G-15 News: Nigeria

Tolerance: Nigeria Could Teach the West a Few Things

Admin 0 bisnis, budaya, film, galeri, Nigeria, pendidikan, politik, teknologi 16:41

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A trip is often defined by its surprises, so here are my biggest revelations from six days in Lagos, Nigeria. 
 
Most of all, I found Lagos to be much safer than advertised. It is frequently described as one of the most dangerous cities on earth. Many people told me I was crazy to go there, and some Nigerian expats warned me I might not get out of the airport alive. 
 
The reality is that I walked around freely and in many parts of town. I didn’t try to go everywhere or at all hours, and I may have been lucky. Yet not once did I feel threatened, and I strongly suspect that a trip to Lagos is safer than a trip to Rio de Janeiro, a major tourist destination. (In my first trip to Rio I was attacked by children with pointed sticks. In my second I found myself caught in a gunfight between drug lords). Many Lagos residents credit the advent of closed-circuit television cameras for their safety improvements. 
 
So if you’re an experienced traveler, and tempted to visit Africa’s largest and arguably most dynamic city, don’t let safety concerns be a deal killer. 
 
The surprises mount. For all the negative publicity, many parts of Nigeria, especially Lagos, could and should serve as exemplars for religious tolerance. 
 
The reports of Boko Haram and terror killings are well known, and they reflect the interlocking and sometimes deadly combinations of regional, religious, sectarian and ethnic identities in the country, not to mention extreme inequalities of income and opportunity. Yet Nigeria has about 180 million people and is larger than Texas. The violence is the most frequently reported story in the West, but the underlying reality is far more complex and shows positive features. 
 
For instance, the city of Lagos is in many regards a marvel of religious tolerance. Nigeria is about 50 percent Muslim and 40 percent Christian, and the area surrounding Lagos is also highly mixed in terms of religion. That may sound like a recipe for trouble, but in matters of religion Lagos is almost entirely peaceful. Religious intermarriage is common and usually not problematic, as is the case in many (not all) other parts of Nigeria as well. Many top Nigerian politicians have married outside their religion, kept two separate religions in the family and enjoyed continued political success. 
 
Consider the scale and speed of this achievement. Lagos, with a population of about 20 million, is larger than many countries. It is the most commercially oriented part of Nigeria, and it grew so large only in the last few decades, as it attracted entrepreneurially minded people from many parts of Nigeria and other African countries. By one estimate, 85 new residents arrive every hour. That may sound chaotic, but in essence Nigeria has in a few decades created an almost entirely new, country-sized city built on the ideals and practice of religious tolerance. The current president, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Muslim who was supported in his election by many Christian leaders, on the grounds that he would fight corruption more effectively. His running mate served as a Pentecostal pastor. 
 
The recent history of Nigeria, Lagos in particular, is also a counterweight to some recent Western political trends. Many Westerners today fear resurgent nationalism, as illustrated by the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union and the election of Donald Trump. 
 
In Nigeria, nationalism is largely a progressive force, bringing the country together and allowing nation-building and infrastructure development. However imperfect or backward these processes might be -- Nigeria has at least 270 distinct ethnic groups and 370 languages -- in Nigeria one is rooting for nationalism to succeed. And it’s in Lagos, the country’s largest and most important window to the outside world, where the understanding of the importance of a common and stable national identity has made such progress. 
 
Many Westerners used to consider much of Africa backward in this regard, but we Westerners are learning again that national cohesion isn’t always so easy. Perhaps the political spectrum in many Western countries can realign itself in a direction analogous to some features of Nigeria, to ally liberalism and nationalism once again. (<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-03/nigeria-could-teach-the-west-a-few-things">source</a>)</div>

Tolerance: Nigeria Could Teach the West a Few Things

A trip is often defined by its surprises, so here are my biggest revelations from six days in Lagos, Nigeria. Most of all, I found Lago...

The Purpose of The Group of 15 Summit

Admin 0 Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, galeri, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, politik, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe 14:24

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The G15, a group of 17 developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America, was set up to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups, such as the World Trade Organization and the Group of Seven rich industrialized nations. 
Current Composition 
 
The G15 is comprised of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe 
 
Latest News 
 
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (Reuters) - Leaders from developing countries moved to an exclusive Jamaican country club Thursday to put the finishing touches on proposals to ease the world's financial crisis. 
 
The one-day retreat, modeled on the closed-door leaders' meetings held at some other international events, will give heads of delegations to the Group of 15 summit the chance to talk without ministers or aides present. 
 
Officials said they would debate a few proposed changes to a draft communique, including a suggestion from Malaysia's outspoken leader, Mahathir Mohamad, to ``emphasize the need for both the developed and the developing world to have a voice in the process of reforming the international financial system.'' 
 
Officials said the document also will include proposals to reform the International Monetary Fund, which many delegates have criticized for proposing inappropriate recipes to the troubled economies of Asia and Latin America. 
 
``We want to look at the multilateral institutions,'' Nigerian Planning Minister Rasheed Gbadamosi told Reuters. ''Maybe there are not enough resources available to the IMF.'' 
 
The G15, a group of 17 developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America, was set up to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups, such as the World Trade Organization and the Group of Seven rich industrialized nations. 
 
The G15 is comprised of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. 
 
Delegates admit the countries do not see eye to eye on all trade, development and finance issues, but they say the leaders want to step up cooperation and speak with a single voice at other international gatherings. 
 
But all but one of the G15 Latin American heads of state stayed away from the Jamaica summit, some of them for the third or fourth successive time, and officials from the host country could barely hide their disappointment. 
 
``Within the Asian and African representations, there is sometimes a feeling that within our region there is less than full, unqualified commitment,'' said Anthony Hill, the Jamaican prime minister's representative at the talks. 
 
The G15 countries include both open economies such as Mexico and Argentina and those which, like Malaysia, are seeking to control capital flows. 
 
Mahathir said Wednesday that the unbridled movement of money across borders had impoverished Asia's once-proud tiger economies and put their very independence at risk. 
 
``The great Asian tigers are now no more,'' he said. ''Reduced to whimpering and begging, they are but a shadow of their former selves.''</div>

The Purpose of The Group of 15 Summit

The G15, a group of 17 developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America, was set up to foster cooperation and provide input for o...

Tehran to host G15 summit

Admin 0 Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, galeri, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, politik, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe 14:20

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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says an upcoming meeting of the Group of 15 (G15) will present a good opportunity for cooperation to member states. 
 
Ramin Mehmanparast said the 14th Summit of the G15 will be held in Tehran on May 17. 
 
"The summit, which will bring together representatives from important countries, will provide a great capacity for expansion of economic [ties] and political cooperation (among member states,)", the Fars news agency quoted Mehmanparast as saying on Monday. 
 
He noted that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa are among the senior guests attending the summit. 
 
The Group of 15 was established at the 9th Non-Aligned Movement Summit Meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1989, with a common goal of enhanced growth and prosperity in its member states. 
 
The number of the G15 members has expanded to 18 countries from North America, South America, Asia and Africa, but the name has remained unchanged.</div>