₦airaland Forum

jammyng: so if Mr Cameron fixes a date to visit a place almost a year before time and the opposition now chooses the same date for a convention, he would cancel his visit?

Rimbaldi: Nigerian security agencies are good given what they have to work with. The problem is the system. Some crimes are never resolved not because they cant but because of many variables; political undertones, favouritism, nepotism, corruption, e.t.c. The western agencies are able to much because of the enabling environment; vast database, surveillance systems, funding, societal norms and cultures, e.t.c
Our system is the problem. A system where a president will come out on the day of a terrorist attack and absolve a well known terrorist group(MEND)of any blames as if he is their spokesman...only for him to turn around later and instigate arrest their 'leader'(Okah) over the same attack that he absolved them of abinitio.

thelastPope: Some of you try to play smart but end up looking so ignorant

Mumbai: The US would be spending a whopping $200 million (Rs. 900 crore approx) per day on President Barack Obama's visit to the city.

"The huge amount of around $200 million would be spent on security, stay and other aspects of the Presidential visit," a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit said.

About 3,000 people including Secret Service agents, US government officials and journalists would accompany the President. Several officials from the White House and US security agencies are already here for the past one week with helicopters, a ship and high-end security instruments.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/us-to-spend-200-mn-a-day-on-obama-s-mumbai-visit-64106

[size=14pt]Cancer on the rise, but treatment costs N0.5m monthly in Nigeria[/size]

Fri, 2013-04-12 00:00
Author(s):
Alexander Chiejina

Rising cases of cancer and the cost implications of treatment are putting Nigerians on edge since the current minimum wage of N18, 000 may not be able to afford diagnosis, let alone procure the right medical service to manage the ailment. Cancer is increasingly becoming a scourge in the country lately, as both the low and high have fallen victim to the ailment.

BusinessDay investigations show that an individual is likely to spend about N67, 000 for breast scan, Mammogram, Biopsy and other tests. An average surgery costs between N80, 000 and N150, 000, while chemotherapy cost ranges between N100, 000 and N500, 000. Targeted therapy in the country cost as much as over N4 million, putting more financial pains on cancer patients and their caregivers.

Experts have predicted that by 2020, the number of cancer patients in Nigeria will rise from 24 million to 42 million, in line with speculations 21 years ago. It is also feared that by same 2020, death rates from cancer in Nigerian males and females may reach 72.7/100,000 and 76/100,000, respectively.

In an interview with BusinessDay, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, founder/president, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), said whereas the deaths of prominent Nigerians make news headlines, countless unknown Nigerian women were dying needlessly due to this disease that the advances in medical research was proving survivable even curable.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu pointed that late presentation of cancer in hospitals was due to ignorance, situation the association was trying to change through awareness and enlightenment.

“It must be emphasised that planning integrated, evidence-based and cost effective interventions throughout the cancer continuum (from research to prevention, early detection, treatment, palliative care) is the most effective way to tackle the cancer problem and reduce the suffering caused to patients and their families. Until government at all levels deploy resources to raise awareness and create access to affordable treatment and care, Nigerian women will continue to die untimely due to breast cancer,” she said.

Remi Ajekigbe, consultant radio-therapist and oncologist, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, (LUTH), Idi-Araba, revealed that not less than 15 new cases were seen on a daily basis, out of which nine were breast cancer, with breast cancer still the leading cancer in the country.

According to Ajekigbe, Nigeria’s mortality and morbidity statistics for cancer are high due to late presentation syndrome involving 83-87 percent of cancer patients, running up bills of N150,000 to N350,000 every three weeks, as long as the patient survives.

He however explained that some items we use, from food to items that make them sweeter, were chemicals and they were all carcinogenic

“When they advertise them they say it tastes better, all of them are addictive. They are all junks. Even the rich may not survive cancer. It is nice to have money to treat cancer. Poor people will not survive as much as the rich, and this is why we are telling the government that health insurance should include cancer because the treatment is very expensive. The drugs, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are all very expensive.

“Everything about cancer is very expensive. Government should be involved in treatment and should invest more. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) should cover cancer, even if it is only 25 percent of the cause of cancer treatment,” Ajekigbe said.

The rising cancer cases is being fuelled by a combination of risk factors such as exposure to increased environmental factors like carbon-monoxide from automobiles and generating sets, tobacco use, and changing lifestyle, including unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and harmful alcohol usage.

The socio-economic toll of cancer has a huge public health concern, dominating healthcare expenditures in developed and developing countries, including Nigeria.

While the Federal Government in 2008 established a 5-Year Nigeria Cancer Control Plan (2008-2013) on advocacy, awareness creation, cancer prevention, early detection through regular screening and cancer management, Nigerians are yet to reap the benefits of this plan.

A cursory look at cancer management in the country shows that Nigeria is ill equipped to deal with the complexities of cancer care with dearth in healthcare infrastructure, with inadequate clinical services. Only a few health centres have functioning radiotherapy equipment, and the cost of care remains out of reach for most Nigerians who have received a cancer diagnosis.

Data collected from 11 cancer registries located in various tertiary hospitals showed 7,000 new documented cases, which corresponds with an estimated 100,000 new cases reported in Nigeria annually. From the data, 60 percent occur in women and 39.8 percent in men.

Some of the cancer registries include University College Hospital, Ibadan, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile-Ife, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital, Kano and Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi.

Public health experts believe the greatest reduction in cancer should come from a complete government approach to adopting population-wide interventions that address risk factors, sustained primary health-care measures, prioritised packages of essential interventions, palliative and long-term care, should be implemented for those who already have cancer.

merengue: For once, you people should try and stay in the middle and analyze things objectively. GEJ can and should do better, this is the era of the social media, the citizen journalist, nothing is hidden, almost nothing is sacred. The list of GEJ's achievements is like a bad comedy script. I fail to see how any of this is different from what any other Nigerian ruler including the mass murderer (Abacha), the bully (OBJ), the King Kong of all criminals (IBB) and others have done. A case in point is IBB and a list of his accomplishments:

Babangida's Achievements; Chronicles of an Over Achiever


Building a New Ultra Modern City - Abuja

IBB realized the vision of Abuja as Federal capital city by providing its most vital infrastructure and moving the seat of government from Lagos in 1991.

Telecommunications

Mobile telecommunications, which is so commonplace today in Nigeria, was introduced as a result of the liberalization of the telecom industry by the Babangida administration, an initiative that over the years has made massive impact on the Nigerian economy.

Privatization

The privatization of the broadcast industry, the licensing of private universities and airlines; the liberalization of the banking industry, including the establishment of community banks (now micro-finance institutions), rank among his best legacies.

Economic Policy

The Babangida economic policy was predicated most importantly on the need to reverse the downward trend of the economy and arrive at a realistic exchange rate for the naira. The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was a necessary strategy to achieve economic recovery. It was not a capitulation to the dictates of the World Bank and IMF, but a critically-considered plan aimed at providing the platform for successfully recapturing the inflationary trend within a stipulated period of economic emergency. Deregulation, privatization and economic self reliance were key elements in the policy thrust. In the process most of the poorly-performing government-owned enterprises were sold off to private investors. The new policy also did away with the regime of import licensing which in turn allowed the entry of essential commodities into the country, thus ending the long and tiring queues, which Nigerians, for some years, had to endure for food.

Rural Development

Rural development was a very key aspect of the Babangida regime�s economic plan for Nigeria. Approximately 90,857.40 kilometres of feeder road were constructed, thus opening up hundreds of rural communities to the rest of the country for the first time; electricity, water supply and improved health services reached many more rural folk than ever before. Most of those projects were implemented by DFRRI � the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, an agency created by the Babangida administration.

Gender Equality

The Babangida administration was the first to implement a gender sensitive agenda. It created a National Commission for Women that later became the Ministry of Women Affairs. Many women were appointed to key positions in national institutions, among which was the first female vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university; and women occupied strategic portfolios in the Federal Cabinet for the first time. The Better Life for Rural Women, a programme which was anchored by the late First Lady, Hajiya (Dr.) Maryam Babangida, was highly successful in mobilizing women to rise to the challenge of economic empowerment.

MAMSER

MAMSER (Mass Mobilization for Self-reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery), was and still remains the best ever exercise in political re-orientation undertaken by any administration in Nigeria. Its central goal was to canvass nationwide support for the Babangida administration�s Political Transition Programme and to promote self-sufficiency in the nation�s economy.

Youth Employment

In order to halt the ever increasing rate of unemployment among the youth, the Babangida administration created the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in 1987. Its main task was to alleviate their suffering and provide them with the necessary skills to be self-employed. By 1997 nearly 107,000 youths had received the benefits of this initiative, and many more still do.

Consultative Government

Despite heading a military regime President Ibrahim Babangida ran the most consultative administration ever in the annals of Nigerian history. Before deciding on the IMF loan, the issue was subjected to a nationwide public debate. When the people gave a resounding NO verdict Babangida went along with their wishes and called off further negotiations. The commencement of the Political Transition Programme in 1988 was also preceded by a nationwide quest to find the right political system for the nation. Conducted by the Political Bureau to a highly enthusiastic participation by the public, the debate produced very concrete suggestions for the establishment of a more balanced and united Federation, and the key elements distilled there-from served as the template for the subsequent structural and constitutional realignment of the Nigerian nation.

National Unity

The Babangida administration, conversant with the geo-politics of Nigeria, particularly the fears of ethnic domination and marginalization, sought to correct the perceived structural imbalances of the Federation by the creation of more states. Eleven states of Nigeria, two of which were born in 1987 (Akwa Ibom, Katsina) and the latter in 1991 (Abia, Anambra, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Yobe and Taraba); and over 200 new Local Government Areas, owe their existence to this August effort.

Foreign Policy

Under the Babangida administration Nigeria demonstrated to the world its capacity to play the highest leadership role in African affairs. The formation of the West African Peace Monitoring Force, ECOMOG (a Babangida initiative), anchored by bold and heroic Nigerian troops, brought peace to war-torn Liberia and Sierra Leone, an achievement that further cemented the role of Nigeria as the great protector and promoter of international peace.

Other Notable Reforms and People-Oriented Programmes

Abrogation of Decree No 4 (Protection of Public Officers Against False Accusation Decree) 1984
Abrogation of import and export licencing regime
Dissolution of Nigerian National Supply Company
Abolition of commodity marketing boards
Elimination of price control
Reduction of import duties on newsprint
Ban on the importation of rice
Ban on importation of wheat
Establishment of the National Planning Commission
Institutionalizing Central Bank autonomy
Establishment of the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM)
Deregulation of capital and financial markets
Establishment of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC)
Establishment of National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND)
Abolition of fixed exchange rate for the naira
Establishment of the Peoples Bank
Licencing of more banks and finance houses
Introduction of community banking system
Introduction of bureaux de change
Establishment of stable tariff regime
Introduction of civil service reforms
Establishment of the Political Bureau and conduct of nationwide public debate on the IMF loan
Introduction of two party political system
Introduction of Open Ballot and Option A4 voting System
Introduction of Local Government Reform
Educational sector reform and the Introduction of 6-3-3-4 System
Establishment of more federal Universities and Polytechnics
Establishment of the Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization of Public Enterprises under which 55 public enterprises, including nine banks, were privatized through public offers on the Nigerian Stock Exchange
Reform of obsolete colonial laws; and abrogation of law making ��wandering�� an offence
Establishment of the Urban Mass Transit Progamme
Institution of the Primary Healthcare Progamme
Establishment of the National Commission for Women
Establishment of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency
Enactment of Copyright Law and establishment of Copyright Council
Allocation of oil prospecting acreages to Nigerian oil companies
Establishment of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority
Establishment of special supervised Agicultural and Industrial Credit Schemes
Establishment of the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the creation of the Calabar EPZ
Conduct of the 1991 National Population Census
Establishment of the Federal Road Safety Corps
Establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme
Establishment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC)
Establishment Of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), now the Niger Delta Development Commission
Establishment of the National Boundary Commission
Establishment of National Communications Commission
Establishment of the National Broadcasting Commission
Institutionalizing of the National Housing Fund
Establishment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
Establishment of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission
Reorganization of Nigerian Police into zonal commands
Establishment of National Guard
Reduction in the size of the military
Reorganization of security services into three arms from the former single Nigerian Security organization, i.e. State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency
Resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel
Establishment of Technical Aid Corps
Major Projects Completed
Federal Government Secretariat (Phase 1 & 11), Abuja
International Conference Centre, Abuja
Abuja International Airport (Phase 1 & 11)
The Presidential Villa, Abuja
National Assembly Complex, Abuja
The Supreme Court Complex, Abuja
Lagos Third Mainland Bridge
Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road dualization
Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri-Ore standard-gauge railway line
Digital telecommunication gateways: Lanlate (North), Enugu (East), Lagos (West)
Onne Fertilizer Plant in Rivers State
Kaduna Superphosphate Fertilizer Plant
Warri Petrochemical plant
Elesa Eleme Petroleum Refinery in Rivers State
Kaduna Petrochemical plant
The Escravos-Lagos Gas pipeline
Jebba and Shiroro hydro-electricity projects
Egbin Thermal Power Station in Lagos
Challawa Gorge Dam
Nigeria House in New York, USA
Ajaokuta Steel Plant (Phase 1)
The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project, Bonny
The Oso Condensate Plant in Akwa Ibom State
NNPC headquarters in Abuja
Aluminium Smelter Plant in Akwa Ibom State
NigerDock (Africa�s largest dry dock), Snake Island
Nigerian Machine Tools Manufacturing Co., Oshogbo
Military cantonments, Abuja
National Intelligence Agency administration headquarters
Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company factory, Abuja

thelastPope: You have actually really helped us to differentiate between propaganda and actual work. 80% of what you listed there does not exist today. To be fair on IBB, every government cannot acutally be 100% bad. But you ignorantly can't separate between real grounded economic policies and military band aids. That is why a civlian government will always be 100 times better than the military. The miitary completely destroyed Nigeria between 1983 and 1999. When OBJ took over, nothing was working at all. At least now, some things work. To say IBB needed to create phantom jobs in 1987 is very laughable. In 1985, Nigeria did not even require a visa to travel to the UK and America. Unemployement rate was very low. You got a job immediately you left the university. Nigeria finally crash under IBB between 1989 and 1993. Abacha came in and finished it everything to the ground

Abuja was not an achievement. Abuja was a curse. Abuja construction finally wrecked Nigerian economy. It was to be a 50 year project, but after the Orkah coup, IBB literarily poured all our earnings into Abuja and brought us to our knees. Most of you are too young to comment on these thing really.

merengue: For once, you people should try and stay in the middle and analyze things objectively. GEJ can and should do better, this is the era of the social media, the citizen journalist, nothing is hidden, almost nothing is sacred. The list of GEJ's achievements is like a bad comedy script. I fail to see how any of this is different from what any other Nigerian ruler including the mass murderer (Abacha), the bully (OBJ), the King Kong of all criminals (IBB) and others have done. A case in point is IBB and a list of his accomplishments:

Babangida's Achievements; Chronicles of an Over Achiever


Building a New Ultra Modern City - Abuja

IBB realized the vision of Abuja as Federal capital city by providing its most vital infrastructure and moving the seat of government from Lagos in 1991.

Telecommunications

Mobile telecommunications, which is so commonplace today in Nigeria, was introduced as a result of the liberalization of the telecom industry by the Babangida administration, an initiative that over the years has made massive impact on the Nigerian economy.

Privatization

The privatization of the broadcast industry, the licensing of private universities and airlines; the liberalization of the banking industry, including the establishment of community banks (now micro-finance institutions), rank among his best legacies.

Economic Policy

The Babangida economic policy was predicated most importantly on the need to reverse the downward trend of the economy and arrive at a realistic exchange rate for the naira. The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was a necessary strategy to achieve economic recovery. It was not a capitulation to the dictates of the World Bank and IMF, but a critically-considered plan aimed at providing the platform for successfully recapturing the inflationary trend within a stipulated period of economic emergency. Deregulation, privatization and economic self reliance were key elements in the policy thrust. In the process most of the poorly-performing government-owned enterprises were sold off to private investors. The new policy also did away with the regime of import licensing which in turn allowed the entry of essential commodities into the country, thus ending the long and tiring queues, which Nigerians, for some years, had to endure for food.

Rural Development

Rural development was a very key aspect of the Babangida regime�s economic plan for Nigeria. Approximately 90,857.40 kilometres of feeder road were constructed, thus opening up hundreds of rural communities to the rest of the country for the first time; electricity, water supply and improved health services reached many more rural folk than ever before. Most of those projects were implemented by DFRRI � the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, an agency created by the Babangida administration.

Gender Equality

The Babangida administration was the first to implement a gender sensitive agenda. It created a National Commission for Women that later became the Ministry of Women Affairs. Many women were appointed to key positions in national institutions, among which was the first female vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university; and women occupied strategic portfolios in the Federal Cabinet for the first time. The Better Life for Rural Women, a programme which was anchored by the late First Lady, Hajiya (Dr.) Maryam Babangida, was highly successful in mobilizing women to rise to the challenge of economic empowerment.

MAMSER

MAMSER (Mass Mobilization for Self-reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery), was and still remains the best ever exercise in political re-orientation undertaken by any administration in Nigeria. Its central goal was to canvass nationwide support for the Babangida administration�s Political Transition Programme and to promote self-sufficiency in the nation�s economy.

Youth Employment

In order to halt the ever increasing rate of unemployment among the youth, the Babangida administration created the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in 1987. Its main task was to alleviate their suffering and provide them with the necessary skills to be self-employed. By 1997 nearly 107,000 youths had received the benefits of this initiative, and many more still do.

Consultative Government

Despite heading a military regime President Ibrahim Babangida ran the most consultative administration ever in the annals of Nigerian history. Before deciding on the IMF loan, the issue was subjected to a nationwide public debate. When the people gave a resounding NO verdict Babangida went along with their wishes and called off further negotiations. The commencement of the Political Transition Programme in 1988 was also preceded by a nationwide quest to find the right political system for the nation. Conducted by the Political Bureau to a highly enthusiastic participation by the public, the debate produced very concrete suggestions for the establishment of a more balanced and united Federation, and the key elements distilled there-from served as the template for the subsequent structural and constitutional realignment of the Nigerian nation.

National Unity

The Babangida administration, conversant with the geo-politics of Nigeria, particularly the fears of ethnic domination and marginalization, sought to correct the perceived structural imbalances of the Federation by the creation of more states. Eleven states of Nigeria, two of which were born in 1987 (Akwa Ibom, Katsina) and the latter in 1991 (Abia, Anambra, Delta, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun, Yobe and Taraba); and over 200 new Local Government Areas, owe their existence to this August effort.

Foreign Policy

Under the Babangida administration Nigeria demonstrated to the world its capacity to play the highest leadership role in African affairs. The formation of the West African Peace Monitoring Force, ECOMOG (a Babangida initiative), anchored by bold and heroic Nigerian troops, brought peace to war-torn Liberia and Sierra Leone, an achievement that further cemented the role of Nigeria as the great protector and promoter of international peace.

Other Notable Reforms and People-Oriented Programmes

Abrogation of Decree No 4 (Protection of Public Officers Against False Accusation Decree) 1984
Abrogation of import and export licencing regime
Dissolution of Nigerian National Supply Company
Abolition of commodity marketing boards
Elimination of price control
Reduction of import duties on newsprint
Ban on the importation of rice
Ban on importation of wheat
Establishment of the National Planning Commission
Institutionalizing Central Bank autonomy
Establishment of the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM)
Deregulation of capital and financial markets
Establishment of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC)
Establishment of National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND)
Abolition of fixed exchange rate for the naira
Establishment of the Peoples Bank
Licencing of more banks and finance houses
Introduction of community banking system
Introduction of bureaux de change
Establishment of stable tariff regime
Introduction of civil service reforms
Establishment of the Political Bureau and conduct of nationwide public debate on the IMF loan
Introduction of two party political system
Introduction of Open Ballot and Option A4 voting System
Introduction of Local Government Reform
Educational sector reform and the Introduction of 6-3-3-4 System
Establishment of more federal Universities and Polytechnics
Establishment of the Technical Committee on Privatization and Commercialization of Public Enterprises under which 55 public enterprises, including nine banks, were privatized through public offers on the Nigerian Stock Exchange
Reform of obsolete colonial laws; and abrogation of law making ��wandering�� an offence
Establishment of the Urban Mass Transit Progamme
Institution of the Primary Healthcare Progamme
Establishment of the National Commission for Women
Establishment of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency
Enactment of Copyright Law and establishment of Copyright Council
Allocation of oil prospecting acreages to Nigerian oil companies
Establishment of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority
Establishment of special supervised Agicultural and Industrial Credit Schemes
Establishment of the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the creation of the Calabar EPZ
Conduct of the 1991 National Population Census
Establishment of the Federal Road Safety Corps
Establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme
Establishment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC)
Establishment Of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), now the Niger Delta Development Commission
Establishment of the National Boundary Commission
Establishment of National Communications Commission
Establishment of the National Broadcasting Commission
Institutionalizing of the National Housing Fund
Establishment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
Establishment of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission
Reorganization of Nigerian Police into zonal commands
Establishment of National Guard
Reduction in the size of the military
Reorganization of security services into three arms from the former single Nigerian Security organization, i.e. State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency
Resumption of diplomatic relations with Israel
Establishment of Technical Aid Corps
Major Projects Completed
Federal Government Secretariat (Phase 1 & 11), Abuja
International Conference Centre, Abuja
Abuja International Airport (Phase 1 & 11)
The Presidential Villa, Abuja
National Assembly Complex, Abuja
The Supreme Court Complex, Abuja
Lagos Third Mainland Bridge
Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road dualization
Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri-Ore standard-gauge railway line
Digital telecommunication gateways: Lanlate (North), Enugu (East), Lagos (West)
Onne Fertilizer Plant in Rivers State
Kaduna Superphosphate Fertilizer Plant
Warri Petrochemical plant
Elesa Eleme Petroleum Refinery in Rivers State
Kaduna Petrochemical plant
The Escravos-Lagos Gas pipeline
Jebba and Shiroro hydro-electricity projects
Egbin Thermal Power Station in Lagos
Challawa Gorge Dam
Nigeria House in New York, USA
Ajaokuta Steel Plant (Phase 1)
The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project, Bonny
The Oso Condensate Plant in Akwa Ibom State
NNPC headquarters in Abuja
Aluminium Smelter Plant in Akwa Ibom State
NigerDock (Africa�s largest dry dock), Snake Island
Nigerian Machine Tools Manufacturing Co., Oshogbo
Military cantonments, Abuja
National Intelligence Agency administration headquarters
Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company factory, Abuja

Rossikk: Even accounting for purchasing power parity, it is manifestly ABSURD to claim that 80% of Nigerian live on ''less than $1 a day'' or indeed, ''less than $2 a day''. Both are ABSURD and MANIFESTLY WRONG FIGURES.



Have you been in a Nigerian restaurant in the USA?




You actually think PPP is based on the value of a dollar in the US in 1985!!!

Somebody please hand me a tissue.

Rossikk: First of all, the National Bureau of statistics never gave a dollar figure for average national earnings in Nigeria. They simply stated the percentage of those who lived below the poverty line by their calculations.

Two, you are guilty of not addressing the practical implications of the $1 a day claim by the World Bank as urged by the poster, instead seeking to confuse people by claiming ''earning $1 a day'' somehow translates to ''poverty in terms of basic needs, vulnerabilities''.

The western media (Europe and America) have suddenly become fixated with constantly reminding the rest of the world that majority of Nigerians live on less than $1 a day (N155). Bump into any western news report on Nigeria and whether it's good news or bad news, they never fail to mention the ‘fact’ that 'majority’ of Nigerians live on less than $1 a day (it used to be $2 but was recently reviewed downwards). I'm not angry with the ‘oyinbo’ media; it's the rest of us, especially the intellectual class that I’m angry with. Most of us simply agree with these distorted statistics. Nigeria has a lot of government funded and private research institutes and none have ever considered it necessary to research into these claims deliberately designed by the west to ridicule the black race - Yes I said it, my conspiracy theory begins here.