doz ideas

Money (banknotes & coins) is a medium of exchange. But some African politicians, particularly the politicians in Nigeria, are gradually redefining money as a medium of influence.  These politicians steal millions of dollars of public funds, not to buy bread and butter, but to control those willing to sell their days for gold – apologies to Kahlil Gibran.

The 2-day China-Africa summit ended on 4/September/2018. About 50 Africa’s heads of state attended the summit held in Beijing. Mr Xi – Chinese president promised a total of $60 billion to finance projects in Africa “in the form of assistance, investment and loans over the next three years.” China continues to present itself as a better partner to Africa than EU and US. Well, China can never be better than EU, at least EU observes human rights, which China doesn’t care about.

Once, at the MM International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria, I encountered an official of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who asked me about the source of my income. I respectfully told him that I trade derivatives.  The man became confused and exclaimed, "Derive… what?" I said derivatives. "What the hell do you mean by that?" he asked. Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from an underlying asset, such as shares, bonds, currencies, commodities, or interest rates. They are used to speculating on the market and to hedge against risk.  At this point, the 'officer' called one of his subordinates, "Detain this man until he is ready to say what he does for a living. Let him know we are here to fight money laundering, an aspect of President Buhari's war on corruption.  Now, the tables have turned, and suddenly, I am the one who has become confused. I...