So many pertinent points raised in this article and confirms the depth of Fasola's mind.

My overall take is that we seem to be in good hands for Power, Works and Housing development, he has started well by identifying in a few months some the hidden problems not obvious to the average citizen, that has ensured funds invested in these sectors disappear in a sinkhole.

I will also implore Prof. Osinbajo and Mr Malami to speedily embark on massive reform of our judicial and legal system to make them more responsive to our current and future needs.

To the mix they should speed up the national identification system to positively identify who a Nigerian is. This will massively reduce the cost of policing, elections, census, tax collection and aid private investors statistical analysis.

arresa:



Well said..

Penny wise, pound foolish...

you quoted it before me, but boy, it is worth quoting again!

Is it cheaper to drive on a road free of toll, and spend 5 hours for a 1 (one) hour journey? If you calculate the fuel burnt in 5 hours of standstill traffic and the stress, you will see that the toll free is not free.

i am hoping oil hits $20 a barrel and does not go up for the next 2 years. It is obvious that the changes we need to make will only happen when we are uncomfortable. If the only 2 things that come out of this presidency is diversification and killing corruption, I will take it any day

Fashola goes to a "Pensions Conference" and gives a speech that by my calculations, if it was read word for word, took at least two hours. No keynote speech should last more than twenty minutes. Fidel Castro used to give speeches that lasted for hours on end but then they were substantive and built around an ideological core. You read this speech and you go, okay, so what? It is a term paper, polished but glib with little substance and a distinct lack of analysis and good data. All Fashola is telegraphing is that this government wants its thieving hands in the pension fund. That is the bottom line. Fashola wants to start building websites, "executing" imaginary projects, and buying trinkets and bullet proof toys for the latest character du jour in Aso Rock. And social media "intellectuals" raised with motivational books are applauding him.
Let me be the first to say this: What Fashola and others are planning to do to people's pension fund is criminal. They ought to stop while they are ahead. What is the problem they are trying to solve? What are you investing in and why? I would be surprised if the pension fund is fully funded, I seriously doubt that given our history it is even 70 percent funded. We should be putting money on it, not coming up with pyramid schemes to loot elders' nest eggs. Shame on all of them. You want to give retired policemen's money to Rotimi Amaechi so he can build imaginary electric trains, power them with palm wine and celebrate with $500,000 dinner parties. Where is the outrage? Nonsense.

-Pa Ikhide

[s]

danvery2k6:
Fashola goes to a "Pensions Conference" and gives a speech that by my calculations, if it was read word for word, took at least two hours. No keynote speech should last more than twenty minutes. Fidel Castro used to give speeches that lasted for hours on end but then they were substantive and built around an ideological core. You read this speech and you go, okay, so what? It is a term paper, polished but glib with little substance and a distinct lack of analysis and good data. All Fashola is telegraphing is that this government wants its thieving hands in the pension fund. That is the bottom line. Fashola wants to start building websites, "executing" imaginary projects, and buying trinkets and bullet proof toys for the latest character du jour in Aso Rock. And social media "intellectuals" raised with motivational books are applauding him.
Let me be the first to say this: What Fashola and others are planning to do to people's pension fund is criminal. They ought to stop while they are ahead. What is the problem they are trying to solve? What are you investing in and why? I would be surprised if the pension fund is fully funded, I seriously doubt that given our history it is even 70 percent funded. We should be putting money on it, not coming up with pyramid schemes to loot elders' nest eggs. Shame on all of them. You want to give retired policemen's money to Rotimi Amaechi so he can build imaginary electric trains, power them with palm wine and celebrate with $500,000 dinner parties. Where is the outrage? Nonsense.

-Pa Ikhide

[/s]



Sadly and unfortunately on your part, your crooked, corrupt and incompetent GEJ sat and looked the other way while our pension funds was looted instead of investing it to better our lives and not only that, he sat cluelessly while his own EFCC let the main lootter MAINA off the hook with a slap on the wrist to allow him enjoy our looted pension money and not only that, your ole barawo GEJ turned around and hired another looter called Muazu who looted N20 billion from his state to head the pension commission.


There's a clear difference between investing pension funds to better our lives and looting pension funds like your worthless GEJ did.


You and your kind really need to STFU...

Babatunde Raji Fashola, i hail thee and i believe in your leadership style/ability. BRF so resourceful.

I've never been disappointed reading Fashola's speeches. He made a lot of salient points of which would have taken this country to a rapid development stage. If not for ethnicity or should I say the complexity of our political system, these are the kind of people that should be at the helm of affair of this country at this crucial time. Can't wait to see BRF as the president of Nigeria.

danvery2k6:
Fashola goes to a "Pensions Conference" and gives a speech that by my calculations, if it was read word for word, took at least two hours. No keynote speech should last more than twenty minutes. Fidel Castro used to give speeches that lasted for hours on end but then they were substantive and built around an ideological core. You read this speech and you go, okay, so what? It is a term paper, polished but glib with little substance and a distinct lack of analysis and good data. All Fashola is telegraphing is that this government wants its thieving hands in the pension fund. That is the bottom line. Fashola wants to start building websites, "executing" imaginary projects, and buying trinkets and bullet proof toys for the latest character du jour in Aso Rock. And social media "intellectuals" raised with motivational books are applauding him.
Let me be the first to say this: What Fashola and others are planning to do to people's pension fund is criminal. They ought to stop while they are ahead. What is the problem they are trying to solve? What are you investing in and why? I would be surprised if the pension fund is fully funded, I seriously doubt that given our history it is even 70 percent funded. We should be putting money on it, not coming up with pyramid schemes to loot elders' nest eggs. Shame on all of them. You want to give retired policemen's money to Rotimi Amaechi so he can build imaginary electric trains, power them with palm wine and celebrate with $500,000 dinner parties. Where is the outrage? Nonsense.

-Pa Ikhide

Grow up kid...some discussions are not meant for kids...this kind of mentality have been one of the reasons why we're where we are today.

Fashola is pure class.....Prime minister David Cameron... .....I need oduduwa republic...enough of this Nigerian farce....

Haishophem:



Grow up kid...some discussions are not meant for kids...this kind of mentality have been one of the reasons why we're where we are today.

I gave my honest analysis old man. If you are so wise and full of years, you would quit calling me kid and share yours

SMH

danvery2k6:


I gave my honest analysis old man. If you are so wise and full of years, you would quit calling me kid and share yours

SMH

Nothing honest about your warped, unintelligent and disingenuous analysis simply because there's a huge difference between stealing pension funds and investing pension funds to better the general populace.

The thieves you supported stole our pension funds and let the thieves go free to enjoy our money, but you have rubbish to spew about Nigerians benefiting from their pension funds.


Please flush your bogus anti Nigerian analysis inside toilet..

danvery2k6:


GMB's brothers are killing my people back at home and you are here dreaming about security when he rules.

Now I see where your warped analysis came from. How many of your brothers PMB killed and how exactly.?

danvery2k6:
Fashola goes to a "Pensions Conference" and gives a speech that by my calculations, if it was read word for word, took at least two hours. No keynote speech should last more than twenty minutes. Fidel Castro used to give speeches that lasted for hours on end but then they were substantive and built around an ideological core. You read this speech and you go, okay, so what? It is a term paper, polished but glib with little substance and a distinct lack of analysis and good data. All Fashola is telegraphing is that this government wants its thieving hands in the pension fund. That is the bottom line. Fashola wants to start building websites, "executing" imaginary projects, and buying trinkets and bullet proof toys for the latest character du jour in Aso Rock. And social media "intellectuals" raised with motivational books are applauding him.
Let me be the first to say this: What Fashola and others are planning to do to people's pension fund is criminal. They ought to stop while they are ahead. What is the problem they are trying to solve? What are you investing in and why? I would be surprised if the pension fund is fully funded, I seriously doubt that given our history it is even 70 percent funded. We should be putting money on it, not coming up with pyramid schemes to loot elders' nest eggs. Shame on all of them. You want to give retired policemen's money to Rotimi Amaechi so he can build imaginary electric trains, power them with palm wine and celebrate with $500,000 dinner parties. Where is the outrage? Nonsense.

-Pa Ikhide

Please I cannot read any sincere point in your comment . Did you read the speech or are you the usual Nairalander ?. .commenting only because he saw a name or title he didn't like.

By reading this speech I have rounded off two books in January after reading the START-UP NATION.

May Fashola be successful in this dream of bringing progress to the suffering people of this nation.
One point I love about his speech is that on 'free' this and that.Most people will like free educaction free road ,free meal and if possible free poverty.But truth be told nothing valuable is really free. The worth of free things on the long run become valueless. For example ,would any reasonable mind opt for the free education we see in this nation or the free school meals they give or even wear the free school uniforms they give. But compare that to the worst fee- paying private school behind your fence then you will know the difference.

Ovamboland:
So many pertinent points raised in this article and confirms the depth of Fasola's mind.

My overall take is that we seem to be in good hands for Power, Works and Housing development, he has started well by identifying in a few months some the hidden problems not obvious to the average citizen, that has ensured funds invested in these sectors disappear in a sinkhole.

I will also implore Prof. Osinbajo and Mr Malami to speedily embark on massive reform of our judicial and legal system to make them more responsive to our current and future needs.

To the mix they should speed up the national identification system to positively identify who a Nigerian is. This will massively reduce the cost of policing, elections, census, tax collection and aid private investors statistical analysis.

Very well said.

Lalasticlala!

While I totally agree with Fashola in principle, I believe that there is no point keeping billions of naira stashed somewhere where it is losing value by the day especially in the face of galloping inflation this country is facing but I doubt the prudence of those who will be making the decisions on how the hard earned pensions of the common man will be spent. Your excellency as the governor of Lagos state, you performed creditably better than your predecessors but despite that the cost of the projects you executed were simply outrageous and in a sane country, you will be in jail. But being the way Nigeria is, where the abnormal is normal, you win our hearts with your hardwork and performance.
but the bottomline is that until our politicians can manage the state funds the way Mandela did in South Africa, PLEASE OUR PENSION ALONE.thanks