Eritrea Profile_14012015

Vol. 21 No. 92
Wednesday,14th January, 2015
Pages 8, Price 1.50 NFA
Eritrean nationals residing in Israel contribute over USD 181
thousand to Martyrs Trust Fund
development programs under implementation inside the country,
according to reports.
Eritrean nationals residing in Israel have contributed a total of USD
181 thousand to the Martyrs Trust
Fund and patronize families of fallen heroes, according to reports from
the Ministry of Labor and Human
Welfare.
USD 5,350 out of the total sum
was donated by the Eritrean community members in Rehovote city,
the reports added.Commending the
prevailing culture of cooperation
in the Homeland, the nationals expressed readiness to enhance role in
government endeavors to support
needy citizens. Also in other related news, the
Ministry of Labor and Human Welfare indicated that Eritrean nationals
residing in Israel have contributed a
total of USD 18,025 to the Martyrs
Trust Fund and patronize families
of fallen heroes.
According to reports, USD 13,
375 has been donated in support
of martyrs’ families, while the remaining 4, 650 dollars to the Trust
Fund.
Commending the prevailing culture of cooperation in Eritrea, the
nationals reiterated readiness to
enhance role in Government endeavors towards supporting needy
citizens.
Farmers in Asmat sub-zone stated that their livestock are in good
condition thanks to the extensive
immunization campaign and the
necessary medical care rendered by
the Agriculture Ministry’s branch.
The inhabitants of Erota Administrative area indicated that
their livestock used to encounter
health problems and as a result
their product and number were not
satisfactory. They also expressed
satisfaction with the service being
rendered.
Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed-Ali, local inhabitant, said that most of the
livestock have been immunized,
and commended the enthusiasm
demonstrated by members of the
Agriculture Ministry’s branch in
the process.
Yasin Mohammed-Osman from
the Ministry’s branch office pointed out that the immunization has
taken place in 16 stations, and over
73 thousand livestock were immunized.
Hidri publishers and Awget distributers inaugurated a book on basic Tigrigna grammar and literature
written by Author Tek’e Tesfai, at
Emba Soyra Hotel on the 9th of January 2015.
Speaking on the occasion in which
senior Government and PFDJ officials, as well as invited guests took
part, Mr. Tek’e Tesfai, stated that the
26-chapter-book mainly focuses on
grammar and a number of other in-
gredients of the Tigrigna language.
A number of College instructors,
Hidri publishers, authors, journalists
and others put forth views in connection with the Tigrigna language
and grammar.
Eritrean-American civic organizations in Denver assert readiness to
serve with dedication in State affairs
Eritrean-American civic organizations in Denver, USA, have
asserted readiness to serve with
dedication in State affairs through
raising common understanding
and preserving the nation’s cultural values. They made the commitment at a workshop conducted
in the city of Denver, Colorado
last weekend. The work-shop was
attended by the PFDJ, YPFDJ,
NUEW and PFDJ-II in Denver.
Speaking on the occasion representing the Eritrean Embassy
in the US, Ms. Hadnet Keleta,
briefed the participants on the
objective political and economic
situation in the Homeland, as well
as the pace of development drive
and the diplomatic fronts. She
further indicated that the workshop is aimed at developing common understating among all organizations, encourage excellence,
preserve culture, contribute to national development and enhancing engagement with the youth,
among others.
The workshop is part of similar
activities in other parts of the US
with a view to ensuring the organizational capacity of national associations and enhancing citizen’s
contribution in the nation-building process, in addition to creating clear understating as regards
Athlete Teklemariam Medhin registers
3rd successive success at 60th International Cross Country in San Sebastian
Eritrean athlete Teklemariam
Medhin registered for the 3rd time
successive success in the 60th edition of the Cross country competition in San Sebastian, Spain on the
11th of January 2015.
He became the first runner to
score three wins in San Sebastian
since Ethiopia’s 1968 Olympic
Marathon champion Mamo Wolde
won the long-running fixture three
times in the years 1963 and 1966.
Teklemariam Medhin crossed
the finishing line in 30:45 seconds
defeating Uganda’s Timothy Toroitich by 11 seconds.
Livestock in Asmat sub-zone in
good condition: Report
Hidri publishers and Awget distributers inaugurate a
book on basic Tigrigna grammar and literature
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
”What is being propagated by Weyane about the possibility of
invading Eritrea is just a maneuver intended to cover up their
domestic problems” President Isaias Afewerki
It is to be recalled that President Isaias Afwerki conducted an interview with the national media outlets mainly focusing on domestic affairs
in connection with the New Year on the 30th of December 2014. In the
interview that was broadcast live through Eritrean Television and Dimtsi
Hafash highlighting all-round national and regional developments, as
well as future prospects, the President shed light on the implementation
and progress of development programs, nation-building programs set for
implementation in 2015 and other domestic and regional issues. Here is
an excerpt of the fourth and final part of the interview.
Mr. President, while you have
already mentioned it, I would
like to ask you a question about
what is being aired by senior
Ethiopian officials in relation
to invading Eritrea. They have
been repeatedly publicizing that
they will invade Eritrea. What
do you think is the root cause
behind these official statements?
At the beginning, people used
to say that they were saying this
and that, but we didn’t want to
react to what was being said.
I don’t want to go to the detailed analysis related to military
strength and overall capacity.
However, what is being propagated is associated with the worrisome situation inside Ethiopia.
One of the major conspiracies
engineered against Eritrea is
sanction. The sanction is a twoedged blade. One objective of
the sanction is to constrain our
ability to realize the major development goals we have in Eritrea.
In this case, the most important
target is limiting the possibility
of strengthening Eritrea’s capacity to defend its sovereignty. The
other side of the sanction is intended to psychologically undermine Eritrea. In 2009, a lot was
said about how the sanction was
developed. It was an amazing
decision. The Security Council’s
decision to sanction Eritrea is an
apparent abuse based on evident
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lies and deception. This indicates
the nature of the prevailing world
order. It is related to the advent of
a unipolar system, which has been
prevalent since the end of World
War II. At this time, it has been
clear to many that the decision is a
terribly shameful one. While they
may not explicitly confess about
it, even those who supported it at
the beginning regret it today. No one believes that the decision was just and legally acceptable and justifiable. And nobody
believes that it should be further
tightened. If we look at the paper
detailing Ethiopia’s last year diplomatic strategy, its main content
is that the sanction should not be
undone and it has to be further
tightened. However, at this time,
it is really hard to propagate and
accordingly justify that the unjust sanction has to be further
tighter as nobody can lend ears
to such unconvincing claims.
While its deceptions worked in
the past, now the Ethiopian government has realized that it is not
that possible to further justify the
continuity of the sanction. The
point is that the aforesaid propaganda in relation to the phony war
about invading Eritrea is partly intended to create lame excuses for
the sanction not to be lifted. The
second objective of such a maneuver is to cover up the domestic
problems prevailing in Ethiopia
by diverting public attention. The
vertical and horizontal polarization that the regime has created
among different forces in Ethiopia
is very disturbing. Even though
this may not be that apparently
visible for those who are observing it remotely, this problem is
evidently clear for those who are
inside Ethiopia. Weyane’s strategy of governing Ethiopia is based
on divide and rule mechanisms
across ethnic lines and by creating cleavages even within ethnic
groups. If we look at the horizontal polarization between the haves
and the have-nots, very few have
controlled the resources in the
economy while the majority of the
Ethiopian people are disadvantaged – they are at a polar opposite. They talk a lot about the economic growth in order to falsely
indicate that major projects are
being effectively realized in the
country. This by itself is meant
to cover up the worrisome problems they have inside the country. Given the worries related to the
upcoming 2015 election, one can
clearly understand such issues. One has to ask herself or himself,
‘what is new making them beat
war drums at this particular time?’
For a composed person, this issue
is immaterial. We should remain
composed and not even talk about
it. We should not be obsessed
about this issue so as not to be
disrupted and deviate from our direction. We just need to focus on
what we are doing instead of trying to be reactively preoccupied
about such public relations issues
intended to cover up their internal
problems.
When it comes to diplomatic concerns, it seems that the attempts
to diplomatically isolate Eritrea
have failed. How do you see Eritrea’s situation in the region and
the world at large? What about
the plans to further strengthen
the overall diplomatic endeavors
and the public diplomatic efforts?
We should look at this issue
from different perspectives. There
are those countries that are really or nominally powerful ones.
There are also the members of the
Security Council. It may be important to examine the respective
perspectives of all these countries. However, this has to be
analyzed vis-à-vis the influences
of other actors. One may consider
Europe as a whole, Russia, China and India. Latin America also
has its own dynamics. There is a
need to cumulatively analyze the
views of each influential country
or region in order to have a clear
picture of the overall effect of
all the influences or interactions.
There is also a need to examine
the motives and perspectives of
those who conspire against us.
It may be premature to talk about
the possibility of lifting the sanc-
2
tion. Which is more sensible, to
be reactively preoccupied by the
situation or proactively initiate
and get engaged in partnership
programs? It is likely that we
have to show how naked and unjust the sanction is but what matters more is the partnerships we
establish with influential states
as part of our regional and global
diplomatic strategy. Where the
needs of all actors are aligned, it
is easier to synergize the efforts
of all concerned groups. It is also
more important to be much more
concerned about having a good
neighborhood in our immediate
region. Whether it is heartily or
not, everybody wishes the neighborhood to be characterized by
stability and cooperation; nobody
argues otherwise. The problem
is different groups have different interests. Given such cases,
what is more important in diplomatic efforts is creating mutual
understanding. There must be
concerted efforts to create good
relationships in our neighborhood; there have to be forms of
cooperation that benefit all actors.
Little by little it may be possible
to develop practical and specific
projects and programs that benefit
all countries. However, there are
conspiracies that hinder the realization of such a strategy. The
issues related to Hanish, Badme
and the sanction against Eritrea
are just some of the examples
that destabilize our region. We
don’t believe that these conspiracies are particularly targeting us.
Consequently, there has to be a
concerted effort and a commonly shared desire to promote the
stability of our neighborhood.
In general, our diplomatic effort
places more emphasis on creating
a stable neighborhood characterized by cooperation. We have cooperation programs that are related to the respective perspectives
Continued on page 5
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
Aron Hidru
Today’s article is taken from
Richard Denny’s book (2010) entitled ‘Succeed for Yourself: Unlock
Your Potential for Success and Happiness’. It is a considerably inspiring book. This extract is about the
need to have a positive attitude as a
precondition to success. It has been
comprehensively explained that a
positive attitude is one of the most
important success determinants in
our lives. I hope it will be stimulating for the readers of this column.
How to build a success attitude
I keep emphasizing how important the success attitude is;
so let us see how to achieve it.
1.
Expect
the
best
This is the foundation of positive
thinking. It is how you mentally
approach every day, month and
year. Is it with positive thoughts
or negative thoughts? When you
look at your post, do you expect
good news or bad news? If somebody says there is an urgent phone
call, is your reaction ‘What’s gone
wrong, am I in trouble, is there a
crisis?’ or do you think, ‘Oh good!
I’m expecting some good news.’
Of course, occasionally you will
have a frustrating phone call, you
will occasionally get something in
the post that can be a bit of a shock
and, realistically, you will from time
to time have a bad day, but these
should be exceptions to the rule.
Build your ‘success attitude’ by
always having a positive attitude:
expect good news, expect each day
to be a wonderful, fun day. It is truly
amazing how the interruptions to your
enjoyment become fewer and fewer.
2. Make it a habit to be positive
Most habits take a little while to cultivate and transform into subconscious,
automatic behaviour. Normally,
when we talk about a habit, it is in a
negative context: the habits of smoking, drinking, biting one’s nails, etc.
There are other habits that relate to
thought and communication, such as:
■ ‘I make it a habit not to smile.’
■ ‘I make it a habit not
to
show
my
emotions.’
■ ‘I can’t stop myself worrying,
I’m always expecting the worst.’
These are all examples of activity and thought made into a habit
by repetition. So, how about making it a habit to be positive, to be
happy, to enjoy every day, and how
about making it a habit to avoid
some of the negative thoughts that
damage your own self-image?
3.
Use
repetition
to
change
your
attitude
If you accept that you can be habitually positive, that will be the end
result. To achieve that, you must
actively use the principle of repetition. Athletes build muscle by continual repetition. The strongest men
in the world have built phenomenal
strength by the continual development of their muscles. Every day,
they spend long hours repetitively
pumping their muscles into and then
beyond the pain threshold. Although
the brain is not a muscle, it will respond like a muscle to repetition.
I have already given numerous examples of the importance of
continually giving the right messages to the brain. I believe that 10
repetitions of a thought will create the foundation upon which the
skyscraper of positivity will stand.
I believe we can all change our
attitudes as long as we understand
what attitude is and can distinguish between positive and negative thought patterns. To those who
claim attitudes cannot be changed, I
reply that I have seen over the years
the most wonderful achievements
made by people who have changed
from having a negative to having a
positive attitude, a change brought
on by simply being exposed to message about positive attitude. Nobody
is born into this world negative; we
are born with a positive attitude,
but are conditioned to be negative.
4.
Smile
Make it a habit to smile – this is
probably terribly corny and rather
basic, but you will find it so much
harder to have negative thoughts
when you are smiling. If you consciously change your facial expression, somehow the movement
of muscles into a smile reflects
back into the brain, and negative
thoughts can seem to be replaced
by something much more positive.
My great mentor as a speaker and
communicator, Peter Riggs, used to
claim that as a lazy person, he took up
smiling because he understood that
we use fewer muscles smiling than
we do frowning. He claimed this was
the reason why his most wonderful
face was a bit like a wrinkled prune!
Smile as you wake in the morning – if you share your bed
with anybody else, you will
be amazed by the response!
Smile as you go to work – people
may look away initially, but it is so
infectious that they will not be able to
resist the temptation to have another
look at a smiling face. Smile at your
colleagues. Think how much nicer it
is to talk to or be in the company of a
person with a smiling and happy face.
5. Try not to burden other people
Of course, we all share some of our
burdens or worries with those we are
close to. Occasionally, sharing a prob-
3
The Success
Attitude
Part II and Final
lem with somebody else can lessen
the pressure. A joy that is shared is
a joy that is doubled; a problem that
is shared can be a problem halved.
Betty Rice-Hunt was 63 when she
lost her husband, Alva, to cancer.
After his death she devoted some
of her time raising money for cancer research. She kept a very active
social life as well as time for her
family. Latterly, she experienced
enormous pain from osteoporosis
and various other ailments, but she
never ceased her fund-raising activities. At the age of 84 she was
presented with a certificate by Sir
Angus Ogilvy for raising the highest sum ever by an individual for
the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.
The reason I tell this story is that
even though Betty experienced enormous pain and discomfort, could no
longer drive her car and had great difficulty even moving around, she was
always positive and made a habit of
not burdening other people with her
health problems. The consequence
was that it was always a joy to spend
time with her, or chat to her on the
phone. She was a great example of
someone with a success attitude.
6. Plan on doing something
positive
each
day
‘Positive actions equal positive results.’ That principle obviously leads
to positive thought. But by planning
and doing something each day that
is constructive, you will progress
towards your goal. One of the laws
of motivation states that seeing ourselves progressing motivates us.
Again, a motivated brain is positive
and exhibits the ‘success attitude’.
7.Be
honest
By being honest with other people
and with yourself, you will become more self-assured and more
confident. Honesty with yourself
allows you to know where you
are and what you believe. Honesty with others enables them to
know where you and they stand.
8. Discard negative thoughts
If happiness is determined by
your mental outlook, it therefore
seems vital to discard thoughts
that make you unhappy. Easily
done, first by simply determining
not to think in this way, and secondly, by replacing those negative
thoughts with positive thoughts.
When you have had a film developed and you see your photographs
printed, you normally discard those
that are out of focus, or where the
lighting was wrong, as you wish
to keep only the quality images.
Your mind works in the same way.
Cast out the negative images and
replace them with positive images.
9. Think of ‘problems’as challenges
How about a life with no more problems? I have asked this question of
many audiences over the years and
have always had an enthusiastic,
positive response: ‘Oh, wouldn’t life
be so much better without problems.’
Well, there is one place where I can
guarantee that the residents have no
problems and that, of course, is the
graveyard. If that is so, problems
must be a hazard of life. Could it be
possible, then, that the more alive
and active we are, the more problems
we encounter? If so, try to avoid using the word ‘problem’ and endeavour to call it a ‘challenge’. Yes, of
course it sounds a little bit simple
and it may not make the situation
go away, but your mind positively
embraces a ‘challenge’, whereas
a problem is such a demotivator.
In Chinese, the word weichi, literally translated, means
‘crisis’ and ‘danger’. The
same characters together also
mean ‘opportunity’.
10.
Managing
change
More change has taken place in the
last 40 years than in the whole history of humankind. For your lifetime and mine, change will be with
us. You can view it as a threat or an
opportunity, but you cannot stop it.
It is no good hoping it will go away,
or nostalgically looking back wishing to bring back the ‘good old’
days’. Most change actually turns
out positively, but we fear change
because it brings uncertainty. Are
we going to be worse off? Can we
meet this new challenge or expectation? Will we be able to cope? Your
brain is fantastic and it will and it
can. Give it the chance. Thousands,
possibly millions, of people in the
1990s learnt how to use a computer for the first time. So embrace
change positively, enthusiastically;
see what might be and not what was.
As a final thought, accept the
saying ‘I can alter my life by altering the attitude of my mind.’
Pocket Reminders
■ Expect the best
■ Make it a habit to be positive
■ Use repetition to change your attitude
■ Remember to smile (do it now!)
■ Try not to burden other people
■ Plan on doing something positive each day
■ Be honest with yourself and others
■ Discard negative thoughts
■ Think of ‘problems’ as ‘challenges’
■ Managing change.
WISE WORDS
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
Mother Theresa.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
UnitedNations
ads
NationsUnies
JOB OP ENING • AVI S DE VACANCE DE POS T E
Posting Title: National Information Officer, NO-B
Department/Office: Department of Public Information
Location: ASMARA
Posting Period: To be determined at the local level
Job Opening Number: UNIC-2014-007
Contract: Fixed-Term
Duration: One year, initially
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notices
This job opening is open to nationals of Eritrea only.
Appointment against this post is on a LOCAL basis, with NO entitlement to travel or any other
international benefits. Should there be a need for examination, the candidate will be responsible for
any travel expenses incurred. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and
to assignment by him or her.
Organizational Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the United Nations Office in Eritrea (UNO Asmara), within the
Information Centres Service (ICS), Strategic Communications Division (SCD), Department of
Public Information (DPI).
The UNO Asmara is part of the global network of United Nations Information Centres (UNICs),
which are the principal source of information about the United Nations system in the countries where
they are located. UNICs are responsible for promoting public understanding and support for the aims
and activities of the United Nations by disseminating UN information materials to a local audience
in local language; engaging local and regional partners; and, overall, bringing the United Nations
closer to the people it serves.
The incumbent is under the direct supervision of a Desk Officer and the overall supervision of the
Chief of the Programme Support Section in ICS. At the local level, the United Nations
Resident Coordinator, who also serves as UNIC Director, oversees the overall operation of UNO
Asmara.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties:
•
Takes a leading role on communications issues within the United Nations Country Team
(UNCT) by convening and/or serving as the secretariat for the United Nation Communications
Group at the country level in consultation with the directors of UNOAsmara and the SCD in DPI.
•
Develops and implements a communications strategy for Eritrea by adapting the global
UNmessage for local audiences, in consultation with the UNCT and/or United Nations partners.To
this aim, the incumbent will produce/oversee the production of print informationmaterials in the local language(s) for a local audience; propose topics, undertakes research, determine the appropriate
medium and target audience, prepare production plans, writedrafts, obtain necessary clearances and
finalize texts, edit, copy, and coordinate design approval, printing procedures and distribution. He
or she will also ensure the implementation of a communications strategy on the local and regional
levels to publicize United Nations priority issues and/or major events, to include coordination efforts with partners, monitoring and reporting on progress, taking appropriate follow-up action, and
analysing the outcome.
•
Monitors and analyses current events, public opinion and press coverage, identifying issuesand trends, and advises the DPI at Headquarters and the UNCT on appropriateaction/responses
•
Conducts media outreach, including development of media strategies and action plans,
initiating pro-active media outreach efforts; maintains contacts with national and regional media
in Eritrea, disseminates information materials to the media, places op-eds and arranges interviews,
organizes press conferences and briefings, monitors press coverage of UN issues; consults with press
on approach/story angle and other information requests, undertakes appropriate follow-up action and
analyses and reports on the impact of coverage.
•
Maintains contacts with key civil society partners at the national and regional level,
including UN associations, and undertakes joint projects with them; initiates and sustainsproactive
professional relationships with key constituencies in Eritrea.
•
Conducts educational outreach, including the organization of regional Model UNconferences
•
Maintains web sites and social media accounts in English and/or relevant local
language(s).
•
Monitors programme output of the UNO Asmara and reports to the ICS on a monthly,
quarterly, annual and ad hoc basis.
•
Performs other functions and special duties, as required by the Director of UNO Asmara
orthe ICS, including undertaking speaking engagements and participating in seminars.
Competencies
•
PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the full range of communications approaches,
tools,and methodologies essential to planning and executing effective campaign strategies and
programmes, e.g. campaign management, media operations, marketing and promotion, audience
outreach, message targeting, especially in Eritrea. Ability to rapidly analyse and integrate diverse
information from varied sources. Ability to identify public affairs issues, opportunities and risks in
an international environment. Ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audi-
4
ences and cultivate productive relationships. Knowledgeof relevant internal policies and business
activities/issues. Knowledge of tools andinfrastructure used to support communication and public
information initiatives, including traditional and social media equipment and systems, e.g. content
management systems, mainstream social media platforms, multimedia editing/production equipment.
Ability to produce a variety of written communications products in a clear, concise style. Ability to
deliver oral presentations to various audiences. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than
personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm
in stressful situations. Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to
see things from clients’ point of view.
•
COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly
interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience;
demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
•
PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed
strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies
when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Education:
A first-level university degree (Bachelor of Arts or equivalent) in communications, journalism,
public information or a related field is required.
Work Experience:
A minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience, including experience in
managing contacts and networking with the media, non-governmental organizations, government
officials, international and national organizations, business groups, civil society, etc. in Eritrea is required. Demonstrated experience in public information and/or public relations and/or experience as
part of a strategic communications team and proven skills in public speaking are required. Experience
in journalism is desirable. Experience with the UNCT in Eritrea is also desirable.
Languages:
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of local languages spoken in Eritrea
is desirable. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Knowledge of other United Nations official languages
is an advantage.
Assessment Method:
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by
a competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate
in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs (Charter of the
United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as
well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of
efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect
for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against
these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have
committed criminal offences and/orviolations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
How to Apply
Candidates with access to the Internet may visit http://sites.unicnetwork.org/careers/how-toapply/
for detailed application instructions.
Candidates without Internet access may submit duly filled P11 form (available at the UNDP Reception Desk, UN Office in Asmara) and a detailed CV with supporting documents to UNDP Reception
Desk, P.O. Box 5366, and UN offices, Asmara, Eritrea.
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- 1
Age:
- 25 – 45 yrs
Salary
- as per company scale.
Interested applicants are required to come and fill an application form and submit their CV and supporting documents to Red Sea Bottlers Sh. Co., Human Resources and Administration office, Tel 162540, within 10 days from
the date of this announcement.
Applicants must provide certificate of completion or exemption from national service.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
5
”What is being propagated by Weyane about the possibility of
invading Eritrea is just a maneuver intended to...
Continued from page 2
of the countries mentioned earlier.
And this is progressing well. The
good thing is many of them say
that they misunderstood the way
the sanction was engineered at the
time it was decided. They claim
that it was a wrong decision. The
fact that there is nobody who feels
that the sanction was a right decision is a considerable advantage
providing us with diplomatic upper hand. But what is mainly important to us is creating a stable
region. While this may be a goal
that is realized in the long term,
the bilateral relationships have to
be developed into concrete partnership programs. Hence, it is the
key task of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to further strengthen and
promote 2014 efforts in 2015. In
connection to accomplishing our
domestic objectives and those objectives that have to be realized in
collaboration with our partners,
we need to further strengthen our
diplomatic efforts to promote investment opportunities.
Your Excellency, in the course
of realizing the objectives associated with making Eritrea a
prosperous country, the people
of Eritrea faced and were able to
overcome many odds. Given this
background, how do you assess
our capacity to realize our aspirations? Do we have the human
and material resources required
to accomplish the tasks ahead?
Human and material resources
are what you can create. For example, everybody wants to live
peacefully. However, peace is
not something that is a heaven
sent opportunity. Rather, one has
to work hard to bring peace. We
need to clearly identify the resources required for achieving
our objectives. There are different
resources such as technology, machinery, different raw materials,
etc. However, human resource
is the key of all the resources.
Hence, all the resources become
useful with the help of this key resource. In this case, what matters
more is not the number of people
but their quality. Therefore, it is
important to improve the quality
of our human resource in order to
make them more energetic, productive and committed. However,
being enthusiastic and committed
alone is not enough if the people
lack the required skills. Work
culture is also very important for
materializing what you aspire.
This is part of what we have been
traditionally doing in relation to
raising the awareness of our human resource, mobilizing and
equipping our human resources. For realizing our objectives,
awareness is a critically important
factor. This has to be further rein-
forced with acquiring the required
knowledge and skills. This is not a
one-time assignment. It has to be
done sustainably. If a person has
a strong desire, ambition, readiness, and skill, plus if the person
has acquired the required experience and if the person is provided
with the right technology, for that
person to be ultimately effective,
his or her work culture matters
more. The work culture is not
necessarily and mainly associated
with being hard working only.
How efficient the person is matters too. For this reason a person’s
performance has to be measured
in terms of the outcome achieved.
Performance should not be measured in terms of the inputs used;
it has to be measured in terms of
the outputs produced. For this to
be a reality, work culture is critically important. Therefore, there
should be concrete efforts to cultivate appropriate work culture.
While there may be some idle and
unproductive individuals, the majority of the citizens in different
parts and sectors of the country
are productively engaged in promoting the quality of life of the
people and this dynamism is really encouraging.
In 2014, you spent much of
your time at project sites. What
impressions, associated with
this, would you share with us?
While it may have been forgotten
at this time, when we were establishing different ministries and
government organs, it was felt
that they have to be established
not only in the capital city but in
different parts of the country. In
this case, where they may be established has to be related to the
nature of their mandates. It is more
important to closely observe what
is actually taking place on the
ground and according you need to
be accurately informed about the
actual performance. Once you are
engaged in some of the tasks, it is
not possible to distance yourself
from them. However, this doesn’t
mean you become engaged in
such tasks at the expense of or
by postponing other key responsibilities. A balanced weight has
to be allocated among the responsibilities you should discharge. I
advise others that it is helpful to
be where the actual performance
is taking place in order to effectively serve the people. Whether
you are a president, a minister, a
department head, a regional or a
sub-regional governor, etc, you
need to closely supervise what is
actually being done under your
jurisdiction and to ensure effective supervision; one has to be
close to the reality. What you do
in your office and the time you
spend at field sites where the
projects are actively implemented
have their respective importance
and value. As long as it is well
calculated, sometimes it may not
have any problem even if you
make a tradeoff between the two.
As regards my impression, let me
talk about it later.
Your Excellency, what messages would you like to convey to the Eritrean people on
the occasion of New Year?
All of us should work hard and
speed up our pace in order to improve the quality of life in our
country. In the last few months,
when I was away from office, I
observed different things about
the real life of different people.
For example, I observed students
who travel 15-20 kilometers to attend school. I also observed people who are 90, 85 and 87 years
old and yet they are productive
and actively participate in a productive work. The same is true
with women. This observation is
not limited to one or two areas;
rather this is what you observe
in different parts of the country.
Therefore, as I am myself energized and inspired by what I observe, it doesn’t make sense to try
to advise such citizens. I just say
that we should keep what we are
doing so as to progressively move
ourselves to our desired state of
improving the standard of living
of our people.
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Bisha Mining Share Company PLC is inviting interested applicants for the following positions.
Pub Waiter and Cahier
Major Duties and responsibilities:•
Cleaning senior geologist
•
Serve drinks for the customers
•
.Balancing the sales
•
Restocking
•
Cleaning
Profile: Qualifications and Experience
Formal Education, Certifications or Equivalents
Working Experience – Nature & Length
Leadership Experience – Nature & length of time
Other skills and abilities
•
•
High school
One who can communicate with customers easily
• Minimum six month experience in related filed
• One who can stand walk and clean equipment daily.
•
NO specific experience but applicant with some experience is preferable
•
Good communication skills, one who can understand
customer handing and self-starter.
General Information and other requirements:
•Place of Work: Bisha Site
•Type of contract: Indefinite period
•Salary: As per Company salary scale.
•Additional requirement for Nationals:
•Having fulfilled his/her National Service obligation and provide evidence of release paper from the Ministry of
Defense.
•Present clearance paper from current/last employer.
•Testimonial documents to be attached (CV, work experience credentials, a copy of your National Identity Card
etc.).
•Only shortlisted applicants would be considered as potential candidates for an interview.
•Application documents will not be returned to sender.
•All applications should be sent through the post office.
•Deadline for application: 10 days from the day of publication in the Newspaper.
•Address: Please mail your applications to;
Bisha Mining Share Company
P. O. Box 4276 Asmara, Eritrea
•
Note to Eritrean applicants:
Please send a copy of your application to
Aliens Employment Permit Affairs,
P. O. Box 7940 Asmara, Eritrea
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
6
WOMEN LEADER: FULFILLING
CAREER ASPIRATIONS
Part I
Life is all about letting go of the
past, and grabbing the future. One
great man once said, “The rung of
a ladder was never meant to rest
upon, but only to hold your foot
long enough to put the other foot
higher”. Graduation day is the day
when we have to let go of the rung
of the ladder and stop higher towards our eternal destination. Our
problems are rooted in the past
mistakes, not our capacity for future greatness.
“Chase your dreams, face your
fears, and dare to do the impossible”. It is that should accept our
limitations, but we shouldn’t let
them limit us, it is also said that,
“we don’t always get what we
want in life; some time the circumstance don’t allow us to. At a time
like that, we need to learn how to
change ourselves. But it is sure we
have our self to conquer the looming challenges and chart our way
to a successful future. The leadership challenges that prevail today
and the leadership style changes
that are demanded of all incumbent
and aspiring leaders have prepared
women to cope with new challenges better than their male counterparts. In a country like India
women as leaders have received
far more acceptability due to their
style flexibility.
Women have development a way
of life and work which have determined their attitude towards work
and home and home and enabled
them to develop a deeper philosophical manifesto. This sort of approach on the part of women will
make them outstanding women
leaders to develop and sustain in all
types of organizations. In every scenario that leads to economic value
creation women has been playing
a value role. Over the last decade,
there has been dramatic change in
the number of women who have
entered into the Indian corporate
world. Women entrepreneurs are
setting up business of their own
at various stages of life because
of a variety of reasons viz., independence, flexibility, and desire
to make a difference and making
money. As the women is being increasing in the work force, the major challenge that presses a women
is the gender diversity. This calls
for new policies, new mindsets and
new work ethics. Several organizations now have developed women
friendly policies with the objective
of attracting and retaining women
in large numbers.
There is a clear shift from the
earlier paternalistic push strategy
(where by career development was
the responsibility) to an employer
driven pull strategy where women
is being persuaded to take responsibility for managing her career.
In today’s external environment,
all organizations do not think it is
possible and do not want to offer
a value proposition that includes
lifetime career development in exchange for tenure/loyalty for the
society. Organizations believe that
the employee value proposition in
the “new deal at work” is to give
transparent career development opportunities to those with potential
and performance in exchange for
the optimum application of their
skills and knowledge till such time
they are with the company.
So, while the focus is on creating
a self-development culture, organizations seem to take the responsibility for setting expectations,
creating growth paths and communicating the framework to the
employees.
Career management and development is hence seen as a partnership between the organization and
the individuals, and it is in both
parties’ interests to collaborate.
The organization’s responsibilities
in this “new deal at work” are:
•
To set the right expectations while hiring employees
•
To adopt a participative
approach to career development
•
To develop a career development framework that caters
to the high potential/high performance employees
•
To articulate the competencies required for different roles
for employee self development
•
To communicate and be
transparent with career opportunities within the organization
The individuals’ Responsibilities
are:
•
To take onus for managing their own careers
•
To take efforts to educate
themselves on the competency
framework and the career development framework
•
To continuously assess
themselves and make the efforts to
consciously develop their competencies
•
To use organizational initiatives for employee development
to further develop themselves
•
To plan their careers for
the short term & long term keeping
in mind possible opportunities that
the organization makes available
By doing this, organizations are
conveying a clear message to their
employees that they are empowering and supporting them in their
development, but they are not responsible for their career development.
Career Progression Based on
Competencies’ and not tenure.
There has been a significant shift
to use competencies as the basis for
career progress in thereby moving
away from tenure or time based
promotions.
To do this, organizations have
had to define the competencies
required at various levels and articulate them with clarity in terms
of its behavioral indicators. The
competency framework is not just
the foundation for career progression but also linked to the many
other development initiatives of the
organization.
A Competency Assessment Process becoming essential either
through assessment centers or the
Manager’s Assessment.
All organizations in the study
have implemented some kind of
process to assess employees on
competencies which subsequently
have been used for career progression decisions
The assessment is administered
by the supervising manager of the
employee or by an internal panel
or by an external agency through
trained assessors.
Some organizations also use performance ratings, peer assessments
or 360 degree feedback to corroborate the Assessment Centre result.
In organizations where the people
managers assess their employees,
the competency assessment forms
part of the performance management system focusing on their aspect:
•
Goals and objectives
•
Job skill the functional
and technical skill that one requires
to carry out their role
•
Leadership competencies
the behaviors that are required for
the future
The organization uses the performance appraisal discussion for
assessing the above three areas
and hiring the employee and the
manager to understand what experiences the employee needs to go
through in order to grow and build
a career.
The advantage of this integration
is that assessment of performance
and competency is completed at
the same time. However, there are
two potential degrees of merging
competency assessment with the
performance appraisal process.
1.
Firstly the linage of perceived linkage with rewards makes
objective self-assessment by the
employee tougher.
2.
Secondly, the parameters of assessment for the purpose
of development and progression
could vary a development objective
would require assessment of competencies applicable to the current
level, while a progression objective
would require assessment of the
competencies applicable at the next
level. Some companies resolve
this issue by assessing employees
on additional competencies either
through and assessment centre or
in a separate discussion with the
manager.
Limits of the Game...
good governance” (Omar 2012). It is
a good thing that organized labour has
come to recognize a need to join the
fray in the country’s search for peace,
which is being made the more elusive
by Boko Haram. However, concerted
mass action against austerity and rising prices, across the country, would
be more effective at undercutting the
support for Boko Haram and ethnic
divisions than even the best wellmeaning talks.
It is not enough to better understand
Salafi-Jihadism in Nigeria or to grasp
the trajectory of its development.
While it could be with us for a while
in that gray Gramscian penumbra of
morbidity between the old and the
new, it could alternatively be made
into no more than a living fossil. But
a critical element for achieving this
outcome would be the systematic intervention of the labour movement.
The trade unions of course are central
to this, but it equally calls forth the
need for a renaissance of revolutionary socialist work, publicly, within
the working masses to provide an
alternative pole of attraction for the
mass anger which the Salafi-Jihadists
of Boko Haram feed on.
Posted by sdonline
Continued from page 8
members of different religions united
against it in ways not seen before in
the country, some of these inspired by
the Arab Spring. Working-class residents in some states within the region
constituted themselves into vigilante
groups. These guarded churches during services. During the Muslims’
prayer times as well, non-Muslim
protesters formed a ring around
them.
Boko Haram threatened to bomb
the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)
headquarters for accepting only a reduction instead of a full reversal of
the petrol price increase.24 This was
an attempt to regain relevance as
there was mass disappointment with
the NLC. But subsequently, the NLC
and the other trade union centre, the
Trade Union Congress, have shown
concern for the state of insecurity and
instability in the country. NLC organised a peace summit rally on September 20, 2012, aimed at, amongst
other things “facilitat[ing] a people
driven re-engineering of the polity for peace, unity and security and
By: Dr. A. Satyanarayan
College of Business and Economics
Halhalle, Eritrea
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
Meron Abraha
The three seemingly normal
words I have put as the title above
may seem to contradict the otherwise renowned phrase “Tomorrow
Never Comes.” While I realize the
inconsistency, my intentions are
nonetheless deliberate.
A couple of months ago, a writer
friend of mine launched a new book,
more of a collection of 54 articles
revolving around the general theme
of self-improvement. It talks about
how human live in the hopes of a
brighter future and work hard for a
better tomorrow.
His articles tend to be more philosophical and at times psychological
in their tones. They don’t discuss
new ideologies or innovative thinking. They rather engage the readers
to do some soul-searching and improve themselves by maximizing
their potentials.
Ermias is not a writer by profession, although he intends to become
eventually a professional writer one
day. His vocation falls far off the
field of literature. He graduated in
Soil and Water Conservation from
the University of Asmara and is currently working in the Department of
Agricultural Extension at the Min-
Ermias Solomon, a columnist at
the Hadas Ertra newspaper, compiled his book from a selection of
articles he published on the newspaper over a period of two years
(2010-2011). Having written all the
articles from personal observations,
he named his weekly column “Tsbah,” Tigrigna for tomorrow, and
gave his book the same name and
hence my title above.
“It has undoubtedly been a painstaking job to select from over 100
articles for the compilation. How
did you manage?” I postulated.
“It was indeed. I assigned one of
the column’s regular readers the task
of objectively rating the articles on
a scale from 1 – 5. The articles that
got the biggest number of positive
reviews were then selected,” Ermias
explained.
istry of Agriculture. The son of two
educators, Ermias was an excellent
student all the way up to his secondary education.
His passion for writing probably surfaced during his high school
years when he used to write to the
children’s program on the radio. But
that didn’t go on for long as Ermias
shifted to writing articles, poems
and short stories.
In the university, his colleagues at
the National Union of Eritrean Youth
and Students (NUEYS), where he
was an active member, began recognizing his writing skills and made
sure he got assigned to the NUEYS
Department of Media Relations for
his national service.
In a writing career that spans well
over a decade, Ermias has worked as
a newspaper and magazine colum-
“When Tomorrow
Comes…”
nist in addition to copyediting various newspaper columns prepared in
collaboration with the NUEYS. At
the Ministry of Agriculture’s PR department, Ermias served as the head
of the Print and Documentation Unit
and regularly wrote on the weekly
agriculture section of Haddas Eritrea.
“I have worked in the editorial
board of the Menesey magazine for
several years since its first edition. I
also used to write entertaining poems for the Wari children’s cultural
troupe. On top of that I was writing
for the weekly children’s newspaper
column as well,” says Ermias.
That was when I started to pay
more attention towards childrenoriented publications, went on to say
Ermias and noted that his demanding work schedule at the Ministry
and his other writing related activities kept him occupied and that he
had to halt his assorted publication
activities and be more focused.
“It was while at this juncture that
the then editor-in-chief of Haddas
Ertra proposed that I takeover one
of the newspaper’s weekly columns.
But because I had many thoughts of
my own, I offered a counterproposal
to write my own column. That’s how
the ““Tsbah”” column started,”
Ermias narrates.
Talking about why he named it
““Tsbah””, Ermais said that of the
handful of names proposed, ““Tsbah”” was chosen because “normally people work today in the hope
that tomorrow will be better.”
“My articles in the column were
all my personal observations. I
would look at the people around
me and try to identify their weaknesses and then correlate them with
theoretical concepts I read in books.
At times I would also share friends’
ideas and perspectives. The articles
were received with appreciation and
it really was a gratifying endeavor
for me. People would often tell me
that they would associate themselves
with the characters in the articles,”
Ermias pointed out.
Against to the general opinion that
humans do only what they can, Ermias is of the belief that humans often
underestimate their true potential
and that they can always upgrade
themselves.
“My line of thought is if you manage to do one new thing daily towards yours self-improvement, then
you can be a successful person in no
time,” asserted Ermias.
For four years now, that is since
its inception on January 1, 2010,
Ermias has been publishing his column every Friday. With the number
of readers growing, the demands to
compile the articles into a book and
convert them into audio format also
grew. Eventually, Ermias gave in
to the demands and started the first
phase of the project, where he selected 54 articles for publication and
hence this book.
Ermias was also able to realize
his dream of publishing a childen’s
7
book. And not only one book, but
four successful ones. The Asey series
were an instant success especially
among children at the primary and
elementary levels. The fifth and last
one in the series is already in the final stage of the publishing process.
“I can safely say that it was the
“Tsbah” column that gave rise to
Asey. My close friend and a reader of
the column, Abraham Teklemariam,
one day proposed a venture: I would
write a book and he would cover
the financial aspects. That’s how the
first Asey book came to being. The
rest is history. And in the end, Asey
as a book became my launching pad
for the publication of “Tsbah,” Ermias said in the end.
A prolific writer, Ermias still
modestly claims he hasn’t done a
big job. But I’m optimistic we’ll
hear more from him in the future.
I took the liberty of translating a
paragraph, or at least the gist of its
content, from one of his articles.
“The New Year is not a new thing.
It’s only a continuation in the cycle
that man has put forward for his
own measurement of time. And yet,
despite its being only a change of
dates, the New Year has for long
been considered an important event
signifying a new beginning – a fresh
start, where one pauses to look back
to the past year, and more importantly, forward to the coming one,
reflecting on changes needed to be
made.
It has already been a fortnight
since the New Year. 336 hours have
slipped away just as swiftly as they
had come. And so will elapse the remaining days of the year. Therefore,
if so far we haven’t done anything
towards the change we had planned,
then it’s more likely we will not get
anything TOMORROW…”
Just as Ermias has said, we should
each ponder on what we want to see
changed in ourselves and work harder to bring about those changes so
that when tomorrow comes, we can
find a better version of ourselves.
Eritrea Profile, Wednesday 14th January, 2015
8
Many a time important events in the global arena are not presented in their entirety in mainstream media as there is lack of context in most of the information
they cover. In response, this column sets out to question this trend by presenting diverse perspectives from as many sources as possible with the underlying aim of
bringing to fore context that is culturally, historically, politically and economically relevant to any given topic.
Limits of the Game of Masks: Class, Ethno-religious Identities,
and the Rise of Salafi-Jihadism in Northern Nigeria Part III & Final
The intermediary bourgeois (our ruling elite) cannot claim political leadership openly on the grounds that he is, or wants to be, an exporter, shareholder, rentier or rich
bureaucrat. He has to take over as a Muslim or Christian. He has to take over as an Ibo, Hausa, Idoma or Efik… The manipulation of religion in Nigeria today is essentially
a means of creating the context for this fancy dress ball, for this charade of disguises. This game of masks. – Yusuf Bala Usman 1979: 88-89 Between dialogue and repression:
the amnesty tactic and state of emergency
By the turn of 2013, a new dimension unfolded in the push and pull of
a negotiated settlement and crushing
the militant Islamist movement, leading to what could be considered the
third phase of the Boko Haram insurgency. On January 30, His Eminence
Alhaji Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad
Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto,
who is considered theAmir-ul-Momineen (i.e., leader of the Moslem
faithful), called on the government
to grant the insurgents amnesty. As
of December 2011, he had stood for
strong-arm tactics to break the group
which he described as “an embarrassment to Islam” (Oladeji & Agba
2011). The change of heart, if so it
could be called, can be seen as an
act of self-preservation, as it came
just a few days after an assassination attempt by the group against the
longest serving and most respected
of the Emirs, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the
Emir of Kano, the largest and most
cosmopolitan city in the north. The
conservative Northern Elders Forum
and others took up the chorus of negotiation and amnesty. Like the Sultan, they were most likely concerned
with saving their hides.
President Jonathan’s response
initially, over two months after the
Sultan’s call, was that the Federal
government could not negotiate with
“ghosts.” He expressed the view that
the leaders of Niger delta militants
that were granted amnesty in 2009
were known, while Boko Haram leaders were “faceless.” But the government never responded to earlier news
of its secret meetings with these same
“ghosts.” More importantly, within
two weeks, the government turned
around to constitute a high-profile
26-member “Presidential Committee
on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution
of Security Challenges in the North,”
headed by a serving Minister, Alhaji
Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, as its chairman. Amnesty for the insurgents, if
they could be repentant, is central to
the committee’s agenda.
Two of the members appointed to
the committee who are believed to
wield some influence with the group
withdrew before it was inaugurated.
Dr Datti Ahmed, President of the Supreme Council of Shari’a in Nigeria
pointed out the “bitter experience he
had had in the past over the bid to
dialogue with the sect,” while Mallam Shehu Sani, a rights activist and
President of the northern-based Civil
Rights Congress of Nigeria (CRCN)
opined that the government knew
people that were more in contact with
the group (Msue 2013).
The government however had
more up its sleeves than the carrot of
dialogue. Nine days before the inauguration of the presidential committee, the army bombed the sleepy border town of Baga in Borno state for
several days, as retaliatory action after Boko Haram militants killed a soldier. There was mass outcry against
the ensuing brutal massacre of up to
187 persons and the burning of over
2,000 houses. Baga was not to be an
isolated case. It represents the baring
of the fangs of government repression,
as subsequent events would show.
On May 14, the Federal Government
declared a state of emergency in
the three north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, which have
been strongholds of Boko Haram. A
week later, it enacted a law proscribing both Boko Haram and Ansaru,
which were never legal entities in
the first place. Mobile networks have
been jammed, curfews imposed, and
a general sense of siege now prevails
at the instance of the military in the
affected states.
There have been mixed reactions
to the crackdown within the three
states (Parker 2013). In the country
as a whole, there appears to be more
support for the state of emergency
as representing commitment by the
president to decisively deal with the
problem. The leading opposition
parties and a few activists have condemned the state of emergency, but
have not been able to do anything
concrete to resist it.
The government’s onslaught may
have dislodged Boko Haram from
some of its bases in the mountains
and forests of Borno and Yobe states,
but it has not been able to stop radical
fundamentalist violence, within the
region and in other northern zones.
Insurgents battled the army for hours
in Yobe state while not less than 32
persons were killed by armed gunmen in the north-western state of
Zamfara.
The contradictory tactics of seek-
ing a negotiated settlement of the insurgency on one hand and trying to
crush it on the other reflect the contending agendas of different (ethnic)
fractions of the elite class. It is not
surprising that the northern elite are
now more in support of placating the
group as a step towards incorporating
it. Those who are more physically removed from the immediate dangers
of the sect’s activities, particularly
those for President Jonathan’s 2015
re-election bid, are keen to erase the
“clueless president” image of the
President. Crushing the insurgency
would lionize him.
But neither tactic is likely to be
successful. Possible incorporation,
which is the main goal of the amnesty tactic, would not at all be a new
thing in the politics of Islamisms. As
extreme sects gain more relevance,
there is a strong likelihood that their
politics becomes watered down. This
could be because they come to power
and the profane material conditions
of governance make nonsense of their
puritanical idealism. It could also be,
as is the case here, that while they
are not strong enough to win state
power, they can cause enough commotion to create severe instability
and the ruling elite are ready to reach
some compromise which benefits the
leaders of such sects, and splits them
away from the base they have within
sections of the working masses.
The extreme mission of militant Islamism does not disappear with such
incorporation. It gets filled by yet another group. This was why I argued
elsewhere that the Islamist “phenomenon is one that might, quite unfortunately, be with us for a while” (Aye
2012: 134). A pointer in this direction
is the emergence and development
of the Ansaru group (Adepegba &
Olokor 2013: 4), which has targeted
foreign interests, concentrating on
high-profile kidnappings.
Conclusion
I have tried to situate the Boko
Haram insurgency as a new militant form of Islamism, echoing an
international upsurge of Salafi Jihadism, within the background of
changing ethno-religious relations in
Nigeria. There have been three waves
of political mobilisation along Islamist religious lines in the northern
parts of the country. The first in the
1960s was quite benign and its rela-
tions to the political elite were less
tenuous. Its representative expression
was the Jama’at Nasr al-Islam (JNI).
The second wave of Islamism was
militant, but with an orthodox core
that was pro-establishment despite
its rhetoric. The Yan Izala movement
was its representative expression.
Anti-establishment Islamism such as
the Maitaistine sects and the Shi’ite
groups remained largely marginal.
Both sides of the second wave’s coin
emerged as religion was becoming a
more important element of the mask
of elite manipulation precisely because it was becoming more and more
the heart of a heartless world for the
immense majority of the population,
thus increasingly serving as a pole of
attraction for their mobilisation .
“Religion did not replace ethnicity
as the driving force of Nigerian [elite]
politics; it merely reinforced the
prevalent ethnic antagonisms in the
country” (Gambari 1991: 221). It has
been used to further the interests of
different sections of the elite in several ways, including the riotous, with
the aim of limiting the access of elites
from other groups to state power, or
winning such access by those relatively excluded, in much the same
way that Okwudiba Nnoli (1978:
5-9) identifies the use of ethnicity in
general. Of course, beyond the fact
that access to power is based more
on pecuniary considerations of the
spoils of power than on any thought
of service, an unstable partnership of
the entire elite across ethno-religious
divides subsists at virtually all points
in time, with senior and junior partners.
The main flashpoints for ethnoregional strife have been in the urban
centres. “It should be pointed out that
the most destructive religious riots
and even class-based social and religious antagonisms have occurred in
the Northern region” (Gambari 1991:
217). The worsening of economic
conditions in the country has definitely been a major source of discontent
which militant Islamists tap into. As
Isichei (1987) puts it, rising unemployment provides a broad array of
possible recruits along with the street
urchins known as al-majiris.
But the political and ideological
weaknesses of the working class
might be critical for understanding
the sustained nature of the current Is-
lamic insurgency of Boko Haram and
its emerging offshoots.
It is instructive for example that,
during the rise of the Islamist insurgency in Kano and Kaduna, in the
early 1980s, the working class stood
aloof from the rioters, with its militants being more active as members of
the Peoples Redemption Party21 and
in the trade unions (Lubcek 1986:
308).22 The sect however recruited
thousands of déclassé poor people,
on the fringes of productive social
life, who as its militants took up the
gauntlet of mayhem as the group’s
convoluted challenge to the system
moved from curses to riots. These
could be considered as “the disinherited,” whose revolt, in a sense, it was,
beyond the religious garbs of these
riots that spread across several other
cities in northern Nigeria, even after
the death of Mai Tatsine.23
On one hand, there are no such
ideologically-based parties with the
kind of following the PRP then had in
the north. On the other hand, with the
expanding informalisation of production, de-industrialisation, and absence
of a social security system, the tribe
of thedéclassés and disillusioned has
risen astronomically. The Nigerian
trade union movement has grown in
relevance over the last decade and a
half. It suffered immensely during
the years of military dictatorship, and
has arisen to be the voice of the common person in the country, organising
about a dozen general strikes which
were supported by working-class
Nigerians with mass protests in the
streets. But these have not led to any
lasting political sense of direction for
the poor, and working masses.
During the general strikes that
working people have foisted on the
trade union bureaucracy, the leadership that the working class could
bring to bear against the ruling elite
has been made crystal clear. This
was particularly so with the general
strikes and mass protests that shook
the country in January 2012.The demand was for reversal of a sharp increase in the price of petrol. Just days
before the three weeks of revolts,
Boko Haram issued an ultimatum
for southerners living in the north to
leave the region within two weeks.
But the events of the uprising made
the sect irrelevant. More importantly,
Continued on page 6
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