SapeleGuy:

Abuja is spending N257 Billion on a 10 lane expressway - Abuja contributes zero to the national economy. How can you justify that amount of money.

You guys should try constructive and evidence based criticism. I can't condemn people without evidence.

Bayelsa have built a 500 bed hospital, and 25 health centres, an international conference centre which is currently on the 18th floor of construction, before 2007 only 3 of the 8 local government areas were accessible by road, they have built 140km of roads to address this.

All of this in 2 years. If this was Fashola - some of you would be having orgasms. Did Fashola and Tinubu not buy a $20 million yacht which is now rusting in the harbour? What have you people said about that.

Sapeleguy don come again o. so because u havent taken the time out to read the thread about the $20M ferry, yo uasume no one has critiqued it? we are not disputing the fact you present about the hospital and health centers. what we are saying is that the money wasted on that waste of cement and things could probabl build one more health center that is equipped to the teeth waiting for any patient coming in with any ailment whatsoever. or are u saying just one hospital with 500 beds is good enough for the whole state of bayelsa?

I take it you guys are also saying that the hospitals and health centres or bridges that are connecting previously isolated communities are also white elephant projects?

What is the definition of a white elephant project?

I intentionally ignored that line about the 500 bed hospital. I cannot for the life of me understand how one 500 bed hospital in a state that has had next to nothing for years before, can be ok with one 500 bed hospital and 25 other health centers. EVen worse, I did not want to get into asking if the quality of the centers and hospital were at least the same level as what we saw in the video of the mcmansion  and it's environs.  

SapeleGuy:

I take it you guys are also saying that the hospitals and health centres or bridges that are connecting previously isolated communities are also white elephant projects?
What is the definition of a white elephant project?

Please can you be more specific about where you actually pulled that one from?

my guy no read my comment sha, him just dey dancing around in circles talking about an invisible person he has in his head that might claim that some hospital is a while elephant consulting room.

must_a_far:

Sapeleguy don come again o. so because u havent taken the time out to read the thread about the $20M ferry, yo uasume no one has critiqued it? we are not disputing the fact you present about the hospital and health centers. what we are saying is that the money wasted on that waste of cement and things could probabl build one more health center that is equipped to the teeth waiting for any patient coming in with any ailment whatsoever. or are u saying just one hospital with 500 beds is good enough for the whole state of bayelsa?

My guy, LASUTH was upgraded from 500 beds to 750beds and everybody dey praise Tinubu but guess how many people it is serving? 10 Million! Amaechi has commissioned a 1000 bed hospital should we also criticise him as well?

Bayelsa has a population of under 2 million. To objectively criticise you need to be familiar with their overall primary health care strategy which will be reviewed in 2010. I will reserve judgement until then. I am not saying you are wrong, I am saying we don't have all the facts yet.

Now you are just not making any sense at all @Sapeleguy. Why, oh why, are you trying to play TWISTER now?

SapeleGuy:

My guy, LASUTH was upgraded from 500 beds to 750beds and everybody dey praise Tinubu but guess how many people it is serving? 10 Million! Amaechi has commissioned a 1000 bed hospital should we also criticise him as well?

Bayelsa has a population of under 2 million. To objectively criticise you need to be familiar with their overall primary health care strategy which will be reviewed in 2010. I will reserve judgement until then. I am not saying you are wrong, I am saying we don't have all the facts yet.

what primary health care strategy will be reviewed in 2010? or did you mean revealed? cos if the word actually is reviewed, I for one would want to know what is currently on that would be reviewed that way when the review gets done I'll know what and what was taken out or added. LASUTH was upgraded to a teaching hospital, we are not talking about its capacity but what the hospital is capable of accomplishing.

assume fashola builds a 50000 bed hospital today, if said hospital is not equipped to perform basic health proceedures or support the minimum required care needed by a Diabetis patient, Dialysis patient, burns patient or even have something as basic for most standard hospitals as an emergency room, trauma, triage center. then i would be the first to call him out on it either here or in person.

SapeleGuy:

Abuja is spending N257 Billion on a 10 lane expressway - Abuja contributes zero to the national economy. How can you justify that amount of money.
You guys should try constructive and evidence based criticism. I can't condemn people without evidence.
Bayelsa have built a 500 bed hospital, and 25 health centres, an international conference centre which is currently on the 18th floor of construction, before 2007 only 3 of the 8 local government areas were accessible by road, they have built 140km of roads to address this.
All of this in 2 years. If this was Fashola - some of you would be having orgasms. Did Fashola and Tinubu not buy a $20 million yacht which is now rusting in the harbour? What have you people said about that.

Two wrongs certainly make a right in some people's minds. . . . .like my people will say 'ojoro cancel' . . . . 'we own the resource & we can spend it as we wish ' . Governor Gloryland spend as you like . . .SapeleGuy is behind you.

debosky:

. . .
@ Beaf

you must be a clown if you think state governments are not involved - he said the state earned $30m a month - don't you realise that even that 'small' amount can cause a dramatic change in the lives of the state dwellers if used properly[b]??

. . .

With 'supporters' like you, Sylva and co will continue to waste the meagre resources of the Delta while the people continue to suffer. [b]As I've always said, the biggest problem of the ND is the management of their state government resources. If they could get that right, there would be so much more support for resource control. . .

That is painfully narrow minded.
The castle might or might not turn out to be a good investment. Time will tell.

The greatest problem of the Niger Delta is not the heap of concrete under discussion. It is polution of the land, air and water, health problems, destruction of livelihoods, the wanton killing of our people by the govt and oil companies (including the execution of peaceful leaders e.g. Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 9), the repeated wiping out of whole communities, oil spills lasting for years, flares burning night and day, foul odours from rotten animals and fish killed by polution, noxious fumes, foul drinking water etc. It is shocking that the World over, the Niger Delta problem is viewed as a Human Rights catasrophe; but in Nigeria "oh its the fault of ND folk that they are suffering"; I really am at a loss as to if this is stupidity, ignorance or sheer wickedness.

"One of the greatest threats facing the people of the Niger River Delta has actually been their own government. The Nigerian government has total control over property rights and they have the authority to seize any property for use by the oil companies. A majority of every dollar that comes out of the ground in the delta goes to the government of Nigeria. As a result of the enormous amounts of sweet light crude that comes out of the delta every day Nigeria has the second largest GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa [17] Despite the wealth flowing into the nation from oil revenues many of Nigeria’s socio-economic factors are worse now than they were 30 years ago [18] According to the World Bank, most of Nigeria’s oil wealth gets siphoned off by 1% of the population [19]. Corruption in the government is rampant, in fact since 1960 it is estimated that 300 to 400 billion dollars has been stolen by corrupt government officials [20]. The corruption is found at the highest levels as well. For example a former inspector general of the national police was accused of stealing 52 million dollars. He was sentenced to six years in prison for a lesser charge [21].

The situation is very bad and the people have engaged in protests. The problem is many of these protest have been met with unmitigated violence. One example of this occurred in February 2005. There was a protest at Chevrons Escravos oil terminal in which soldiers opened fire on the protestors. One man was killed and 30 others were injured. The soldiers claim that the protestors were armed, a claim the protestors deny [22]. Another, more extreme example happened in 1994. The Nigerian military moved into a region called Ogoniland in force. They razed 30 villages, arrested hundreds of protestors, and killed an estimated 2,000 people [23].

One of the protestors they arrested was a man named Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian TV producer, writer and social activist. In 1990 he founded the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Ken wrote and spoke out about the rampant corruption in the Nigerian government and he condemned Shell and British Petroleum. He was arrested by the Nigerian Government and imprisoned for 17 months. Then in a show trial Ken and eight others were condemned to death. He and the others were hung in 1995 and he was buried in an unmarked common grave [24]."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_in_Nigeria

Again distracting from the issue at hand - let's even agree that pollution is the main problem.

Are you saying the 20b would not be able to clean up a substantial part of the pollution or create alternate livelihood for thousands of Bayelsans?

I am not denying the OTHER issues of the ND, but a MAJOR part of the problem lies in the state governors of the ND - they receive close to 30% of all oil revenue in Nigeria yet they are not making the people feel the impact. 30% is enough to cause a dramatic change but it has not happened. In many cases, the so called militants are simply political thugs who were armed primarily by ND politicians but left to their fate after winning elections! This is all public knowledge yet you are trying to absolve the ND governors of blame?

No one is saying this is the fault of the people, but without holding their local leaders to account, they are inevitably contributing to the terrible situation on the ground.

Ignorance is a problem. Primarily it is a problem for anyone who thinks spending 20b on a grandiose project in an abjectly poor state involving a palace with a golf course will work when the majority cannot afford to buy football boots!

There are countless other white elephants all over the place not attracting anyone - this will join them and will serve as a drainpipe on government resources simple.

Beaf link=topic=321491.msg4535406#msg4535406 date=1252851488]
That is painfully narrow minded.
The castle might or might not turn out to be a good investment. Time will tell.

if your wife and kids have been living in abject povery with no access to decent food, shelter, health care and education  and then you get a job with the opportunity  to make a difference in their lives, what would be the first thing you would do

a) buy a brand new top of the range jeep

b) buy a new wardrobe full of the latest designer labels

c) render financial assistance to your family,


i would like to beleive that you would say c  - but if you didnt then my conclusion would be that you have absolutely no conscience - sylva is nothing more than a common criminal with no conscience - is it necessary to keep flogging a dead horse in order to point out something which is obvious to any sane person

The greatest problem of the Niger Delta is not the heap of concrete under discussion. It is polution of the land, air and water, health problems, destruction of livelihoods, the wanton killing of our people by the govt and oil companies (including the execution of peaceful leaders e.g. Saro Wiwa and the Ogoni 9), the repeated wiping out of whole communities, oil spills lasting for years, flares burning night and day, foul odours from rotten animals and fish killed by polution, noxious fumes, foul drinking water etc. It is shocking that the World over, the Niger Delta problem is viewed as a Human Rights catasrophe; but in Nigeria "oh its the fault of ND folk that they are suffering"; I really am at a loss as to if this is stupidity, ignorance or sheer wickedness.

the heap of concrete under discussion is part of the problem - people like your beloved Sylva couldnt care less about the people of bayelsa whom he claims to be representing or he would be addressing the problems that they have been sacrificing their lives for, instead he dismisses the issue of militancy, when the reporter brings it up - he says "if not for the militants we could be making three times more than the USD$30m we are currently making", so to him the militants are nothing more than an irritating obstruction, and if not for them he could be helping himself to even more loot, this man does not show any empathy or allegiance to his people, instead he sees their struggle as an obstacle to his long term objective of amassing ill gotten wealth,  does he speak out against the atrocities that are being meted out by his northern masters against his people? - of course not,  he keeps his mouth shut and continues to loot the treasury and feather his nest, any person with an iota of intelligence would have shown more sensitivity towards their people and found a cheaper official residence at least to show allegiance for his peoples struggle but no, Sylva is immune to the brutality of the nigerian military even when it affects his own  people.

"One of the greatest threats facing the people of the Niger River Delta has actually been their own government. The Nigerian government has total control over property rights and they have the authority to seize any property for use by the oil companies. A majority of every dollar that comes out of the ground in the delta goes to the government of Nigeria. As a result of the enormous amounts of sweet light crude that comes out of the delta every day Nigeria has the second largest GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa [17] Despite the wealth flowing into the nation from oil revenues many of Nigeria’s socio-economic factors are worse now than they were 30 years ago [18] According to the World Bank, most of Nigeria’s oil wealth gets siphoned off by 1% of the population [19]. Corruption in the government is rampant, in fact since 1960 it is estimated that 300 to 400 billion dollars has been stolen by corrupt government officials [20]. The corruption is found at the highest levels as well. For example a former inspector general of the national police was accused of stealing 52 million dollars. He was sentenced to six years in prison for a lesser charge

the writer of the above article forgot to mention that all of the above is being done in collusion with foreign oil companies like Shell and Chevron, corrupt international financial institutions like the world bank and the imf as well as corrupt multinational companies who are awarded contracts to build so called tourist attractions like gloryland.  im sure it wasnt a nigerian construction company that built gloryland, these foreign contractors inflate the value of these contracts and in collusion with theifs like sylva, pocket huge chunks of the inflated price.  at the end of the day the only people who benefit are sylva and the foreign contractor and the bayelsa/nigerian people are left to pick up the tab because the money used to pay for these projects comes from foreign loans with massive interest attached to it. 

they also forgot to mention that former us vice president  cheney's oil and gas company Kellog Brown and Root paid the nigerian govt over USD $180 m in bribes in order to build a liquified natural gas plant valued at a staggering USD$6b, so,  far from being innocent bystanders in the mass looting of our country these foreigners are aiding and abetting them.
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/multipage/documents/03633501.asp

In Venezuela Chavez has done the unthinkable he is using oil revenues to better the lives of the ordinary people, he has refused to collude with the american oil companies but instead nationalised  the oil industry in his country, as  a result the americans attempted to kidnap and murder him in 2002, they staged a military coup which was later aborted by the people, who staged mass protests and marched on the presidential palace demanding his release and return.  Chavez was returned to power after the army refused to back the illegal coup and instead sided with the people, within  48 hours Chavez had been returned to power.  Now america has regrouped and they are trying again, they did the same thing recently in June this year in Honduras and Haiti's president was also abucted and deported to congo in 2004, so i think you need to be very wary of  their propaganda, they are only feeding you with one side of the story, they are totally acting in collusion with the nigerian govt and if nigeria is ever to have a progressive leader in power they will fight tooth and nail to remove the person.

^I have no arguments with the points you've made above. My annoyance is with sneaking the wider ND issue's in, whereas they are very firmly FG issues.

Deal with Sylva if there are issue's with Sylva and keep to those issue's, just remember he didn't kill Saro Wiwa, wipe out Odi and he has no say in oil exploration/drilling.

debosky:

Again distracting from the issue at hand - let's even agree that pollution is the main problem.

Are you saying the 20b would not be able to clean up a substantial part of the pollution or create alternate livelihood for thousands of Bayelsans?

I am not denying the OTHER issues of the ND, but a MAJOR part of the problem lies in the state governors of the ND - they receive close to 30% of all oil revenue in Nigeria yet they are not making the people feel the impact. 30% is enough to cause a dramatic change but it has not happened. In many cases, the so called militants are simply political thugs who were armed primarily by ND politicians but left to their fate after winning elections! This is all public knowledge yet you are trying to absolve the ND governors of blame?

No one is saying this is the fault of the people, but without holding their local leaders to account, they are inevitably contributing to the terrible situation on the ground.

Ignorance is a problem. Primarily it is a problem for anyone who thinks spending 20b on a grandiose project in an abjectly poor state involving a palace with a golf course will work when the majority cannot afford to buy football boots!

There are countless other white elephants all over the place not attracting anyone - this will join them and will serve as a drainpipe on government resources simple.

You aren't making sense.

Is the state stipend Sylva gets for turning off gas flares, or clearing oil poluted farmlands, or forming armies to battle those who are wiping out our communities, or maintaining FG oil facilities that are causing health problems etc?

By all means, critisise Sylva's policies, but don't play mins games and sneak in wider Niger Delta issues, keep to issue's with Sylva. Like I said earlier, I really am at a loss as to if it is being done as a result of stupidity, ignorance or sheer wickedness.

Beaf:

You aren't making sense.

Is the state stipend Sylva gets for turning off gas flares, or clearing oil poluted farmlands, or forming armies to battle those who are wiping out our communities, or maintaining FG oil facilities that are causing health problems etc?

By all means, critisise Sylva's policies, but don't play mins games and sneak in wider Niger Delta issues, keep to issue's with Sylva. Like I said earlier, I really am at a loss as to if it is being done as a result of stupidity, ignorance or sheer wickedness.

These attacks are based on ingrained prejuidice. When you ask them to provide evidence to support their criticism, all you get are Ifs, lets assume, i know sombody who knows sombody who said, and a whole host of other conjecture.

The problem is that they think it doesn't concern them. Read the link to see that eko don dey baje from petroleum pollution small by small.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200908100052.html

Im definitely NOT summarising the entire ND issue on this Sylva /CNN clip,but I blame him for doing the Gloryland tour. . . Probably he should have taken them to the new 500 bed hospital or other similar projects. . . .

SapeleGuy:

These attacks are based on ingrained prejuidice. When you ask them to provide evidence to support their criticism, all you get are Ifs, lets assume, i know sombody who knows sombody who said, and a whole host of other conjecture.

The problem is that they think it doesn't concern them. Read the link to see that eko don dey baje from petroleum pollution small by small.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200908100052.html

Please stop, I repeat, stop making things up. Over and over again, folks on here have provided you with solid reasons for why they criticize this governor for his gloryland idea. Why deny that?
There has yet to be any conjecture offered to this point except from your end. We all saw the video and watched. We all know that Bayelsa is one of the ND states where poverty is considered a huge problem despite the resources the land produces. What else do you want the people to tell you to effectively put A and B together at this point in all this?
Stop trying to make it into another ND/MEND vs the rest of Nigeria debate, which it is not. Focus on the topic and maybe, just maybe, you will see and actually understand why folks have to this point urged you to rethink your stance.

Simmer down.

Subjective reasons may be your yardstick but i prefer objective evidence. I stress, that you may yet be right but your evidence base is distinctly lacking at this time.

I know you believe unflinchingly in Christian Purefoy and CNN because you watched the video, so it must be true. I just think it is unfair to judge an administration solely on one project from their programme of many.

My stance is that I can't condemn anybody without objective evidence. If that is a crime then I am guilty.

Kobojunkie:

Please stop, I repeat, stop making things up. Over and over again, folks on here have provided you with solid reasons for why they criticize this governor for his gloryland idea. Why deny that?
There has yet to be any conjecture offered to this point except from your end. We all saw the video and watched. We all know that Bayelsa is one of the ND states where poverty is considered a huge problem despite the resources the land produces. What else do you want the people to tell you to effectively put A and B together at this point in all this?
Stop trying to make it into another ND/MEND vs the rest of Nigeria debate, which it is not. Focus on the topic and maybe, just maybe, you will see and actually understand why folks have to this point urged you to rethink your stance.

Speak for yourself. Let those who have mentioned wider ND issue's defend themselves.

I am sorry!! 20 Billion Naira is a lot of money. You spend that wisely in even the smallest state in Nigeria and you will see significance change in the right direction. To pump all that into an eye sore in the middle of nowhere Nigeria is just too much for the heart of many to bear!! ND issue or none, that amount each month would actually go a long way to, not only cleaning up some of the environmental issues as mentioned already, but also improving the lives of the people who live in these areas. We can continue blaming everyone else for our issues or we accept that we have to also use what we have to our own good in the meantime.

Kobojunkie:

I am sorry!! 20 Billion Naira is a lot of money. You spend that wisely in even the smallest state in Nigeria and you will see significance change in the right direction. To pump all that into an eye sore in the middle of nowhere Nigeria is just too much for the heart of many to bear!! ND issue or none, that amount each month would actually go a long way to, not only cleaning up some of the environmental issues as mentioned already, but also improving the lives of the people who live in these areas. We can continue blaming everyone else for our issues or we accept that we have to also use what we have to our own good in the meantime.

State governments have no business cleaning up pollutioning FG concerns. There is zero merit to that argument.

Has Bayelsa changed? Believe me, it is almost dramatic.
However doesn't say the mansion is a good idea; even the governor himself didn't sound too sure of that; except that he was completing a project that was started by ALAMs (and which the current VP steered clear off). So, time alone will tell.

There are strong arguments on both sides.

Hmnn. . . . seems some of us just like going round in circles.

BOTTOM LINE IS THAT:
1. Sylva along with ALAMS and GOODLUCK have done some good stuff in Bayelsa - call it anything you want -  blue elephant, gree elephant or yellow elephant projects. I, because I've got some things going on in Yenagoa, do not care what someone in Ohio, Disneyland, Hell, or somewhere else thinks is right. Like I stated earlier, that place could not even be compared to Ughelli way back in 1999. Today, Yenagoa is fast developing, and I've see the place grow from a village setting to one with some good things one can live with.

2. What Sylva did was good. If CNN set out to humiliate him, I bet they've got the wrong guy for that. And even with his Seven Stars of David - where wishes come true after going around it seven time works for him, well, what can I say? I believe his is better than OBJ feeding OGD in some secluded spot like homosexuals and some wizards and fetish people that they are!! And what he's even feeding OGD with is the proceeds from the sale of the chicken meat in his poultry farm, which is the result of his stay at Aso Rock for 8 years and which ultimately is the proceeds from the sale of the resources of the people of the Niger Delta!! You bet.

3. Haters should go bury their head somewhere. You go Gov Sylva, fire on!

The funny part is where the gov said that "if you stand in the middle of the star of David, and make a wish, and walk around it seven times, that your wish will come true." And Christian Purefoy sarcastically asked him if he has made any wish, and he replied that he had done it. May thunder strike the mouth he used to say it. The gov. needs to stand in the middle of the star of David and ask God to obliterate the abject poverty in his land.

Princek12:

The funny part is where the gov said that "if you stand in the middle of the star of David, and make a wish, and walk around it seven times, that your wish will come true." And Christian Purefoy sarcastically asked him if he has made any wish, and he replied that he had done it. May thunder strike the mouth he used to say it. The gov. needs to stand in the middle of the star of David and ask God to obliterate the abject poverty in his land.

The man is a real bunkum!!!especially the part when he said people can access the golf course if they pay a 'little money'.I felt like shooting the bloody bastard.

Beaf:

State governments have no business cleaning up pollutioning FG concerns. There is zero merit to that argument.

I don't even want to try touching this one, not now! not today!

Beaf:
Has Bayelsa changed? Believe me, it is almost dramatic.
However doesn't say the mansion is a good idea; even the governor himself didn't sound too sure of that; except that he was completing a project that was started by ALAMs (and which the current VP steered clear off). So, time alone will tell.

There are strong arguments on both sides.

Apart from the usual "create revenue and jobs" argument, what strong arguments exist on the other side for this? I mean what strong argument is there for this monstrouscity that seems to have more to do with western envy, than it has to do with love of Africa/Nigeria  or even the culture?

State governments have no business cleaning up pollutioning FG concerns. There is zero merit to that argument.

Has Bayelsa changed? Believe me, it is almost dramatic.
However doesn't say the mansion is a good idea; even the governor himself didn't sound too sure of that; except that he was completing a project that was started by ALAMs (and which the current VP steered clear off). So, time alone will tell.

There are strong arguments on both sides.

Always making silly excuses for kinsmen sake.

But it is the state's job to design, pass and enforce environmental laws, they're are either dumb, clueless, incompetent or just don't give a shit about what they're charged and took oaths to do.

Other states are doing it. Just go to Lagos and see what fashola is doing with LASEPA and their environmental laws, even local governments in Lagos enacting laws to protect their environment.

August 03, 2005
Pollution: LASEPA gives companies14-day ultimatum

Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to all companies operating in the state to submittheir Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or have their companies shut down.

http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:F811W4w4c2oJ:news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/daily_independent/2005/08/03/pollution_lasepa_gives_companies14day_ultimatum.php+lasepa&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a


NIMASA, LASEPA to trail vessels in Lagos dumping operation
By Seye Olumide

AN apparently clandestine operation involving extensive discharge of oil sludge through unmarked vessels into coastal waters has apparently been thriving close to the Snake Island area of Apapa in Lagos.

http://omi-gbigbonacollective..com/2008/07/nimasa-lasepa-to-trail-vessels-in-lagos.html

Our major problem is our political system. It gives way to all these lootings and mismanagement.

@babapupa

Your argument is ridiculous.

All oil operations are owned 60% by the FG. Can Bayelsa give the FG an ultimatum?

The companies in Lagos aren't owned by the FG. You are quick to label people dumb and clueless, but you're showing little grasp of the situation on the ground.

Kobojunkie:

I don't even want to try touching this one, not now! not today!

Apart from the usual "create revenue and jobs" argument, what strong arguments exist on the other side for this? I mean what strong argument is there for this monstrouscity that seems to have more to do with western envy, than it has to do with love of Africa/Nigeria or even the culture?

My initial reaction to this thing was horror, but there was a post by SapeleGuy that has made me take a middle of the road position. Here it is;

SapeleGuy: If you are open minded read on:

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/aug/8/501.html


For our country to move forward we have to have visionary ideas and the courage to implement them. On this thread some of you have displayed hindsight but have no vision or foresight.
Abuja was the mother of all white elephant projects, but supporters in high places made that vision come to life.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance, If Sylva does what he says he is going to do, then he will deserve credit. If he doesn't then you will be justified in your criticism. It is far too early for the bullets some of you are shooting. Innocent until proven guilty - give the project a chance.

Beaf:

My initial reaction to this thing was horror, but there was a post by SapeleGuy that has made me take a middle of the road position. Here it is;

But I read the same article and am still disgusted by the waste. What you are doing here is trying to argue something like, "If Fashola does what he says he is going to do, then he will deserve credit. If he doesn't then you will be justified in your criticism. It is far too early for people to cricticize him on the FLOATING HOTEL scheme that he invested $40 million dollars in. As long as he, Fashola, delivers on other promises, then we ought to OVERLOOK the  FLOATING HOTEL scheme. Waste is OK as long as the governor delivers in other areas? "

Is this sort of what you now believe after reading that article?

most pathetic youtube video i've ever seen in my life.

Some of us would rather hear that Bayelsa is now as beautiful and comparable to New York state overnight - abi? With the resources available at their disposal, right?

We argue blindly. We talk about places we have never seen as if we've been there. Ask some of them where Ekeremor is now, they will point at Ohio or philadelphia, or even Ikeja.

I await response from someone who's spent a lot of his youthful and adult life in Yenagoa to post something here. While I do not rule out the possiblity of having people who are angry at their government coming to post here, quite a lot of others are thankful to God for the little progress they've seen around them in the past 10 years.

Kobojunkie:

But I read the same article and am still disgusted by the waste. What you are doing here is trying to argue something like, "If Fashola does what he says he is going to do, then he will deserve credit. If he doesn't then you will be justified in your criticism. It is far too early for people to cricticize him on the FLOATING HOTEL scheme that he invested $40 million dollars in. As long as he, Fashola, delivers on other promises, then we ought to OVERLOOK the  FLOATING HOTEL scheme. Waste is OK as long as the governor delivers in other areas? "

Is this sort of what you now believe after reading that article?

There doesn't seem to be anything hidden about the building; for the Lagos development it was different, I had concerns about sea encroachment and funding transparency; in this case the governor was 100% open. On this thread, SapeleGuy, Ono and a couple of others have also been forthcoming. So I have no qualms.
Maybe we can debate gov Sylva's decision to complete the building or keep its original purpose or not scale back cost or if it will ever make break even.