Farouk Bello

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks building Looters: a public archive of Nigerian political corruption since the 1990s. Governors, ministers, shell companies, Swiss accounts, the Jersey trusts, — one searchable graph. You too can connect the dots: 1000reasons.vote/looters

The historic speech given by Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos has gotten a lot of attention, but many people are overlooking the most revealing admission he made, which exposes the blatant hypocrisy of Western imperialism. It is perhaps understandable that most observers are focusing on Carney's response to Donald Trump's threats and his announcement that Canada will "fundamentally shift our strategic posture" and "diversify" away from the US. This is significant and historic. Nevertheless, an even more important part of the speech was when Canada's prime minister admitted that the so-called "rules-based international order" was always deeply hypocritical and biased, serving the interests of the imperialist West. He said, "We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim". "This fiction was useful" for Western imperialist countries, Carney added. Which is why, "We participated in the rituals, and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality". However, "This bargain no longer works", he stressed. In other words, Carney was admitting that Western "middle powers" (like Canada or European countries) willingly went along with US hegemony and supported the US-led imperialist system -- which is predicated on the systematic subjugation and exploitation of Global South countries in the periphery -- because these Western middle powers also benefited from this pillage of the Global South. But now that the US empire has turned against these Western imperialist middle powers that it previously called its "allies", and now that they are getting just a glimpse of what it feels like to be on the receiving end of what they have been doing to the Global South for centuries, they are (ostensibly) turning against the exploitative system that they had helped to sustain for so long. They supported imperialism as long as it benefited them. Now that it doesn't, they pretend to be acting in a principled way, supposedly to uphold international law and defend sovereignty. But Canada's prime minister has publicly acknowledged that they never truly cared about that. It was just the public relations narrative.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, when EU leaders legitimize what Trump did in Venezuela, they're preemptively justifying him taking over Greenland, as he keeps saying he will 👇 It's the golden rule: if you don't want it done to you, don't condone it for others.

@RnaudBertrand This is the pathway Africa should be investing in, a continent blessed with an abundance of sunshine, in dire need of energy to realize its potential.

I came across your comment, and it honestly saddened me as a Nigerian. The truth is that fewer than two million Nigerians combined live in Canada, the UK, and the US—yet we often appear the loudest online. Other countries have far higher immigrant numbers, but their citizens do not constantly drag their homeland or celebrate leaving it as if it’s a badge of honour. Many Nigerians have adopted the habit of devaluing their own country on the internet, and unfortunately, this makes it seem like “escaping” is the ultimate achievement. But most nations teach their people to protect the image of their country, not tear it down for clout or online applause. Nigeria is not unlivable. It has challenges, yes, but it is still home to millions building honest lives, raising families, succeeding in business, and shaping culture across the world. Celebrating citizenship is fine—but turning it into proof that Nigeria is worthless is the real tragedy. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and may more Nigerians learn the value of uplifting their country rather than ridiculing it.

Ya Allah mu dai mun yafe wa Baba Buhari, muma ya Allah ka yafe mana.

DISTRICT HEADS OF KANO BASED ON THEIR RANKS JERIN HAKIMAN KASAR KANO A YANZU BISA MATAKIN SARAUTA Thread…

I served not only my country but also God. I am happy to account for my stewardship Over the past few days and in particular in the past 2 hours, I have been inundated with calls from concerned family and friends over claims by an online newspaper that I was in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. This is clear mischief and a calculated attempt by the newspaper and its sponsors to achieve a desired outcome, which only them know. At present, I am taking a well-deserved rest after the dissolution of the management and board of the NNPCL, of which I was the Group Chief Executive. It should be stated that having served the NNPC and the NNPCL for 34 years, and 17 of those in management roles and especially the last 5 years and 9 months, I had little time for leave of even two weeks. So, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve under their Excellencies Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I must emphasize that I served with the fear of God knowing fully well as a Muslim that if I do not account before man, I will account before Allah, and that I am better off accounting to the institutions of man. Therefore, having served in public capacity, I am willing and happy to account for my stewardship in this world. However, it is important to state that the resort to disinformation does not serve anyones purpose, the NNPCL or the country in General, as it has the potential to send the wrong signals to investors and the international community. It is in this regard that I urge the media to be circumspect and avoid being stampeded into misleading the public on unverified stories or matters that are subject of further validation by relevant organizations. I sincerely thank my family and friends who have reached out to me or tried to do so and assure them that I am available to respond to all lawful queries.

Let that sink in

We get so bogged down in the daily stream of atrocities committed by Israel that it's easy to lose sight of the big picture. At the end of the day the reason why it matters so much, besides it being an affront to our most basic humanity, is because whatever we collectively let happen - or not - will define the fundamental structure of the international order for decades to come. Why, and how? The most important thing to remember about the period we're living in is that we're in a transition between world orders. We're exiting US hegemony - it's over already - and entering an new order. Such transitions happen rarely, once a century or so. The last time was the end of the Cold War when we transitioned from a bipolar world order to US hegemony, or "Pax Americana" as it was known (which wasn't "pax" at all given the millions violently killed in U.S. wars, which is the very reason why it was so short-lived... but that's besides the point). But this transition is extra special, because for the first time in 300+ years, we have non-Western states such as China becoming preeminent powers. As we all know, ever since the Industrial Revolution, it was the West dominating the system. Transitions occurred but between Western states: Portugal to Spain, Spain to the British, the British to the US. So that's the backdrop. Now how does Israel fit in and why does it matter? Orders are based on principles, and founding historical events matter enormously to underwrite these principles. Go back to the past, when the West started colonizing the planet, at first timidly (a few "trading posts" in Africa in the 15th century) and then more and more boldly, all the way to claiming entire continents. Why? Because they could, they were writing the principles (or lack thereof) of a new West-dominated world order. Or if you want a closer example, take NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, one of the founding acts of the US hegemony era. Completely illegal with regards to international law or even of NATO's own treaty (Serbia didn't attack and wasn't preparing to attack a member state of NATO), so much so that - it's funny to recall today - even Ariel Sharon at the time called an act of "brutal interventionism". Looking back, it premised the entire US hegemonic order: a time of unilateral, hubristic and brutal interventionism with little regard for international law. The message was "we do whatever the hell we want"... And this first act was timid compared with what was to come afterwards and the millions killed in the post 9-11 so-called "war on terror". Now I'm obviously not suggesting that Israel will be a preeminent state in the new world order, it's way too small for this. What I am saying is that the actions we collectively permit today will echo for decades to come and define the larger battles that will shape our future. And everyone can see that the precedents that we're setting are beyond horrifying: some of the principles Israel breaks were established for centuries such as the illegality of bombing embassies, or the killing of medical staff. Even in the Middle-Age we knew better not to do that stuff. People don't realize just how consequential this is: what's at stake is quite simply everything. If we let the future of the international order be based on the murder of Palestinians, and now the Lebanese, we're paving the way for the most unprincipled and nihilistic order we've ever known, where virtually anything goes. I see many people, some of them I believe sincere, defend Israel on the basis that it's a "fight for civilization against barbarism". It's in fact the EXACT CONTRARY. Israel is literally destroying everything civilization is based upon: sovereignty, the rule of law, human rights, freedom, etc. If you care about any of these things and if you truly understood what's happening, you'd be an ardent defender of the Palestinians and Lebanese. Many people cheered Israel on its "daring" actions against Hezbollah, including the killing of Nasrallah, on the basis that these were "terrorists" (remember that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter...). What fewer people know is that the reason why Israel did those actions wasn't at all because they were "terrorists", which is always just a propaganda label for the gullible public: according to Israeli officials themselves as quoted by NBC (#rcrd57180" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">nbcnews.com/news/world/liv…) they did it because Hezbollah refused a side deal that abandoned the Palestinians and let Israel continue its its land grab and ethnic cleansing unimpeded. In other words the "terrorists" of Hezbollah were the only ones who actually decided to make Israel face accountability on what all UN resolutions and the immense majority of the international community have been calling for ceaselessly. They're the only ones who decided to actually enforce the rules we supposedly have. THAT is why they're getting bombed and killed. All in all, if you genuinely care about the principles that underlie civilization, the Palestinian cause should be THE priority cause for you, because of the precedents that are being set. Another non-trivial group of people defend Israel because they're essentially supremacists, wanting "the West" to crush those "Muslims" (notwithstanding the fact many Palestinians and even more Lebanese are Christian) for daring to rebel against their subjugation. But even if that's your case, if you were to take a step back and use a modicum of common sense, you'd see that in the grand scheme of things this is absolutely not in your interest. Again the key characteristic of the emerging world order is the rise of non-Western powers: by supporting Israel's actions, you're effectively setting the rules of engagement for what may be done to you... Also if you're a supremacist, I imagine that you're not very fond of immigration: in Lebanon alone, one million people have already been displaced from their homes by Israel. As is the case with so many wars (remember Syria, Libya, etc.), Israel's actions are triggering yet another immigration crisis. Or think about this: if you're a supremacist you by definition think that Western values are superior... Doesn't it disturb you in the slightest that objectively speaking what Israel is doing violates just about every single one of these values and thereby destroys the very basis of this supposed superiority? That endlessly, from now on, whenever you'll start your spiel about Western superiority, the immediate answer you'll receive is "yeah but Gaza though..."? So all in all, no matter where you come from on this, once you start thinking through it, the larger implications become impossible to ignore. Every one of us bears responsibility for the world we're creating through the actions we let happen. Do we want a world underwritten by "anything goes" and "might makes right", do we want to step into an unprecedently nihilistic order? Or do we want a world with a vision for a shared future for mankind, underwritten by common principles, a world that makes us somewhat proud to be human? That's what's at stake with Israel today.

BYD agrees $1bn deal to build electric vehicle plant in Turkey on.ft.com/4cW0ujL

🟢Last week, @EnergyAlliance joined @SEforAllorg & the Ministry of Energy in Malawi 🇲🇼 to concentrate efforts for universal access to modern energy. We're all working together towards energy access, generation & distribution goals💪 #LetsChangeEnergy

📍@EnergyAlliance's Wale Aboyade, Naomi Wagura & DRC Country Lead, Lyza Shodu, met with several key stakeholders in Kinshasa, where we reaffirmed our commitment to accelerating access to affordable #cleanenergy in the country. Check out our work in 🇨🇩 energyalliance.org/democratic-rep…

🇨🇳 Yantai Port China, electric cars ready for export.

I just saw a 5 car convoy of the Fire Service... Just when I was wondering where the fire was, alas it was only the Director of the Federal Fire Service on his way to work now...we have a long way to go in Nigeria

Both SLS and Aminu Ado were dethroned. One of them responded with a verse from the Quran: 'Allah is the one who gives authority to whomever He pleases,' and accepted it without causing chaos. Allah rewarded him by reinstating him after four years. The other resisted and is trying to return by all means. You are free to think as you like, but it is clear who has complete reliance on Allah here.

Beautiful takedown of The Economist by Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.