brabus:

Go and arrest the man now!

PhysicsQED:

As I've said before, the best thing for GEJ to do to do earn any respect on this issue would be to send a bill to the national assembly requiring every single government official or 'public officer' from the lowest of the low all the way to the very top - himself - to periodically publish their asset declarations for public inspection by citizens in an independent or protected publication devoted specifically to such information. But from what I've seen from GEJ so far I don't think he really has the guts to do that.

PetroDolla: the fact that President Mills went to the US for medical check up is a big debate in Ghana at the moment.a lot has been said,but I think he went to the US because he didn't want his medical record leaked,in an election yr.dont forget only few months ago former President Kuffour had a very successful delicate and complex spinal cord surgery carried out on him by Ghanaian doctors at the korle bu hospital in accra.surely that counts for something especially in a country like nigeria where leaders run off to foreign lands to treat coughs,colds,stomach ache etc

[jquote author=kutchs]Why cant the Goddamn prof face wotz happening in juhis country? If his country Ghana is jworking why does his president Mills need to go to the US for medical chheckup? I thought everything is working in Ghana?

Olaolufred:

He said Yar'adua forced him.
He doesn't give a damn t[b]o declaring his assets[/b].
Automatically has no audacity [/b]to persuade [b]or coarse any other political office holders in declaring theirs.

PetroDolla: the fact that President Mills went to the US for medical check up is a big debate in Ghana at the moment.a lot has been said,but I think he went to the US because he didn't want his medical record leaked,in an election yr.dont forget only few months ago former President Kuffour had a very successful delicate and complex spinal cord surgery carried out on him by Ghanaian doctors at the korle bu hospital in accra.surely that counts for something especially in a country like nigeria where leaders run off to foreign lands to treat coughs,colds,stomach ache etc

[jquote author=kutchs]Why cant the Goddamn prof face wotz happening in juhis country? If his country Ghana is jworking why does his president Mills need to go to the US for medical chheckup? I thought everything is working in Ghana?

Nigeria is a lost cause. The only distinction it is accorded is "the most populous country in Africa" -- as if that is some edifying characteristic. It is not the most "educated", the "most safe", the "most clean," or the "most peaceful" -- qualities that would attract either tourists or investors. Rather, the champion in producing babies. Don't get me wrong however. Of all the people in Sub-Saharan Africa, I bow to Nigerian entrepreneurship,
dynamism and verve. History books affirm that, in pre-colonial Africa, Nigerian women traders could be found in every West African market. Tell her you want an aircraft engine, go there tomorrow and she would have two aircraft engines for you -- in case you don't like one. It's hyperbole of course but you get the point. Also notable were Nigeria's Hausa long distance traders.

But that national treasure of entrepreneurial acumen and skills have been mis-channeled into 419 scams and squandered by Nigeria's thieving governments in the post colonial period. Government after government have not only been a sham but a scam as well. They can't even supply basic social services such as electricity (only 30 percent of Nigerians have access to reliable supply), clean water, health care, etc.

It is an oil-producing country that cannot supply petrol/gasoline to its people. And the whole supply system is an exercise in economic lunacy. Nigeria spends $4 billion a year subsidizing petrol which people can't get. The country has no domestic refining capacity because all its refineries have broken down and money allocated for repairs embezzled. So the country imports gasoline at $4 a gallon and sells it to its people at $1 a gallon. But because this price is only a third of what prevails in neighboring countries, Nigerian businessmen smuggle out the gasoline to neighboring countries to make huge profits and that creates shortages at home. To alleviate the shortage, the same Nigerian government re-imports the same Nigerian petrol that has been smuggled out of the country at $4 a gallon to sell at $1 a gallon. Then the cycle is repeated. It is lunacy triple squared.

I have stayed several times in Nigeria in recent times and must say that it is not for the faint of heart. I admire you for living there for 3 years. Perhaps, it was in the 1970s when things were much better and livable back then. But they have deteriorated dramatically since then.
Wole Soyinka dismisses Nigeria as a cankerous sore on the African continent. It s easy to misinterpret that but I think he was speaking of governance. I tend to agree with Chinua Achebe who wrote this in his book, The Trouble With Nigeria:

“The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership. We have lost the twentieth century; are we bent on seeing that our children also lose the twenty-first? God forbid!”

With Africa’s population pushing 1 billion, it is more accurate to say that one in six Africans is a Nigerian with Nigeria’s population at 150 million. Nonetheless, they carry the burden that whatever that they do – good or bad – affects all Africans. Of course, Nigerians do impressive things that make other Africans proud but it is the bad things – 419 scams, advance fee frauds and cons – that stick in people’s minds. Generalizations are always dangerous and risky. Not all Nigerians are con artists just as not all Muslims are terrorists. But the 419 scams have given Nigeria a bad reputation which has tainted other Africans. Some car companies in New York and New Jersey won’t rent you a car if you are a black African. Nigerian crooks have despoiled the place; they would rent cars and ship them to Lagos. They are also largely responsible for recent tightening of immigration laws because they have abused the system.

Back in the 1970s, Nigeria used to attract African immigrants. In fact, hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians left for “Agege” as we used to call Nigeria. Back then it was regarded as the land of opportunity. Today, Nigeria exports its people to every corner of the globe and are increasingly becoming unwelcome because the export cargo includes the criminal element as well. You may recall the recent xenophobic attacks on African immigrants in South Africa; the victims were mostly Nigerians.

Ghana is the choice African destination for most Nigerian émigrés. It is closer and also English-speaking. Further, things work in Ghana. It is a safe country and functions relatively well. Traffic lights work fairly well. [Lagos, with a population of 8 million does not have a single functioning traffic light.] The light comes on when you flip a switch in Ghana and you can drink water from any Ghanaian tap. But the influx of Nigerians into Ghana is reaching a breaking point and a huge debate now rages in Ghana about this issue.

Every hotel in Ghana is full of Nigerians. They have snapped up choice real estates in Ghana pushing housing prices beyond the reach of ordinary Ghanaians. The criminal elements have made matters worse with armed robberies and car-jackings.

Ghana has had a few spats with Nigeria over immigration. Former Ghanaian president, K.A. Busia kicked them out in 1971 and Nigeria retaliated by kicking Ghanaians out in 1983. Some Ghanaians are calling for another round of retaliation. But Ghana’s hands are tied because of ECOWAS, which guarantees free movement of people and goods within the West African region.

This is a lesson for all Pan-Africanists. It is not enough to preach African unity. You must ensure that countries you want to unite with pursue similar policies that sustain their people. Throwing your borders open to a country such as Nigeria, which is ungovernable and unlivable, is asking for trouble. Botswana found itself is a similar situation and erected electric fences to keep out Zimbabwean refugees.

ALL West Africans wish Nigerians would stay home and solve their own problems, instead of fleeing. They should make their country a decent, livable one. If Nigeria implodes, West Africa will be finished. For example, Ghana with a population of 24 million can’t handle an influx of 30 million Nigerian refugees; neither can Benin, Togo, Liberia or Sierra Leone. ALL West Africans live with this fear.

BUT NIGERIA CAN BE FIXED. However, I do not believe the solution lies in breaking up the country. Taken to the limit this will lead to the creation of at least 250 “mini-states.” I opposed the split of Ethiopia and Eritrea for the same reason – just as I opposed the split between Sudan and Southern Sudan. Break-ups, in my view, are defeatist solutions and we should be careful about advocating this in Africa. Else, we might well end up with over 2,000 little Djiboutis all over the continent – each with its own one-plane fleet of national airlines and a multiplicity of Swiss bank accounts.

The real solution lies in holding a constitutional convention or a sovereign national conference for Nigerians themselves to debate the “national question” of how to make their country governable, livable and working again. They should take 6 months to air this debate, flesh out ideas and hammer out a solution. I am sure they will be able to come up with all sorts of innovative solutions. The problem is, the governors, politicians, parliamentarians who make $2 million for just sitting in parliament, and powerful mafia bosses who benefit from the rotten status quo are simply not interested, period. As such, it will have to take a“movement” to push the politicians. But I don’t see such a “movement” on the horizon.

The intellectual class can lead such a movement but it is hobbled by tribalism. Yorubas stick with Yorubas, Igbo with Igbos and Hausa with Hausas. In fact, Nigerians identify themselves first and foremost with tribe than with their nation. You can’t blame them for this because this is what you get when a string of military dictators – mostly Hausa or from the North, monopolized power and played one tribe against another to maintain their grip on power. Those tribes that were excluded, disenfranchised or persecuted will stick together for their own safety and survival. How to break out of this tribal cocoon is a huge hurdle. But it can be surmounted.

George

Is President Mills a better president than Jonathan? Of course a million times yes.Tell me,if in country A every single vote counts and country B elections are rigged,violence-prone n stolen,which of these 2 countries will produce a better leader.In my opinion,the worst Ghanaian leader will be better than the 'best' nigerian leader,simply because the president is elected by millions while the president of nigeria is elected by a cabal. Mills is an internationally respected professor of law,not a half-baked phd holder in zoology!Even your president knows he's nowhere near President Mills when it comes to evaluating their academic profile or goggle the profile of the 2 put it on nl for all to see. Stop blabbing like an ediot.

PhysicsQED:

I said I wouldn't respond again, but you're just so dishonest that it's almost impossible not to comment on your nonsense.

What I posted, and what you re-quoted says very explicitly that the National Assembly determines under what terms declarations of assets are released for inspection by the citizens - meaning the buck stops at the NA as far as withholding Jonathan's information from the citizenry or delaying its release by not stating under what terms the CCB may release it. Are you sure you're mentally okay? I know you have difficulty with interpretations but this is as plain as day. Just drop it. I know you made many posts about this assets declaration issue and were even posting your claims in other threads as if it were fact, but you need to just accept that you were completely wrong and just move on. Bye.

Kobojunkie:

I am dishonest for highlighting the message in what you posted? Are you serious at all? You are the one desperately poking the very same lines that helped make Yar adua's Form CCB 1 accessible to the public with a stick.

Again, you are accusing JOnathan Goodluck of lying to the Nation on Sunday, and I ask you what in the world you are trying to achieve when it is on record - - - video and text transcript.

PhysicsQED:


It's amazing that after almost everyone has left this topic and stopped viewing it, you would come in here to post this nonsense just to have the last word as if you didn't already get proven completely wrong.

It's already been explained to you that GEJ interpreted the interviewer's use of the word "declare" in the absolutely correct manner - making a public revelation of one's assets declaration to the CCB just as Yar'Adua did - but that neither you nor the "eminent" professor from Ghana were able to understand something so simple and instead started going on about imaginary constitutional violations that never happened.

The fact that you can't get exactly why and how you were wrong into your peanut sized brain doesn't change reality. Now scram.

Mekusnwa: Where did they go to pick this character from? There's no end to what theses Gej haters will not do to get at him. Suddenly, they hve gone to generate a Ghanian professor to come and give a disjointed analyses of that interesting Media chat. Who interviewed this professor? Who made him world's foremost economist? I will not be surprised if this man was cloned by SAHARAREPORTERS or Kobojunkie to lend credibility to their falsehood. Let me assume that the man exist and face the issues raised.
1. He acted in ignorance when he said the president didn't declare his assets. The president indeed declared his assets but it was not made public. Even if you doubt it, the assets declaration that he did as Vp under Yaradua still subsists as he has not left office since then. So why the noise over assets declaration?
2. It is an insult on the sensibilities of Nigerians for the so called Ayitteh to label our President as insane and with unsound mind. Who adjudged Jonathan as having unsound mind? Did Ayitteh evaluate a medical report to that effect? How did he arrive at this weighty derogatory statement against a PHD holder? Who is Ayitteh to tell us we voted an insane President? please there must be an end to useless propaganda.
3. The so called Ayitteh questioned why GEJ has not fixed Maidugri airport for his usage. I want to ask, has Ghana even fixed the airport at Accra talkless of the one in hinterland? Is it Not the airport where a cargo aircraft crashed due to water logged runway. Meanwhile, Gej is carrying out massive reconstruction of airports across the country. He is doing in less than one year what many of his predecessors could not do all thru their tenure. Go to Abuja airport, the domestic wing has been closed down for intensive renovation. New car parks are being built. At the international wing, the runways are being built and the entire airport infrastructure is being rebuilt. Similar projects are going on simultaneously in Enugu, Lagos, etc
4. He said GEJ's Agric revolution is only restricted to distribution of palm seedlings. What an affront on truth. Even a toddler in Nigeria has come to know about the cassava revolution and fertilizer distribution reforms scheme.
5. Thankfully, the fake prof accepted the massive construction of rail lines across the country but only faulted the projects on account of what he described as non inclusion of Nigerians in the contract. Who told him? And since when has a Ghanian assumed the role of our local content enforcement officer?
6. He ended up betraying his true identity as an interested party when he said the president needed to consult the university authority and students body before renaming Unilag. What a joke!

“To my Nigerian followers. I appreciate all your wonderful comments, including the negative ones, regarding my write-up on GEJ. It will be impossible to respond to all individually; hence, this generic response.

I always distinguish between African leaders/governments and the PEOPLE. Chinua Achebe said it best in his book, The Trouble With Nigeria. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character, culture or water. The problem lies purely and squarely with the leadership.

I have always admired Nigerians in the past — resilient people, bustling with energy, dynamism and entrepreneurship. You will still find these admirable traits in some spots such as Onitsha Market. But the Nigerians of today are of a different stock – broken spirits, battered souls and trapped in cocoons of fear, mistrust and despair. Decades of reckless misrule and total government dysfunction have corroded the fabric of Nigerian character and society. When trapped in such a mess or maze, it is difficult to see the way out. When you engage a Nigerian in a conversation, the first thing s/he wants to know is which tribe or religion do you belong to? It never used to be like this.

The Ashanti have a proverb which says, “The one cutting a path through the bush does not see if it is crooked or not. Only those who stand afar can determine this.” What I write about Nigeria comes from this perspective. I am not Yoruba, Ndigbo or Hausa. I have no political axe to grind in Nigeria. I cannot even be president of Nigeria. In fact, I am not interested in the presidency of any African country. I call it the way I see it without fear or favor. The advantage and the service that I provide to the people of Nigeria is that I can say a lot of things which they are afraid to say. That doesn’t mean everything I say about Nigeria is true but at least it exposes the people to new or alternative perspectives.

However, it is not enough to say that President Goodluck Jonathan is a joke without pointing out the way forward, which is what I drilled into my students. Accordingly, I am writing another piece, Making Nigeria Work Again, which I will tweet in a couple of days.”

I have always admired Nigerians in the past — resilient people, bustling with energy, dynamism and entrepreneurship. You will still find these admirable traits in some spots such as Onitsha Market. But the Nigerians of today are of a different stock – broken spirits, battered souls and trapped in cocoons of fear, mistrust and despair. Decades of reckless misrule and total government dysfunction have corroded the fabric of Nigerian character and society. When trapped in such a mess or maze, it is difficult to see the way out. When you engage a Nigerian in a conversation, the first thing s/he wants to know is which tribe or religion do you belong to? It never used to be like this.

maasoap: He didn't call Jona a madman. He only quoted our constitution, and our constitution has been there before GEJ. But wait, when a leader, a president becomes kind of GEJ, what do you really call them. He shouldn't have gone to school at all. And to think of it that this man will be there for the next 3 years. Mehn, I don die.

Minex007:
1. He acted in ignorance when he said the president didn't declare his assets. The president indeed declared his assets but it was not made public. Even if you doubt it, the assets declaration that he did as Vp under Yaradua still subsists as he has not left office since then. So why the noise over assets declaration?

Ileke-IdI:


Shame on all these tribalists on NL.

Ileke-IdI:


Shame on all these tribalists on NL.

queensmith:

i always do that, but only when i hear a funny name. Like Daphne Mckaine. What kind of Nigerian name is that? I've heard some very very odd Nigerian surnames I have to ask where it's from. Not out of tribalism just curiosity.

Weirdest thing is that most of these odd odd surnames are yoruba.