It was the famous poet, Robert Burns that said, "Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn." Inhumanity is callousness, deprivation, oppression or an ungodly act of one man to another. It is an epitome of cave-man’s mentality; a dysfunctional behavior that should be shunned in any civilized society. Therefore, the brutality that encompasses politics in most African nations, especially Nigeria is gruesome and points the arrow backward towards primitivism. This incessant and wanton killing of politicians in Nigeria by their rivals or opposition groups has culminated to a culture of extreme cannibalism, and should be strongly condemned by every right thinking person.

Four days after Chief Funso Williams, the assassinated People Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant was laid to rest, the assassins dagger expired the life of another PDP gubernatorial aspirant by name of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola. Before, these recent massacre of souls in Nigeria’s political field, there have been plethora of politicians who have been cut down in the prime of their life. Chief Bola Ige, the former Attorney General of the Federation was one of them. The frequency at which these mayhem are been perpetuated is seriously truncating Nigeria’s road to representative democracy. Instead of growing into a modern day democracy where the people are allowed to speak, and determine who rules or not, this most populous African nation is turning into a political abattoir where power lies in the bullet of the assassins by the instructions of their masters who benefits from these orgy of blood.

This new wave of hacking political opponents down in order to eliminate opposition and grab power is not novel to the political system of this giant of Africa. However, the rate at which these gruesome murders are committed has become alarming and prompts for quick intervention by the Nigerian government. There should be a new paradigm which must be humane enough to give credence to the true meaning of politics and showcase Nigeria as a democratic nation. It has become germane for Nigerians to reconsider their steps whether they are working towards the realization of representative democracy or gearing towards 'mobocracy'.

Democracy is not cannibalism or Nazism. It is neither fascism nor machiavellism. In the simplest term, politics whether in government, institutions or corporate organizations is a way by which decisions are made within a group. Democracy itself as propounded in the ancient Greece, and during the Declaration of American Independence by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 to the present day, is a system of rule in which power belongs to the people, and they have the right to elect those that will rule them and also have the ability to revoke or annul the powers given to their representatives.

By these incessant mayhem, the noble game of politics in Nigeria is deviating into a macabre dance meant for only jingoes, butchers and gladiators. Good spirited people- gentlemen and ladies who would have loved to be involved in the politics of their nation are been silenced out of the game for the fear that they might be killed unnecessarily. The dearth of good people in the Nigeria’s body polity may not only drain the quality of its human capital, but will usher in bunch of mediocre into the system. This will definitely hamper the social, political and economic development of that country.
The perpetrators of this reckless waste of human lives in Nigeria are mere canals ruled by avarice and hubris. Over ambitious men, suffering from "macbethian" syndrome, who wants to grab power without going through the necessary steps. In same class of politicians or wannabee are those that absolute power has corrupted and intoxicated.

The people of Nigeria have kept silent enough. They have to speak out and work against this apparent inhumanity. Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian Nobel laureate in literature must have envisioned such calamitous situation when he said that "the man dies in him that keeps silent in the face of oppression." Avraham Yehoshua, a Jewish writer in his recent book ‘A Woman in Jerusalem’ said ‘when there is no humanity, the man dies." Oppression and inhumanity are like a hydra-headed monster that should be opposed.

Nigerians have to be empowered to stand up against this oddity. As Nigeria prepares for the next political dispensation, the atmosphere requires to be deodorized and the stain of blood in the political fabric of this oil rich nation washed anew. Those dirty linens must be taken to the laundry by the people and government of Nigeria. The nation can do better than sit on the fence; waiting until God intervene. For sure God will intervene because He abhors unrighteousness. If those agents of human destruction have imbibed similar philosophy like Nietzsche who declared that God is dead and does not see, then they better be told that it is only a fool that will say , there’s no God. God is alive and all seeing and will surely judge the quick and the dead.

Apart from the current war against corruption in Nigeria, the Obasanjo government has another war to fight. It is war against indiscriminate political assassination. The government has to come out with a strategy and a road map to nib this ugly situation at the bud. If the first rocket must be launched, this is the time. Delay or dilly-dallying over this will eventually wreck the boat of the nation towards modern democracy. Nigeria’s already battered human right status will be worsened and this might etch an indelible stain on its global image. The government of Olusegun Obasanjo should reinforce the country’s homeland security through the internal affairs ministry.

There should be collaboration between a homeland security unit, state police departments and all communities in order to achieve this onerous task. The government should empower the people by organizing village and town hall meetings in order to raise awareness and make its stand clear concerning the prevailing situations. Having urgent meeting with all political party leaders , delegates from all states and local government , police chiefs should be one of the steps the government could initiate to stop these cancer of political assassination from spreading. Hopefully, these measures would help to curtail this new tribe of political butchers and clean the malodorous pool of blood they have spilled.

Sunny Oputa is a Senior Fellow and a Political Analyst.

The Governor of Central bank of South Africa, Gill Marcus has proven herself a pragmatic free market banker rather than ideological by the way she goes about with her responsibilities as the apex banker of the land. She has wisely asserted her independence by refusing to yield to pressure from politicians and labor union to further cut down the benchmark interest rate.

"On March 25, the central bank cut its benchmark interest rate to the lowest in at least 12 years, reducing it by half a percentage point to 6.5 percent, to shore up a recovery from the first recession in 17 years. Labor unions have been pushing for further rate cuts to create jobs." Governor Gill Marcus understood quite well that credit crunch must be ameliorated in order to stimulate the economy for wealth and job creations. For her gallant action she deserves every kudos.

Gill Marcus, Governor of South African Reserve Bank

Gill Marcus was the deputy governor of South African Reserve Bank before she was appointed the new governor of South African apex bank to replace the retired Tito Mboweni. Marcus appointment assured the global financial market that President Jacob Zuma who made the appointment was still committed to free market and financial discipline of his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.

The retired former governor of South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni have the reputation of being fiscal conservative with a prudence in the application of well thought monetary policy to control inflation and maintaining the value of rand. Under the watchful eye of Mboweni the South African currency rand have continue to maintain its strong value but not too strong to dwindle export of home made goods.

South African economy is quite ebullient with its relentless dominance of the entire African economic and financial landscape - the largest economy in Africa and the only African country that made it to G20. A good thing coming from South Africa is the continued investments in the continent. South African investors are investing heavily in West Africa particularly in Nigeria and neighboring countries where they are dominating telecommunication industry. Many of construction contracts in buildings and road constructions in many African countries are dominated by South African firms.

Afripol praised the appointment of Gill Marcus by President Jacob Zuma and maintained that "the keeping of high interest rates do not augur well for growth of small and viable businesses in South Africa. High interests make it difficult for a flourishing economic growth in the country and for upcoming new capitalist it can be detrimental in obtaining and paying back loans from financial institutions." Therefore lower interest rate can be necessary for economic growth and job creation.

The further cutting of interest rate can stimulate economic activities and can help to regenerate economic growth in South Africa in era of global recession, ultimately setting the climate for job creation that is badly needed in the country. When business community and marketers have access to credit, it will surely bring about the needed liquidity that the market is craving for. But cutting the interest rate to appease political constituents will not be good for a coordinated and well thought monetary policy.

A way lower interest rate may certainly encourage more borrowing but more spending and easy money have its downside too. Excessive liquidity may trigger inflationary trends and higher inflation that may retard economic growth that comes with higher unemployment and even weaker rand. The rand is not doing badly even with local demand of dollar; it stood its ground and always rebounded. It was reported that "the rand has surged almost 27 percent since the start of last year, helping to ease price growth by reducing the cost of imports such as oil." An appreciating and strong rand is an indicator of prosperous economy but overtly stronger rand may discourage and dampen export.

The inflation rate since February in South Africa has been 5.7% and that is three-year low. And Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus deserves the credit on the handling of the apex bank and its monetary policy. Keeping the inflation lower may be the most important job she has been doing. Higher inflation will complicate her duties by slowing growth and that will not help to alleviate poverty among the youths and unemployed of South Africa. And the increasing stronger and appreciating rand will lose its luster and potency with rising inflation.

Governor Gill Marcus has done well by resisting the mounting pressure to further lower the benchmark interest rate. Yielding to such pressure without the consideration of the market forces will not be prudent. And with that comes the losing of independence and a weaken reserve bank.

Several climate regimes characterize the African continent; the wet tropical, dry tropical, and alternating wet and dry climates are the most common. Many countries on the continent are prone to recurrent droughts; some drought episodes, particularly in southeast Africa, are associated with El NiZo-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomena. Deterioration in terms of trade, inappropriate policies, high population growth rates, and lack of significant investment-coupled with a highly variable climate-have made it difficult for several countries to develop patterns of livelihood that would reduce pressure on the natural resource base. Under the assumption that access to adequate financing is not provided, Africa is the continent most vulnerable to the impacts of projected changes because widespread poverty limits adaptation capabilities.

Ecosystems: In Africa today, tropical forests and rangelands are under threat from population pressures and systems of land use. Generally apparent effects of these threats include loss of biodiversity, rapid deterioration in land cover, and depletion of water availability through destruction of catchments and aquifers. Changes in climate will interact with these underlying changes in the environment, adding further stresses to a deteriorating situation. A sustained increase in mean ambient temperatures beyond 1EC would cause significant changes in forest and rangeland cover; species distribution, composition, and migration patterns; and biome distribution. Many organisms in the deserts already are near their tolerance limits, and some may not be able to adapt further under hotter conditions. Arid to semi-arid subregions and the grassland areas of eastern and southern Africa, as well as areas currently under threat from land degradation and desertification, are particularly vulnerable. Were rainfall to increase as projected by some general circulation models (GCMs) in the highlands of east Africa and equatorial central Africa, marginal lands would become more productive than they are now. These effects are likely to be negated, however, by population pressure on marginal forests and rangelands. Adaptive options include control of deforestation, improved rangeland management, expansion of protected areas, and sustainable management of forests.

Hydrology and Water Resources: Of the 19 countries around the world currently classified as water-stressed, more are in Africa than in any other region-and this number is likely to increase, independent of climate change, as a result of increases in demand resulting from population growth, degradation of watersheds caused by land-use change, and siltation of river basins. A reduction in precipitation projected by some GCMs for the Sahel and southern Africa-if accompanied by high interannual variability-could be detrimental to the hydrological balance of the continent and disrupt various water-dependent socioeconomic activities. Variable climatic conditions may render the management of water resources more difficult both within and between countries. A drop in water level in dams and rivers could adversely affect the quality of water by increasing the concentrations of sewage waste and industrial effluents, thereby increasing the potential for the outbreak of diseases and reducing the quality and quantity of fresh water available for domestic use. Adaptation options include water harvesting, management of water outflow from dams, and more efficient water usage.

Agriculture and Food Security: Except in the oil-exporting countries, agriculture is the economic mainstay in most African countries, contributing 20-30% of gross domestic product (GDP) in sub-Saharan Africa and 55% of the total value of African exports. In most African countries, farming depends entirely on the quality of the rainy season-a situation that makes Africa particularly vulnerable to climate change. Increased droughts could seriously impact the availability of food, as in the Horn of Africa and southern Africa during the 1980s and 1990s. A rise in mean winter temperatures also would be detrimental to the production of winter wheat and fruits that need the winter chill. However, in subtropical Africa, warmer winters would reduce the incidence of damaging frosts, making it possible to grow horticultural produce susceptible to frosts at higher elevations than is possible at present. Productivity of freshwater fisheries may increase, although the mix of fish species could be altered. Changes in ocean dynamics could lead to changes in the migratory patterns of fish and possibly to reduced fish landings, especially in coastal artisinal fisheries.

Coastal Systems: Several African coastal zones-many of which already are under stress from population pressure and conflicting uses-would be adversely affected by sea-level rise associated with climate change. The coastal nations of west and central Africa (e.g., Senegal, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola) have low-lying lagoonal coasts that are susceptible to erosion and hence are threatened by sea-level rise, particularly because most of the countries in this area have major and rapidly expanding cities on the coast. The west coast often is buffeted by storm surges and currently is at risk from erosion, inundation, and extreme storm events. The coastal zone of east Africa also will be affected, although this area experiences calm conditions through much of the year. However, sea-level rise and climatic variation may reduce the buffer effect of coral and patch reefs along the east coast, increasing the potential for erosion. A number of studies indicate that a sizable proportion of the northern part of the Nile delta will be lost through a combination of inundation and erosion, with consequent loss of agricultural land and urban areas. Adaptation measures in African coastal zones are available but would be very costly, as a percentage of GDP, for many countries. These measures could include erection of sea walls and relocation of vulnerable human settlements and other socioeconomic facilities.

Human Settlement, Industry, and Transportation: The main challenges likely to face African populations will emanate from extreme climate events such as floods (and resulting landslides in some areas), strong winds, droughts, and tidal waves. Individuals living in marginal areas may be forced to migrate to urban areas (where infrastructure already is approaching its limits as a result of population pressure) if the marginal lands become less productive under new climate conditions. Climate change could worsen current trends in depletion of biomass energy resources. Reduced stream flows would cause reductions in hydropower production, leading to negative effects on industrial productivity and costly relocation of some industrial plants. Management of pollution, sanitation, waste disposal, water supply, and public health, as well as provision of adequate infrastructure in urban areas, could become more difficult and costly under changed climate conditions.

Human Health: Africa is expected to be at risk primarily from increased incidences of vector-borne diseases and reduced nutritional status. A warmer environment could open up new areas for malaria; altered temperature and rainfall patterns also could increase the incidence of yellow fever, dengue fever, onchocerciasis, and trypanosomiasis. Increased morbidity and mortality in subregions where vector-borne diseases increase following climatic changes would have far-reaching economic consequences. In view of the poor economic status of most African nations, global efforts will be necessary to tackle the potential health effects.

Tourism and Wildlife: Tourism-one of Africa's fastest-growing industries-is based on wildlife, nature reserves, coastal resorts, and an abundant water supply for recreation. Projected droughts and/or reduction in precipitation in the Sahel and eastern and southern Africa would devastate wildlife and reduce the attractiveness of some nature reserves, thereby reducing income from current vast investments in tourism.

Conclusions: The African continent is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of factors such as widespread poverty, recurrent droughts, inequitable land distribution, and overdependence on rain-fed agriculture. Although adaptation options, including traditional coping strategies, theoretically are available, in practice the human, infrastructural, and economic response capacity to effect timely response actions may well be beyond the economic means of some countries.

Source:GRID-Arendal on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change