Those guys are jokers, none of them have a masterplan for a CBD

Unemadu:


You have just ignored one limiting factor "the FG"

South east governors forum is a waste of time

BuddahMonk:
Those guys are jokers, none of them have a masterplan for a CBD

Honestly, the thing is very annoying. If your city doesnt have a masterplan then you are not a city. You are just a land with some houses and shops and factories all over the place

For example if you invite a reputabe complany to build any infrastructure like highway, inner city rail line, powerline, gas pipeline, fibre optics cable. The first thing they will ask for if they know what they are doing is the CITY MASTER PLAN.

God bless you young ibo guys for the futuristic and pragmatic thinking which will help hasten the development of ibo land and aid the relocation of millions of bos backk to alaigbo/biafra.

I studied for a year in enuggu and I can remember me wondering. As a yoruba man why the ibos can't develop the homefront. May God give your leaders the wisdom to actualize these dreams in order to save Ndi igbo from further xenophobia and ridicule.

I am yoruba and I must confess I feel uncomfortable with having strangers fill my land (Xenophobia).Its a bad phenomenon but its typical of every human being to feel a bit worried when your ways and culture are being eroded by visitors.

May God bless Ndigbo and Nigeria.

If you check the profile of most famous Igbomen, they were products of CMSs, yes what am suggesting is leaving the greater number of our schools in the hands of the missionary like Anambra is doing.

One thing I discover about Igboland that they don't value free things, when Mbadinuju was ruling he gave free education but the quality of education and school enrollment dropped abysymally to all time low, what next the government collapsed.

Now Rochas have started with free education and Imo State is dropping academically, so another thing I discover again about these free education of a thing is that politicians use it as a smokescreen to decieve people thinking they are doing them favor yet none of their kids are in those schools they offered people free edu

My two niece are in St Charles Onicha, the school is under the missionary and when you see these students and the composure you will know that govt have no business running schools

NAIJASOM:
No I disagree capitalism is not the solution to all our problems because the poor amongst us will suffer. Remember we can still have crony capitalism that leads to less competition and monopoly. We still need public schools. I believe in a mixed economy in the form of public-private partnership.

If we were to privatize education in the east, my proposal will be to privatize only the city schools and leave the rural schools in the hands of government. By freeing the city schools from the hands of the government, the government will have more resources to invest in rural education. Poor families living in the city can receive stipends for uniforms, books, and part of the school fees.

NAIJASOM:


Honestly, the thing is very annoying. If your city doesnt have a masterplan then you are not a city. You are just a land with some houses and shops and factories all over the place

Most if not all the Eastern cities have a master plan.

But in most cases it has been bastardized.

However, not only are most still redeemable, cities can be completely replanned and rebuilt.

It just takes vision and disciple.

Have you met Ceasar, this is what he will do to you by the time he laid his bare hands on you

dailypost.ng/2014/05/20/custom-officer-pours-acid-sales-girl-missing-n50000-photo/

Read the link and see how we will be handling you people in lagos nowadays

Alcatraz001:
God bless you young ibo guys for the futuristic and pragmatic thinking which will help hasten the development of ibo land and aid the relocation of millions of bos backk to alaigbo/biafra.

I studied for a year in enuggu and I can remember me wondering. As a yoruba man why the ibos can't develop the homefront. May God give your leaders the wisdom to actualize these dreams in order to save Ndi igbo from further xenophobia and ridicule.

I am yoruba and I must confess I feel uncomfortable with having strangers fill my land (Xenophobia).Its a bad phenomenon but its typical of every human being to feel a bit worried when your ways and culture are being eroded by visitors.

May God bless Ndigbo and Nigeria.

Most Eastern cities are well planned but they lack infrastructural support, its easier for an Easter city to look like a mini NY than any other region, have you seen the skyline of residential Awada, Woliwo and Nkpor, here at Iyiowa a swampy area but the buildings and plot arrangements are strictly adhere to.

East is well planned that is why you rarely see closes in East, everywhere in East is streets, roads, ave, or express.

Fegge is well planned and am happy the skyline of Fegger is elevating, Fegge is no longer the lenger of pre colonial bungalows but highrise residential Igbo buildings

NAIJASOM:


Honestly, the thing is very annoying. If your city doesnt have a masterplan then you are not a city. You are just a land with some houses and shops and factories all over the place

For example if you invite a reputabe complany to build any infrastructure like highway, inner city rail line, powerline, gas pipeline, fibre optics cable. The first thing they will ask for if they know what they are doing is the CITY MASTER PLAN.

BuddahMonk:
If you check the profile of most famous Igbomen, they were products of CMSs, yes what am suggesting is leaving the greater number of our schools in the hands of the missionary like Anambra is doing.

One thing I discover about Igboland that they don't value free things, when Mbadinuju was ruling he gave free education but the quality of education and school enrollment dropped abysymally to all time low, what next the government collapsed.

Now Rochas have started with free education and Imo State is dropping academically, so another thing I discover again about these free education of a thing is that politicians use it as a smokescreen to decieve people thinking they are doing them favor yet none of their kids are in those schools they offered people free edu

My two niece are in St Charles Onicha, the school is under the missionary and when you see these students and the composure you will know that govt have no business running schools

Free education doesn't mean low quality education. Unfortunately in Nigeria it is. Go to south korea, their public school children with free education will destroy most nigerian children that go to private school in math and science.

My proposal calls for using the savings from the privatisation of city schools to trippling the investment in rural education and poor families.

BuddahMonk:
Have you met Ceasar, this is what he will do to you by the time he laid his bare hands on you

dailypost.ng/2014/05/20/custom-officer-pours-acid-sales-girl-missing-n50000-photo/

Read the link and see how we will be handling you people in lagos nowadays

My brother I am for Peace and not War....if you noticed,I have been very scarce here because I have other pressing issues to attend to.Its not goin to be possible to dislodge Yorubas from Lagos so there is no need arguing with ibos online,we r jst going to face our daily businesses in Lagos.

Bless you brother.

One of the most basic elements being neglected by contributors is demography. Igbos need to conduct a real head count different from Nigeria's UN backed fraudulent census. We should be able to tell our true population and distribution of our people.

To be sincere to you Lagos is overhype, its because we are Nigerians thhat is why Lagos is in everybody's lips and being a rallying ground of the entire people of Nigeria, she was developed by everybody that is why its a no man's land.

Ikengawo, can somebody living at Okokomaiko, Ijora Badia, Ipaja Ayobo, Orile Ageg, Maroko, Shomolu, Ilaje, Mushin and Oshodi tell somebody living in Onicha, Owerre, Enugwu, Aba, Umuahia or Asaba that East is not developed

Between the two residents of the aforementioned areas in Nigeria who deserve more pity and help that the others, Lagos is overhype, there are just few good places in Lasgos and the overcrowding is something else

Ikengawo:


Well Lagos is overheating so that won't be a problem for too long. It's becoming too expensive and laborious to operate in Lagos and the only think keeping people going there is that there's a lot of people there. While Lagos remains one of the fastest growing cities in the world and will be for a long time, other cities are catching the spill over of people looking elsewhere do to cost of living, cost of operation, multiple taxation and over-saturation.

UN rates Onitsha among world’s fastest growing cities




So while Lagos is growing, cities in the east are growing as well and as Lagos matures the pressure on secondary cities to catch the influx of people that want more but not Lagos will be sharp. I can firmly say my own Awomama has gone from a village to a township in the past 20 years and will continue to grow.

BuddahMonk:
If you check the profile of most famous Igbomen, they were products of CMSs, yes what am suggesting is leaving the greater number of our schools in the hands of the missionary like Anambra is doing.

One thing I discover about Igboland that they don't value free things, when Mbadinuju was ruling he gave free education but the quality of education and school enrollment dropped abysymally to all time low, what next the government collapsed.

Now Rochas have started with free education and Imo State is dropping academically, so another thing I discover again about these free education of a thing is that politicians use it as a smokescreen to decieve people thinking they are doing them favor yet none of their kids are in those schools they offered people free edu

My two niece are in St Charles Onicha, the school is under the missionary and when you see these students and the composure you will know that govt have no business running schools

How can someone take schools that are already underfunded and announce they're free. Then what?
Okorocha and Mba are problems of the highest order.

There's no where in the world where there's free education. Even in the US you will pay a tax increase based on what schools are near you. That increase in your property tax goes directly to that school so you're paying for the school in your area and children MUST go to the school in their 'district' or, the school their parents are paying for. So it's paid education advertised as free to keep people happy.

BuddahMonk:
Most Eastern cities are well planned but they lack infrastructural support, its easier for an Easter city to look like a mini NY than any other region, have you seen the skyline of residential Awada, Woliwo and Nkpor, here at Iyiowa a swampy area but the buildings and plot arrangements are strictly adhere to.

East is well planned that is why you rarely see closes in East, everywhere in East is streets, roads, ave, or express.

Fegge is well planned and am happy the skyline of Fegger is elevating, Fegge is no longer the lenger of pre colonial bungalows but highrise residential Igbo buildings

I give peter obi some credit. He is the only SE governor till this day that has made a real attempt to have a real master plan for ontisha, awka and nnewi. Thats the plan obiano is currently following.

NAIJASOM:


Free education doesn't mean low quality education. Unfortunately in Nigeria it is. Go to south korea, their public school children with free education will destroy most nigerian children that go to private school in math and science.

My proposal calls for using the savings from the privatisation of city schools to trippling the investment in rural education and poor families.

I am surprised that in this serious discussion someone came up with falsehood and unverified information just to feel good. There is no evidence of fall in standard of education in Imo State as claimed by that contributor. It is mere propaganda. Imo State still leads in JAMB and University admissions while that of Secondary was never disclosed until 2013 and there was improvement in 2014. We can only ascertain these claims when we have access to previous Wassce/Waec results. Enrollment has also increased. Let us not turn this serious discussion into a jamboree of falsehood and blackmail.

Bros we dey naija where politicians build schools theirs wards won't attend and hospitals they won't visit

NAIJASOM:


Free education doesn't mean low quality education. Unfortunately in Nigeria it is. Go to south korea, their public school children with free education will destroy most nigerian children that go to private school in math and science.

My proposal calls for using the savings from the privatisation of city schools to trippling the investment in rural education and poor families.

Ikengawo:


How can someone take schools that are already underfunded and announce they're free. Then what?
Okorocha and Mba are problems of the highest order.

There's no where in the world where there's free education. Even in the US you will pay a tax increase based on what schools are near you. That increase in your property tax goes directly to that school so you're paying for the school in your area and children MUST go to the school in their 'district' or, the school their parents are paying for. So it's paid education advertised as free to keep people happy.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/10/germany_college_is_free_there_even_for_foreign_students_why.html

Last week, Lower Saxony made itself the final state in
Germany to do away with any public university
tuition whatsoever . You read that right. As of now, all
state-run universities in the Federal Republic—legendary
institutions that put the Bildung in Bildungsroman , like
the Universität Heidelberg , the Universität München ,
or the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin—cost exactly
nichts . (By the way, they weren’t exactly breaking the
bank before, with semester fees of about EUR 500, or
$630 , which is often less than an American student
spends on books —but even that amount was
considered “unjust” by Hamburg senator Dorothee
Stapelfeldt.)

Bros there is no falsehood and blackmail here, even its part of Igbo anthem that education is good and its easy to get it but if your parents are little buoyant enough to bankroll that.

Zik and Okpara saw this that is why they used "ibu anyi danda" to offset the allocation in education, some people were charged lesser than others, though West dominated academics then but East was producing world class scholar before and yet after the war.

Good things don't come that cheap, read about ibu anyi danda approach by Zik and Okpara

Abagworo:


I am surprised that in this serious discussion someone came up with falsehood and unverified information just to feel good. There is no evidence of fall in standard of education in Imo State as claimed by that contributor. It is mere propaganda. Imo State still leads in JAMB and University admissions while that of Secondary was never disclosed until 2013 and there was improvement in 2014. We can only ascertain these claims when we have access to previous Wassce/Waec results. Enrollment has also increased. Let us not turn this serious discussion into a jamboree of falsehood and blackmail.

These guys have reached their saturation in development indices, even all Scandinavian countries as welfare states don't charge tuition fees for their citizens and their hospitals aswell yet they school in their countries and visit the hospitals while ours give us free education but will send their wards abroad and when they have minor knee jerk they fly the next available plane.

Abagworo:


http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/10/germany_college_is_free_there_even_for_foreign_students_why.html

Last week, Lower Saxony made itself the final state in
Germany to do away with any public university
tuition whatsoever . You read that right. As of now, all
state-run universities in the Federal Republic—legendary
institutions that put the Bildung in Bildungsroman , like
the Universität Heidelberg , the Universität München ,
or the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin—cost exactly
nichts . (By the way, they weren’t exactly breaking the
bank before, with semester fees of about EUR 500, or
$630 , which is often less than an American student
spends on books —but even that amount was
considered “unjust” by Hamburg senator Dorothee
Stapelfeldt.)

Nnewi is failed as am writing to you, no daulized road in the entire city, no flyover, no roundabout, no streetlight, no traffic light and your telling me Obi did what in Nnewi.

Nnewi is just developing at its own pace and I don't even know plans the present govt have for the booming city considering the influx of foreigners and heavy duty vehicle plying the tiny city roads to serve the industries there

NAIJASOM:


I give peter obi some credit. He is the only SE governor till this day that has made a real attempt to have a real master plan for ontisha, awka and nnewi. Thats the plan obiano is currently following.

Abagworo:


http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/10/10/germany_college_is_free_there_even_for_foreign_students_why.html

Last week, Lower Saxony made itself the final state in
Germany to do away with any public university
tuition whatsoever . You read that right. As of now, all
state-run universities in the Federal Republic—legendary
institutions that put the Bildung in Bildungsroman , like
the Universität Heidelberg , the Universität München ,
or the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin—cost exactly
nichts . (By the way, they weren’t exactly breaking the
bank before, with semester fees of about EUR 500, or
$630 , which is often less than an American student
spends on books —but even that amount was
considered “unjust” by Hamburg senator Dorothee
Stapelfeldt.)

Will Nigerians be willing to pay what Germans pay in tax?

Country/Region
Corporate tax
Germany 29.8% (average)

Individual (min)
45.0%
Taxation in Germany

This means around 30% of a businesses annual income and 45% of an individuals annual income goes to the german government. This can't be replicated in Nigeria at all, but if it was, i'm sure you can have a free university education program.


The issue wit free universities is that if everyone can go, everyone will go, you're risking quantity for quality.
Universities train surgeons. If you're on the verge of heart failure, you wouldn't go to an open forum and ask any and everyone to operate on you, so why create universities at are for any and everyone?

Pat Utomi is also a proponent of the approach Okpara used

https://m.facebook.com/Utomi/posts/10152862967882525

The south east governors need to start an infrastructural fund. It is clear that if we wait on the federal government, we will never develope. Its about time we develope our land by ourselves

My Fantasy Fund Proposal

South-East infrastructural Fund contributions will come from

A) All South East state Governors
B) Private sector investors
C) Diaspora
D) World financial institutional bodies


Major projects
Inter state highways
Intercity rail
Ports and dredging including onitsha, oguta, and ogbaku ports
Power plants

A chain can only be as strong as the weakest part of the chain.

Ever heard of development without real leaders with burning desires to uplift and improve the living standards of their people?

We can't be puting carts before horses, what we lack in the East are leaders, leaders of the mould of the late Michael Okpara.
Such leaders would recognize how important it is that Igboland get full autonomy from the rest of Nigeria,to enable us grow at our own pace,free of external envious influences.
Okpara wouldn't have achieved much if the Eastern region didn't have a degree of autonomy from the rest of Nigeria.

We seem to have left the leadership of our states to charlatans,and shortsighted unenlightened folks, those of us with good ideas seem to have left the politics of our various states to touts, while we sit at the comfort of our homes and offices offering advices.

We must get our political leadership right, we must be able to place those with the right ideas at leadership positions to bring those ideas to life. And those of us with the right ideas must get actively involved with politics,and present ourselves to the people.

Get your PVC today, endeavour to do thorough study of the candidates,and don't forget to cast your vote. For those with ideas, get membership form of a credible political party today.

ON SOLUDO, BUHARI, JONATHAN AND THE ELECTIONS
Pat Utomi

The firestorm generated by Chukwuma Soludo’s well reasoned commentary on the place of issues in the 2015 electioneering campaign has somehow become the core of the campaign. What a way to come from outside and define agenda.
Of course I do not agree with all the points marshaled by the erstwhile CBN Governor and Patito’s Gang member, but not to commend his citizen duty of engagement or indicate as reprehensible the resort to ad hominen bashing of the former Economic Adviser instead of providing Facts to counter the views he had raised. That is issues based campaign. I will myself raise logic to support and dispute some of the points in the Soludo intervention.

I do agree with Soludo that issues matter. I also think that those who turn to divisive emotion-laden typecasting of others rather than issues pertaining to the well being of the Nigerian people do a grave disservice not only to democracy but to the long term common Good of all.
The Soludo thrust of criticism sounds like an attack on the statist perspective that intervention can generate jobs and economic growth. Even as one who likes to see government out of the way, I find the approach worrying because beyond the Keynesian logic that brought the ultimate capitalist state, the US, out of the Great Depression with initiatives like the Tennessee Valley Authority in Infrastructure, there is more recent example of post 2008 global financial crisis and the stimulus packages of the Obama Administration, and now Europe turning to Quantitative Easing, not to knock the wall street / Main street tag team approach to ensuring prosperity. Soludo’s solutions sometimes sounded like Deepak Lal on the poverty of Development Economics. I think that if we see current oil price slum as an opportunity rather than a threat then we have to see a role for government in the way Lee Kuan Yew used state intervention when Singapore was prostrate in 1965, as Nigeria is today.

This leads to another point I am not in agreement with Soludo on. He talks about cost of programmes and the fact that low oil prices mean you cannot finance a big idea. In 1965 Singapore’s main revenues came from rent for the British Naval Base and the British had decided to shut all bases east of Eden. The decision of leaders of the United Malay, National Organisational (UMNO) to eject Singapore from the Federation that was thought to be the only hope left. Singapore, out of pocket, and all dressed up with nowhere to go. Then they rolled up their sleeves, got creative, transmitted the right values and found leadership that inspired and had integrity. Today the small country probably has the largest concentration of billionaires per capital on earth.

Here in Nigeria, shortly after self government, in the 1950’s, Nnamdi Azikiwe as Premier of Eastern Region was anxious to match the free education policy of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Palm Produce did not fetch as much as Cocoa in the Market. The civil servants led by the new Permanent Secretary in Finance, Chief Jerome Udoji thought it could not be done because of limitations of money. Zik insisted and accused Udoji, in Parliament, of trying to sabotage his government. After 40 percent of the Eastern Nigeria budget of 1957 had gone to education and was still inadequate, the Ugoji team suggested the introduction of fees for Primary 1 and Primary 5. But leadership kicked in. A philosophy called “Ibu anyi danda” raised a formula that created a partnership between government, the communities and missionaries that enabled the East leapfrog the gap in education between the East and West.

In both cases the difference was leadership. At the centre in Abuja for some reason that may be from exposure, or whatever, does not inspire as Lee Kuan Yew, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Michael Okpara did. Money is not everything in making dreams come through.
Among the many lessons we will learn, if we begin to operationalize the cash transfers initiative of APC, a concept that helped Inatio Da Silva pull Brazil out of ‘potential’ into a global economic powerhouse, is that we may not need as much cash as Soludo projects and that corruption and goal displacement is so high in a bloated public service that the savings will more than be adequate. Besides from Kayode Fayemi and Rauf Aregbesola we learn that with such programmes in Ekiti and Osun that the numbers projected are often exaggerated. Given our abuse of census we are likely to find much fewer people in those brackets. Check with the Bill Gates Foundation on satellite imagery studies of target population groups.

Having stated my major point of disagreement, it is useful to reflect on some other points raised by Soludo.

His broadside on austerity measures pronouncement and the road to austerity is a true, fair and proper read. No question that we walked with our eyes open into a repeat of 1982. In many of my speeches and my 2006 book WHY NATIONS Are Poor, I recall how the Iranian revolution pushed oil prices into the stratosphere of USD 40 a barrel. We went reckless with champagne and even importing sand and big men bought Rolls Royces. We managed to borrow ourselves into a dept trap. On this round we moved up private jets and buying up Dubai.

When this current boom started with India Rising and China producing I recall on several occasions calling for fiscal responsibility compact in which flows into the distributable pool, the FAC account, not go above $40 a barrel, with additional revenues up to $70 a barrel price going to a stabilization fund. This fund would be available were prices to drop below $40 to be used to ensure a constant budget funding up $40 in lean times. Beyond $70 it should flow into a future fund. I have been singing this song for several years but the technocrats say the politicians insist on sharing the whole money and say of talk about saving for a rainy day that it is pointless planning for the rain when it was already pouring torrents. My retort was what is so wrong in resigning to make a point and force public conversation to educate the people because these politicians may be greedy but they surely do not hate their children. They have only acted in ignorance. I point them to young Mahathir Mohammed in Malaysia who disagreed with the position of the then Prime Minister and spoke up. He was dropped from the government where he was a junior minister, and expelled from The United Malay National Organization (UMNO) the dominant party at that time. Out of government he wrote a book: The Malay Dilemma. That triggered soul searching that finished with the resignation of the Prime Minister. He was brought back into the Party. Not long after Dr Mahathir Ibn Mohammed became Prime Minister and the history of Malaysia changed for good.

What does it take to lead such change- Genius? No. I draw from the Ronald Reagan experience in the US. President Reagan was not a genius. Some think he probably already had Alzheimer disease when he entered the White house. But his values were clear as was his vision. He found the right people and an America, in retreat, was revitalized, opening the way for teen and twenty American young stars to create a new industry with the .com revolution. Ironically, I have said elsewhere that the Buhari movement somehow reminds me of the coming of Ronald Reagan.

Let me close with a caveat. My response is a citizen response. My prism on this is not partisan. But I am a card carrying member of the APC. The emergence of the APC is a culmination of my life’s quest as an institutionalist to see the dynamic of two balanced political parties. I was sure that without competition between parties that are equals progress would continue to elude Nigeria So I longed for and worked for the scenario we have today. But I see in the torrent of abuse on Chukwumah Soludo for speaking truth to power and worry this thing we have worked hard for, not in any pursuit of any self interest, but for the advance of the common good, could be threatened by those who fail to understand the very idea of the public squares and the triumph of the ideas rather than emotional outbursts that result in tension and violence. I have read unprintable things on line and in so many e-groups, some more offensive than Charlie Hebdo cartoons from both sides. This is poison we must curb. It is a double blow when those who follow this track are well educated. So let us leave this business of certificates and uncompleted PHDs and hateful portrayals of opponents in caricature from the cross to throw backs of earlier life of candidates that seem like Hitler’s Goebbels at work let’s examine vision of society of challenges and the record of incumbents. Lets ask people, regarding incumbents, is your life better today than it was four years ago and to the challengers how can you make these same lives much better four years from now. To win elections from intimidation, a shower of insults and trying to diminish opponents rather than engage their minds can only produce pyrrhic victory. The worst such “victory” would be to win an election and lose a nation through bitterness that makes it difficult to get people to work together to advance the shared good of the people. For people like me the public sphere is about the pursuit of the elevated immortality. This comes when you do what is right and if providence beckons, as it did for Mahathir Mohammed, lee Kuan Yew and Ronald Reagan then you live a name that time cannot find an eraser to rub off. Those who negate the opportunity for progress to blossom and the triumph of the human spirit to bring progress deserved die a thousand times while they still inhale and exhale no matter the title they get for their place is in infamy.
PU

Utomi is an utter and total disappointment.

BuddahMonk:
Do you know that Smile Broadband is owned by Obijackson, the company is here in Lagos fighting for tiny opportunity but if he had relocated the coy to East he will be enjoying the monopoly because Rainbownet is no longer working.

Do you know that the Asaba side of the Niger and Onicha side can host a five stars hotels where people will come and surf on the river with speedboats.

Do you know that Ogwuta Lake is yet to be utilize, what about Azumini Blue River they are there lying idle but Igbo bigmen will go outside building mansions.

They don't ask themselves, how many of these people are reciprocating our gestures in our land?

sorry bro. I'm a Yoruba but I love this I idea you guys are sharing
but when it comes to biz you go y where the market and demand is.
imagine you are a foreigner willing to invest in Nigeria. the factors you will consider are security, manpower market and culture of the people.
look at Dangote he is building his refinery in southwest not in the north.
my submission is that you guys should open up a seaport and find a way of attracting diverse background from all part of the country. that way not only will it be just the usual merchant and spare part seller but other ideas flowing. imagine a Yoruba man selling suya in Lagos it does not work that way Chinese restaurant is best operated by a Chinese. when you guys open up like Lagos then you are on your way to a bustling city like Dubai or newyork.

gnykelly:

sorry bro. I'm a Yoruba but I love this I idea you guys are sharing
but when it comes to biz you go y where the market and demand is.
imagine you are a foreigner willing to invest in Nigeria. the factors you will consider are security, manpower market and culture of the people.
look at Dangote he is building his refinery in southwest not in the north.
my submission is that you guys should open up a seaport and find a way of attracting diverse background from all part of the country. that way not only will it be just the usual merchant and spare part seller but other ideas flowing. imagine a Yoruba man selling suya in Lagos it does not work that way Chinese restaurant is best operated by a Chinese. when you guys open up like Lagos then you are on your way to a bustling city like Dubai or newyork.

'opening up' hasn't been our choice. We opened up Port Harcourt and the Federal Government stole it from us, it's now been left to rot. we're now aiming to open a port in Abia that will reach the sea so hopefully that one sees fruition

NAIJASOM:
The south east governors need to start an infrastructural fund. It is clear that if we wait on the federal government, we will never develope. Its about time we develope our land by ourselves

My Fantasy Fund Proposal

South-East infrastructural Fund contributions will come from

A) All South East state Governors
B) Private sector investors
C) Diaspora
D) World financial institutional bodies


Major projects
Inter state highways
Intercity rail
Ports and dredging including onitsha, oguta, and ogbaku ports
Power plants

all these are nice idea. but one thing that is most important is that if your graduate, elite and the well to do still have this instinct that other places are better there will still be high emigration.

Americans belief that there country is the best. even when Canada rank more livable than it. Have yw wonder Obasanjo Atiku Babangida all live in their home state that give confidence to locals and foreign investors. there is no IBO past and present leader that do not own large part of his wealth outside his state what message does that tell me as an external. please let be objective.

You just go me clapping! I like it when read comments from informed people like you. I also want to thank the OP for raising this very interesting discus. My brother, the point you made here is very much in line with what I was telling some friends not long ago. The point where we are getting it wrong is at the level of child development. i must say, if you look at the quality of young people we have these days, as evident on the the comments you see on this forum, you will agree that in the past two decades or more, some went wrong in the area of civil development of the young people. when we were in primary school, some of us belonged to boys scout, boys brigade, wai brigade, red cross club etc. we were involved in tree planting, environmental protectionetc. the whole essence was to inculcate in us the spirit of patriotism. we were made to believe that we should give to the community, and not always expect from the community. now, what do you have today, our school system has changed alot, the quality of teachers, quality of parents quality of leaders. we have so many private schools that are faith based, who rather preach to the young stars about witches and wizards in the communities, there-by severing their ties with their communities. again, about the leaders. one thing is logical. you will agree that most people today in leadership are those that grew up when nigeria was at it's worst. people that grew up in hunger, people that never played with toys, people that experienced only bitterness. their past is hunting them, there is a sense of insecurity in them, that's why you see people looting the amount of money they don't need at all. the emptiness in them is what they want to fill. it is psychological. so, i agree with you that we need to really focus on child development so that we raise a healthy and sane generation who have sense of pride and commitmemt to there communities. this applies to all the tribes, not just igbos, but i guess charity begins at home.

Ikengawo:


We neglect the importance of patriotism. Kids have to be taught the importance of patriotism and love for their own people because otherwise they'll grow up and start building skyscrapers in Zambia as is the case today.

We don't teach history, we don't understand the importance of culture, and we think our ethnicity is an ignorable detail until we're being killed because of it, then soon after we forget and go back to being off guard and unaware.

Our big men ignore development because they were raised to think about themselves and not their people and they weren't shown what being Igbo is about. They then go to Lagos etc and allow others to tell their children what being igbo is about. Those kids come back east and start saying things are 'igbotic' and other ridiculous terms and phrases.

I lived in rural imo state my whole life. I don't think I would have the appreciation for Igboland that I do had I not been at the core of a community that valued and taught culture. My own parents did a good job showing me that it was important to build our community and think about our community first.


If we can't guarantee all parents will do this, which they won't, we have to make sure our schools, youth social clubs, governments and even churches take the forefront letting everyone know that building the community is a collective duty to our future and our children.

Ikengawo:


'opening up' hasn't been our choice. We opened up Port Harcourt and the Federal Government stole it from us, it's now been left to rot. we're now aiming to open a port in Abia that will reach the sea so hopefully that one sees fruition

Port harcourt was supposed to be to easterners what lagos was for westerners but for reasons I rather not go into, it was neglected. When I look at port harcourt, an oil city and compare it to the rest of the oil cities in the world, I see so much rot and injustice. Some were self inflicted.

9jalyte:
You just go me clapping! I like it when read comments from informed people like you. I also want to thank the OP for raising this very interesting discus. My brother, the point you made here is very much in line with what I was telling some friends not long ago. The point where we are getting it wrong is at the level of child development. i must say, if you look at the quality of young people we have these days, as evident on the the comments you see on this forum, you will agree that in the past two decades or more, some went wrong in the area of civil development of the young people. when we were in primary school, some of us belonged to boys scout, boys brigade, wai brigade, red cross club etc. we were involved in tree planting, environmental protectionetc. the whole essence was to inculcate in us the spirit of patriotism. we were made to believe that we should give to the community, and not always expect from the community. now, what do you have today, our school system has changed alot, the quality of teachers, quality of parents quality of leaders. we have so many private schools that are faith based, who rather preach to the young stars about witches and wizards in the communities, there-by severing their ties with their communities. again, about the leaders. one thing is logical. you will agree that most people today in leadership are those that grew up when nigeria was at it's worst. people that grew up in hunger, people that never played with toys, people that experienced only bitterness. their past is hunting them, there is a sense of insecurity in them, that's why you see people looting the amount of money they don't need at all. the emptiness in them is what they want to fill. it is psychological. so, i agree with you that we need to really focus on child development so that we raise a healthy and sane generation who have sense of pride and commitmemt to there communities. this applies to all the tribes, not just igbos, but i guess charity begins at home.

I respect your contribution but all of those organizations and the adults of igboland today has still failed their communities woefully. a lack of patroitism was at it's height with the generation that now has grown children. These are the ones that named their children white people's names across the board or Chi this and Chi that to prove they were 'Christians'. So all of the Ediths and Chiemekas that came up under their tutelage can't be blamed for being as unpatriotic as their parents. Many of them left igbo land with intention to make sure their children didn't speak igbo. They will, till this day, even brag about it. a very useless pack of human beings.

Ikengawo:


'opening up' hasn't been our choice. We opened up Port Harcourt and the Federal Government stole it from us, it's now been left to rot. we're now aiming to open a port in Abia that will reach the sea so hopefully that one sees fruition

not just opening up that city need to support immigration from other places. port Harcourt was like that because it was hostile to immigrants

gnykelly:

not just opening up that city need to support immigration from other places. port Harcourt was like that because it was hostile to immigrants

yes, I do believe opening Igboland to immigrants will be a net good, but it's not as if it's currently closed to immigrants. People in Nigeria are simply afraid of Igbo people and we're surrounded by very mumutic tribes who idk what they're contribute. At best we should look to attract international immigrants.

Ghanians contributed a lot to the economy of until Buhari kicked them out of the country.