@ kobojunkie, I'm sure you mean well, but all this pontificating is just pontificating.
if you are really concerned about the country of your birth come home and get things done - maybe you can be a catalyst

in all the countries you are referring to, the reforms etal were not achieved by emigrants in greener pastures, but by the people who stayed in the country.

it is so easy for people outside nigeria to allow the creature comforts of where they are residing to deceive themselves about the realities of nigeria.

a simple example:
you can challenege a policeman in the us - because you are sure someone has a camera somewhere, or you can sue, etc.in nigeria, unless you are a certified big man, you are better off keeping quiet, lest you ' die for nothing' or find yourself on tv or in the papers as an armed robber killed during an operation ( does that make one spineless?)

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of how to cause change is the House of Assembly and the other houses. How many of us come here discuss politics? I am sure some of you will know people who know people who now senators or house members. The house is meant to be a representation of the will of the people in a normal democracy. But we all know that the elections that brought a lot of people into the house was not even an election in most cases, my suggestion is that whenever we are given a chance to stand for what is right and true, let us stop choosing the wrong. If we know leaders in some way, it could be anything from a local government chairman, to a senator, let us engage them in serious political issues. Call and pester them and have serious discussions with them, have debates or whatever. the point i am trying to make is that if we can in some way change the outlook of a good number of people in the house in some way and wake them up to their duties then this could actually spread in some way. I know the house is full of 419ers and people of questionable standing as Aliyu claimed before. But if we can effect change in a local government chairman who will use money allocated to his area to actually execute projects for the people, or even members of council or even the house, surely that is a start. Why don't we get proactive in this, Nigerians would have to change Nigeria so we will have to start somewhere. Anyone know anybody in the house, then ask why FOI bill has not been passed for this long yet a motion to increase their salary was passed in a matter of days. Any of us good writers? Bring to the spotlight the politics of Nigeria and discuss and engage the youths with articles. Any of us know people who work in T.V in Nigeria, let us find a way to get serious and critical debates on the air as opposed to the political butt kissing that seems to plague the air waves in Nigeria. Why don't we get proactive in this because i believe we can make a difference, call me naive if you will but i rather be naive than sceptical.

What checks and balances do you mean by that ?? The same checks and balances that allows OBJ, IBB, Ibori, Iwu and the many others walking tall and large in that same country The same checks and balances that has the north rotting away and now trying to cripple the south so the north can get a larger share of an industry it has NOT worked to grow at all?? Which world do you live in please

common now,lets give the efcc some credit fair enough we know its got soo many faults and selective justice and what have you but still we know there are soo many actions any politician will think twice about before taking rightly or wrongly,look at the public sitting on power,the ouster of olubunmi etteh,and the tribunials amongst other noted cases and it can only get better because even the illiterate market woman,villager e.t.c all know what e.f.cc is and are all educated about the goings on s,all these public sittings and stuffs wasnt borne out of the goodness of these peoples's hearts but they 'r bowing to public outcry and opinions and i believe it will only get better as GOD clears the old brigade,where are the likes of ibb,abacha,and co' s children/they dare not show their faces for public office tho we know their sittn on millions of dollars so they are not being replaced by their children at least which you ll agree with me is an achievement on its own.

im sure we both realise by now not to compare nigeria to america because they are two diffrent cases,im not proferring and excuse for nigeria but in spite of the problems we all know there is also one ill mention again which has found us in theis mess,tribalism,

oyb:

@ kobojunkie, I'm sure you mean well, but all this pontificating is just pontificating.
if you are really concerned about the country of your birth come home and get things done - maybe you can be a catalyst

in all the countries you are referring to, the reforms etal were not achieved by emigrants in greener pastures, but by the people who stayed in the country.

it is so easy for people outside nigeria to allow the creature comforts of where they are residing to deceive themselves about the realities of nigeria.

a simple example:
you can challenege a policeman in the us - because you are sure someone has a camera somewhere, or you can sue, etc.in nigeria, unless you are a certified big man, you are better off keeping quiet, lest you ' die for nothing' or find yourself on tv or in the papers as an armed robber killed during an operation ( does that make one spineless?)

i know you were not refering the question to me but,trust me so many people want to come back home and make their input but the state of the nation is not encouraging at all,you can say that you r surviving but you are used to the way things are i have only been a couple of years here but in that space of time i cant say for sure where to live without the threat of armed robbers,im sure you know what areas youcan live in,what places you can go to .e.t.c also there is no middle class in nigeria which will make it really difficult for a potential returnee to fit in,however i agree with you that all nigerians irrespective of wherever they are in the world will have to come home and do the job of making the country better but will the likes of them ibori,atiku,ibb,and the rest of them who are professional politicians allow anyone to step in without the threat of hired killers and diabolic e.t.c

Is it just me or did Lyel Imoke get off lightly today.

For someone who is ultimately responsible I would think for the recent power mess
he was treated with gloved hands.

Honestly only that Ibo man in the Red Cap that sits at the back should be allowed to ask questions.

All the remaining just dey waka kurukere.

the guy in the hat sitting in front asked some pretty sensible questions as well,this agagu man is actually bodering on arrogance with the way he is responding to questions

doyin13:

Is it just me or did Lyel Imoke get off lightly today.

For someone who is ultimately responsible I would think for the recent power mess
he was treated with gloved hands.

thought so too,and the whole bunch of them just seemed like they were scared of actually asking proper questions,see the way they were bombarding the nipp man and the dg's when it comes to governor they r visibly scared and keep on going your excellency, pathetic

lucabrasi:

i know you were not refering the question to me but,trust me so many people want to come back home and make their input but the state of the nation is not encouraging at all,you can say that you r surviving but you are used to the way things are i have only been a couple of years here but in that space of time i can't say for sure where to live without the threat of armed robbers,im sure you know what areas youcan live in,what places you can go to .e.t.c also there is no middle class in nigeria which will make it really difficult for a potential returnee to fit in,however i agree with you that all nigerians irrespective of wherever they are in the world will have to come home and do the job of making the country better but will the likes of them ibori,atiku,ibb,and the rest of them who are professional politicians allow anyone to step in without the threat of hired killers and diabolic e.t.c

LMAO~~~ trust me so many people want to come back home and make their input but the state of the nation is not encouraging at all . I have a question for you, do you then propose we first fix the nation, before they come in to make their input or something?? LMAO!!!
The very wonderful thing about the world we live in today is that no matter where you choose to live in this world, you can make a positive impact on practically any place on earth. Take for instance the wives who sit somewhere in their homes in the United States of America, who at the same time tend to the welfare of women and kids in Afghanistan, through their donations and support of groups that go out there to fight for the rights of those women. No person has an excuse anymore. If Atiku and the likes are the problem, what has stopped Nigerians from letting their senators know this and bombarding them with requests to have Yar adua try them and get them out of our faces alreadY

Kobojunkie:


LMAO~~~ trust me so many people want to come back home and make their input but the state of the nation is not encouraging at all . I have a question for you, do you then propose we first fix the nation, before they come in to make their input or something?? LMAO!!!
The very wonderful thing about the world we live in today is that no matter where you choose to live in this world, you can make a positive impact on practically any place on earth. Take for instance the wives who sit somewhere in their homes in the United States of America, who at the same time tend to the welfare of women and kids in Afghanistan, through their donations and support of groups that go out there to fight for the rights of those women. No person has an excuse anymore. If Atiku and the likes are the problem, what has stopped Nigerians from letting their senators know this and bombarding them with requests to have Yar adua try them and get them out of our faces alreadY

well,if we have to then i suggest its worth a damn good try rather than waiting for who ll be the first to do it,either we like it or not it ll take very brave people to pioneer the return back to nigeria and enduring the initial discomfort of no energy and the rest of it, before greater number of people now make the move including foreigners.
what ll be the gain of the pioneers?well they ll have the opportunity of getting the best in terms of housing,business opportunities,jobs e.t.c
of course we can make a positive impact anywhere we are but how much of an impact will that make in the real sense of it,it ll make an impact but not that much,that is precisely why nigerians in the diaspora are not given their deserved respect in spite of the amount of money they channel into nigeria.
where dyu get these senators to listen to you when they are in the midst of their body guards and sirens and convoys,dont make the mistake of comparing the senators in your part of the world and the easy acess to them with nigeria,a senator in some cases is as protected and in acessible probably as much as a governor in the states or cabinet member (not even mp)in the uk

i cant speak for other people but i actually do my bit for charity and less priviledged kids and actually running a small outfit which im trying to talk to some few ppl about on my next trip to nigeria,the question is that how many nigerians in the diaspora actually make the effort anytime they go back home apart from the usual im going to check on my project and then live it up and then back to their base,its not that we r not doing anything but more people needs to do bits more for it to make any meaninful impact

These pipo shld go away with there wahala and allow AIT to sho us some entertainning and gr8 tins, cos notin is going to kom out of this, the pipo involved are bigger than all of them sitting there xkin questions as if they r stammers.

D matter av bin settled, they r just showing us the make up of the film

4Q there Fada

E no go better for there mama well well

bad lidas wit evil minds

After the first few days, i be think say maybe something fit come out of it. . . . .

But after I see the way they let Lyel Imoke off so easily. . . .I knw say dem be kwashiokor laden dogs wey gangarene don chop their teeth.

Nonsense

oyb:

@ kobojunkie, I'm sure you mean well, but all this pontificating is just pontificating.
if you are really concerned about the country of your birth come home and get things done - maybe you can be a catalyst

in all the countries you are referring to, the reforms etal were not achieved by emigrants in greener pastures, but by the people who stayed in the country.

it is so easy for people outside nigeria to allow the creature comforts of where they are residing to deceive themselves about the realities of nigeria.

a simple example:
you can challenege a policeman in the us - because you are sure someone has a camera somewhere, or you can sue, etc.in nigeria, unless you are a certified big man, you are better off keeping quiet, lest you ' die for nothing' or find yourself on tv or in the papers as an armed robber killed during an operation ( does that make one spineless?)

But you have a problem here @Oyb, I may be outside of Nigeria but if you knew what I actually do in Nigeria at the same time, you would understand the power of getting things done in this day and age from wherever you may be. We now live in a world where people even in the Antartics can vote from there and still have their votes count. People can mentor and even monitor their peers from across the world. I really hate it when people assume that cause you location indicates YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF NIGERIA, means you have no idea or have no experience with what is happening in Nigeria. If I have to tell you how many times I have refused to bribe a Policeman and how I have stood my right you would not believe me. Please focus on getting people to work to change things around you from wherever they may be. I am not a big man but I have had to stand my ground on so many occassions and have come to find out that even those policemen you refer to know they have boundaries they are not able to cross themselves and until people understand they need to be put in their place, the harrassment will continue. Please learn to ask people of their experience instead of run off assuming you have them all figured out.

Sky Blue:

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of how to cause change is the House of Assembly and the other houses. How many of us come here discuss politics? I am sure some of you will know people who know people who now senators or house members. The house is meant to be a representation of the will of the people in a normal democracy. But we all know that the elections that brought a lot of people into the house was not even an election in most cases, my suggestion is that whenever we are given a chance to stand for what is right and true, let us stop choosing the wrong. If we know leaders in some way, it could be anything from a local government chairman, to a senator, let us engage them in serious political issues. Call and pester them and have serious discussions with them, have debates or whatever. the point i am trying to make is that if we can in some way change the outlook of a good number of people in the house in some way and wake them up to their duties then this could actually spread in some way. I know the house is full of 419ers and people of questionable standing as Aliyu claimed before. But if we can effect change in a local government chairman who will use money allocated to his area to actually execute projects for the people, or even members of council or even the house, surely that is a start. Why don't we get proactive in this, Nigerians would have to change Nigeria so we will have to start somewhere. Anyone know anybody in the house, then ask why FOI bill has not been passed for this long yet a motion to increase their salary was passed in a matter of days. Any of us good writers? Bring to the spotlight the politics of Nigeria and discuss and engage the youths with articles. Any of us know people who work in T.V in Nigeria, let us find a way to get serious and critical debates on the air as opposed to the political butt kissing that seems to plague the air waves in Nigeria. Why don't we get proactive in this because i believe we can make a difference, call me naive if you will but i rather be naive than sceptical.

Exactically!!!

Sky Blue:

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of how to cause change is the House of Assembly and the other houses. How many of us come here discuss politics? I am sure some of you will know people who know people who now senators or house members. The house is meant to be a representation of the will of the people in a normal democracy. But we all know that the elections that brought a lot of people into the house was not even an election in most cases, my suggestion is that whenever we are given a chance to stand for what is right and true, let us stop choosing the wrong. If we know leaders in some way, it could be anything from a local government chairman, to a senator, let us engage them in serious political issues. Call and pester them and have serious discussions with them, have debates or whatever. the point i am trying to make is that if we can in some way change the outlook of a good number of people in the house in some way and wake them up to their duties then this could actually spread in some way. I know the house is full of 419ers and people of questionable standing as Aliyu claimed before. But if we can effect change in a local government chairman who will use money allocated to his area to actually execute projects for the people, or even members of council or even the house, surely that is a start. Why don't we get proactive in this, Nigerians would have to change Nigeria so we will have to start somewhere. Anyone know anybody in the house, then ask why FOI bill has not been passed for this long yet a motion to increase their salary was passed in a matter of days. Any of us good writers? Bring to the spotlight the politics of Nigeria and discuss and engage the youths with articles. Any of us know people who work in T.V in Nigeria, let us find a way to get serious and critical debates on the air as opposed to the political butt kissing that seems to plague the air waves in Nigeria. Why don't we get proactive in this because i believe we can make a difference, call me naive if you will but i rather be naive than sceptical.

its not all the politicians fault but the nigerians that make these guys pay through their noses while campagning,it stands to reason that the politicians in turn will try their best to recover the money they v spent for their campaigns, during the governorship electios ,i read in one of the dailies about a doctor or consultant from either anambra or one of these states who parted with a couple of millions so he can be the pdp candidate and still they messed him up,whenever that guy suceeds in attaining a post,the first thing he ll do is recover then nigerians start complaining politicians are corrupt,its all well and good when the majority of the voters are educated and know their vote is their power for change and not to be sold for paltry sums of money,but most of them dont know so before getting to that stage of pestering,having discussions with them e,t,c nigerians need a serious orientation and education about not selling their votes and then they ll be on a moral high ground to talk to these politicians

the earlier we begin to tell ourselves the truth the better.size is not our problem.
china, usa and india are all existing and these are countries bigger in land mass and population yet they are existing so why won't nigeria exist?
the truth is that pdp has set up the agenda for nigeria and no matter what anyone does, this agenda which has turned into the law of the land will surely take its place.
Agenda 1: Obj is clean and henceforth must not be found guilty by any authority as long as nigeria is concern. it is based on this note that people like tony annenih, andy uba, chris uba, adedibu, bode george, atiku and a host of others will never face the law no matter what they do just to avoid implicating the almighty obj, the founder of nigeria and the man who did much to earn us independence from the british and military. who among the few mentioned above does not have an established cased against nigeria yet they have remained untouchable bcs somebody like atiku has sworn not to sink alone so to avoid the unexpected, LET HIM BE. by the way, will it be possible for yar adua to bite the finger that fed and is feeding him? anyways, God can still make the impossibilities possible.
Agenda 2: the fear of obj is the beginning of wisdom. chris uba cn still confirm this, charles ugwu a minister now, marwa an ambassador now, andy uba are all good example of those whose fear of the almighty obj and have been blessed seriously by him while atiku, kalu, okonjo iweala, araraume are some good example of those who believed that they could or can do without obj hence he convienced nigerians on how criminial minded these people are.

brothers and sisters, i hope with these fews points of mine, i have been able to convience and not confuss u that this probe panel like other ones will end up telling nigerians that those signatures have been confirmed to be that of orji uzo kalu of abia state and not that of obj hence obj has been confirmed clean pending when nigeria will get an implicating allegation-wow naija.

to me, most cases are like most nigerian movies which u can always guess right where they are going to but one things sure, saddam is dead for real and if such can be possible to a man next to God, what about , ?

the truth of the matter is that nigeria has no electricity and money are being spent on daily bases over this while in reality nothing is been done about the darfkness situation in nigeria.

the dis advantage of the whole godfatherism and everything going on now is that,the whole lot of them are built or arranged like a pyramid built with cards(remember the whiste blower from police equipment fund)and it will only take one individual to bring them all down or at least expose them for who they are,personally i think its high time we started shaming even their children so they ll go home and tell their parents, saw halima babangida's last born a couple of times at a club in central london and it was vip all the way hanging out with them wyclef and the girl drives a ferrari,she s not even up to 22 yet

Make me I see wetin go commot for this inqurey.

I have read all the comments here
I have also listened to the Public Hearing
My conclusion is that, there are many Nigerians who take
advantage of the loopholes in the system, rather than
doing a good job.

And sadly, these very brilliant Nigerians are in the fore of running
our Power Sector!

did anyone see the discrepancies with the kolenco contractor?hundreds of thousands of dollars reflecting in cnb account statement for the payment they have made into hsbc and chase manhattan accounts and the representative saying they dont even have an account in these banks, who is lying and where has the money gone,,even if nothing comes out of the whole hearing and no one is prosecuted,at least nigerians know soo many things and where to put the blame,i like the man that spoke earlier and actually calling agagu by name and the other governor and actually blaming them on national tv

lucabrasi:

the this advantage of the whole godfatherism and everything going on now is that,the whole lot of them are built or arranged like a pyramid built with cards(remember the whiste blower from police equipment fund)and it will only take one individual to bring them all down or at least expose them for who they are,personally i think its high time we started shaming even their children so they ll go home and tell their parents, saw halima babangida's last born a couple of times at a club in central london and it was vip all the way hanging out with them wyclef and the girl drives a ferrari,she s not even up to 22 yet

Now you are speaking my language. Shame them all and make them understand that even in Nigeria, stealing is wrong. LMAO!!!

did anyone see the sitting today,what d you think of the very interesting revelations?its not even a case of paying and not executing a contract now but paying millions of dollars and not having any records,took a foreign contractor to clarify that he has been paid 25% and the supposed nigerian representatives and md of nipp all looking at each other in embarassment and we wonder why white people look down on us,

Kobojunkie:

Now you are speaking my language. Shame them all and make them understand that even in Nigeria, stealing is wrong. LMAO!!!

hmmn will keep it in mind,should have done so to chris uba when i saw him in a shop on edgeware road last year,ill be on the lookout tho

From Victor Oluwasegun and Funso Aina (Abuja)


There were startling revelations yesterday of how the old Federal Executive Council (FEC) headed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo awarded N6.5 billion power project contracts based on favouritism.

Obasanjo’s former Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Colonel Rowland Omowa (rtd), told the House of Representatives Committee on Power and Steel probing the power sector spendings between June 1999 and last May that the contracts were awarded on the basis of who knew whom in the Presidency.

Committee chairman Ndudi Elumelu stunned the audience when he said a senator who accused him of saying his (senator’s) company Aolat Nigeria Ltd. was not registered.

"I said go back to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and let them say that your company was registered and we will announce it at this forum," Elumelu said, recalling what he told the Senator.

He said the committee also received a letter that there was tribal sentiment in the way Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu was quizzed when he appeared on Monday.

Omowa said as Obasanjo’s former ADC, he was privileged to know the workings of the FEC.

He said he had submitted a memo of contracts approved by the FEC to the committee and that the contracts with various sums amounting to over N6.5billion had remarks like "‘President,’ ‘SFG,’ ‘Honourable," and "Chief this and that".

"All contractors had names remarked against them. I don’t know how the FEC could have approved a list like that," he remarked.

Omowa, who earlier berated Dr Agagu and his Cross River State counterpart Senator Liyel Imoke for their presentations, said with that kind of situation, it was a little wonder that these various sums ended up in private pockets.

Omowa suggested that public office holders should be sent for mental test before being given portfolios.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, also known as the Due Process Office, Mr Emeka Eze, said N12.8billion, $66million and 44million Euros were disbursed through the office.

He said the Bureau of Public Procurement was established in June, last year to stem the lapses in the award of contracts. The Public Procurement Act, he said, stipulates a jail term of between five and 10 years for any public officer who connives to defraud the government or violates in any way the provisions of the law.

"There’s also a provision of penalty of up to 25 per cent of the contract sum for any erring contractor who contravenes the Act."

He said most of the problems arising from the power sector were because the government allowed contractors to draft the agreements and obviously "they will do this to favour themselves".

"The Executive arm is worried that many times we allow contractors to draft agreements and they do this to their advantage.

"There was a time the Ministry of Energy wanted to change their technical partner and we said let us look at the agreement. We realised that the agreement does not allow them to do that.

"These are some of the issues that cause delay and when due process questions, they say that we delay the budget."

On the disparity between the amounts received, with the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) saying it collected $3.07billion, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) saying it was $2.5billion and the Accountant-General saying it was $4.4billion, Eze said it might be due to the exchange rates used in the conversion.

On the committee’s question on how to track the difference, he said: "The difference has to be provided by Megida" (PHCN Coordinator).

He said the Act allowed for foreign bidding so that companies not registered in the country may win bids but have to register immediately they win the contract. Hence, it was not possible for any unregistered company to get payment through the BPP.

According to Eze, "the difficulty spoken of by contractors is because of our insistence on the right thing. We are not going to release any money that does not have the right documents."

damn money dey flow. i need to enter nigerian politics. very lucrative.

well to get to this level of chopping will require many sacrifices,remember its naija,godfather in the right camp

Kkk