Uchenna my reply applies to you too.

@kobojunkie is that my christmas present ? Did i just hear you say "attack the state and local govt first " ?
If you believe they should "attack" the govts at local and state level before any thing, then our question is answered.
Afterall the agitation borders on the premise that for years they had been suffering such hardships and appealed to no avail for a remedy. Ofcourse there is a due process pertaining to such things like complaints and protests, but what happens when that process is dysfunctional(like every other thing in Nigeria) ? hmm ! What happens ?

[size=14pt]attack [/size] definition
at·tack (ə tak′)

transitive verb

to use force against in order to harm; start a fight with; strike out at with physical or military force; assault

to speak or write against, esp. with vigor; criticize, denounce, censure, etc.

to begin working on energetically; undertake (a problem, task, etc.) vigorously

to begin acting upon harmfully or destructively the disease attacked him suddenly

Etymology: Fr attaquer < It attaccare < *estaccare < Goth *stakka, stake: see stick
intransitive verb

to make an assault

KnowAll:

The problem with some these little minded Niger Deltans in NL, instead of them to focus their attention on their theiving Governors they go on talking about resource control as if the resources that would be controlled will end up in their pocket. In the last excess crude oil disbursement to the different states Bayelsa a state a known for having only one town the state capital - Yenogoa which was a glorified Village prior to state creation got $110 million dollars while a state like Oyo state with 3 big  cities in Ibadan 2 million, Ogbomosho 400,000 and Oyo 200,000  got $14 million dollars. With such statistcs in the public domain common sense will inspire any sane man to ask and question,  it might even be an inocent enquiry on what the hell is Sylvia doing with all that money.

We are all aware that Zamfara after paying her civil servants has only £2 million left yet Sylvia has $110 million dollars to spend and nobody is asking questions what he is doing with all that money.

I think the Niger Deltan freedom fighters as they call themselves will be happy if 98% of the oil revenue is accrued to her citizens whilst the rest of Nigeria wallow in abject poverty, the irony is the Niger Deltans will not be any diffrent from Equatorial Guineans where the President of the country is purported to have 20 accounts in US Banks with $700 million dollars in each account yet her citizens are living in abject and pitiable poverty.

Knowall or should I say ITK let us worry about where the money will end up. Whether Oyo or Zamfara have  3 million or 400,000 people we couldn't care less. If population is a problem practice birth control.

With all your 'wide mindedness' you haven't asked why parasitic states in other parts of the country continue to behave like 'mosquitos'.

Ask how much money is being lost from your refusal to develop the solid minerals sector?
http://www.mmsd.gov.ng/Solid_minerals_sector/34_minerals.asp

@ edoyad

Attack does not necessarily mean violence. Besides, I used the word  "ASK"

Beaf:

The problem is the FG, solve it at that level and it will resolve itself at state level.

I agree with that. 
However, is MEND trying to solve Nigeria's problems at the Federal level? I dont think so.
MEND's interest is mostly provincial and that province is the South-south.

Beaf:

Forget about asking governors questions,

Thats the classic Nigerian response.
Compared to Aso rock, the state govt house in the respective states is just a stone throw away. This is all about the impoverishment of an area; yet your advice is to leave the immediate primary cause and start looking for secondary targets.

Beaf:


why ask common folk to deal with him.

Suddenly MEND is now common folk?  
In any case this line of argument is backwards , so I am at loss on how to respond. 
U think that MEND is too common to take on an individual, however U dont have a problem with them taking on the FG? 

Beaf:

what happened to Ibori in the [b]Federal [/b]court in Asaba? If the FG can't deal with Ibori,

What happened to Ibori in the court is the same thing that happens to most politicians that connived with the Federal Govt to dupe citizens of basic amenities. They go scot free. Ibori's case is not one of a kind. Telling me that citizens of each state should ignore person(s) like that and go after a nameless Federal Govt amuses me. Charity, they say, begins at home.

I'm not from the south south so nobody should get me wrong. I'm from a parasitic state my self.
What i don't understand is how many years does it take you to develop other sectors of the economy(sectors we were surviving on before independence) ?
Why is Nigeria so scared of venturing into Mining, Agriculture and Entertainment ? These three sectors we have been told over and over again will provide more employment than oil ever will. It is there on ground for every one to see in other countries but we just keep turning away.
What does it take for those useless wastes of space in Abuja and their vision 2020 to realise that no top ten economy in the world is a top ten economy because of oil ? All crude oil does is provide you with fuel and cash, but you have to use that fuel to power something and that cash to fund something.
For all the money Russia makes from oil she's still a technological giant. Even the "USA" use Russian rockets when their space shuttles have problems. Virtually 1 in 3 countries with an AirForce use Russian Migs. Russia, for your information competes with Saudi for title of highest exporter of crude oil. So what do we really believe we can achieve with 2 million barrels for fck sake ? You want to be a top economy with $40bn in govt revenues ? Off my head i can count 3 foreign companies whose profit before tax added up to more than that. What the hell ?

edoyad:

I'm not from the south south so nobody should get me wrong. I'm from a parasitic state my self.

One does not have to be from the south south to have an opinion on this issue or speak out against it in any wise. If MEND wanted it to be a south south ONLY debate, then it would have kept the distractions to just issues that would be at that level. MEND took it national, hence making it an ALL NIGERIA problem.

edoyad:

What i don't understand is how many years does it take you to develop other sectors of the economy(sectors we were surviving on before independence) ?

What you don’t understand? I can tell you the simple answer and it is as long as it takes the citizenry to take their rightful place in government.

edoyad:

Why is Nigeria so scared of venturing into Mining, Agriculture and Entertainment ? These three sectors we have been told over and over again will provide more employment than oil ever will. It is there on ground for every one to see in other countries but we just keep turning away.

Not too sure about entertainment cause I think we are more interested in what comes from outside than what comes from inside. We used to have a booming entertainment industry but lost out because of poor quality and the rush to make profits first at the expense of quality( the Nigerian disease).

We used to do that so let us not deceive ourselves into making this a NEW THING we have to explore. The problem is the same, the people are not involved in their own government and so we lost what we had in mining, agriculture, entertainment etc.

edoyad:

What does it take for those useless wastes of space in Abuja and their vision 2020 to realise that no top ten economy in the world is a top ten economy because of oil ? All crude oil does is provide you with fuel and cash, but you have to use that fuel to power something and that cash to fund something.

They probably don’t share your dream of a top 10 or what not and hence the reason why they do not feel the urgency and need to develop, as you do. Until YOU stand up to them, you probably will not see much change in the status quo.

edoyad:

For all the money Russia makes from oil she's still a technological giant. Even the "USA" use Russian rockets when their space shuttles have problems. Virtually 1 in 3 countries with an AirForce use Russian Migs. Russia, for your information competes with Saudi for title of highest exporter of crude oil. So what do we really believe we can achieve with 2 million barrels for fck sake ? You want to be a top economy with $40bn in govt revenues ? Off my head i can count 3 foreign companies whose profit before tax added up to more than that. What the hell ?

All this na noise! Until we start to value our own selves as individuals, we are likely to remain here.

Uche2nna:

What happened to Ibori in the court is[b] the same thing that happens to most politicians that connived with the Federal Govt to dupe citizens[/b] of basic amenities. They go scot free. Ibori's case is not one of a kind. . .

Precisely! You couldn't have said it better.

I wonder why the ND is so different that people from other states can blame the FG, but ND people can't? The FG gives the state govs money, therefore the FG should be responsible for demanding probity in the way monies are spent, if the FG and Nigerians think otherwise, then give us true federalism and let each state both give money to their governor and demand probity.

He who pays the piper, plays the tune. . . Wisdom.

Beaf:

I wonder why the ND is so different that people from other states can blame the FG, but ND people can't?

And I wonder where u got that from? I definitely did not state or imply that in my posts.
Some states in Nigeria receive monthly allocations that are larger than the budget of some african nations. If citizens of each state starts harassing their respective govts, maybe they will start putting the money into good use. Going against the FG is good but to me thats a long term goal; a short term objective that is bound to have immediate impact is going head to head with the state govt.

Beaf:

, then give us true federalism and let each state both give money to their governor and demand probity.

MEND did not have to wait for federalism before taking on the FG. Why are u suggesting they should wait until Nigeria starts practicing true federalism before they can start questioning the likes of Ibori?

Besides, due to years of Military rule Nigeria has tended towards a Unitary form of govt making the center very strong and the states weak. U are bound to incur a lot of collateral damage if U are going against the Federal Govt as it is now. Ur best shot as a militant group is to tackle the state govt.

LOL kobojunkie if i doubted you were abroad before now i don't anymore. FYI Virtually the whole of Africa, English and French, is watching Nigerian movies. It is no secret that Nolly wood movies are sold in virtually every market (literally) in africa. The industry is still disorganised but still churns out wealth to It's stake holders.

As for my "talk", i can also see that you really might be a direct beneficiary of the chicken change from crude oil that's why you feel my talk of diversification is just "talk".
Again you say Nigerians should stand up and fight for their rights and again i tell you that's what the agitators you call terrorist are doing.

Uche2nna:

And I wonder where u got that from? I definitely did not state or imply that in my posts.
Some states in Nigeria receive monthly allocations that are larger than the budget of some african nations. If citizens of each state starts harassing their respective govts, maybe they will start putting the money into good use. Going against the FG is good but to me thats a long term goal; a short term objective that is bound to have immediate impact is going head to head with the state govt.

MEND did  not have to wait for federalism before taking on the FG. Why are u suggesting they should wait until Nigeria starts practicing true federalism before they can start questioning the likes of Ibori?  

Besides, due to years of Military rule Nigeria has tended towards a Unitary form of govt making the center very strong and the states weak. U are bound to incur a lot of collateral damage if U are going against the Federal Govt as it is now. your best shot as a militant group is to tackle the state govt.

MEND have chosen to attack the FG because of the futility in harrassing state governments that do not make the rules and do not own the land (yes, if you have resources in Nigeria, your land belongs to the FG). The FG is effectively their landlord.

Each of the laws below, imprisons the ND person; they are all FG laws, attacking state govt is attacking the wrong target and fighting a hopeless battle;

1. The Petroleum Decree of 1969, which dispossessed the Niger Deltans of their God-given resources.
2. The Territorial Waters Acts, Cap.428, (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990) which seized water resources of the Niger Delta.
3. The Exclusive Economic Zone Act, Cap 116 (LFN, 1990)
4. The Land Use Act Cap. 220 (LFN, 1990)
5. The Revenue Allocation Act Cap. 16.
6. The Oil Navigable Act Cap. 337.
7. The Oil Terminal Dues Act Cap. 339.
8. Petroleum Production and Distribution Anti-Sabotage Act. Cap. 3354 Oil Pipeline Act Cap. 338.
9. Associated Gas Re-Injection Act Cap. 26.
10. National Inland Waterways Authority Act.
11. Petroleum Profit Tax Act Cap. 354.
12. Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act Cap. 392.
13. Minerals and Mining Act No. 34, 1999.
14. Lands (Title Vesting, etc) Act

edoyad:

LOL kobojunkie if i doubted you were abroad before now i don't anymore. FYI Virtually the whole of Africa, English and French, is watching Nigerian movies. It is no secret that Nolly wood movies are sold in virtually every market (literally) in africa. The industry is still disorganised but still churns out wealth to It's stake holders.

You, my friend came up with the claim that Entertainment industry was not developed, I did not do that, I simply said it used to be better than it is today and, yes, I do believe that it is not developed. Now you come back saying it is simply DISORGANIZED so you can throw some cheap shot about my living in the US? Please get over yourself.

Any honest person would admit that even with tons of people across the world, even here in the US, watching nollywood movies DOES NOT mean the entertainment industry in Nigeria is not as developed as it ought to be, or even close to where it used to be, back some 20 or so years ago. You don’t have to be in the mouth of lagos to know and admit that. So, try again!!

edoyad:

As for my "talk", i can also see that you really might be a direct beneficiary of the chicken change from crude oil that's why you feel my talk of diversification is just "talk".

Again with the cheap shots!! What talk of diversification?? All you have done is make noise about issues that have NEVER been new for us. If you lived through the last 25 years of our history alone, you would know that. 

edoyad:

Again you say Nigerians should stand up and fight for their rights and again i tell you that's what the agitators you call terrorist are doing.

I see I have to keep pulling the dictionary with you as you seem too quick to misinterpret what I say. Typical though since this is nairaland!

[size=14pt]
fight[/size]   (f t)
v. fought (fôt), fight•ing, fights
v.intr.
1.
a. To attempt to harm or gain power over an adversary by blows or with weapons.
b. Sports To engage in boxing or wrestling.
2. To engage in a quarrel; argue: They are always fighting about money.
3. To strive vigorously and resolutely: fought against graft; fighting for her rights.
v.tr.

Beaf:

MEND have chosen to attack the FG because of the futility in harrassing state governments that do not make the rules and do not own the land (yes, if you have resources in Nigeria, your land belongs to the FG). The FG is effectively their landlord.

I hope I am not sounding pro-government here  

I dont have a problem with going after those Aso rock guys. I am just advocating for a two pronged approach.
While the fisherman in the creek is growing thinner and thinner , the state politicians are growing fatter and fatter with monies meant for the development of the state.
I have to admit that I am not conversant with all those laws u outlined but I am curious on how many of them are still in effect given that some of them are decrees.  

Knowall or should I say ITK let us worry about where the money will end up. Whether Oyo or Zamfara have  3 million or 400,000 people we couldn't care less. If population is a problem practice birth control.

With all your 'wide mindedness' you haven't asked why parasitic states in other parts of the country continue to behave like 'mosquitos'.

Ask how much money is being lost from your refusal to develop the solid minerals sector?
http://www.mmsd.gov.ng/Solid_minerals_sector/34_minerals.asp


Do not dodge the question, could someone please tell me what Mr Slyvia has spent the $110 million dollars on,  because it will be easier to find a needle in a haystack than the Governor to cover or tell us pokies of how the money suddenly develop an imaginery wings and fly away, in a land where there is no haystack,  probity and scrutiny of the Govenor's nefarious activities will be easier than learning A, B, C.    

Please read.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/freekick/2009/aug/14/freekick-14-08-2009-001.htm

AmazinG!!

[size=13pt]Bayelsans in Nigeria and indeed in the diaspora will not forget so soon that before the advent of the Governor Sylva administration in 2007, there were two immediate eras: that of Chief Diepreye Alameiseigha and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Those were the era of free money, where people wanted to get money without working, an era where jobs were not done but contractors were mobilized and fully paid.


Those were the era where civil servants built edifice: fit for super stars in Hollywood.

Again, at the onset of the present regime in Bayelsa State, there was a raging controversy surrounding how much was left in the coffers of the state governrnent by the Goodluck Jonathan administration; the debt profile and other liabilities including contractual obligations inherited from Jonathan stood at N13 Billion. At a point, the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan addressed a press conference in Yenagoa, to clear his name.


Governor Sylva's administration was systematically bogged down by the huge monthly deductions the Federal Government was making at source to cushion up overpayments made by his predecessors. Being a faithful party man, Governor Sylva rather than embarrass the VP by going public with the true state of affairs in the state, struggled to carry on governance with insufficient funds.

A glossary of inherited projects by the Sylva administration will throw more light on the inner workings of his government whose strategic objective is to build infrastructure and leave behind strong institutions for posterity. [/size]

On roads, Governor Sylva's administration took on 50 municipal roads with a 140km stretch at the cost of N90 billion,  So far, 20 of such roads have been completed. The Ekoli Flying Bridge was 40 per cent completed before Governor Sylva came on stream but has now been completed at a total cost of N4.6 billion.

In the health sector, two significant edifices that will positively affect the lives of the people are being pursued vigorously. They are the Nl.3 billion Opolo Cottage hospital and the 500 bed hospital, regarded as an ambitious project undertaken anywhere in the country. So far, the state government has pumped N3.5 billion into it

I didn’t realize that it could cost upwards of $40 million ( AMERICAN DOLLARS) to fix 87 miles of road. I wonder what it would cost to work on 100 miles of road in the same state

KnowAll:

Knowall or should I say ITK let us worry about where the money will end up. Whether Oyo or Zamfara have  3 million or 400,000 people we couldn't care less. If population is a problem practice birth control.

With all your 'wide mindedness' you haven't asked why parasitic states in other parts of the country continue to behave like 'mosquitos'.

Ask how much money is being lost from your refusal to develop the solid minerals sector?
http://www.mmsd.gov.ng/Solid_minerals_sector/34_minerals.asp


Do not dodge the question, could someone please tell me what Mr Slyvia has spent the $110 million dollars on,  because it will be easier to find a needle in a haystack than the Governor to cover or tell us pokies of how the money suddenly develop an imaginery wings and fly away, in a land where there is no haystack,  probity and scrutiny of the Govenor's nefarious activities will be easier than learning A, B, C.    

Leave such questions to fools like kobojunkie the white guy. Read this except from The Economist about Sylva and Bayelsa:

The man in person enthusiastically explains more in the opulent surroundings of Gloryland, the governor’s mansion. Bayelsa is the first of Nigeria’s 36 states to invite in outside accountants and advisers for a thorough audit of its finances. They are now going over the state’s payroll and procurement policies, as well as the revenues from the federal government, which (as in all states) supply most of Bayelsa’s income. Vitally, the bean-counters will also audit the deeply obscure flows of money that go out again from the state coffers to the Local Government Authorities (LGAs). These are supposed to spend the money on the wretched people who live in deep poverty in the swamps and creeks of the Delta. If waste and corruption are cut out, they should benefit. “Transparency has a direct link to development,” says Mr Sylva.

Nigerians, particularly in other statehouses, are looking on with a mixture of awe and horror at Mr Sylva’s audacity. The statehouses are the biggest source of the corruption and mismanagement in Nigeria’s political system.

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14843563

Mr Sylva is a very good governor indeed!

@kobojunkie, the reason it's so expensive to build roads and other structures in the Niger Delta region is because of the type of land they have. It's so swampy/marshy and water logged that the earth has to be dug up, filled with stones different kinds of stones and what not before being covered back with earth again.
If you put this into consideration you will see what will almost complete a project for you in other parts of the country will just get foundation completed for you in the ND. Their contract sums are usually high in comparison to other regions cos of this swampy or marshy land of theirs that's also rich with oil.

edoyad:

@kobojunkie, the reason it's so expensive to build roads and other structures in the Niger Delta region is because of the type of land they have. It's so swampy/marshy and water logged that the earth has to be dug up, filled with stones different kinds of stones and what not before being covered back with earth again.
If you put this into consideration you will see what will almost complete a project for you in other parts of the country will just get foundation completed for you in the ND. Their contract sums are usually high in comparison to other regions cos of this swampy or marshy land of theirs that's also rich with oil.

Contrary to what you think, I did put that into consideration.I also considered how much it would cost to build a bridge of that 1/3rd of that length and still came out amazed at the amount. But if YOU are willing to accept that the cost is good enough, then who am I to rob you of that pleasure?

If you had gotten your estimations right you wouldn't have shown us the difference in price for building roads in the U S vis a vis the Niger Delta. Why didn't you just check how much it costs to construct roads in Lagos or somewhere else if you really wanted to compare prices.
And going back to the earlier statement, i am not alternating between disorganised and undeveloped pertaining to the movie industry. The idea for Nigeria to focus on the Entertainment sector was given by the world bank country director, Onno Rhul .
He infact once talked of when worked in the Congo DR before landing Nigeria and confessed he was suprised to see how Congolese who were french speaking flocked to buy Nigerian movies though they barely understood the language.
[url=http://

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http//go.worldbank.org/SQN2OW5450

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http//go.worldbank.org/SQN2OW5450

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[/url]

edoyad:

If you had gotten your estimations right you wouldn't have shown us the difference in price for building roads in the U S vis a vis the Niger Delta. Why didn't you just check how much it costs to construct roads in Lagos or somewhere else if you really wanted to compare prices.

Look, if you are happy with the governor spending $500,000 (dollars, not naira) per 1 mile of road, then I cannot take that away from you.

edoyad:

And going back to the earlier statement, i am not alternating between disorganised and undeveloped pertaining to the movie industry. The idea for Nigeria to focus on the Entertainment sector was given by the world bank country director, Onno Rhul .

He infact once talked of when worked in the Congo DR before landing Nigeria and confessed he was suprised to see how Congolese who were french speaking flocked to buy Nigerian movies though they barely understood the language.

It does not take a World Banker for us to know what we have always known. Nigerian movies sell online for $1 a piece, these are movies that used to sell for upwards of N1000 back some 20 years ago. Unfortunately, due to the low quality of the production, the makers have had to churn out so many so as to make so little at the end of the day. The problem if you ask if is many are moving away from being original to just making money and that has killed the industry more than anything.
I remember when Ogunde, Jimi Odumosu and the likes were reigning producers. Quality production and original stories. These days, we slap crap together, add a couple of women dressed like whores, add a few dimwitted humans, a few religious pastors who are usually extreme cases, and some juju and you have a Nigerian movie.

Ofcourse people in congo would enjoy it even in the same way that many enjoyed and still enjoy such shows as Jerry Springer and Maury. Cleaning that up, is not for the government but for the nollywood producers and actors to do.

Yes add up all that and an unsensible viewer like kobojunkie and Nollywood is what you get. But then again who am i to judge the congolese viewers and kj ?

edoyad:

Yes add up all that and an unsensible viewer like kobojunkie and Nollywood is what you get. But then again who am i to judge the congolese viewers and kj ?

Another small mind that cannot stand an opposing view !!

No not a matter of small mind not being to stand opposing views. Just an open mind who, even though he isn't a big fan of certain media content, understands why they have a right to exist unlike you.

edoyad:

No not a matter of small mind not being to stand opposing views. Just an open mind who, even though he isn't a big fan of certain media content, understands why they have a right to exist unlike you.

I NEVER in any of my posts told you any such thing. I told you they do exist and government is there to put such groups in there place. I made sure to explain myself OVER AND OVER again. That you still went ahead to post what we have below . . . . .

Yes add up all that and an unsensible viewer like kobojunkie and Nollywood is what you get. But then again who am i to judge the congolese viewers and kj ?

Clearly shows you are unable to handle what I have said so far. It is typical way many of our fellow beings in Nigeria handle things. Only in many cases, they resort to violence and online bullying tactics.

So unfortunate you couldn't see i was just being the good natured victor on this christmas day showing a little humour to the valiant loser in the contest.

edoyad:

So unfortunate you couldn't see i was just being the good natured victor on this christmas day showing a little humour to the valiant loser in the contest.

Victor & Valiant loser? Pray tell, how did you turn this debate into a WINNER/LOSER case? Is that all these things are to you? How did you come to calculate that you won this one? By offering up movies, books to read and silly anecdotes meant to make one believe MEND is Nigeria's ANC?

And talking about nigerians not being able to handle confrontations, is that a joke ?
When was the last time a nigerian secondary school student took a gun to school to vent his frustrations on his class mates ?

edoyad:

And talking about nigerians not being able to handle confrontations, is that a joke ?
When was the last time a nigerian secondary school student took a gun to school to vent his frustrations on his class mates ?

The typical GO FOR THE EXTREME AND ABSURD to TRY TO PROVE A MOOT POINT tactic. Does one have to take a gun to school for one to be deemed incapable of handling confrontation? Is that how you think it works? Is this just about number of high school students who take guns to school?

Please stop with the ridiculous already. You don’t need to look further than your own actions to figure that it is probably true in your case. We spent a whole day, almost going back and forth on our different views of MEND in Nigeria only for you to decide YOU WON, and then come back attacking MY PERSON as if the debate had anything to do with ME in the first place. You sure that means you are able to handle adult debate there?

There has to be winner in this contest and from i stand it surely can't be you since you've not really offered anything to back your stance. I've given you the ANC military wing, Marx and Engels, Ono Rhul and much more. But just what have you offered in return mrs doubtfire ?

edoyad:

There has to be winner in this contest and from i stand it surely can't be you since you've not really offered anything to back your stance. I've given you the ANC military wing, Marx and Engels, Ono Rhul and much more. But just what have you offered in return mrs doubtfire ?

Roflmao!!! If you desperately need to be the winner, be my guest!!! At least I now know you are in it to win and not really exchange ideas or views, which I believe debates ought to be about

I'm not really desperate to be the winner, all i want is for you to say, "i'm sorry uncle edoyad for doubting your superior intelligence. Thank you for your rich, educational and educative presentation which will change my life and the way i see things for ever. What would you like for christmas ?", shikena.