@ his_grace, so please after the glorification of the reformed "f" word you used,  Is the standard of Living of the average Nigerian different from what the report states?

We seem to always mis the point, the UN is attempting to sensitise that a lot more needs to be achieved quickly to meet the poverty reduction goal. You stated some good and laudable initiatives recently implemented, no one is saying there is no attempt to move the country forward and we are happy and pray it continues.

Putting the issue in proper perspective on a global scale we fall way behind in terms of the living conditions of our citizens and its a concern to the UN, maybe not as important to the elitist Nigerian, but the unilateral agencies are interested in the standard of living of the low income and poor.

Let me digress a bit since it looks like some of us don't love Nigeria, in your sincere accessment of the current situation look at the current ministers, please lets remove our CBN governor, and maybe just a handful of other technocrats what can you expect. I almost wept when i saw Ojo Maduekwe and is it his wife (not sureof his wife) as ministers, i remember when he was Minister of transport with his bicycle initiative someone that couldnt articulate a comprehensive National transport Policy 8 years ago is being recycled now in foreign affairs. Again i was closed to tears when someone like Bode Agusto was dropped for a flimsy excuse as "arrogance" from the house, does that tell me of a political class interested in moving forward. NO i don't think so.

I look at the political economy and i remember OBJ in his first term, its all about trying to appease and settle, then nothing really gets done, till the second term. So in actual terms we have 4 years of slow or minimal initiatives and theres a multiplicative effect to that sluggishness, the economy looses the momentum, so when the next 4 years comes it is difficult to move at that pace.

How long can we continue like this? If the educated won't attempt to educate others in forums like this building awareness and sensitising ourselves of the dangers inherent in all this quota, ethnic and tribal arrangements we have in place, that we will always be left behind in the world.

The kind of patroticism or love for father land that one cannot voice objectively clear signs of retrogression baffles me, we can't say things are alright when they are not.

The standards are there and would not be lowered for Nigeria, the world is watching us, we need to get our acts together thats the point. I am not so interested in saying Nigeria is bad or lacks behind when it is clear , but i would say it never the less, i am more interested interested in ensuring we don't always go around in circles, making the same mistakes all over again.

Let me help you. I have said

1. The report accurately portrays the true picture of Nigeria.

2. At the pace we are going we will always lack behind and achieve little or nothing in real terms.

3. The fact that we can say it is bad and see that it is all motion without movements has little or nothing to do with patriotism.

4. We can make our own individual contributions by commenting and sensitising ourselves on the ills and not sweeping them under the carpet as if they don't exist.

5. In sensitising others we aim to try and build the attitude of accountability where merit will strive above other considerations such as quota, ethnic or tribalism.

I hope it is simple enough. This attitude that those that critic issues are "bastards" (not literally) or not patriotic is an insult to common sense and pure nonsense.

his_grace:

@Orikinla - just shut the fok up! Become a king by painting the bad deeds and happenings in Nigeria -

When Nigeria sent two satellites to space - where were you?

hmmm satelites built and launched by other countries you mean? Did those "nigerian" satelites ever touch Nigerian soil? Of what benefit is a satelite to a country where more than 70% cannot afford 3 triangular meals a day?

his_grace:

When Nigeria paid her debts where were you?

Our debts? I dont remember all that money being used to develop Nigeria. If memory serves me correctly those debts are right now lying in private bank accounts in Switzerland.

his_grace:

When Nigeria awards contract to renovate railway system from Lagos to Kano and from PH to Maiduguri - where were you?

Abacha awarded same contract to a Chinese company, pray where are the rail lines?

his_grace:

When a Nigerian made it to space on the bill of American Space body - where were you?

Lol next time dont rant before you read. She did not go into space, she went into a space simulator in an American laboratory.

his_grace:

When the system produced stronger banks and financial bodies - where were you?

Stronger banks but poorer people. What an excellent economic policy. How many of those "stronger banks" give out loans to the ordinary Nigerian and at what lending rate:?

@ his_grace, well i am not surprised. You have said it all.

his_grace:

Where were you when corrupt politicians are being prosecuted

In the same country where Babangida and Atiku are still walking about as free men?

his_grace:

Where were you when independednt power plants are being constructed in the country?

Can you remind me if we have crossed the 3000MW bar yet?

his_grace:

Where were you when Abachas looted funds were returned to the country?

Can you tell us how that has affected the common man?

his_grace:

Where were you when so many innovative things are happening in the country - where were u?

Innovative things? Like rigging Yar Adua into office?

@his grace

You sound like you're from the Moon, bro.

For real, are you in naija or in UK?

If you're in UK, then I really wonder about your mental health, or the lack thereof.

It beats me why people who claim to love their country don't want to see any critical analysis of her.

"Don't wash your dirty lining in the public" , one said.

"It's a question of pride", another said.

I say, "what's wrong with people"

If you have dirty lining, and for 40 years, you have been denying its existence, or you have been usuccessful washing it privately, then comon sense ought to tell you it's high time you came off your high horse and say it as it is so that the public may help you.

The real pride should be having a clean lining.

There should be zero national pride hiding our dirty lining from the public.

his_grace:

@PTH

You have simply laid bared your ignorance as an ignoramus - so no comments.

To the rest - what have u said? nothing - empty barrels - may your addresses be unknown when Nigeria makes it good.

Just go wipe your arses with sand paper and keep mute - if u reply, then u are goats and herds, starting from PTH.

nairaland no dey disappoint me at all.

Why is it that every time someone points out the ills of Nigeria we want their head on a platter. The fact of the matter is that Nigerian government is corrupt thus the country is wallowing in corruption. Even the French brought down the aristocrats that weren't doing any good for France. Even if all Nigerians glue our eyes shut and sing only good praises of Nigeria the government is going to be corrupt. Unless we take them all to the gallows and make our country fair and just will we achieve anything. People constantly cry about anyone saying anything bad about the Nigeria for fear of outsiders. Guess what when the outsiders come inside Nigeria they will see it.
It's not the people outside saying bad about Nigeria have made it inadvisable by the U.S government to travel their. I can;t even do a study abroad program in my own country. It's not the people calling out Nigeria's shortcoming have made it a common thing for NEPA to take light. If people don't complain how will their be change. We keep saying that Nigeria is the best in Africa, have we looke at SOuth Africa or Egypt or are they not Africa?
WE need change yes and disillusioning ourselves into believing otherwise makes us fools. My mother always says fools die.

his_grace:

@Orikinla - just shut the fok up! Become a king by painting the bad deeds and happenings in Nigeria -

When Nigeria sent two satellites to space - where were you?

When Nigeria paid her debts where were you?

When Nigeria awards contract to renovate railway system from Lagos to Kano and from PH to Maiduguri - where were you?

When a Nigerian made it to space on the bill of American Space body - where were you?

When the system produced stronger banks and financial bodies - where were you?

When Abuja light rail system is being built where were you?

Where were you when corrupt politicians are being prosecuted

Where were you when independednt power plants are being constructed in the country?

Where were you when Abachas looted funds were returned to the country?

Where were you when so many innovative things are happening in the country - where were u?

I like to know who d fok you're - making noise on Nairaland. You want to be listened to? Then do better than on Nairalalnd because right here, noone can heear you - indeed noone listens to likes of u.

Yoruba people says it all - it is bastards that point to their fathers house with the left hand.

If all these is true then we are progressing toward New Nigeria. Atleast Rome was not build in a day.

I dont see why orikinla should be vilifiedfor saying his mind - he has not lied. He said what he sees. I see the problems too, and I have a lot of terrain in the country.
But that is not to say there are no good things - and still happening- in Nigeria. But in the eyes of d world, we r not there yet.
And that's y we need 2 keep repeating d problems so our leaders dont relax. Will that discourage investors? No.
The probs r opportunities 4 them

I dont see why orikinla should be vilifiedfor saying his mind - he has not lied. He said what he sees. I see the problems too, and I have a lot of terrain in the country.
But that is not to say there are no good things - and still happening- in Nigeria. But in the eyes of d world, we r not there yet.
And that's y we need 2 keep repeating d problems so our leaders dont relax. Will that discourage investors? No.
The probs r opportunities 4 them

our people are too good at avoiding the issues and shifting the blame and not doing anything about anything.

the point is this - okay - we all know the country isnot what it should be - but what good does it make by writting about such ills without offering anything in particular to move the country forward? There are so many critics in nigeria than there are any where else, and what do they have to offer?nothing if u ask me.

words are cheap anyway.

tell dem o

@InCar_Nav
But I remember sighting several threads on this political board where people of all walks of life bared their hearts and minds on how this country could/should be governed - I'm talking about people who have seen how other places were governed, not people with some vicarious experience. They came on this board to talk about the practice of true federalism, fiscal federalism, the rule of law, freedom of the judiciary, adequate funding for the security apparatus of state, investment in education, provison of basic infrastructure like good roads and hospitals. Respect for peoples rights etc. And even those of us in Naija corroborated their views. Certain things are fundamental to the peaceful co existence of humans.

No one here will grumble about anything if they don't have the facts to back up their claims. Things are pretty bad with the way the country is being run, and if we pretend it's ok and continue to display some I-don't-care attitute, then we're forever doomed.

And these things are well known to the folks at the top. How else do you want people to contribute? Do you want them to start building their own windmills and fixing lift where ever they go - just like Chxta and his apostles are wont to do? Please tell me, I'm all ears now.

his_grace made a brilliant post and should be applauded.
What makes me angry is not the criticisms but making criticisms a part-time hobby. Go to any thread its the people criticizing Nigeria here who are also doing it on other threads. Yes you can criticize but be ready to offer solution. Another painful thing is, those criticizing left Nigeria decades ago and think Nigeria is stuck in the seventies.
If you don't live in Nigeria and yet make your only contribution to Nairaland as denigration you should expect abuses from the likes of me.
Those saying "Can't we criticize Nigeria" without being deemed unpatriotic are deluded. It is the manner Nigeria is criticized that makes us angry. Sorry this is my country and if you don't like what is happening here, then do something about it, don't just stand there.

I don't really like his_grace but though he lives in London, this was good

When Nigeria sent two satellites to space - where were you?

When Nigeria paid her debts where were you?

When Nigeria awards contract to renovate railway system from Lagos to Kano and from PH to Maiduguri - where were you?

When a Nigerian made it to space on the bill of American Space body - where were you?

When the system produced stronger banks and financial bodies - where were you?

When Abuja light rail system is being built where were you?

Where were you when corrupt politicians are being prosecuted

Where were you when independednt power plants are being constructed in the country?

Where were you when Abachas looted funds were returned to the country?

Where were you when so many innovative things are happening in the country - where were u?

@naijaking1 & wendymanda and PTH
Why don't you people do something concrete with your life rather than being abusive to patriotic Nigerians? Get a life.

Paw-Paw:

@naijaking1 & wendymanda and PTH
Why don't you people do something concrete with your life rather than being abusive to patriotic Nigerians? Get a life.

dont worry, we are presently doing some fundraising to come and use firewood to make windmills for you. NEPA will soon be a thing of the past just excercise some patience.
Do you have any faulty lifts in Nigeria we could also fix?

PTH has already addressed the ignorance of the ignorant ones who are so ignorant that they cannot tell the difference between fact and fiction.

Somebody was listing elephant projects or what we call the more you look, the less you see.

Anybody can hide behind a PC and a fake username and post anything, but let our works speak for us and show how patriotic we are.

Nairaland forum has done more for citizen journalism and public emlightenment than the millions of dollars that OBJ's contractors wasted to contract Andrew Young and his spinners to do image laundering for Nigeria on foreign news channels. But the truth exploded live on the streets of Port Harcourt.
So who is fooling whom?

The fact is there is no security in Nigeria.
The rich are no longer safe and the poor are not safe too.
The Nigerian Police cannot perform, because the police officers are not well trained and not well equipped.
Police officers are scared to patrol the streets of Port Harcourt.

If the Niger Delta goes up in flames, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy will be razed.
Then you will get the true picture of Nigeria in black and white.

Lest you forget, I can be whatever I choose to be.
But privileges do not make a man, but the worth of a man can be seen in his works for the common good.

Ask the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) how much manufacturers spend on generators due to daily power outages in Nigeria?
Ask them how much they have lost over the years.

Ask the Nigerian pensioners what they have been through since 1984 to date?

I gave the ignorant ones the examples of the solutions to the problems.

Microfinance is a universal tool to boost human capital development.
And not Elephant projects.

President Umaru Yar'Adua and his administration remind me of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves.

The late Chief. Obafemi Jeremiah Awolowo wrote enough books with the blue prints for the economic , social and political reformation and transformation of Nigeria.
But how many of our political office holders and technocrats have looked at the books and blue prints on how to use them in the development of Nigeria?

My village in Umuahia Uhuhu, Abia state, has been ahead of 85% of the rest of rural Nigeria in modern development since 1960 to date. And the HDI of my village is comparable to that of any village in Japan and Sweden in modern education, primary health care, agriculture, etc.
We have two secondary schools, several primary schools, pipe borne water, power supply, good roads, health centre, fertile farmlands.
I won't drop names online.

If every Nigerian online can do as little as I do daily, we can make a great difference in the future of Nigeria.

But what are most Nigerians doing online?

I do regular monitoring and evaluation of Nigerian websites and with all the posing and posturing of the ignorant ones, no single Nigerian media was on the long list of world class media news channels for the highly coveted and prestigious Online Journalists Awards (OJA) and I was disappointed as I screened the nominated news channels such as Reuters, Denver Post, CBS, TheStreet, Canadian Star, MSBN and others without seeing anyone from the most populous country in Africa.

But when there are awards for crimes, Nigerians make the top 10.

The FBI has even traced some Internet scams to several registered members of Nairaland.

What am I doing to address the problems of Nigeria?

I publish books and I donate books to Nigerian bodies (including medical books for). And I am about to publish the first major book on the martyrdom of Chief M.K.O Abiola written by Adeleke Adeyemi a Nigerian geologist and Editor of Timeless in Lagos.
And I have a branch in Woodbridge, Virginia.

@Orikinla

So what does that make u? I don't get it. Anybody can do all that you say you do and still be nothing. Gani and co has done more than that but all they do is shout? Nothing to proffer.

Hello sir Mr. Paw- Paw you claim that anybody stating the ills of Nigeria is unpatriotic and hates patriotic Nigerians. Mr. Patriocity what have you done to improve Nigeria? What suggestions have you made and how have the helped? If your are constantly jumping up and down pointing out the Nigerians who live outside. In case you haven't noticed migration is a natural part of life. It has been done for centuries. Even if we all came back to cram up Nigeria that will not help those currently unemployed it just adds to the umemployment rate. The same you Judas the betrayer of all Nigerians abroad will grumble if we all came back and claim we want to take over.
Even if you cry until you croak Nigeria is still living in the past, beyond the seventies even.
Those in power are crooked, even if those abroad it is evident in even in the Nigerian movies.
Since we are not helping why don't you help by giving the moeny you waste on computer cafes and help someone in need of it.
Help some child kicked out of school because his parents cannot afford the school fee.

Nobody needs Nigerians abroad to come back and make Nigeria - Nigeria will be what it will be without asking people abroad to go or come back home. It is a complete falacy to assume that Nigeria will beg those who have left for abroad to come back and build the nation - those at home are enough to do just that.

Are you speaking from your mind, or frustration of posting, because we need each other for a better Nigeria

The beautiful ones are not yet born!!!!

Which planet are you coming from, look around you here, tell me what you see, that is if you still have the real natural eyes

Nobody needs Nigerians abroad to come back and make Nigeria - Nigeria will be what it will be without asking people abroad to go or come back home. It is a complete fallacy to assume that Nigeria will beg those who have left for abroad to come back and build the nation - those at home are enough to do just that.

Good, now tell your bit to the winner of National Patriocity Award for 2007 Mr. Paw- Paw.

I have not been able to read all of these posts but I have read some.

I do believe that the best people to know what Nigeria is like at any time are those who live in Nigeria. There is absolutely no way that anyone who doesn't live in Nigeria can feel the real pulse of Nigerians.

International organisations are well respected and do very good jobs but they are not infallible. This is not to say that I want to disagree with them. I can only accept what majority of those who live in Nigeria tell me.

UN made a report sometime last year that Britain is the worst country to train a child in the whole western world they denied it hat the report was old. This shows from the British point of view that the UN report against them is not credible. So why must nigeria accept the report from UN.

We never did accept it,but some of our enemy want to use it against us.

I believe in reading and reading what is worth reading before commenting on any subject.
I have done my research before coming online to focus on the true picture of Nigeria.

Please, take only ten minutes to read David Mark's Assets, VP Jonathan's Tale by Sonala Olumhense, published on 53 of The Guardian on Sunday August 19, 2007.

Please, read and research to get the right facts before commenting.

We cannot continue to deceive ourselves and continue to wallow in the murky waters of our ignorance.

I repeat that President Umaru Yar' Adua is Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves and I am ready to take on anybody on this, even President Yar 'Adua himself, because we need a Nigerian Jerry Rawlings to perish the rubbish in Nigeria.