My latest book “Maxims of Political Leadership” is ready for the prime-time

Anthony Obi Ogbo

This book unleashes thoughts and reflections on issues in management and contemporary leadership. But before you ask, please note that this book is not about metaphors neither is it a research study on maxims. Whereas phrases and paragraphs are riddled with tropes of structural leadership realities, the entire content remains a deconstruction of comprehensible management tools, conceptual theories, and conventional MAXIMS relevant to the actions of POLITICAL LEADERSHIP and organizational change management.

In unraveling the ontological meaning, interpretation, and application of leadership, I provide remedies to the disparaging afflictions of leading beyond the conjectural boundaries of organizing people, their hopes, and aspirations. In this book, I explained the process of leading and managing, and offered substantial clues on how leader or managers could harness their resources and translate their communal crisis into a plantation of economic possibilities. My tone was most philosophical. For instance, in a shear reversal, rather than ask or explain what leadership is or should be, my approach came from a backmost standpoint by asking and conveying what leadership is not and should not be. At some point, I appeared sarcastic, but delivered the conviction, that “if he talks like Robert Mugabe; tweets like Donald Trump; or parades the ruthless disposition of Kim Jong-un, it is definitely NOT Leadership.”

I explained the process of leading and managing, and offered substantial clues on how leader or managers could harness their resources and translate their communal crisis into a plantation of economic possibilities.

I took the managerial actions of innovation seriously and raised effective measurable concepts to convey fundamental actions of technology innovation management. I flaunted the change management process and explained substantial actions that would directly influence employee-behavior toward this cause. I presented actions of technology integration for performance efficacy and offered considerable innovation process measurement tools that would ultimately enable managers to monitor, control, and improve system performance at all production levels. The emphasis was clear, that effective innovation process must not just be measurable, but also have the propensity to move theories into creativity; convert ideas into outputs; and transform opportunities into merchantable results.

I presented actions of technology integration for performance efficacy and offered considerable innovation process measurement tools that would ultimately enable managers to monitor, control, and improve system performance at all production levels.

Another interesting chapter in this book was a philosophical revelation of the cradle of workforce emotional management actions. Of course, a regulation of employee emotions is paramount to creating a decent workplace structure – thus, in organizational leadership, complexities of decision-making engagements in managing could activate a negative attitude among subordinates. My argument is that good pay raise and other reward schemes could boost optimism among employees, but a lack of positive attitude in addressing management matters might devastatingly deface employee emotional comportment. I presented insights about identifying and mitigating such negative challenges through a constructive approach to employee supervision. I offered effective cognitive tools capable of alleviating nonsensical workplace conditions and transforming them into useful supervision possibilities and values. Then I dissected the psychological significance of how positive attitude could empower employees with hope and aspiration; promote organizational trust, and foster optimism, satisfaction, loyalty, and sense of responsibility in the production system.

I dissected the psychological significance of how positive attitude could empower employees with hope and aspiration; promote organizational trust, and foster optimism, satisfaction, loyalty, and sense of responsibility in the production system.

All through this book, constructive MAXIMS of political leadership were presented, and in specific cases explained. For instance, I noted that there were indeed “Three political parties in the United States; Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the Supreme Court.” It is simply a maxim expressing how in the United States, the Supreme Court is fragmented into the liberals and conservative ideological spheres, which in critical cases, forces Judges to favor litigants from their own sociopolitical fraternity. The increasingly partisan nature of the Supreme Court nomination and confirmation process is evidential – that this sector is now structured to reflect party-ideological partisanship tied to political considerations and interests.

The overall content of this book specifically reveal a body of theories, thoughts, and phrases confronting head-on, substantial difficulties of organizational management and authority. This book will hit the stands in November 2018.

■ Dr. Ogbo, author of Influence of Leadership, is the Publisher of Houston-based International Guardian News. Contact Dr. Ogbo >>>

White parents with black babysitter who was reported by stranger say police visit ‘scared’ their kids

A white couple whose black babysitter was followed by a white woman and questioned by police said they were in disbelief about the incident.

David Parker and Dana Mango of suburban Atlanta told “Good Morning America” on Wednesday that an officer called them Sunday to verify that Corey Lewis, the family’s longtime friend and babysitter, had been given permission to care for their children that day.

“We were at dinner, and I saw that Mr. Lewis had called,” Mango said. “I called back and a police officer answered the phone. The police officer was trying to explain that he was there with my kids and that they were OK, but he wanted to confirm that I had given permission to Mr. Lewis to be with them.”

“It truly took me several minutes to believe that it was real. I was just in a state of disbelief,” Mango said.

The saga began when Lewis was out with the family’s 6- and 10-year-old children on Sunday, and an unidentified white woman approached them in a Walmart parking lot.

“She pulled up to my vehicle and asked if the kids were all right,” said Lewis, who joined Parker and Mango toward the end of the “GMA” interview. “I responded with, ‘Why wouldn’t they be?'”

“She then said, ‘Things look weird,’ and then she drove off,” Lewis said. After he left, he said he realized that she was following them.

After Lewis and the children arrived home, a police officer came in response to the woman’s call to 911. That was when the officer called Parker and Mango.

PHOTO: Corey Lewis discusses racial profiling in an interview on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. (ABC News) “The officer was actually apologetic,” Mango told “GMA”. “I think he was embarrassed. He saw what was happening pretty quickly, and after he spoke to me and confirmed that everything was all right, he let them go.”

The mother said her children, Addison and Nicholas, were frightened for Lewis when the officer questioned him.

“They said they were scared that they would say the wrong thing and cause him to get arrested,” Mango said, adding that her children love Lewis like a member of the family.

PHOTO: David Parker, Corey Lewis and Dana Mango (from right to left) discuss racial profiling in an interview on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. (ABC News) “After this ordeal on Sunday night the first thing the kids asked was, ‘When can he come babysit us again,'” Mango said.

She said Lewis has for two years picked up her son from school every day and babysat until the parents are off work. Lewis “had to go to a wedding for a week, and every day Nicholas asked when he was coming back,” Mango said.

♦Culled from the ABC News

Trump supporter calls 911 on black Lyft driver for not turning on the radio

Passenger Robert Ortiz of New York City was filmed harassing his Lyft driver, Shawn Pepas Lettman. (Screengrab: YouTube/Shawn Pepas Lettman)

A Trump supporter who berated his Lyft driver with the N word has been fired from his job after a video of the harassment went viral.

Lyft driver Shawn Pepas Lettman of Brooklyn, N.Y., calmly filmed the 16-minute tirade by passenger Robert Ortiz and his two friends, who called the New York City police after Lettman refused to turn on the radio. “I feel racially profiled … because I’m not black,” Ortiz tells the 911 operator. He later adds, “If this guy does anything to threaten my life, I have to defend myself. … I’m a little fearful.”

The passenger then gets on the phone with Lyft. “Maybe because I’m not black … I was charged $8.01 for just asking for music,” says Ortiz, while threatening to file a lawsuit against the ridesharing company.

“I came out of a gay club and your driver is racist against gay people,” Ortiz rants, adding, “I know my legal rights as an American citizen that voted for Trump…” Ortiz also calls the Lyft operator, “a piece of s***.”

In another video call to a friend, Ortiz uses the N word multiple times to describe Lettman.

Ortiz also accuses Lettman of illegally filming him and says, “So, I’m going to make sure, while you’re recording this, that you never have a job as a Lyft driver again.” When Lettman finally speaks, he points to a sign in his car that states passengers will be recorded, to which Ortiz threatens to “make your night a living hell.”

Ortiz adds, “All that Black Lives Matter is bulls***.” He calls the police again while refusing to leave the car. “I bet you if I was black — and Black Lives Matter,” he spits, “he would have put the music on. F*** Black Lives Matter — every life matters … all I asked for was music.”

A representative from Lyft sent a statement:

“The behavior exhibited in the video is deeply concerning. Lyft is committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community and discriminatory behavior is unacceptable. We temporarily deactivated both passenger and driver accounts while we investigated the situation. After reviewing all sides, we reactivated Mr. Lettman’s account within hours and permanently disabled the passenger account. We have also reached out to Mr. Lettman to express our support.”

Anticipating a potential lawsuit from Ortiz, Lettman launched a GoFundMe page called “Insulted but not broken,” in which he wrote: “When my mother died she taught me a very important lesson, which was always useful but more now than ever. She taught patience, humble and calm will get you through anything. As a father of 2 my single means of providing for my wife and children is driving a rideshare, accommodating people from all walks of life. All of which I treat with the utmost respect, after all, I must provide for my family.” As of Thursday, he had raised nearly $26,000, well past the $20,000 goal.

Lettman also explained that after he stopped recording, he called the police in fear of his own safety. “I didn’t ask for this nor did I want this,” he wrote. “I know America is better than this and despite the hate we have to deal with from a few, my heart tells me, the world is mostly good.”

On Thursday, Ortiz’s former employer, CityMD, a medical clinic, wrote in a Facebook comment, “This is to confirm that this individual was terminated and is no longer employed by or affiliated with CityMD in any capacity.”

According to Instinct Magazine, because Ortiz shared his phone number with the 911 operator and it was recorded on video, he received so many harassing calls that he changed his number.

Lettman did not respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment, but in a Facebook Live video Saturday, he thanked his numerous supporters and said that no arrests were made that night.

He also addressed why he kept his cool during the attack — or as one GoFundMe supporter put it: “You, sir, have the patience of a saint.”

“I wanted to defuse the narrative that all black men are aggressive and violent,” Lettman said. “Some of us we are actually capable of performing in an intelligent setting… It’s not always worth it to use your fists.”

T.I. slams Kanye West over Trump meeting: ‘I’m ashamed to have ever been associated with you’

The rapper, who has become one of Trump’s highest-profile celebrity supporters, visited the White House, where his planned lunch meeting with the president, Jared Kushner and Ivanka, Kid Rock and Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown gave way to a meandering 10-minute monologue. After running up to hug Trump in the Oval Office in his “Make America Great Again” cap, West told reporters that wearing it made him “feel like Superman” and reiterated his claim that he had been pressured not to wear it, as he said during his recent appearance on the season opener of “Saturday Night Live.”

Lots of people had strong reactions to Kanye West’s comments praising President Donald Trump during their White House meeting on Thursday.

And then there’s T.I.

The Atlanta rapper, who collaborated with ‘Ye on the 2006 track “Swagga Like Us,” publicly unfriended West in an NSFW Instagram post.

“At one time it was a pleasure to work alongside you… now, I’m ashamed to have ever been associated with you,” he wrote. “I’ve reached my limits. This is my stop, I’m officially DONE!!!!”

Maybe the plan was for a brief photo-op with rapper Kanye West and former NFL great Jim Brown to meet with President Donald Trump, before a lunch to talk about policies concerning blacks in America, but Kanye has an audience so… We show you Kanye from all angles in the Oval Office on Oct. 11, 2018.

T.I. prefaced his essay by saying, “Now I’ve been extremely patient and made it a point to not jump to any premature conclusions about Ye’ & his antics,” adding that he’d mishandled similar incidents involving his brother. “But now this (expletive) is next level, futuristic Sambo, Hopping Bob, Stephen off Django (expletive)…Ye!!!!”

The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., revealed he’d turned down West’s invitation to join him at the White House and called the meeting the “most repulsive, disgraceful, embarrassing act of desperation & auctioning off of one’s soul to gain power I’ve ever seen.” (Had he gone and West had behaved that “spinelessly,” T.I. said he would have felt “compelled to slap the (expletive) out of you, bro – for the people!”)

After accusing West of “bootlicking on a whole new level,” he declared, “I refuse to associate myself with something so vile, weak,& inconsiderate to the effect this has on the greater good of ALL OUR PEOPLE!!!!”

Next he addressed Kanye fans: “To all the people who follow Ye musically, socially, or even personally….who are confused, heartbroken, infuriated…. Let me make this clear… THIS (expletive) AINT COOL!!!”

The bottom line: “WE ARE NOT ON HIS MIND AS HE MAKES THESE COMMENTS AND DECISIONS. Don’t follow this puppet.”

Before dropping the mic, T.I. declared, “As long as I’ve lived I’ve learned that it benefits a man nothing at all to gain the world, if to do so, he must lose his soul. We just saw Mr.West’s soul on auction. If you listen closely you can hear the tears of our ancestors hit the floor.”

Sustaining the Nigerian Police Force with system innovation and upgrade

Information Technology in any organization is the key to day-to-day activities. It does not just enhance communication which is a vital arm of any organization, but it also gives them the ability to develop and carry their duties most effectively. A computerized system in the Nigerian Police Force would easily enable the sector to record and track activities as well as criminals, this is apart of the new national police check scheme being implemented. These are a few out of major problems the Nigerian Police are yet to tackle. In their current state, a lot of criminals after being screened during arrests have been allowed to go back to the streets for lack of incriminating evidences. They are not being tracked nor kept on surveillance, and such lapses further confound safety issues in the community. An effective IT system allows the police to keep records/ data and locations of notorious criminals or ex-convicts; as well as keep them under surveillance. In a typical system equipped with effective IT tools, a lot of criminals could be apprehended just by intense surveillance.

Another important aspect of the IT system in the Nigerian Police is effective communication. The Nigerian Police at this time must have a National Emergency number that actually functions. This number could be connected to the police switch box with 24-hour live operators. The operators would then connect to the field response team and officers. Additionally, another level of this transformation process would be the upgrade of police cars. Every police car in order to function very well must be equipped with the necessary technology for rapid response to crime. These would include a direct connection to the system switch board alerting them of emergency calls and locations. Furthermore, these vehicles must be equipped with computer units to check motorists, monitor speeds, and navigate locations. It would also put road users on check about compliance.

Walkie-talkie communication devise and other system units in police cars are highly recommended. Such communication gadgets would enhance effective tracking of various culprits of different crimes, either during police chase; information processing, or messaging. It is also beneficial when institutions and individuals donate vehicles to the Nigerian Police. However, these vehicles must be customized with the latest technology, to enable users perform different security tasks. Other issues that are important to innovation in the Nigerian Police are; nature of police stations, training, academy, and welfare.

Lots of pathetic pictures in the social media of police stations across the country are most terrifying. The Police Stations in Nigeria today are below standard. But every police station should be highly computerized and equipped with the latest communication devises, including closed- circuit television (CCTV) and other modern gadgets. The system must be connected to a national police number with an area code so that they could be activated once a crime is being committed within their jurisdiction. It is widely assumed that nothing works in Nigeria but this is a wrong perception. Nigeria can actually make things work as concerned citizens and with the right people in office. Also, the issue of the Nigerian Police being underfunded must also be addressed in order to fully rehabilitate this department. Every police station should be a model. As Nigeria upgrades these various aspects of her police, she must also deal with the most important aspect which is the training of officers.

Nigerian Police Force should be commended for doing so much in the midst of so little. Even with surmounting issues, they have been able to capture the worst of criminals, suppress disturbances, and coordinate a chain of information leading to unveiling of some heinous crimes within the society

With the upgrade, comes a need for the training of the different caliber of the police. This would apply to every personnel in all the units. These training could come at different levels; from the officer who receives calls to the one in the operating room. It must also extend to the behavioral aspect of the personnel management. Every officer is first a human-being with personal issues, so they have to be trained to separate these issues from their individual tasks. The realization of what the police is all about should make officers passionate about their work. The training could either be done overseas or in Nigeria, based on the capacity. There are various consultants and facilitators who are professionals in this and could bring the training to their doorsteps. However, there are other training levels which absolutely might require that the trainees travel abroad because of the magnitude of equipment or technologies needed. In all, it is highly advised that the police be trained periodically and their equipment be upgraded at various aspects of their job execution.

The issue of police training schools must also be addressed. In Nigeria, a general overhaul of the police academy would be recommended. Their training institutions must be up to standard at all levels. The hostels, food, equipment, and amenities must be provided with high quality. The Trainees/recruits must be in good shape and the health department must be well equipped. Qualified trainers and instructors must be used to ensure quality education. All these are achievable and could make the Nigerian Police the best in the continent, and also enable them to compete with their global counterparts.

Furthermore, the issue of police welfare has been one that no government has been able to solve. It has created a lot of controversies in the past and so many individuals have offered different views and solutions. However, one of the best ways to create good employee motivation is through welfare. It was once said that bankers spend so much time at work but hardly complain. This might be because their welfare package is quite commendable. Meanwhile, the ones who are meant to be protecting the people and ensuring peace and safety are the worst paid and less maintained. Nigerians have seen and felt disgusted at the sight of various police accommodations in the country popularly known as “Barracks.” These buildings are so dilapidated that one wonders how safe they are with children living in them. But these are where men and women of the police go back to after hard days’ work. Such condition is unacceptable. These facilities could be renovated. Furthermore, officers should be given accommodation packages to assist them in getting better homes.

When one sees a policeman abroad, they are filled with a sense of awe and pride at their dressing and general composure. These men and women are always neatly dressed, polite and well behaved at all times. They are equally trained and prepared to fight crime. A good look at Nigerian police officers on the street reveals despair, a sense of lack of passion and frustration. This cuts across to their attitude, which is often aggressive outbursts and errors of fatal accidental trigger discharges. Such mishaps from supposedly trained officers are a complete joke. Nigeria cannot allow this to be the picture of her Police Force. It has to be reformed.

Furthermore, the salary of the average policeman is so meager that it cannot even afford them the worst kind of livelihood. In fact, the widespread bribery and corruption among the officers have been blamed on poor salaries and benefits. No matter how much people stress on the issue of corruption, if Nigeria do not improve the welfare package of their police, there would certainly be no headway in that discussion. As a country, Nigeria must make sure that those entrusted with protecting lives and properties must be well taken care of at all levels. It is not just the top officers, but also the very least ones armed to go after criminals.

Finally, the Nigerian Police Force should be commended for doing so much in the midst of so little. Even with surmounting issues, they have been able to capture the worst of criminals, suppress disturbances, and coordinate a chain of information leading to unveiling of some heinous crimes within the society. All these can be improved on with much greater and lasting results. Once aforementioned recommendations are put in place, Nigeria would be on the way to having the best Police Force in Africa and indeed the world.

? Princess Pamela Uloma Adikwu is the former editor of the African Dame. She is affiliated with writers at the Center for Research, Information Management and Media Development (CRIMMD).

In Nigeria, Plans for the World’s Largest Refinery

On any given weekday, commuters in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, are snarled in traffic for hours.

Container trucks and tankers take up several lanes of traffic on the major thoroughfares close to the city’s ports. Often these trucks have been parked on the highways overnight.

Cars and minivans snake along the remaining single lane, sharing it with pedestrians fighting off early-morning road rage as they slowly make their way from one end of the city to another. There is a palpable fear of accidents, or a spill. Much of Lagos is an environmental disaster waiting to happen.

It is here in this vibrant metropolis of 21 million people that Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, is undertaking his most audacious gamble yet. Mr. Dangote is building a $12 billion oil refinery on 6,180 acres of swampland that, if successful,— could transform Nigeria’s corrupt and underperforming petroleum industry. It is an entrenched system that some say has contributed to millions languishing in poverty and bled the “giant of Africa’’ for decades.

Planned as the world’s largest refinery, Mr. Dangote’s project is set in a free-trade zone between the Atlantic Ocean and the Lekki Lagoon, an hour outside the city center. The site employs thousands, and upon completion — Mr. Dangote says in 2020; some analysts suggest more likely in 2022 — should process 650,000 barrels of crude oil daily.

That’s enough oil to supply gasoline and kerosene to all 190 million Nigerians and still have plenty to export. By the end of this year, the facility is expected to churn out three million tons of fertilizer. The production of diesel, aviation fuel and plastics will then follow.

“The construction site is already a huge beehive of activities, with workers, local and foreign, hard at work. It is going to be the largest manufacturing plant of any sort in Lagos,” said Kayode Ogunbunmi, the publisher of City Voice, a Lagos daily newspaper and lifelong Lagos resident.

Indeed, some 7,000 employees are working around the clock on the site, many arriving by private ferry from the city center. Another 900 Nigerian engineers and technicians are being trained abroad for jobs at the refinery. Mr. Dangote, whose net worth is estimated at $11.2 billion, has had to build a port, jetty and roads to accommodate this project, along with new energy plants to power it all.

Nigeria’s government, despite being a longtime crude oil exporter, has four underperforming and frequently broken down refineries with a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels daily. Those refineries — two in the oil hub of Port Harcourt, one in Warri in the Niger Delta, and the other in the northern city of Kaduna — are all operating at less than 50 percent of capacity.

Which means that even though Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer, petroleum for everyday use must be imported. This has spawned fuel importers and diesel traders who have grown extremely wealthy. Nigeria’s government subsidizes fuel imports to keep pump prices low, and this has contributed to Nigeria’s well-documented culture of petroleum industry corruption.

When Mr. Dangote initially unveiled his refinery plans in 2016, he said its aim was to challenge the status quo, which had seen the government spend about $5.8 billion to import petroleum products over the past year.

“The failure to produce refined products over the last 25 years has created a huge architecture of graft and corruption around everything,” said Antony Goldman, the co-founder of the London-based Nigeria specialists ProMedia Consulting.

Mr. Goldman does political risk analysis in West Africa and has been working in and out of Nigeria for two decades. Corruption, he explained, stems from illegal refineries and the local criminal network that helps transport illegal crude out of the country. Both elements, he said, have not been sufficiently challenged by the government or law enforcement agencies, which has further contributed to Nigeria’s entrenched oil industry corruption.

“A refinery that actually works and can meet Nigeria’s refined product requirement? It’s a game changer,” Mr. Goldman added. But change, no matter how positive, is potentially destabilizing. “These are not people who relinquish things without a fight,” Mr. Goldman said of Nigeria’s fuel import merchants.

When Mr. Dangote initially unveiled his refinery plans in 2016, he said its aim was to challenge the status quo, which had seen the government spend about $5.8 billion to import petroleum products over the past year.

“This refinery is attacking the entire system,” he said. “You export jobs and create poverty here, so that’s what we are stopping,” he told reporters at the time.

Despite creating thousands of jobs, Mr. Dangote’s refinery hasn’t been universally applauded in Nigeria. The biggest issue is its Lagos location: The refinery is being built hundreds of miles from the impoverished Niger Delta, where the bulk of Nigeria’s oil is extracted.

Two undersea pipelines are under construction in the Delta and will carry petroleum about 340 miles to the refinery in Lagos.

The pipelines will be costly; but also far harder to sabotage than conventional aboveground systems. And security is key in the Delta region, where local rebel groups like the Delta Avengers have kidnapped foreign oil workers and blown up pipelines to protest regional pollution and poverty.

Amid Nigeria’s complex regional tensions, Mr. Dangote — a northerner by birth and Lagosian by decades of residence — is the one person, industry experts say, who could achieve a measure of détente in the region.

Yet critics — and Mr. Dangote has many — worry that his new refinery will allow him to essentially take over the Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Why would a nation leave an entire industry in the hands of one company? they ask.

The “monopoly” question has swirled around Mr. Dangote for decades. Twice divorced and currently (and vocally) looking for a third wife, Mr. Dangote made his initial fortune operating near-monopolies in cement, flour and commodities across Nigeria, where regulatory oversight is relatively lax. Mr. Dangote’s companies, including pasta producers and property management, are found across Africa.

A decade ago, Mr. Dangote and other private investors tried and failed to buy the government-owned refineries. He was unavailable for comment, but previously told Reuters he does not apologize for his expansionist desires. “If you don’t have ambition,” he said, “you shouldn’t be alive.”

And for some in a tough business environment like Nigeria, a well-run monopoly is better than the current situation, where getting fuel remains an uncertainty. Indeed, despite oligarchy concerns, Mr. Goldman says he believes that Mr. Dangote’s past success actually bodes well for the refinery and Nigeria. “He has a record of success and delivery, and he doesn’t make mistakes on things like this,” Mr. Goldman said.

And Nigerians are tired of power cuts and overpriced gasoline.

“Most Nigerians see Aliko as a doer,” Mr. Ogunbunmi, the publisher, said. “Many quietly hope the refinery will help reduce uncertainties. Gasoline will be available, and possibly power.”

Beyond solidifying his own legacy, Mr. Dangote hopes his refinery will help diversify Nigeria’s economy while reducing its dependence on imported oil.

“We have other opportunities,” he said at the plant’s unveiling. “Agriculture is there. Petrochemicals are there, Nigeria has more arable land than China. If we finish our gas pipeline, it can generate 12,000 megahertz of power. That’s huge. That’s more than what we are looking for in Nigeria and we can supply the rest of West Africa.”

As his refinery nears completion, Mr. Dangote says he will soon focus on his next dream, owning Britain’s Arsenal football team. “Once I have finished with that headache, I will take on football,” he said. “I love Arsenal, and I will definitely go for it.”

______________________

Culled from the New York Times.

Edozien is the author of the book “Lives of Great Men,” a 2018 Lambda Literary Award winner and is director of the Reporting Africa program at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

Enough of Trump – Nikki Haley Resigns as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, has resigned in a high-profile departure of one of the few women in the president’s cabinet.

Ms. Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, had been an early and frequent critic of Mr. Trump, so when he named her the envoy to the world body weeks after his election in November 2016, the appointment was seen as an olive branch.

The daughter of immigrants from India, Ms. Haley favored free markets and global trade and earned international attention for speaking out against the Confederate battle flag in the aftermath of the 2015 massacre at a black church in Charleston. During Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, she sharply criticized his demeanor and warned what it might mean for American diplomacy — even suggesting that his tendency to lash out at critics could cause a world war.

As ambassador, Ms. Haley was an outspoken and often forceful envoy — someone whom foreign diplomats looked to for guidance from an administration known for haphazard and inconsistent policy positions. She was quick to voice her own opinions on the big policy issues that are high on her agenda, like Iran and North Korea.

Ms. Haley acknowledged her policy disagreements with the president in an op-ed in the Washington Post last month when she criticized an anonymous senior administration official who penned an opinion piece in The New York Times, describing a chaotic administration in which many of the president’s aides disagreed with their boss.

“I don’t agree with the president on everything,” Ms. Haley wrote. “When there is disagreement, there is a right way and a wrong way to address it. I pick up the phone and call him or meet with him in person.”

Ms. Haley also collided with the national security adviser, John R. Bolton, after she announced that Mr. Trump would lead a session of the United Nations Security Council devoted entirely to Iran. After European officials protested that this would showcase divisions in the West because of Mr. Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the White House broadened the theme to countering weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Bolton did not criticize Ms. Haley. But as a former ambassador to the United Nations, he drove the decision to shift the agenda. White House officials noted that under United Nations rules, Iran would have been entitled to send its president to the meeting — setting up the awkward possibility that Mr. Trump would have sat across a table from Iran’s leader.

Melania Trump Slammed for Visiting Kenya Wearing a Hat Commonly Associated with Colonialism

First Lady Melania Trump is catching heat yet again over her clothing choice.

Last Friday, while visiting a safari in Nairobi National Park in Kenya — a stop on her first solo trip to Africa — FLOTUS was photographed wearing a white pith helmet, a hat most commonly associated with colonialists.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, European military personnel often wore pith helmets as they sought out colonies in Africa and Asia. The hats remained popular with those who moved to colonized countries and are seen by many as symbolic of the oppression of colonization.

Shortly after the sighting, several people called Melania out on Twitter. “Melania Trump wearing a pith helmet on her trip to ‘Africa’ is more than a silly sartorial choice. It’s a reflection of her outdated understanding of Africa,” Kim Yi Dionne, a political-science professor who specializes in African politics at the University of California, Riverside wrote.

“Also, she was photographed in safari attire multiple times on this trip,” Dionne added.

Matt Carotenuto, a historian and coordinator of African Studies at St. Lawrence University wrote, “Melania completes the stereotype trifecta– elephants, orphans and even the pith helmet.”

FLOTUS’ accessory of choice came just one day after she was greeted in Malawi with a crowd of protestors, including two carrying a sign that read: “Welcome to Malawi #NOTAS—HOLE!,” according to the Associated Press.

The hashtag was a reference to her husband Donald Trump’s remarks in January in which he reportedly referred to some African nations, along with Haiti and El Salvador, as “s—hole countries.”

Malawi was the first lady’s second stop on her four-nation tour of Africa.

While there, she reportedly toured outdoor classrooms at Chipala Primary School in Lilongwe, before giving remarks as the U.S. ambassador passed out 1.4 million books paid for through a national reading program funded by the U.S.

“I wanted to be here to see the successful programs that [the] United States is providing the children and thank you for everything you’ve done,” Melania said.

The first lady arrived in Ghana on Tuesday and stayed in the capital city of Accra, where she met over tea with Ghana’s first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, at the presidential palace.

On Wednesday, she visited Cape Coast Castle, a former slave holding fort on Ghana’s coast.

After Kenya, FLOTUS will travel to Egypt before returning to Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

In June, Melania ruffled feathers once more when she visited McAllen, Texas, to visit migrant children who were separated from their parents as they were held at detention centers on the Mexico-U.S. border. For the trip, FLOTUS wore a green Zara jacket featuring the words “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?”\\

After many slammed the First Lady for being insensitive, her communications director, Stephanie Grisham came to her defense. “It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message,” Grisham said in a statement. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe (Much like her high heels last year).”

George W. Bush’s Daughter, Barbara Bush, Just Got Married in a Secret Ceremony

Surprise! It turns out Barbara Bush got married in a small, secret wedding by the seaside over the weekend. According to a report from People, the former First Daughter and her fiancé, Craig Coyne, tied the knot at the Bush summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, in what she described as a “very short, sweet ceremony” attended by only 20 people. The guests included former President George W. Bush, former First Lady Laura Bush, former President George H.W. Bush, and other family members from the bride’s and groom’s sides.

Bush’s father walked her down the aisle, while her aunt, Dorothy Bush Koch, served as officiant, People reported. Her twin sister, Jenna Bush Hager, was matron of honor, while the roster of flower girls consisted of Hager’s daughters, Margaret and Poppy—who was also the ring bearer—and Coyne’s niece Emma. Laura Bush also did a reading.

Meanwhile, Coyne’s brother, Edward, was the best man, while his mother, Darlene, and sister, Katie, each read as well.

Former first daughter Barbara Bush marries Craig Coyne. Picture: Paul Morse Photography

The bride, who wore a custom Vera Wang wedding dress, according to a press release from the bridal label, featuring ivory silk crepe, spaghetti straps, and a cowl draped neckline. Bush completed the look with an Italian tulle floor-length cape and a floor-length Italian tulle veil. She also incorporated a memento from her late grandmother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who passed away earlier this year, as reported by People. “It’s really sweet,” Bush said. “The ‘something borrowed’ that I’m wearing is this bracelet that my grandfather gave to my grandmother on their 70th anniversary.”

According to People, the surprise nuptials are the first time Bush and Coyne have gone public with their relationship. The couple revealed that they got married after a five-week engagement, and have been an official couple since New Year’s Eve, after meeting during a blind date orchestrated by their friends last November. Bush told the magazine that Coyne proposed in Kennebunkport over the summer, in the same spot where George H.W. Bush had proposed to Barbara Bush 75 years prior.

“It’s just been a very sweet romance,” Bush told People. “And we’ve been long-distance for most of it — he’s been in L.A. and I’ve been in New York — but we’ve gotten to spend a lot of time together.”

♦ Culled from Glamour

Politics Serena Williams’ Husband Calls Out ‘Bulls**t’ Double Standard Between His Wife and Brett Kavanaugh

Alexis Ohanian is defending his wife, Serena Williams.

On Sunday, Ohanian responded to Deborah Barros, a candidate for Alabama State Senate, who tweeted about the criticism Williams got after responding emotionally to an umpire’s calls against her at the U.S. Open last month, compared to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s recent fiery testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.

“Funny how a black female tennis player is held to a higher standard to keep her emotions in check than a Supreme Court nominee,” Barros wrote, to which Ohanian responded, “It’s not funny, it’s bulls**t.”

“Beta Brett:⁰+ Played the “father card” + Cried & screamed + Insulted everyone’s intelligence with lies about the definitions of phrases anyone with Google could debunk + Argued hysterically with sitting Senators, even going so far as to threaten them,” he continued.

Ohanian also brought up the controversial cartoon of Williams published by The Herald Sun shortly after she lost the U.S. Open — which many have deemed racist — once again calling out editor Damon Johnston.

“If you’re going to be a Supreme Court Justice — a job that requires maintaining sober judgement — it shouldn’t matter what questions you have to answer in your job interview, you keep it together,” the Reddit co-founder tweeted. “I look forward to the cartoon @damonheraldsun puts on the front page about it.”

On Saturday, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice in a 50-48 vote. The confirmation came after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual and physical assault stemming from an alleged incident in the 1980s during their high school years. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations.

Meanwhile, in September, Williams lost the U.S. Open to Japan’s Naomi Osaka, but the game was interrupted by several issues between the tennis superstar and tournament officials, as umpire Carlos Ramos handed Williams three penalties throughout the match. After the game, Williams shed tears as she talked about the penalties being sexist, and she was later fined $17,000 for the violations — $4,000 for a coaching violation, $3,000 for slamming her racket and $10,000 for “verbal abuse.”

But one thing we know is Ohanian always has Williams’ back. Watch the video below to see his intense faces while cheering his wife on at Wimbledon in July.