Because a new administration might come in and slow down the necessary reforms for Political reasons and we are back to square one

[b]With GEJ in power for 4 more yrs,[/b]he can accelerate the reforms he started and when he leaves in 2015 most of the reforms will be in place and almost irreversible

But u can vote for whomever u want. . .

For example lets say ANPP with their Northern bent wins the election,u can be rest assured this whole privatisation process will be scrapped

because it will be alledged that it doesnt favor the North. . . .

Also is there not a possibility that another party can win,why must it be PDP?

paddy_lo:

How is it a variant of OBJs 3rd term for someone who has not even spent a full term in office?. .

Also is there not a possibility that another party can win,why must it be PDP?

For example lets say ANPP with their Northern bent wins the election,u can be rest assured this whole privatisation process will be scrapped

because it will be alledged that it doesnt favor the North. . . .

Pharyn:

This Reform will open up opportunities for other cleaner and better sources of power, such as individual house generating its power needs (decentralization) through renewable sources (solar especially).
Solar Energy has a very high potential here but untapped into because of the initial capital investment required, but now, solar would become a cheaper and more reliable option.

this has always been the argument of despots are presidents for life - i need just a little more time to complete my reforms. . .kapish? you really expect us to believe that johnny will step down in 2015?

a nigerian leader?

enough of obj's actions were overturned the moment he stepped out. power stations were put on hold - sale of nitel was reversed, enough gragra for virgin nigeria. . , anyway, johnny is obj's proxy so we will probably see the finalization of those power stations that obj started.

more to the point - what reforms has johnny started?

paddy_lo:

I dont think jonathan is making that argument. . .I am only saying it will be good if he stays beyond 2011,to finish up what he started
even u will admit that 1yr is too short to tackle Nigerias power problem

i don't seem to recall johnathan announcing that he is decamping. when he runs ( all this "if he runs" is just noise - ) it shall be under the party that got him this far in the first place - pdp.

Are you sure about that?  How exactly is 1year too short to tackle Nigerias power problem, especially in the way he has chosen to do it?

paddy_lo:

I have given u the example of the AMCON Bill and the notoriously slow National assembly
The N200Bln payment to settle PHCN liability will need to be in next yrs budget may not be approved by the legislature,esp if A new President is coming on board
Finally it has taken us 50yrs to get to this sorry pass on power
How do u presume it will take 1yr to solve everything?

This article claims GEJ want hand over FULL CONTROL to the private sector by June 2011. In essence, unless it states that I have to vote for him after that, I don't see why I should rally around a GEJ candidacy for this to happen. If the man is serious, the laws and necessary policies should be in place before the next election

I mean here I thought that since his party members are the majority in the house, he could actually deliver on this in one year as he suggests.
But following your argument there, there it is maybe just good for Nigerians to start looking to the next person to maybe do something better then, huh?

paddy_lo:

Obama also wanted health care to pass by august last 2009,but it took him till March 2010 to pass it and sign it into law
He promised to tackle immigration reform in his first yr in office, up till now we dont have a clue when it will get done
The point is, in the democracy we run,the power of the presidency is somewhat limited

paddy_lo:

U cannot claim the laws should be in place before the next election,when the Nigerian lawmakers can slow things down and disrupt the time-line. The man has only proposed a time-line. . . .lets see how it plays out

Our power problem cannot be compared to the HealthCare problem or the Immigration problem in anyway. For one there is NO controversy surrounding our need for power in Nigeria.  SO I suggest you please stick to debating Nigerian problems in the Nigerian context rather than comparing the situation by connecting the disconnected.
By the way the whole world knows why it took Obama so long to get HealthCare passed.

paddy_lo:

u cant blame the president for the slow nature of the national assembly,i mean they have passed just 6 bills or so in the last 4yrs

paddy_lo:

There is no controversy surrounding our need for power,but there is controversy concerning what needs to be done,as we can see from this thread
People that think like u,want the GOVT to still keep pouring billions into the sector and subsidizing the price. . .

paddy_lo:

Our constitution copied the American presidential system of Governance,so u cannot say it is not connected

then there is no point supporting a GEJ candidacy since even after four years, we will likely get the same excuse offered us, only we will be told the man cannot do it in 5 years then. I don't think I want Nigeria to continue without a minister of Power for that long either.

paddy_lo:

I have told u u can support whomever u want

Me i see in GEJ a Reformer and a capitalist. . .that is my kind of politics and economics. . .

I dont know about u. . .

PS. . and the day we can do without the minister of power,the better for Nigeria
All we need is a Power regulatory commission. . .

Minister of power lol. .

The claimed controversy concerning what needs to be done is dismissible since even this full hand over suggests the government retains some control so again, it is not to compared with what is obtained in the US and we need to stop trying out of desperation to make such connections.

So, a couple of PHCN workers will stop Government from doing what the Nigerian people desire be done? What does the word dismissible mean again? lol

paddy_lo:

If the PHCN workers go on strike and disrupt power supply for weeks on end,then they can
they can also sway the opinion of the NASS. . . .

paddy_lo:

I dont see how u can write off the PHCN workers as irrelevant. . .
How do u think the planned full deregulation of the oil sector has been stalled up till now?

How is it a variant of OBJs 3rd term for someone who has not even spent a full term in office?. .

Also is there not a possibility that another party can win,why must it be PDP?

For example lets say ANPP with their Northern bent wins the election,u can be rest assured this whole privatisation process will be scrapped

because it will be alledged that it doesnt favor the North. . . .

beejaei:

By the way, what is all this talk about "election gimmick?" You guys do realize that no election takes place in Nigeria and your votes don't count, right? Jonathan does not need to woo you or convince you to vote for him; he just needs to win the PDP nomination. I know, its sad but true. No such thing as platform of party ideology in Nigerian politics, its all a desperate attempt to associate civility with Nigerian politics. We have a long way to go.

By the way, what is all this talk about "election gimmick?" You guys do realize that no election takes place in Nigeria and your votes don't count, right? Jonathan does not need to woo you or convince you to vote for him; he just needs to win the PDP nomination. I know, its sad but true. No such thing as platform of party ideology in Nigerian politics, its all a desperate attempt to associate civility with Nigerian politics. We have a long way to go.

There are some irregularities,we all know that but u are going too far by saying what u say above

Lagos state,Edo state,Anambra state,Kano state,Plateau state and a couple of other states are where the will of the people generally held in the last election

There is no way PDP can win Lagos or Kano,and there is no way ANPP can win Plateau state or Anambra and so on. .

paddy_lo:

There are some irregularities,we all know that but u are going too far by saying what u say above

Lagos state,Edo state,Anambra state,Kano state,Plateau state and a couple of other states are where the will of the people generally held in the last election

beejaei:

You make a valid point. But I wonder why PDP cannot win those states? At the risk of sounding like a cynic, the possible reasons why PDP didnot win those states are:

a.They were out-rigged by the opposition.
b.They do not have the power of incumbency needed to successfully rig in Nigeria.
c.Or they were so unpopular that the effect of rigging would have been disastrous e.g. riot,bloodshed, assassinations etc

The will of the people generally held in the last election? Apart from Anambra(Obi) and maybe Edo(Oshiomole), can you please provide some evidence for the claim applying in the other states?