₦airaland Forum

playboy19:
What crap are you on about dude? Plus since you like answering questions with questions, are you now telling us here that there are no more independent fuel importers in Nigeria aside from the 7 majors anointed by the FG?

Anointed? PPRA is open for you to apply, if you meet their set matrix, you might just be lucky to join a business, where the consumer and the government holds all the risk and you smile to the bank.

hercules07:
They are a major player in extraction not refining, they dropped the cash for the refinery in the Saudi Arabia, why do I care about Middle east gasoline in the wholesale market, I am talking about refining our crude in Nigeria by entering into partnerships with the same set of people who have done it in other places, but, our government will not do that because the subsidy scam is good for their politics, it is good for their pockets as well, instead of fighting to remove subsidies for 16 years, why not use those same 16 years to build refineries by going into partnerships with people like Total, according to our government, subsidy is $6bn, then sales of the refined oil in Nigeria should be north of $12bn in Nigeria only and excess can be shipped abroad, that should be good enough for any oil company, afterall, they are in the business to make money whether from Nigerians or anywhere else.

Are you telling us total is a major player in the Saudi retail market?

playboy19:
Well, i was of the impression that you are someone with whom one could have an intellectual discuss, then again i suddenly realized that you're one of those GEJ apologist. I personally have nothing against GEJ or whatever, i just dont like the dummbb way you guys go about it.

And talking about 'we people' dying in poverty, that was a joke right? Cos you don't even know me personally. Being paid N100k monthly to be an internet troll doesn't amount to much you know.

Well, the fact is the fact. Subsidy is a fraud. It never existed. It's only part of the 'Nigerian compensation scheme' for the few. Get enlightened. Plus hey, you still did not answer how other Oil companies survive without receiving the subsidy funds?

Your first comment was already an indication where your crap was heading. Please tell us which oil companies in Nigeria are surviving without subsides, you are about to make a great revelation.

hercules07:
Yeah right, as if your government wants to do what is right, the government profits from the scam, why can the government now work with the Totals of this world just like Saudi Arabia is doing, afterall, Aramco is a mostly owned by the Saudi government.

Total is a major player in Nigeria, ask yourself why they don't bring Saudi refined oil here.. Before, you move this conversation forward, please talk to any oil futures trader, what is the CIF(lagos apapa) price, for a liter of Middle east gasoline in the wholesale market.

hercules07:
Fuel subsidy is a big scam, 1 trillion Naira is about $6B, in the last 4 years we have spent almost $20B on subsidy, that is the cost of Total's largest refinery in Saudi Arabia (Second Largest in the world), it was completed in 4 years, joint venture between Total and Saudi Aramco, a stone throw from that refinery is a Petrochemical Plant by SADARA nearing completion, started about 1 year ago, sit down there and be defending the crooks milking Nigerians dry, the cost of oil in Saudi Arabia is dirt cheap because they refine their oil, are they not signed up to the same OPEC that we are?

Why not ask the government to back off this scam and allow the companies mining this oil, sell their product. Why are you talking about Saudi Arabia? I don't understand the connection here. If Saudi oil is that cheap, get an import permit from PPRA and bring some here to sell. You have goldmine business in your hand, please use it.

playboy19:
Well, i wouldn't mind if you are I have a go at it using facts and figures. State what you know here and let's see how you weigh up.

Anybody calling Nigerian Oil subsidies a scam, is not worth much weighted up or down. You called yourself an industry insider, so you know the cost of production for Nigerian crude is about $20-40 per barrel.

Please lead another demonstration, so government can sell you petrol at cost price. You wonder why you people are dying of poverty, because some of you are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel. Goodluck with your free/cheap oil.

playboy19:
Dude... if you like quote the whole world, i still put it to you that you know nothing about this topic being discussed. There is nothing like a fixed global petroleum price. You only have global crude oil price. All countries set their petroleum prices accordingly. I will tell you this as i have stated it previously, 'There is nothing like subsidy in the first place. It is simply a scam'. I am in the industry and you can tell your finance minister or the petroleum minister to call me out on this. With or without government subsidy funds, you can import your petroleum products into this country and still turn profit.

At the moment, only 7 companies are granted allocations to import oil into the country on behalf of the FG and these are the ones who will share this N1 Trillion. Just 7 companies sharing N1 Trillion subsidy funds. All other companies are going to import and sell their own oil without receiving subsidy. Yet they're going to make massive profits. They were making massive profits before the increment from N65 - N95, so you can imagine the profit now, and this is them, without receiving subsidy funds. Call your connects in the oil industry (downstream) and verify this.

Moreover, all the oil imported into the country by these 7 oil companies are going to be bought from some 3 companies (Glencore, Trafigura and Vitol S.A) solely anointed by the FG. So stop feeding Nigerians with your simple and unintelligent logic or rather, some random facts from equally ill-informed journalists and get informed about what you pay for. Fuel subsidy has always been a scam, and a big scam it'll continue to be, until we all get informed and stand up to the government trying to lift it's 'fraudulent obligations' on the populace.

I love this, Nigerians always living in a different universe. People like you should push for production cost, pricing, which stands at about $30 a barrel for Nigerian crude. Then you might have a N40 per liter price. Please enjoy your driving.

Even in 2014, some are still living in delusion.

calaharry:
It is not free stuff but our right and only national cake we hav . Afterall we provide our water,generator power,security, etc that govt don't do much.

I couldn't agree more with you, that's why most of you will die in poverty, because its the destiny of parasitic freeloaders.

Imagine a country flushing N900B down the toilet. Everybody wants free stuff , I even pray GEJ should reduces fuel to N0, so we can spent N4 trillion on subsidy. This way,we can drive as much as we want.

bushdoc9919:
Tis a lot of money....that would have been spent on a lot of things like infrastructure projects, universities, etc...

But we wanted cheap fuel (Which we REALLY can't get because we are producing less than we need for domestic consumption, but let's not get too factual here).

The honest truth is that we are importing fuel, the govt does not have money to build new refineries (and the private refineries promised are on the drawing board). Meanwhile, we are exporting less petrol than the United Arab Emirates....and for a population of 160million people(UAE has 8million).

The sad thing is that the fuel subsidy has to go. Yes, we will get high fuel prices, and I for one don't like having to pay up to N200 for a liter of fuel under the new regimen. But the sad thing is that we are pouring money that we do not have down a bottomless pit....and it is high time we stopped.

Ultimately, Nigeria has to get off oil....and become an industrial society. Maybe the oil subsidy money can be used for things like roads, railways, power, etc...that would fuel our industrial development...leading to jobs galore, and an end to unemployment.

But we Nigerians want free things. We don't want to work for our supper. The rich want their free bee money and the poor want their free fuel...Both want their slices of the oil cake...with no thought as to how the cake is baked.

Oil is a curse.

Beautiful

The country's main power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana, is set to implement a revised timetable for the ongoing power rationing which will intensify the load shedding.

Barring any last minute intervention from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and stakeholders, the ECG says electricity consumers under the new arrangement will enjoy power for 24 hours and endure a power cut for the next 24 hours.

This has become necessary because the country is currently dealing with a power generation shortfall of about 540 megawatts as of Thursday October 15, 2014.Public Relations Manager of ECG, William Boateng disclosed this on Joy FM, today.

“It is a huge challenge because, even we don’t even know when you are going to go off and when you are having power,” he revealed. Several parts of the country are already experiencing unplanned power cuts making it difficult for consumers and industries to properly plan with the published schedule for the load management exercise.

Mr. Boateng says the current schedule was designed to shed 400 megawatts of power. He said the revision accommodates the additional 140 megawatts generation shortage that is being experienced now.

“We have a revised version [load management timetable] with us where customers will go off 24 hours and come on 24 hours,” Mr. Boateng told Show host Kojo Yankson.

He added however: “We’ll meet with our suppliers [Volta River Authority and Ghana Grid Company] on the situation."

According to him, the power distributor is the hardest hit by the development because, its staff cannot read the consumption levels of consumers. “Now we can’t even go and read consumers’ meters because any time they go the meters are off,” he said.

http://news.peacefmonline.com/pages/social/201410/219203.php?page=2&storyid=100&#commentsread

You people need to create more threads like this. APC rats need a place to console themselves.

Never being a supporter of indigeneship. Don't see myself changing anytime in the future. Nigeria is a Nation of tribes, let's keep it that way.

Itoroetti:
i've been watching APC fans peddling rumours that Buhari built 2 out of our 4 refineries, but i want to correct such impression by stating categorically that BUHARI NEVER BUILT A SINGLE REFINERY.
egift and ibnsultan,stop decieving ur gullible fellows.

stats dont lie,check below;

You just murdered APC and their lying Nairaland maggots.

More heartburn coming your way APC followers.

By Kingsley Omonobi & Charles Kumolu

NIGERIA and South Africa have in the past three weeks been embroiled in a serious diplomatic and economic dispute over the twin arms purchase deals that would have seen South African Concerns playing the role of third party in the arms purchase transactions.
Also curiously, the United States of America, USA and its European allies have not responded positively to the sincere requests made by the Nigerian military for arms acquisition from their countries, especially as it concerns weaponry needed to prosecute the war on terrorism and other contemporary challenges threatening the country.Dasuki-Sambo-jonathan

The feeling in government quarters is that the US, UK, Canada, France, etc, have always openly pledged and promised to support Nigeria, but do little in the area of supporting the country with the required modern weaponry to deal with the terrorism menace.
A recent case in point that has been cited was the pledge made by these world powers to assist Nigeria following the public outcry and world outrage that greeted the abduction of about 276 girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok. Not satisfied with the way they felt Nigeria was handling the rescue of the girls several of these countries pledged their readiness to come to Nigeria with the latest technology in satellite tracking, imagery, aircraft manouvering and drone technology, to help rescue the girls.
Experts and latest technology

But months after the arrival of these ‘experts’ and ‘latest technology,’ which was celebrated to high heavens, nothing has been achieved other than the claim by these foreign experts that they know where the girls are.
Indeed Vanguard Features VF discovered that after being granted free access to Nigeria’s airspace and military facilities based on request, the US and its allies have turned around to claim that they were not here to rescue the girls but only to provide Nigeria with information for that purpose.

”That means that while they are in Nigeria, using their satellite equipment and drones to scan the country, if they see Boko Haram terrorists moving in a convoy to attack a community, for instance, or they are already in a location killing and maiming innocent citizens in communities, they (foreigners) will do nothing about it. They will only observe,” a senior military officer said.
Sabotage alleged: Apart from this, VF gathered that the military knows that there is sabotage from within its ranks. Some military personnel allegedly connive with the terrorists, leaking operational roadmaps and strategies to the insurgents which results into soldiers being ambushed and killed by the terrorists. It was further alleged that these saboteurs willfully donate arms and ammunition, including armoured personnel carriers, APC to them (Boko Haram).

The Military authorities have therefore decided to take the bull by the horn by arresting and arraigning several of its personnel in military courts for alleged conspiracy, desertions and willful damage to operational equipment, among others.
The most recent and hard to take occurrence which made an officer to wonder whether a group of Nigerians, particularly top politicians are out to ensure that the fight against terrorism fails, is the arms cash debacle between Nigeria and South Africa.
Firstly, it was the seizure of $9. 3million cash ferried to South Africa by the private aircraft of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, which security sources said was a kind of covert operation that many countries do all the time because of the need to prevent information about the nature of arms getting to the knowledge of the enemy.

Although the Federal Government immediately denied allegations that the cash was a product of corrupt practices, it (Government) maintained that the money was actually meant for arms purchase to help fight terrorism through a third party arrangement.
According to Mr. Karounwi Adekunle, the spokesperson for the office of the NSA: “A business transaction actually took place between a legitimate company in Nigeria and another legitimate company in South Africa through the bank. In the course of events, the South African company could not perform and decided to refund the money.

What is illegitimate in this transaction done through the bank?” Despite this explanation, the South African authorities who benefitted the most from Nigeria during the period of apartheid, went ahead to seize the money.
VF learnt that the Federal Government and top officers of security agencies in the country, are worried about the increasing trend by South African authorities to frustrate efforts by Nigeria to acquire weaponry and equipment needed to contain the deadly Boko Haram terrorism in North Eastern Nigeria.

As if this unbelievable occurrence was not enough, another arms transaction involving the sum of $5. 7million which was legitimately conducted through the banks and a bona-fide company in South Africa, months back, was again seized simply because the South African authorities delayed in renewing the license of the company which is not the fault of Nigeria.
South African media exonerate FG of money laundering
Although several media organisations inside South Africa have investigated the arms deals independently and discovered that both transactions were legitimately done and that the cash were not proceeds of money laundering to be kept in foreign banks, yet the South African government has refused to budge.
One of such investigations done by ‘Rapport and City Press’ vindicated the Federal Government’s official position that the transactions were legitimate. They confirmed and showed that end user certificates and a ‘shopping’ list accompanied the transactions as well as a note from Nigerian government authenticating the deals”.

Security agencies

The reports cited documents showing that the earlier consignment was approved by the Nigerian government – through the Office of National Security Adviser, NSA, which is officially mandated to issue the end-user certificate for such transactions that involved security agencies in Nigeria.
An entire “shopping list” was also said to have been supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition.

A top security source in the intelligence service also disclosed that “in issuing end-user certificate, the Office of the National Security Adviser ensures that it carries all relevant agencies and stakeholders along. Therefore, such a responsibility is not a unilateral development.
”For security reasons, the chains leading to the issuance of end-user certificate cannot be put in the public domain,” the source said. “The recent interest in arms purchase was informed by the challenges of insurgency which our nation had been grappling with in the last few years.
“Nigeria is desperate to counter activities of terrorists no matter what it takes even when some of our friends are not being fair to us,” he added.

Top politicians fuelling the impasse

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has expressed worry over the true motive of South Africa and its collaborators in Nigeria who sources have fingered to be top notch politicians. One of these is alleged to be angling to become the nation’s number one citizen.
These same politicians according to investigations, are the ones shouting themselves hoarse that terrorism and insecurity have killed the nation, while the Federal Government is treating the issue with kid gloves. One security source noted that the people behind this plot to scuttle procuring weapons for the military are not difficult to know. He added that investigations have pointed to those who have certain investments and relationship with the powers that be in South Africa.

”They feel that if the military is better equipped and Boko Haram terrorism brought to its knees quickly, the Jonathan administration would have secured a moral and psychological victory on one of the planks they intend to capitalise on as a campaign material in the 2015 elections, hence they are doing everything to frustrate the success of the arms purchase deals,” the source alleged.
“The curious interest in the nation’s arms deal in the past few weeks appears to suggest that some vested interests do not want the nation to win the war against insurgency. Some fifth columnists are certainly at work to achieve a clandestine purpose,” the source further alleged.
Legal way to buy arms -Tsav
A former Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, however, said there are many unanswered questions in the way the arms transaction was handled.

“There are many things involved in this matter. Maybe someone is using that method to launder money. Perhaps, the person wanted to divert the money for his own personal use. Otherwise, if you want to buy arms, the arms dealer must have an account. And the money should be transferred through the dealer’s bank account. And if such must be done it must be according to all known legal procedures of arms purchase,” he said.

Legal procedures of arms purchase
Continuing, Alhaji Tsav asked: “What is the reason behind the purchase of arms? Is it to fight terrorists?
“There are many questions that are unanswered on that issue. And the people advising President Jonathan are not doing him good. His advisers ought to have told him the proper ways of purchasing arms. What stopped them from transferring the money through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN? If they are claiming that some Western countries have refused to sell arms to Nigeria, then they should make the purchase legal. The way things are going on in this country raises a lot of questions. Nigeria has a very strong army that is respected in the continent and beyond. But unfortunately, defeating Boko Haram has become a big challenge. That our troops have not gone to Sambisa forest is also a surprise to all those who respect the Nigerian Army,” he said.

Falana absolves FG of complicity

But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN and well known critic of the Federal Government, Mr. Femi Falana, in an article published in Sahara Reporters, an online publication, absolved the Federal Government of complicity in the transaction. He however blamed the office of the NSA and the companies involved in the transaction for failing to conduct due diligence.
Falana wrote: “It is interesting to note that the NSA has not said that it was the Federal Government that transferred the controversial fund to South Africa. Neither has the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA indicted the Federal Government for the alleged criminality associated with the transaction. In fact, the NPA has not questioned the legal status of both companies.

What is being investigated by the NPA is the legitimacy of the receipt of $5.7 million by Cerberus Risk Solutions of South Africa whose license to deal in arms had expired before it entered into the contract. In actuality, it was the Standard Bank through which the fund was transferred which reported the “suspicious transaction”. And the NPA promptly applied for and obtained an order of the High Court for the seizure of the fund. Both companies-Cerberus Risk Solutions of South Africa and its Nigerian counterpart, Societe D’Equipments Internationale, are yet to challenge the interim order for the confiscation of the fund.

“Therefore, contrary to the mismanagement of information traceable to the office of the NSA, the Federal Government did not place any direct order for the importation of arms from South Africa. The fact that the NSA signed the End User certificate for the arms importation is not a license for the companies involved in the deal to breach the laws of South Africa.
In other words, the Israeli and two Nigerians who were arrested last month for smuggling the sum of $9.3 million and the Nigerian company involved in the transfer of the $5.7 million to South Africa are not public officers. As independent contractors they were awarded contracts for the supply of arms by the Federal Government and paid accordingly. It is indubitably clear that the suspects were negligent for failing to conduct due diligence”.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/war-terror-disturbing-tales-conspiracy-sabotage/#sthash.sSLhAyyu.dpuf

Interim:
"The issue is about development and the lack thereof. The issues are education, healthcare and our over consumption of religion, mostly in northern Nigeria."

I really agree with this and I agree with the idea that families are essential. Politicised religion is harmful, religion in itself plays a role in community that I have no problem with. The government has to bear the responsibility as well though and a lot of it. If families are so effective, then what is the need for a government? Do you see my point, what about people with no families? Families that are unable to make that fight out of poverty? Families that are completely unhelpful? The government has more of a role to play because we cannot pick our family but we pick our government.

Couple of years back, when I use to reside in the United States, I remembered a great slogan used by Bill Clinton.Opportunity for all, responsibility from all, a community of all ..... That's where, we all need to head in this great country.

red101:
GenBuhari, an oil crisis IS looming but you need to lay off on your conspiracy theories against the USA.
The real reason is that after 9/11 and the iraq war etc, the USA decided that it needs to reduce its dependence on foreign oil esp middle east so the USA developed technology to drill oil from its own soil. This process is known as fracking and the oil is called shale. They are even investing in green energy (solar etc) and doing whatever it takes to reduce the dependence. USA also has a ton of its own oil reserve and like you said, it is now #2 in oil production. Right now, there is a surplus of oil in the global market because countries like Nigeria, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia etc are SO ECONOMICALLY DEPENDENT ON EXPORTING OIL that they refuse to decrease their oil production/supply to match the reduced global demand hence why the price is tumbling. it's all about supply and demand if you study economics.

there is no conspiracy in this. unless you don't know how to take your destiny in your own hands and always want to blame any and everyone for your situation. Of course, if Nigeria keeps producing oil that nobody wants, it will be forced to reduce the price. when you go to yaba market and see tons of shirts on the floor, won't you bargain the price down? does that mean that you are a evil conspirator trying to create a crisis and destroy the merchant's business? abeg.

Nigeria needs to wisen up and diversify its economy. The era of crude oil is over. Shale oil is what's in now and even OPEC will probably be dismantling soon.

Shale oil and most of america's internal supplies becomes economically foolish and not sustainable, if crude hits $75. The only reason fracking, has done well, is because of the high price of crude. Those wells will shut down, if the price keep tumbling down. The Americans have more to lose. I like the position taken by OPEC and Russia sofar. NO cuts in production, let's see who blinks first, between OPEC and the new American suppliers..

Interim:
Yeah, I think the federal government needs to put the mechanism in place. I also think that the blame should not be put on parents, it has nothing to do with them and everything to do with members of this group. The government must take it over, this in my opinion is absolutely not the work of the parents or even the jurisdiction of parents. They have breached the law therefore the government must take over, it is their job, these are their citizens.

The local chief or Imam cannot bring them to order because the problem is too big to be brought to order and before it seems like nobody cared enough to listen, but now everyone is listening. I don't like the mix of politics and religion, it's very dangerous and if you look at places like India it is the cause of so many wars. Boko Haram use religion in a political manner, I don't want the government mirroring this. Politics should exist outside of religious boundaries and remain secular especially in a country like Nigeria with some many different religious groups.

The work should be done by local and regional government and the federal government needs to give them the money and infrastructure instead of the entire country following the west by waging a war on terror because that's not the problem. The problem is alienation. Give the youth a forum to speak and interact with their government at all levels so they don't feel isolated. This shouldn't be so hard, right?

The involvement of young people in politics is so essential, not just in the northern states but everywhere.

To a certain level, the problem in some parts of Northern Nigeria are inter generational. Parents have a huge role to play here, I'm not even talking of boko haram. Returning back to your first comment, that prompted my reply. The issue is about development and the lack thereof. The issues are education, healthcare and our over consumption of religion, mostly in northern Nigeria.

“But because the population of the North has felt neglected by the South for so long, many of them view Boko Haram as an able body fighting against the government.”

The federal government cannot solve this problems, families, community leaders and then political leaders from the north, must take the leading role. The Nigerian federal government has done less in south than the north in last 54 years of this country, this statement is a fact. Families remain the main reason, why the average kid, teenage and young man/woman in any state or community in the South, keeps fighting tool and nail to escape poverty and all that it brings. The federal government has always been secondary to that effort.

Boko haram is just the manifestation we have today, if this generation follows the same structural paths as the Shekaus of today, then we will keep having this drama every couple of years. That's why, I want families to take their rightful places.

Can cars like this be commonly found in Nigeria. This's a nice collector's item.

Interim:
I said they required more representation, not that they didn't go to FAAC meetings. Maybe the politicians that are representing them aren't doing enough and this is a manner in which they are voicing their displeasure with this? Clearly a sizable amount of the population (not all or by any means the majority) feel that their voices and ideas are not being heard.

Also, the reason I said more federal involvement comes from the fact that Southern States do not have a problem with militants of this nature recently that I know of (please correct me if I'm wrong). This is very important reason for federal involvement, leaving these states to themselves doesn't seem to have helped. I'm not saying that these northern states should lose their autonomy, I think that they need to have their voices elevated for the time being.

When religion is made political it never ends well for anyone, I just hope that we can not only stop Boko Haram but stop something like this from happening again.

I honestly am not saying this is the only way, this is just all I can think of and it's not like any politicians are asking for my opinion.

Honestly, I have always thought, the northern political leadership is not doing enough, spreading the little earnings states get from the center and help in developing, at least to the level in the south, the social infrastructures.. The federal government will and cannot take over this role.

There used to be militants in South where I come from, actually there are still militants. But to a certain level, the leadership here, controls their madness. Something totally missing in the north. How can youths from villages and communities get out of control, where a local chief or Iman cannot call them to order?

The federal government can help put certain mechanism in place, but the grunt work has to be done by the local political and religious leadership in northern Nigeria. Parents cannot run away from their responsibilities and ask the government to take it over.

Fashola is the only choice, that makes political sense. But a Moslem/Moslem thing will be a load to carry. Amaechi, baba osho or even Rochas, will add no political value or votes to the ticket. Fashola makes more sense than not.

DONGOYARO1:
The difference is that they are more PDP Governors in the North than they are in the south. The North is PDP's stronghold

You have to follow a comment, before you jump in to spread junk. Now go suck your feeding bottle.

Interim:
Firstly, obviously Ebola is a disease and Boko Haram is a movement so really comparing them doesn't make sense. Maybe a comparison of Boko Haram to other militant movements in existence now is more of a correct comparison to make because they also haven't been stopped.

Secondly, Boko Haram and the reason why they have come to existence is not being discussed as much as stopping them is being discussed and the root to the problem in my opinion is understanding the root to Boko Haram and their creation. Also they have supporters, Ebola doesn't have supporters which allow it to evade capture. They are also being demonised in the media (rightly so for some of their actions) which is making them even more radical.

“But because the population of the North has felt neglected by the South for so long, many of them view Boko Haram as an able body fighting against the government.”

This for me is the reason why I think Boko Haram hasn't been stopped. The Federal Govt needs to involve northern states a lot more, if the north feels neglected and see a band of militants fighting for them, of course they will support them if they feel their own voices aren't being heard. If the government doesn't make more of an effort to have people's voices heard groups like Boko Haram will rise again, people need to feel they are represented especially if we're going to claim to be a democracy.

What is different from a Northern state as compared to the Southern states, that requires more federal involvement. The last time I checked they all attend the same FAAC meeting.