Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Rwandan President Kagame Criticizes Africa’s Dependence on Foreign Aid, Says Rwanda Encourages ‘Okada’ Operators
Paul Kagame
By SaharaReporters, New York
President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame said today that the motorcycle business is a lucrative one in the transport sector in his country and that he has had no reason to ban the machines from the roads.
Mr. Kagame was speaking in an interactive session he had with Nigerian youths and entrepreneurs in Lagos, where commercial motorcycles, widely-known as ‘Okada,’ were recently banned from major urban centres.
Kagame criticized the dependence on foreign aid by African countries and the use of the International Criminal Court (ICC), by some power-holders.
He also spoke on other diplomatic and youth-related issues, and fielded questions from participants, some of whom described situations in their country and sought comparisons between both countries in their handling of their challenges.
Kagame expressed the view that the ICC has been reduced to a court that is only used to victimize helpless Africans. He said most of the criminal offences for which accused persons were taken to the ICC could be handled by those countries on their own.
He also raised concern over the operation of the Universal Jurisdiction principle, which he said presupposes that accused persons could be tried anywhere they have committed a crime regardless of their nationality. He also suggested that the principle seemed to have only been picking on Africans.
“Be it in Asia, Europe, America or Africa, it means that they [accused persons] could be tried where they have committed those crimes,” the president said. “But is appears it has only been used on Africans, perhaps it means that it is only in Africa that those offences are being committed.”
He suggested that Africa could create its own court to try matters that were being taken to the ICC.
“To get rid of these concerns, I feel Africa should have its own court to try matters bordering on Africa so that we know that matters taken to ICC actually merit going there.
He further suggested that the ICC should intervene only in situations where the countries are unable to handle the matter on their own, or when the government of a country by itself requests the intervention of the ICC.
The Rwandan President also said he perceives that the ICC was being used by politically-motivated officials to hunt their opponents. He mentioned an example in March 2012 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, people were recommended for arrest by the ICC, whereas those recommending those arrests were worse criminals or were as guilty as those they had recommended for arrest.
On food aid, Kagame condemned the dependence of African countries on food aid from some supposed advanced foreign countries, expressing pride that Rwanda has stopped the practice in favour of local production.
“We decided to stop those importing food aid and we said, look, if we equip our own farmers, we would put food on our tables”.
Asked by a questioner about the ban on ‘Okada’ in Lagos and other parts of the country, Kagame astonished the audience by saying that Rwanda has commercial motorbikes too, and that it is orderly and profitable.
“What we did was not to interfere so much in motorcycles affairs because we saw that whoever did would pay for it,” he stated.
“All we did was to help them organize well in order to ensure that they operate in orderly manner. One of such ways was helping them to form co-operative society among them and to see to better management of their affairs. Although we discovered that most of the Okadas belong to even people in the Government, but whoever it belonged to, all that mattered to us was to ensure that they operate orderly; motorcycle is a lucrative business.”
President Kagame advocated that youths from Nigeria and Rwanda as well as other countries in Africa should come together and surmount their territorial borders to help Africa.
“Africa needs young people. Young people have new energies; young people have new ideas. And it is the rights of the young people as well, because as they participate in this process, they shape their own futures too,” he said.
Mr. Kagame has been President of Rwanda since 2000, his government criticized as autocratic and restrictive of freedom of expression. He has promised to step down in 2017.
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Suffer head
Submitted by Joe (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 23:01.
Make this man carry im suffer-head go to his country. What is he doing in office for 17 years (2000-2017) and counting? Typical African seat tight president. Nigerians are not as backward as he thinks. Leave Lagos, the Centre of Excellence, alone! Forward ever, backward never. The Okada business can move to another state or to Rwanda.
THOUGHTLESS RESTRICTION!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 18:59.
KAGAGME IS ON SPOT! as i drive around lagos ,i see frustration on the faces of commuters waiting endlessly with no means in sight and in their minds wishing okada was available.i feel their pains.no train,no ferries,taxis on charter basis,few buses.this is inhuman.i have three cars but okada is still my best mode of traversing lagos.i just came back from THE 2ND BIGGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD AFTER US, CHINA.I used okada throughout my stay in guanzhou[one of the biggest cities]it is a necesssary evil and the most efficient mean of transport in lagos.they need to be more organized .
INTEGRITY PERSONIFIED!!! BUHARI OF RWANDA.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 18:25.
i wish he was nigerian president.he is integrity personified.he is well respected in rwanda and africa.his cabinet is filled with visionary youths of 30-45 years old.no motorcade,siren,tromping soldiers/police .i have been to rwanda twice.for those who do not know,rwanda after genocide in the 1990s is holding the baton as 1 THE FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY IN AFRICA.2 NO 1 DESTINATION in FOREIGN INVESTMENT 3 THE LEAST CORRUPTED COUNTRY IN AFRICA,4 KIGALI IS THE SAFEST CITY IN AFRICA.5 THE BEST HEALTH CARE IN AFRICA.6 THE CLEANEST IN AFRICA.it is endless.i wept when i was leaving as a nigerian.i wish our oil would dry up.
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Not So Fast Mr President
Submitted by Adedayo (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 16:40.
The people of Rwanda are very orderly and still tame-able, at least judging by CNN & AJE documentaries I've watched. Not so with Nigerians. Motorbike business may be organized over there but it can't work in Lagos, especially with the kind of congestion here. It's not a sustainable transport model and I support a 100% ban.
I don't expect him to like the ICC because he's presently being accused of interference in the politics & unending war in the DRC. Most African nations do not have strong judicial systems yet so we still need the ICC. If nothing, it serves as a strong deterrence to would-be dictators and mass murderers. And no, not only African dictators have referred there. What about the war criminals in the former Yugoslavia? Are they also Africans?
Re: Paul Kagame
Submitted by Danboyi Gomsuk (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 15:48.
I disagree completely with Paul Kagame that motorcycle business or okada should become a mode of commercial transportation in Africa! This shows brazen disregard for forward-looking and modern development in Africa. What has happened to the usual taxicabs that existed in most African towns and cities? Why would African leaders not empower the youths to form co-operatives to own taxicabs? It's a shame! Secondly, Paul Kagame has not said anything new about the ICC. This Court does encourage all signatory countries to try their criminals; only when these countries show reluctance or inability to prosecute would the ICC consider taking up the case. The universality principle Paul Kagame mentioned was invoked by the UK when Nigeria was messing around with the Ibori case. On the whole it appears Paul Kagame has no full understanding of these international judicial processes.
1914 was a disaster. The stupidity and greed of the British
Submitted by akpos1 (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 12:17.
Hear ACF...“Nigerian democracy is not matured enough for state police which is subject to abuse by state governments against national unity. What is more, the states are not financially viable enough to manage state police.."
This underscores the latent fear within the Northern and cowardly Western countries of continent Nigeria...Fear that state police may metamorphose into state army and be a potent route to secession. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on the side you are, this secession is inevitable...
1914 is an aberration. There is no one continent with such gaping diversity and divergence of its peoples as u find in continent Nigeria. There is no basis for coexistence except that the parasitic North & cowardly West of continent Nigeria wud want to continue to feed on the wealth of the SS & SE countries. This is totally unacceptable.
Long live the republic of the SS & SE
Well spoken!
Submitted by OC (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 09:45.
Well said, Kagame! Pls teach Fashola and his goons a thing or two. Teach them a lesson that there is nothing wrong with the concept of the 'Okadas', but rather with its operation. If properly supervised and regulated, they could compliment and ease transportation problem in Lagos.
They are the most effective and only efficient mode of public transportation in Nigeria. The surest guaranty and the only means to get you to your destination bang on time. No other means can guarantee to take you to your destination in the shortest possible time than the 'Okada'! I feel like I'm doing an ad for 'Okada'. There is just so much to say about them! With them, one can plan and keep appointments.
Africa should tried African criminal leaders?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 11, 2012 - 03:10.
Mr. President, I am not sure if you are aware of the corrupt judicial system that exists in Africa; if you do, your statement doesn't reflect a man of such. Have you even seen a judicial system that has successfully tried and jailed its corrupt criminal leaders in your Continent? Mr. President,what you should be preaching is how African failed leaders should accept election and accept political defeat as practiced in developed countries. Teach African leaders to avoid election manipulation and gangstanrism. I am yet to hear that from you, Mr. Kagame. As far so those of us who are exposed and living in the Western world are concern, we wish these ICC could imprisoned all of African leaders, you included. I feel no remorse if such actions are
