Perhaps for that reason, shortly after he was sworn in , President Yar’Adua made a sensible short speech at the UN General Assembly last year. His grasp of the issue was convincing and thus, after the approving applause, Nigeria become the latest official inductee into the Global Warming debaters international Hall of Fame.

Except that it is difficult to put one’s finger on what the debaters set out to achieve. Conspiracy theories abound.

Chief of these is the one that theorizes about a huge cold war between the present carbon dependent global energy markets and the emerging bio fuel markets, which have been held responsible for the purported grain shortages of this year and the last.

Theorists are persuaded of a ploy by hydrocarbon stakeholders to persuade everyone else, particularly consumers, that fields and other resources that had been used to plant grain are now being used to plant biofuels.

On the other side are the biofuel stakeholders, who insist on the occurrence and progression over the years of a geographical phenomenon called global warming.

In countries in which Global Warming is being taken really seriously, results of scientific research are continuously presented to the public. Books are written, Nobel Prizes are given and a whole lot of money is spent in the organisation of fora and debates.

The values of automobiles are fixed in accordance with the amount of carbon they guzzle on one hand, and the amount of carbon they emit on the other. Users of automobiles are taxed according to the sizes of their engines and the amount of space they use up and the amount of contribution they make to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Nigeria, fortunately or unfortunately, is one of those countries in which Global Warming is not taken that seriously. In general circles, it frankly means nothing- some meaningless gibberish that pretentious politicians like to mouth in order to appear to be in tune with world politics.

This view, by the way, is not limited to the unschooled and the unexposed. Even other players in the non profit sector have complained about the tendency of environmental activists to put the cart before the horse, as it were, by failing to prescribe sustainable alternatives.

Not surprisingly, in a place where the most essential things of life have been elusive to the generality, seemingly remote phenomena cannot impress or generate much interest.

There is nothing at all novel about Lagos State’s Plant a Tree initiative (A lot of noise was made during the military administration of Oyinlola and others).

Not many trees were planted then, and it must be pointed out that the present administration has so far made more progress than any other in Lagos State till date at depleting the ozone layer by planting organisms that produce oxygen rather than use it.

Efforts of the present Lagos State at this have been both lauded and criticized, the latter mainly by erstwhile street traders who lost out at having to create space for the state’s beautification projects. Most, till date, have yet to find new means of livelihood.

This is a state in which the majority is engaged in trading for a living. Their numbers are therefore significant. By attracting the disaffection of the masses of the metropolises, Lagos State government runs the risk of falling into the category of those that fail to attract attention to its environmental causes that they deserve.

The impression might be given, by failing to properly resettle the state’s citizens who lost their shops and houses in its laudable environmental projects, of the proverbial man being made for the Sabbath rather than the Sabbath for the man.

It would have considerable trouble convincing a man with an empty stomach that he needs trees.

Sarah Palin’s daughterUn-black as he is in general, there is one thing that makes Obama look more like a black man than any other. He has a daughter named Sasha.

In true African American tradition, Mr. and Mrs. Obama had named one of their daughters a totally meaninglessly funky name. In total contrast, Michelle Obama has been named by the feared Vanity Fair magazine’s September edition as one of the best-dressed women on the international scene.

Hubby dear did not make that fickle list, but is doubtless proud that the First Lady that might be will be a first in more ways than one. African American women, without meaning any offence, are not famous for being tasteful dressers.

If this has worked for Obama, it will not be surprising if it works for the Republican presidential running mate Sarah Palin, whose unmarried daughter is expecting a baby at 17.

Rather than focus on the expectation of her conservatism, it would appear the American electorate is so happy that she is as human as the next person, that they are sympathetic rather than critical towards her.

Who might have thought that this would happen?!

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