers,they will choose the right leader." Preface page xxvii. Again look at the story below and ask yourself the question again again what is wrong with Mother Africa? Wednesday, 27 March, 2002, 18:08 GMT Zambia's most expensive divorce Does Frederick Chiluba have a spare $2.5 billion? The ex-wife of former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba is claiming more than $2.5 billion - about three-quarters of the country's Gross Domestic Product - as part of a divorce settlement. Vera Chiluba, whose marriage of 33 years was annulled last year, is also claiming a share of the couple's concrete assets, which she says include six houses and a farm. In addition, she is demanding that Mr Chiluba hand over 400 cows cattle, sheep and goats. Vera Chiluba says her former husband can afford such a settlement and that she can prove it. The case is due to come to court in early June. The BBC's Richard Lee in Lusaka says few Zambians will believe that their former president accumulated such vast wealth during his decade in office. But our correspondent says the claim is likely once again to focus attention on whether Mr Chiluba should be stripped of his immunity as an ex-President, in order to answer allegations of corruption. Mr Chiluba left office last December, after failing to muster enough support to contest an unconstitutional third term as head of state. Earlier this month, a judge ordered him to stop using government-owned facilities and personnel. He had to give up his Mercedes, a number of other vehicles, the keys to a government-owned house, as well as security guards and domestic staff. With the very best of good wishes, Musa Amadu Pembo Glasgow, Scotland UK. [log in to unmask] Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about Islam and we should do our best to give the right message. May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise . We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions..Amen. _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~