LAZY NORTHERNERS, AREWA ADMITS !

Almajiris? Loafers! Leeches! Parasites! Panhandlers! Beggarly people! What nomenclature has not been used to describe the unbridled lazy aversion to hard-work of the people of northern Nigeria. Now, finally there is an admission by the one voice which speaks for northern Nigeria - AREWA, that the people of northern Nigeria are lazy and parasitic on the rest of the country. This is a truism of what everyone already knows but which nobody will admit publicly because of political correctness. Now that AREWA has publicly admitted to this fact, it is now fair game to discuss it openly. It is the culture of perfidy of institutionalized laziness (almajiris) which is the bane of Northern Nigeria. How can a culture inculcate in its people that a person's status is ordained by Allah and nothing should be done to change it. This makes it possible for the beehive of teenagers who loiter from one street corner to another in the north asking for handouts while their mates from the south are busy studying in school or pursuing various other vocations including trading. Why would the north not be poor and dependent on the rest of Nigerians when there is no viable feeder from within its populace to oil their economy? Let the truth be told that Nigeria might finally be rid of this clog in its wheel of progress. Now that AREWA has spoken the truth at last; let the freedom bell ring - free at last! free at last! If only this will jolt northern Nigeria out of their lazy stupor, then the job of Soludo, AREWA and Icheoku as well as other brave talkers is done. Finally Nigeria may have turned the corner by this clear admission of AREWA that people of northern Nigeria are lazy and parasitic. Icheoku re-echoes this sentiment of AREWA and affirms that AREWA is right on the mark with this admission. So lazy people of the north, wake up, roll up your sleeves and off to work you must now go to alleviate your poverty status! Asalam alekum!

Now read the said admission of AREWA that the northerners are lazy and parastic!

By Segun Olatunji, Kaduna
Published: Thursday, 31 Jul 2008
The Arewa Consultative Forum on Wednesday disagreed with the 19 northern state governors that northerners were not parasites on other regions of the country. ACF said that indeed, “northerners are lazy and parasites” on other regions, pointing out that there was no reason to run away from the truth.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani. It, however, said that the people of the Niger Delta were responsible for the economic woes of the North, having raided the people of the Middle Belt who were part of the North as slaves for the whites during the colonial days. The forum also flayed the Senate President, David Mark, over his comment that the organisation consisted of failed politicians who were in the habit of imposing their views on northerners. Apparently referring to the controversy surrounding the victory of the Senate President at the election petitions tribunal, ACF said, “Winning election is one thing and earning the honour is another.” The ACF further welcomed the assertion by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on the pervasive poverty and illiteracy in the North, urging him to match his expression of concern with positive actions in the area of employment according to Federal Character, as a way of reducing the problems. Meanwhile, the Northern Democratic Coalition on Wednesday condemned the First Northern Agricultural Summit that just ended in Kaduna, describing it as‘fraud.’ In a statement entitled, “Fraudulent Northern Agricultural Summit,” and jointly signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Al-Basir, and Secretary, Elisha Kura, the group condemned the 19 northern governors over what it described as ”another jamboree” aimed at fleecing the people of their money. The group said, “This is another fraud of the century because it has been confirmed that the governors of the 19 northern states, banks and individuals contributed N3.6bn to organise the summit. “This is an amount large enough to take care of a large number of the poverty-stricken people of the North. Clearly, this is an agenda of some self-styled leaders of the North to further enrich themselves to the detriment of the less privileged.”

FIGHT FOR BAKASSI, NOW!

The fight to save Bakassi from the clutches of Southern Nigeria enemies is a fight which all patriotic southerners must as of necessity, fight now and collectively too! But the festering animosities and divisions foist on the people of southern Nigeria by the northerners appear to be inhibiting this effort. The irony of Bakassi is that the rest of Southern Nigeria is treating it as a no brainier, as if it is a public-charge, a res nulus, as non of their business, as if it is Bakassi problem alone or that of Cross River State as opposed to something big that collectively belongs to the entire south. The more political astute and savvy Northern Nigeria has succeeded in isolating and balkanizing the south into various powerless ethnic minorities and communities which itinerant(ly) fight themselves instead of collectively facing off their common foe - the North! Why does Icheoku say so? Because it was in Rivers State that the first abandoned property under the current Senate President, David Mark's commission was enforced against the returning Igbos of Nigeria shortly after the civil war; thereby driving a big wedge between the Igbos of core Igboland and the Igbos of Rivers State. The same goes with old Calabar province, inclusive Bakassi, which hitherto was part of Eastern Nigeria and by extension nearly Igbo-like; with closer affinities to Igbo people.

But like the world re-known poet and author, Professor Chinua Achebe rightly stated in "Things Fall Apart", things have dramatically fallen asunder and the falcons can no longer hear the falconers in Southern Nigeria. What could bring back the southerners of Nigeria into one powerful bloc? Where is the southern version of the northern governors' association? Can the joint defense of Bakassi provide the needed glue which will once again galvanize southern Nigeria? The southern disunity has made it possible for the vampires from the North to be sucking the blood of southerners dry and doing so as it pleases them without any let or hindrance whatsoever. It is about time, the South unites and together fight their common enemy for their total emancipation; instead of the current pettiness of imaginary enemies amongst themselves; which "enmity" was a product of the master-craftiness of the Hausa/Fulani Oligarchs from the Sahara desert designed to keep the south bogged down.

Col Gideon Orkar, may God bless his soul, excised some states from Nigeria and gave them away to where they rightfully and historically belong - to Chad and Niger Republics. But the North would not take it and instead, mobilized as one bloc and fought their way collectively back into Nigeria again. They did not just say no, it was just Sokoto, Kano, Maiduguri, Katsina and Kebbi States that were removed from Nigeria by Orkar. No, they saw it as an affront to the north; seeing themselves as one north, the same northerners and rallied to fight. They succeeded and today the same otherwise excised part of Nigeria of Katsina State has produced the incumbent "president", Umaru Yar'Adua of Northern Nigeria. So why can't the South fight as one to secure a territory which rightfully and historically belong to them until 1967 when the North made a pact with the devious Cameroon to trade Bakassi in exchange for their blockading Biafra? The crushing effect of the blockade sped the final suspension of hostilities by Biafra against the inept Nigerian government of Yakubu Gowon.

In 1967 through 1970, the collective North fought Biafra using their minions in present Benue State, as canon fodders, arrow heads and foot soldiers to wage their unholy war against Biafra. These disposables were immediately relegated to the kitchens as servants once their services at the war fronts to secure the southeastern oil were no longer needed, Biafra having ceased fire. What is Icheoku saying? - that southern Nigeria should grow street-smart and read the handwriting on the world; they should see the bigger picture that a territory belonging to their geographical location is at a peril in the hands of the North and rally round as one to secure it or fight to get it back. These northerners have nothing to lose by the ceding Bakassi to Cameroon; after-all it is not in their geographical belt and it is several hundreds of miles away in some "god-forsaken" territory. AREWA does not have any interest in protecting what rightfully belongs to the south so it behoves on the South to protect what is theirs. The seventeen states of the south should fully mobilize for a showdown over Bakassi with these feudalistic north. Now is the time to fight for your rights or forever retreat into your cocoons as the cowards of the country and remain in perpetual servitude of the Northerners. The southern mantra should at the present time be "give us liberty or give us death". The age long abuses in Nigeria and the present face-off or stare-down in the Niger Delta should be the perfect storm needed to forever right all the wrongs in Nigeria, especially the dominance of power and institutions in Nigeria by just one very lazy group of people (AREWA admitted as much).

Enough of these gworro-chewing SOBs dictating to a much more civilized and hardworking Nigerians of Southern Nigeria what to do. How long shall the south continue to just take it through the rear? The time is now for the south to prove that they are not as inconsequential as the north perceives them and try to depict them, whenever any such opportunity calls. The south should unite and make Bakassi a test case of all that is wrong with Nigeria; that some human beings should just sell off fellow Nigerians into slavery in Cameroons just lwith a stroke of pen aka "Green Tea Agreement" without the consent of the party-victim is unfathomable? Are these Nigerians of Bakassi origin mere chattels that can be pawned or auctioned off at the whim of an imperial president as Olusegun Obasanjo grew into, in corroboration with his other conspirators? Call the Northern bluff now, Southern Nigeria and let Nigerians resolve this northern albatross once and for all. The time for action is now! Stand up for Bakassi as one united south and let the tree fall wherever and however it sees fit; after-all the north said they can survive as an independent nation and this might as well be their farewell ode!

ACID BATH FOR A LAWYER, AN UPDATE!

Courtesy of our friends at Klinreports, Icheoku brings you an update on the lawyer acid-attack victim's path to recovery including his most recent photos as well as his photo before the attack . Please as you read this interview, let your conscience speak to you; see the need of this "unfortunate" lawyer and do something to help him. Look beyond yourself to fill the need of the victim herein. The "me" attitude of this world should be put aside for a moment and think deeply what the family of this man is going through at the present time. It could be anybody, you, myself, a relative, a friend or an acquaintance. Do something today for mankind as personified in these photographs. Go to sleep tonight knowing that you have made a difference in a life. God blesses a cheerful giver!

"Help! I need N6 million for re-constructive surgery" cries out Barrister Francis Okafor - lawyer acid-attack victim.

Now the interview conducted by our friend, Ahams of Klinreports:

Q. What has your life been like since the acid attack on you September last year?
A. Since I was discharged from the National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu on January 1 this year, I have been frequenting the hospital for follow up action even though the on-going treatment has nothing to do with my eye. I made a first attempt at the British Embassy to obtain visa in April this year, but that visa was rejected. The embassy officials sympathized with my plight but said I did not have credible sponsor. As a result of this, they could not give me visa. Later, we made efforts with Morphid Hospital, London to get an appointment letter and eventually in June this year, the hospital management graciously granted us appointment which is scheduled to be on August 7 this year-just a couple of days from now for me to see my doctors. I went back to the British Embassy and I am happy to announce that they granted entry visa for me to travel around August 4th so that I would meet up with my August 7th appointment.

Q. What was the extent of your treatment at the Orthopedic Hospital?
A. You know, I had multiple injuries all over my body including my head, my two eyes, my left hand and my legs. It was the burns that the Orthopedic Hospital surgeons have been treating. They brought in two doctors- Professors Nwasigwe and Onwuagwuluike, the first ophthalmologists in eastern region. The medical experts confirmed, in the course of my treatment, that my left eye is completely dead, but that the right one could be salvaged if I am urgently sent abroad for medical treatment. They said the equipment required for that treatment is not in Nigeria, that it could only be found overseas. They, therefore, advised me to make arrangements to travel overseas for that treatment. So, all this while I have been going to Orthopedic Hospital, it has just been for follow up check-ups on the injuries I sustained all over my body during the acid attack.

Q. Is it possible to quantify your expenses so far?
A. Initially, we spent N360, 000.00 (Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) at the Orthopedic Hospital. And we have been paying little amount of money for routine check-ups. However, the overseas treatment is the one that is trying to consume a lot of money because my treatment has been estimated to cause N5 million, except other travel expenses such as incidentals, feeding and accommodation.

Q. Only your treatment will cost a whopping N5 million?
A. Only treatment, but if you add these other expenses, it can go up to N7 million (about $68,000dollars USD). You see, we are talking about only my eye, not my other parts of body that are burnt. This left eye is totally burnt, and it requires plastic surgery to really reconstruct it. So, that one is not part of the estimation.

Q. So, how do you raise the money for the medical trip?
A. I have been having problems trying to raise the fund. What I have on hand now is not enough to undertake the trip. People really responded but it is not enough. The response is nothing to write home about. I cannot boast of up to N1.2 million yet the treatment requires above N5 million.

Q.What of your colleagues in the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)?
A. In fact, the NBA has given me N1 million so far, and they said there is another small amount of money for me to collect before the trip.

Q. How do you intend to raise the remaining amount for the medical trip?
A. That is the problem. I intend to meet some international organizations while in London to see if they can give me some assistance.

Q. Apart from lawyers and concerned members of the public, has your plight been brought to the attention of government, especially, governments of the southeast geo-political zone?
A. Yes, the leadership of the bar had written to the governors of Enugu and Anambra, my home state, for financial assistance for my oversea medical treatment. But the association will still brief us on the outcome of the letters.

Q. Will the plastic surgery be carried out after this initial London treatment?
A. Yes, what they will do first of all is to treat my right eye that is, at the moment, receiving light so that thereafter, they would refer me to the plastic surgeon to now reconstruct my left eye before they can know whether it is still alive or not.

Q. What is the level of treatment of the burns?
A. I think on the face of it, the burns are gone, but I am still having some sensations. I have been receiving treatment in respect of that. You can see my head. There is plaster all over it. We thought the wound had healed, but it came back all over.

Q. There were suspects in this attack on you. What has become of the matter?
A. There is one person I did suspect and police arrested him, but eventually, while I was in the hospital he went to an Enugu High Court and, under fundamental human rights, he was granted bail. Meanwhile, I have not gathered strength enough to prosecute that matter because I have to be in court to prosecute the suspect. So, we have not done anything in respect of prosecution of that matter. It is just pending while the suspect is on bail. For now, the matter is adjourned sine die until I recover. Then if I want to prosecute him, I would reactivate the matter.

Q. Once more, could you recapture the deadly attack on you?
A. On September 26, 2007 (last year), I finished my chambers work by 8 pm and came out of my office to enter my car. As I was about to board my car, I had a call on my mobile telephone handset. So, I stood by the car door to answer the call. While I was still standing, saying ‘Hello, Hello’ on the phone, I heard a bang on my head, ‘Gboooh!’ I thought it was a bottle that was broken on my head, but substance was pouring all over my body. I subsequently received very serious burning sensation, and I started shouting. At this juncture, people rushed to my rescue and I was taken to the National Orthopedic Hospital.

Q. When will you return back to Nigeria?
A. I was granted six months visa. So, I will be back to Nigeria by January 17, 2009

Recovering Barrister Francis Okafor with his ever loving wife.

PLEASE DONATE TODAY TO HIS APPEAL FUND:

ACCOUNT NUMBER 0191201008081, OCEANIC BANK PLC

& ACCOUNT NUMBER 9562000013956, UNION BANK PLC,

ENUGU-NIGERIA

Also, you can send your donation/gift vide Western Union or Money Gram and alert him on his telephone numbers 0112348038726495 & 011248037741703

(please be mindful of his trip to London for treatment at Morphid Hospital beginning from August 4th, 2008)

ONE NIGERIA, REALLY?

Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Maduekwe while receiving his Cameroonian counterpart Henri Ayissi, recently said that the two common enemies facing Nigeria are those who want to see Nigeria disintegrate and the militants who daily attack Nigerian soldiers and civilians. Ojo Maduekwe was right to the extent that those who are tired of the stunted Nigeria-experiment are legion and enough reason to give those lords of manor in Nigeria, lots of sleepless nights! Icheoku says but for the parasitic north, who depends heavily on the southern oil to survive their arid desert condition, Nigeria disintegration would have since been a fait accompli - would have since been a dream come through.

Who in Nigeria really does not wish that they go their separate ways? Who in Nigeria is happy to be sharing space with some other detestable human beings whose stock in trade is either bureau de` change or simply loitering; yet they are in charge of Nigeria to the chagrin of the workhorse of the Nigerian economy and commerce? Who will like to continue to adorn the toga of being the baboon who does all the works while the monkeys from the north are just eating? Not this blogger! Not any known membership of Icheoku and by extension, not many Nigerians; many of whom are just bidding their time for the true emancipation from the yokes of the Northerners.

British colonial powers murdered peace in Nigeria when it forcibly yoked strange bed-fellows together and christened it Nigeria. To make matters worst they ensured through clever manipulations that the lazy north remain in charge of many levers of power including the armed forces. What is Nigeria strictly speaking and who is a real Nigerian? Who is actually proud to be identified as a Nigerian when Nigeria's leadership including her national houses are populated by known 419ners and con-men? Which country are we talking about but a country already on a precipice waiting to be pushed over the cliff to smithereens. The necessary indices are available and only a trigger or tinder is missing and in any event this is supplied, Nigeria as an entity may become a tragic historical fact. The only panacea is a change of attitude and the arrogant exclusion of many other Nigerians from the scheme of things. The fabric of Nigeria is always threatened by injustice and partial administration of both justice and resources. The Ojo Maduekwes of Nigeria should instead of worrying about factors of possible disintegration, concern themselves with how to make amends for the past wrongs in order to avoid future wrongs. This will lower down the temperature-gauge and prevent the situation from boiling over leading to more cohesive society where every Nigerian will be treated fairly and justly.

THE HIT LIST - our incredible but true story series: - SERIE 2

1. Very expensive high-end Hamburgers!

Are you rich enough? Can you afford America's Most Expensive Hamburgers? How much could you spend for a hamburger? Do you know that dozens of restaurants across the United States of America serves Kobe-beef burgers topped with truffles and foie gras. The price tags on these wallet-busting burgers can reach $175. It's a chance to try the ‘ultimate’ example of something edible, and because it's a burger — well, who doesn't want to eat the ultimate burger?” In Pictures: America's Most Expensive Hamburgers

Another burger gimmick comes courtesy of the kitchen at the Palms. They'll pair a $6 Carl Jr.’s hamburger with a 24-year-old bottle of French Bordeaux. This ultimate combo meals costs $6,000. Not content to let the West Coast take the lead, New York City-based steakhouse chain Olde Homestead got in the race. They recently decided that their original $41 20-ounce Kobe beef hamburger wasn’t enough, and introduced an $81 burger. It's made with 14 ounces of 100 percent “Grade Five” Kobe Wagyu beef — with a four-ounce medallion of Kobe sirloin tucked inside. That still doesn't compare to DB's Double Truffle burger, served with 20 grams of shaved black truffles—and a $150 price tag. Believe it or not, there's an even more expensive burger — dusted with gold — also served in New York. Icheoku says, what a price to pay for a piece of bread and beef patties? Anyway, you only live once, so why not if you can! Incredible? You bet!

2. His body will not decay!

The body of the bearded Capuchin monk, Padre Pio was exhumed from a crypt on March 3 and found to be in good condition after 40 years of his death. A poll in 2006 by Catholic magazine Famiglia Cristiana found that more Italian Catholics prayed to Padre Pio than to any other figure, including the Virgin Mary or Jesus. His picture is stuck to the dashboards of many taxis and cars throughout Italy. In the sepulcher, he was dressed in a brown Capuchin habit and wore fingerless gloves he used to absorb blood from wounds on his hands. Among the stories that surround the monk, who died at the age of 81, is one that he wrestled with the devil one night in his monastery cell and emerged bloodied and bruised." Icheoku says a saint of our time? Really! Is it not incredible that Italians, the custodians of the Roman Catholic Church are praying to an ordinary mortal more than to blessed Virgin Mary or even the Lord Jesus Christ? Is this heresy or what?

3. The rocking Monk!

Dressed in his traditional brown robe, sandals and twirling the rope around his waist, this 62-year old Friar Cesare Bonizzi is no ordinary heavy metal rocker. But as guitarists around him grind out heavy notes, the long-white-bearded Capuchin, a former missionary in Ivory Coast, has no qualms bobbing his head and shouting lyrics about alcohol, sex, tobacco and life in general into his microphone.Describing himself as a "preacher-singer," Bonizzi has been singing for over a decade, and last month wowed heavy metal fans at Italy's "Gods of Metal" festival, where he performed with his band Fratello Metallo (Metal Brother) alongside groups such as Iron Maiden. A member of the Catholic Capuchin order in Milan, Bonizzi began singing heavy metal after having first started with what he calls "light music with slight rock influence."You can see Friar Bonizzi in action here. Icheoku says, rock on reverend! Who says you have to become a destitute and self-deprived absolutionist in order to serve your God! God loves the cheerful one so why not indulge yourself in whatever puts a smile on your face and maybe on another's; that way you may live long! Truth!

4. Obasanjo abandons electricity problem to God

The medicine man of Otta, Babalawo Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo is a despicable person. He said Nigerians should take their electricity problem to God, adding that they should take to God anything they do not have which they wished to have or cannot get. Icheoku says that this deranged incestuous monster of Otta Olusegun Obasanjo was rescued from the gallows and sent to Aso Rock by God to give Nigerians electricity among other things. He disobeyed God and eight years after his ignoble reign over Nigeria, he is today opening his wide dirty mouth to insult Nigerians. What a country? Icheoku says this monster should be arrested and put away for all his crimes against humanity and also since he is unable to explain to Nigerians why the $16billion dollars USD he misappropriated for electricity did not add even a single mega watt of electricity to the national grid! Isn't that incredulous? At best let Aremu Obasanjo spare Nigerians further pains from the memories of his atrocious regime and please SHUT THE F**K UP!

5. From Grace to Grass - disguised ex-president of Serbia!

When Saddam Hussein was fished out of a spider hole in a farm in Baghdad by the brave United States of America military, Icheoku thought we have had the last of such desperate act by former men of authority to evade justice by eluding capture from a manhunt. But we were proved wrong. The fugitive ex-president of Serbia, Bosnian-Serb President Radovan Karadzic proved that he was a good student of Saddam Hussein and while the whole world was busy traversing the rugged Serbia country-side looking for him, he took a page from Saddam Hussein and grew beards with an alias; living in the city suburb of Belgrade as a commoner - a traditional homeopathic doctor! What an irony of fate that a once demi-god president of Serbia stole an identity of a rural gardener and hid behind face-covering beards and for about thirteen years!

Until next week Sunday when we come your way again with our incredible but true stories; remain blessed and please continue to visit www.Icheoku.com! Our team of bloggers shall continue to strive to bring to you our best-effort editorials of social and political happenings around our world. So long!

OBAMA WOWS THE WORLD!

Icheoku says if only Americans can get it right this time, the world will be ready once again for America the beautiful! Things will definitely change; the indications are there for any discernible mind to see. From the arid mountainous Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Jordan, to Israel, to Palestine, to Germany, to France and finally to England the story is the same that the peoples of the world are ready for a BARACK OBAMA's presidency and America's rebirth back to the mainstream of the world! Where-ever he goes he holds out hope for everyone and many look upon him as the symbol of all possibilities and everything good about America! We must sustain this hope by electing Barack Obama President in November 2008. YES WE CAN make this happen! This dream can come through! This objective is within an arms' length and we must grab it and not let such a golden opportunity slip from our hands! Not this time, America! Even the confidential note he left at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem was published against known practice and it shows a man with a very meek heart! America, he is the one! Now enjoy the pictorial of Barack Obama's meet some world leaders tour as well as the compete text of the remarkable speech which he delivered in front of a crowd estimated to be in excess of two hundred thousand people, at Siegessäule (Victory Square), Berlin, Germany. Icheoku says it was yet another touchdown!

"Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome. I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen - a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world. I know that I don't look like the Americans who've previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father - my grandfather - was a cook, a domestic servant to the British. At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning - his dream - required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life. That is why I'm here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom.

And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life. Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.
On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade. This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin. The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin. And that's when the airlift began - when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city. The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold. But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city's mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. "There is only one possibility," he said. "For us to stand together united until this battle is won...The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty...People of the world, look at Berlin!" People of the world - look at Berlin! Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle. Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security. Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity. People of the world - look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one. Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again.

History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall - a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope - walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history. The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers - dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean. The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil. As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya. Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all. In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we're honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny. In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth - that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe. Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together.

A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity. That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another. The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down. We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid. So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other. That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations - and all nations - must summon that spirit anew. This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope. This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets.

No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO's first mission beyond Europe's borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century - in this city of all cities - we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent. This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all. This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East.

My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close. This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations - including my own - will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one. And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust - not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.

Now the world will watch and remember what we do here - what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time? Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words "never again" in Darfur? Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people? People of Berlin - people of the world - this is our moment. This is our time. I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we've struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We've made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions. But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us - what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America's shores - is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please. Those are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. Those aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of those aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of those aspirations that all free people - everywhere - became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of those aspirations that a new generation - our generation - must make our mark on history. People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. Let us build on our common history, and seize our common destiny, and once again engage in that noble struggle to bring justice and peace to our world!"

Barack Obama at Berlin's Siegessäule on Thursday