₦airaland Forum

Welcome, Guest: Register • Login • With Google • Trending • Recent • New

Stats: 3,345,005 members, 8,514,969 topics. Date: Saturday, 07 November 2026 at 06:41 PM

Toggle theme

Beaf's Posts

Nairaland Forum › Beaf's Profile › Beaf's Posts

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 (of 876 pages)

Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 9:10pm On Jan 04, 2010
[quote author=ndu_chucks link=topic=373829.msg5248278#msg5248278 date=1262633007]If this will be your response to the remaining parts of Nigeria, I'm afraid it will not be satisfactory to them. You need to go back to the drawing board and come up with specifics that would be attractive enough to those affected to enable them to part peacefully.[/quote]Are you implying that the North has nothing but violence to offer? shocked How can a prospective country with low GDP want to engage in war? Na suicide be dat.

I don't understand why a deal that is 100% to the benefit of the North will be unsatisfactory; you get to keep practically the whole army. We will only be interested attack helicopters, small arms and artillery and the Navy. The North can keep the whole airforce; we will get ultra modern shoulder fired anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles until our own airforce has been built.
What will be satisfactory, giving the North the whole of current weaponry? Or will our forming foreign pacts to secure our borders be such a scary prospect?
Politics › Re: Aondokaa, A Disgrace To The People Of Nigeria-militants by Beaf: 7:58pm On Jan 04, 2010
He ignored the problems in Northern Nigeria to bomb a plane in America. Why didn't he attempt to bomb the quarters of corrupt Northern leaders?"
http://allafrica.com/stories/201001041150.html
Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 6:49pm On Jan 04, 2010
[quote author=ndu_chucks link=topic=373829.msg5247327#msg5247327 date=1262623561]How do you all propose to reorganize the millitary after this new country is actualized? Will the Navy and all its current resources be garnished by the Republic of South Nigeria?

What about the Nigerian Army and Airforce, how do we share all the weaponry, armunition, and other resources?

Let's hear your ideas.[/quote]We will only be interested in the attack helicopters, small arms and artillery; we will keep the Navy (the North has no use for it).
Most of the other weapons are very archaic and uninteresting.

It should be fairly straightforward to acquire very modern weapons. If the new weapons are very specialised and ultra modern, then they would initially be manned by foreigners and mecenaries. It would be better for us to immediately embrace IT based warfare systems like the rest of the modern World.
In our formative years, I would suggest that the country forms strategic military alliances, so that the borders will remain secure.
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 11:05am On Jan 04, 2010
AjanleKoko:
Nice one, Beaf.
It's a good start. I'd advise you focus on specific areas of interest to start with. Low-tech initiatives to support Africa's basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, microfinance, education, medicare. They don't necessarily have to be 'inventions'; you can always start by matching existing stuff with these basic needs.

Happy New Year to all.
You are 110% right. I agree that what you have suggested should be cardinal.
We have gathered quite some amount of stuff in that direction already and indeed our main focus will be on low tech practical stuff that will have an immediate impact on society. However, there will also be some fairly medium / high tech ideas and articles.

When you say microfinance, do you mean it as us partnering with microfinance providers (we have not considered that) or do you to facilitate monies for research and production?
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 10:53am On Jan 04, 2010
princekevo:
Great idea, reading something like from a youth makes me believe Nigeria still got future.
But Oga beef you didnt mention how this programmes are gonna be mobilised financially and otherwise. Though am aware we need more of a talents than finance, but jst as you mentioned  on the 15th point - Sponsoring innovation / invention competitions ( I believe this is to encourage young talents and boast their morals) which is all about finance.
Though the 9th point said something abt raising money -Raise money for the inventor and research / production. This can be easier said than done in an evironment like Nigeria, that is allergic to innovations and invention.
So please if you can be more explicit on the means through which this progrmme can be mobilised (Human and materially), that would be perfect. This will make the picture more ideal to the young once.
Thanks. What we really want to do is create productive ecosystems between local communities, talented people (artisans, innovators), entrepreneurs, investors and donors. It will be a means to make involvement in innovation and technology rewarding to the community and the individual.

To answer your questions directly. . .

We will mobilize at community level by encouraging membership for all. Members will be required to sign up on our website and will hold regular meetings at street level. Our website would act as the central store of information for members. Although membership would be encouraged for all, there will be a special lookout for those with vocational skills (electricians, electronics workers, mechanics and welders). There will also be a strong lookout for young brains and professionals (engineers and draughtsmen) to harness the skills of the vocational cadre.
Members will be organised into groups and the groups will in turn be organised into regions.
The goal will be to boost confidence, intellectually and economically empower each member, as well as move their communities toward self reliance.

We are looking to raise money in the following ways;
[list]
[li]Entrepreneurs will be encouraged to license technology from owners and manufacture or act as consultants[/li]
[li]Investors will be encouraged to back talent and technologies from early stages till they achieve success; returns will be determined by risk, but we will try to mitigate huge risks by encouraging spread.[/li]
[li]Donations will be raised by actively soliciting for funds and forming partnerships[/li]
[/list]
Politics › Re: Now We are All Terrorist Say's Ghana by Beaf: 8:58am On Jan 04, 2010
That article wasn't written by Ghanaians.

It says very clearly "By AfricaToday". AfricaToday is published by Indiana University, it is American (http://inscribe.iupress.org/action/showJournals?type=byAlphabet).

Reading the article thouroughly might be instructive.

Like all of the muslim Northern Nigerian leaders, DR. Mutallab the father of the terrorist who is now shedding crocodile tears because he is one of the leaders who groom the Wahabism in Nigeria. Alhaji Dr. Mutallab the father also groomed Sharia law in Katsina State, Alhaji DR. Mutallab Groom Sharia in Kaduna State,Alhaji Dr. Mutallab groomed Sharia in Kano State, Most of the extremism Ulama in Northern Muslim Nigeria are benefactors of Alhaji Mutallab, Dr. Mutallab groomed extreme Muslim businesses in Saudi Arabia, He has extreme business in Dubai and he has extreme religious business in Yemen and he has business and property in Yemen. Alhaji Mutallab is the owner of the only Islamic Bank in Nigeria, Alhaji Mutallab has ties and interest in almost all the extremist muslim religious groups in Nigeria. He is a top leader of the Sharia movement COUNCIL in Nigeria. This guy is dangerous and he has gotten it hot and thats why he is running from pillar to post because he destroyed Nigeria with his corrupt ways and his muslim jihadist ideas for long time.

Dr. Mutallab the father of the terrorist was just covering his ass because he does not want to loose his investment in the Westen World and he does not want his family to be place on the no fly list as he wants to still enjoy his vacation and western women and western wine and drinks in Engalnd, Europe and America while still using extremism and corruption to maintain their corrupt hold in Nigeria by stealing from their people, thats thats why he reported his son to America, because he and most of the Muslim leaders in Nigeria knows more and they are part of the sponsors of world wide jihadism wahabism from Saudi Arabia, Sudan,Dubai, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, Pakistan etc.
http://www.modernghana.com/news/257271/1/nigerian-muslim-jihadist-and-al-qaida-ties-started.html
Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 2:50am On Jan 04, 2010
[quote author=becomrich; link=topic=373829.msg5243681#msg5243681 date=1262568489]Beaf for the fist time you agree to break up.

look see it this way, the north is collecting oil money. if you give them a country. You can still continue to give them part of the share of oil revenue while they keep thier taxes and we keep ours. it is easy.[/quote]First, Happy New Year. Next, you are mis-yarning,
If we split the country, why should we give another country some of our oil revenue just like that? . . .Sounds like slavery.

Much more important than any of the above is the fact that the ND will absolutely refuse to be part of any entity that isn't practising true federalism. Therefore the idea of sharing oil revenue with anybody will never ever arise . . .Except you are hinting that the ND will somehow pay taxes to the North, rather than to our own centre? Fail. shocked
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 1:40am On Jan 04, 2010
Choco5:
My Comments and Criticism:
It looks like a piece of shite.best you could do was a page on ?no real website, poorly thought out machinery, looking for internet fame, no practicality at all, completely useless,who is supposed to afford these pieces of crap?

My humble opinion!
Nigerian's sha! We all say, all we do is sit around and complain without acting. Here we are, 100% acting and. . . grin

Every idea starts off small. I made it quite clear that we were still in the formative stage and raised 21 points for discussion in order to get early feelers and involvement (I'm sure there'll be spoilers as well too grin).

Forget about blogger. I did say it quite in the original article that the blog was a temporary thing (the website will be launched on a dedicated server);
21.   Website launch has been tentatively set for the end of February 2010.
        However a Blog will be set up before then (01/01/2010)
Talking about "looking for internet fame", there is no name mentioned anywhere. So how can the nameless be looking for "looking for internet fame"? grin

Can we discuss the pro's and cons of the 21 points raised in the OP? Thank you.
Politics › Re: Your Winners And Losers Of 2009 by Beaf: 1:15am On Jan 04, 2010
Oga Kosovo, please can you check this topic? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-374289.0.html
I believe it is a much better candidate for pinning to the top of the list than this one.
Politics › Re: Ya'ardua Is Gone? (Rumour) by Beaf: 1:05am On Jan 04, 2010
A few days ago, the ex US ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell said it was widely expected that Yar Adua would die soon.

Whichever way things go, we must be hopeful and ready to fight for a better future. We must not allow the same old Nigerian beast to rise from the ashes of the present crisis.
Jokes Etc › Really Easy Way To Drink A Can Of Coke by Beaf(op): 12:22am On Jan 04, 2010
Something has to be veeeeeeeery wrong here! grin grin grin

[flash=425,344]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EvH5LQAYl0&hl=en_GB&fs=1&[/flash]
Politics › Re: Evidence Mounts For U.s.,israeli Complicity In Mutallabs Terrorism by Beaf: 10:40pm On Jan 03, 2010
[quote author=ndu_chucks link=topic=374887.msg5239922#msg5239922 date=1262521500]How does one reconcile a man entering Amsterdam without a passport and the same man having a US visa? Did they stamp the visa on his forehead?[/quote]Someone claims to have seen an Indian man attempting to get the fu'cker on the plane without a passport. That does not mean he was not carrying one (yes, one with a US visa).
If the Amsterdam story is correct, then he simply evaded passport checks that would have shown him up on the computers at Schipol airport. It doesn't mean he had no passport, that is too simplistic.
Politics › Re: Yar’adua: Why I Won’t Resign – Bankole by Beaf: 10:30pm On Jan 03, 2010
Since you have admitted that it is a constitutional matter, does the Speaker feel that by not writing either him or Mark, the President has breached the constitution?

Actually, yes; by virtue of Sections 145 and 146, he has actually. But, the fact is the issue of Bankole to say that the man has breached the constitution. It is left to the members (of the House) to raise such an issue He is (only) the presiding officer.
The cookie is crumbling. E be like say bankole de find escape route.
Politics › Re: Attorney General Goofs In Court by Beaf: 10:27pm On Jan 03, 2010
The justice minister told the judge that instead of referring to the Federal Executive Council (popularly called FEC) in his suit, Mr. Aturu made reference to the Executive Council of the Federation which, he claimed, did not exist. He demanded that Mr. Aturu use FEC in his submission unless "he would be referring to someone else."

Thereafter, he went ahead to introduce his team.

When it was Mr. Aturu's turn to introduce his team, he set off to address what he termed the minister's "ignorance of the constitution."

"My Lord, I must thank the Attorney General for insisting that the right must be done; but, unfortunately, this time around, I am not going to agree with him," he said. "The name is Executive Council of the Federation, by virtue of Section 144 of the constitution of Nigeria."
. . .Therefore, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) is illegal. shocked
Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 10:11pm On Jan 03, 2010
afemai:
As much as I agree that we have a debased, misnomer, deficient, treacherous, and perilous nation called Nigeria ,Publisher’s thread to me seems a comic relief…having read almost all the threads from that followed it I can only see the possibility of having a southern Nigeria as a mirage, the "quarrels" exhibited from the contributions to the thread between ONLYTRUTH and EmperorOlu on one hand and SEFAGO and DEDE1 on the other proved an interesting reading.
Emperorolu need to have some respect for other contributors and not thrive in invectives same applies to Dede1 though Sefago was pretty ready with a beautiful reply. Please BEAF should never refer to Afemai as one of the smallest ethnic groups.
your maps where great especially the one that depicted some semblance to Iraq, grin
Afemai is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria. Population, circa 600 thousand.
Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 10:02pm On Jan 03, 2010
@real4life
The North has itself to blame in the current rounds of crisis facing the country. It is disenginous to hit out at the South whereas the threats to the nations unity are arising 100% from Northern attitudes.
The problems Southerners have with the North can be expressed in one word, "frustration".

Here's a little list:
[list]
[li]Shocking religious intolerance that expresses itself in regular bloodshed[/li]
[li]Sharia[/li]
[li]Huge gap in education that Northern leaders do not care about (or perhaps, foster)[/li]
[li]Abuse of the military with "tribalistic" recruitment and promotion[/li]
[li]Use of force (military) against fellow citizens[/li]
[li]Ruling for 40 out of 49 years, yet displaying raw lust for power by pushing the nation over the precipice with the propping up of an incapacitated Yar Adua, because its "their turn" to be there[/li]
[li]Forcing a unitary system on us, that is tearing the country apart[/li]
[/list]
Politics › 40 Days And 40 Nights In Saudi - Lawyers Give Yar’adua Quit Ultimatum by Beaf(op): 6:59pm On Jan 03, 2010
DAILY NATIONNews
[size=14pt]Lawyers give Yar’Adua quit ultimatum[/size]
By AGENCIES Posted Sunday, January 3 2010 at 17:57

LAGOS, Sunday

One hundred legal practitioners under the auspices of Lawyers of Consciences have given President Umaru Yar’Adua a January 31, 2010 deadline to resign or be removed by the National Assembly.

The group has warned that it will mobilise their learned colleagues and the Nigerian electorate to “take their destiny into their hands by any legitimate means possible.”

The president has been away in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for forty days owing to ill health brought on by an inflammation of the membrane surrounding his heart. The president also has a history of kidney disease.

Arising from its Annual General Meeting held on December 30, 2009, the organisation in a communiqué stated that it had arrived at the decision after undertaking “a surgical appraisal of the comatose state of the nation.’’

The group stated that if by the expiration of its ultimatum of January 31, President Yar’Adua has not come back to actively assume and perform his functions as the president, and he neither resigns nor is removed by the National Assembly in the application of sections 144 and 146 of the 1999 Constitution to enable the vice president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan be sworn-in, it should not be held responsible for whatever may result from such legitimate action(s).

In an open reference to the civil protests carried out by Pakistani lawyers in 2007, which contributed to the overthrow of the country’s military leader, General Pervez Musharraf, the group prayed that the brave and revolutionary action(s) of lawyers and their learned brothers in Pakistan is not replicated in Nigeria, “with its may-not-be-too-good consequences for our fledging democracy.”

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/835424/-/12500mez/-/
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 5:01am On Jan 03, 2010
Please we really need your comments on whether we are thinking right, if there are potential pitfalls or glaring mistakes. Pleeeeaaase comments and criticisms kiss kiss kiss

In the meantime, I am proud to say we now have two technology concepts published;
http://africansciencecommunity..com/2010/01/mechanical-harvesting-requires-produce.html
http://africansciencecommunity..com/2010/01/atomic-hydrogen-power-plant.html

We should be able to get a total of about 5 up this week, fingers crossed.
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 12:58am On Jan 02, 2010
@PapaBrowne
Thanks so much. I really appreciate the time it took you to dig up that document as well. . . What a document! We will definitely use stuff from it.

@Afam
Thanks so much for the kind offer, I am so grateful. We have already gone quite some distance with our website, but you represent the practical minded type that we would like to attract as entrepreneurs and possibly representatives on the ground. We will be using a bog standard blog space Blogger until February when our proper website will be released.

@topic
We've put up a blog, but no new technologies will go up until tomorrow, because we're having to change formats to suit the blog technology, duh! embarassed The address is http://africansciencecommunity..com/2010/01/welcome.html
Politics › Re: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab: This Is His Photo by Beaf(op): 1:37am On Jan 01, 2010
relagze:
pls helppppppppp am a Umar Farouk's Look alike huh huh huh huh undecided undecided undecided
Keep away from the US and Schiphol airport. grin
Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 1:33am On Jan 01, 2010
[quote author=becomrich; link=topic=373829.msg5227200#msg5227200 date=1262303126]Here is the 4 th angle, that says. Ondo state is the centre of the south Nigeria.[/quote]Kai! 2010 and dis man neva change? shocked

becomrich, all your calculations are wrong, have you ever heard of Centre of Mass? grin grin grin grin
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 1:18am On Jan 01, 2010
mrperfect:
Happy new year to all
Happy New Year mrperfect!
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 1:18am On Jan 01, 2010
SEFAGO:
^ lol, I have to say, I read your stuff 8 times to make sure i was not the one missing it but nothing about resource control

I think this brings to focus something we need on NL-

I think Seun can expand to create a place where people can post their own articles or investments tips and such.

But good idea- I will wait and see wetin happen when it floats

I was planning to create a rough guide for Nigerians who seek further education (Undergraduate and graduate) in the US and Canada this this Christmas and post it online but I have been sidetracked- maybe I should start on it and PDF publish it by January.
Happy New Year Sefago! grin
Yes, I think we should really start pooling together and helping ourselves. I think it would be a good idea for Seun to create an area for guides and radical ideas too. Please comment (or throw some questions) before it floats, abeg, thats why this has come here two months early.
Lets kick the year off with hope!

For the guide you want to write, just start listing the points somewhere and before you know it, boom! Goodluck! grin
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 12:48am On Jan 01, 2010
^
The usual suspects don't surprise me.
This has nothing to do with ND and 100% percent resource control. --shakes head--

It is about making money connections etc for those with talent in science and technology. It is about empowering our neglected geniuses and enriching our communities financially and economically. It is about moving forwards instead of backwards.

There are many talented people around us who are locked up mentally, this is about enabling such people.
Politics › Re: 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 11:48pm On Dec 31, 2009
[size=14pt]Kosovo please pin this to the top![/size] grin

@topic
Please give your opinions, we can't sit back anymore. Lets take the bull by the horns.

PS: I'll post the blog address here tomorrow.
Politics › 2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention And Community by Beaf(op): 11:45pm On Dec 31, 2009
[size=14pt]2010 - Saving Ourselves, Innovation, Invention and Community[/size]

Happy New Year folks. Please give your thoughts and criticisms to the ideas below.

Yes another fruitless year has passed in our frustrating journey to nowhere, but we can fan the embers of hope and beat a path to great feats of development and individual well-being through leaning on, and channelling our collective strengths.

It isn’t all the time that networking and discussions produce a eureka moment; but over a few drinks, me and a couple of others thrashed out what we believe is a radical and effective solution to development, personal fulfilment and communal empowerment.
In a short word it is grassroots development. The goals of our proposal are;
• Self-reliance
• Community empowerment,
• Job creation
• Provision of critical industrial infrastructure and know how
• Create an environment where inventors and entrepreneurs can be richly rewarded
• We will also source and donation of inventions to the community for free (mostly from in-house brain power).
        We already have a free invention in transportation, two in agriculture and a couple in energy production. . . Wikid!!! grin

The idea at its simplest, is to set up a body that will generate funding and protection for our inventors; teach technologies at street level, host innovation competitions, post new papers, technologies or inventions and throw them open to the community so that discussions and improvements will come out of engagement. . .100% open source science.
We will also seek to form alliances with foreign universities, so that some of our ideas can be thoroughly researched where local means are lacking. Part of our foreign engagement will be to protect inventions with provisional patents from the US patent office.


Our priority areas in Nigeria will be, Northern states, Ebonyin, Niger Delta and Ekiti. Our geographical coverage will include Africa, Caribbean and African America.


Some of our areas of action will be:

1. Publish schematics for community development
2. Help with US patents
3. Members don’t have to be professionals
4. Reach out to foreign universities for research (probably as PHD work)
5. Say no to aid and charities; instead teach host communities “how to fish”
6. Throw inventive ideas open for public discussion
7. Ideas might be versioned because alternate approaches arrived at from discussions
8. Ideas might give birth to new ideas from discussion
9. Raise money for the inventor and research / production
10. Members must be focussed and steadfast
11. Ideas will be targeted at local problems
12. Make methods to generate power for members a priority (Micro Power Generation)
13. Make power generation from low quality sources a priority
14. Promote networking between members to build each other (know how or financially)
15. Sponsor innovation / invention competitions
16. Initial target countries, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal
17. Licenses and scope; GPL, TAPR Open Hardware License v1.0, TAPR Non-commercial Hardware License v1.0.
        There is the possibility of reworking the Simputer license as well.
18. Members will be responsible for determining if their inventions are of military interest
19. Local groups will be formed to organise and engage at street level
20. Criteria for us to give a community special focus will depend on education, deprivation, local resources and
        other variables (yet to be decided).
21. Website launch has been tentatively set for the end of February 2010.
        However a Blog will be set up before then (01/01/2010)



Once again, Happy New Year and Gods blessings.
Politics › Nigerian Bar Association (nba) Starts Legal Action Against The Aondoakaa by Beaf(op): 10:19pm On Dec 31, 2009
Nigeria risks constitutional crisis -lawyers, ex-envoy
Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:33am EST

* Dispute over top judge could trigger constitutional crisis
* Lawyers' body takes legal action against Attorney-General
* Former U.S. envoy warns of risk of military intervention

By Nick Tattersall

LAGOS, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Nigeria is on the brink of constitutional crisis with its ailing president not transferring powers to his deputy and political king makers feuding over his succession, a senior lawyer and a former U.S. envoy have warned.

President Umaru Yar'Adua has been absent from Africa's most populous nation for more than a month receiving treatment for a heart condition in Saudi Arabia, but there have been no official updates on his health for weeks.

Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has been presiding over cabinet meetings but executive powers have not officially been transferred to him, leading to questions over the legality of decisions made by the government in Yar'Adua's absence.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the umbrella body of all lawyers in the country, has launched legal action against the Attorney-General, asking a top court to declare that Yar'Adua has violated the constitution by omitting to transfer powers.

"We are saying there is a duty on the president to do it, it is not discretionary ,  We cannot continue this way, we are not running a banana republic," NBA president Rotimi Akeredolu told Reuters in a telephone interview on Thursday.

"We are treading a very dangerous path and we have to be very careful. We are trying to paper over a few cracks ,  but if we are not careful the whole building will collapse," he said.


The NBA's legal action follows a similar suit already brought by prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana.

It also adds to a crisis in the judiciary triggered by the swearing in on Wednesday of a new chief justice, the first time in the country's history the head of state has been absent for the ceremony and an act some senior lawyers say is illegal.

The legality of the top judge's position is vital because he who would swear in a new president should Yar'Adua leave office: controversy over the chief justice would mean controversy over the legality of the new president, lawyers say.

Nigeria does not need legal confusion over what is already a fierce succession debate.

"Yar'Adua's removal from office would result in a political and constitutional crisis for the United States' most important strategic partner in Africa and one of its largest suppliers of oil," former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell said.

"Though Yar'Adua has been ill since he assumed the presidency in 2007, there is no consensus yet among the king makers about what to do upon his removal," he wrote in a paper published on Wednesday by the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S.-based think-tank.

HIGH STAKES

Key to the debate over Yar'Adua's succession is an unwritten agreement that the office of president rotates every two terms between the predominantly Muslim north and the Christian south.

Yar'Adua is a northerner mid-way through his first term. Jonathan is a southerner, meaning that should he take over if the president leaves office as the constitution states, he would be under pressure not to stand in 2011 presidential elections.

Nervousness among Yar'Adua's northern "kitchen cabinet" over Jonathan even serving as acting president is what is preventing Yar'Adua from transferring powers, political analysts say.

"This problem has been foisted on us because of a cabal in this country," Akeredolu said.

The government and presidency officials have said state business is continuing as normal and that Yar'Adua is being consulted on issues needing his attention, such as a supplementary budget which they said this week was taken to him to sign on his sickbed. [ID:nLDE5BS0RS]

But analysts say government business is slowing. Two of Nigeria's top oil partners, Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) and Chevron (CVX.N), have been in renewal negotiations covering expired licences in Africa's biggest energy supplier and neither they nor the government have yet announced a resolution.

"The stakes are high ,  Continued access to oil revenue will be a powerful incentive for the king makers to find a way out of the current crisis, despite their regional, ethnic and religious divisions," Campbell said.

He said the best-case scenario would be a constitutional agreement which allowed the country to "limp" towards 2011 elections, but warned that if the struggle between rival factions became prolonged, the army could step in.

"If the current crisis spins out of control, the Nigerian military is likely to intervene, possibly with a nominal civilian head," said Campbell, who was U.S. ambassador to Nigeria from 2004 to 2007.

"Nigeria's military, though much weakened, continues to regard itself as the ultimate custodian of the state." (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: af.reuters.com/ ) (Editing by Giles Elgood)


http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BU0D920091231?type=marketsNews
Politics › Re: Power Vacuum Leaves Nigeria `ripe For Jihadists' (Ex US ambassador to Nigeria) by Beaf(op): 10:14pm On Dec 31, 2009
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the umbrella body of all lawyers in the country, has launched legal action against the Attorney-General, asking a top court to declare that Yar'Adua has violated the constitution by omitting to transfer powers. shocked shocked shocked shocked shocked shocked shocked

"We are saying there is a duty on the president to do it, it is not discretionary , We cannot continue this way, we are not running a banana republic," NBA president Rotimi Akeredolu told Reuters in a telephone interview on Thursday.

"We are treading a very dangerous path and we have to be very careful. We are trying to paper over a few cracks , but if we are not careful the whole building will collapse," he said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BU0D920091231?type=marketsNews

Perdition.
Politics › Re: Power Vacuum Leaves Nigeria `ripe For Jihadists' (Ex US ambassador to Nigeria) by Beaf(op): 9:48pm On Dec 31, 2009
ezeagu:
But who is this person that was quoted from here?
Olivia Ward is the Foreign Affairs Reporter for the Toronto star (Canada's biggest newspaper).
I am sure foreign affairs reporting could be considered "sensitive" (depending on the country though). She might be an NLer, casual reader or her report was a drive by.
Politics › Re: Federal Republic Of South Nigeria by Beaf: 9:39pm On Dec 31, 2009
Abagworo:
thats the exact reason why i'm saying that they should be given 30% to 40% of crude oil income.
As for southern nigeria 'e don work put jara'.the capital is asaba.
Pifa:
I hear you, Beaf. But unfortunately, a share of sweet crude derivation to the North may be the only way to realize any republic sans the North. I doubt that Northerners love Southerners so much that they'll give a limb to save their southern brothers. The only reason the North is in this union is the derivation from sweet crude. If crude in the ND dries up tomorrow, and if by magic sweet crude begins to gush out of the North, do you think they will be clamoring for "One Nigeria"?
If we choose to break up, we will not need to pay anyone any bribe or "protection" money.
Having oil can arm any breakaway to levels of sophistication unheard of in these parts. . . at very short notice! grin grin grin grin grin Even spirits go fear!
Politics › Re: Power Vacuum Leaves Nigeria `ripe For Jihadists' (Ex US ambassador to Nigeria) by Beaf(op): 9:30pm On Dec 31, 2009
[quote author=ndu_chucks link=topic=374225.msg5226027#msg5226027 date=1262287769]people de read una posts here and dem dey convert them to news!  i suspect say de person wey write dat article, oliver ward, na one incompetent south south nigerian reporter.  ( e fit be beaf sef, olodo) cheesy[/quote]See ndu_chucks o! I am very sure Westerners see NL as the very best source of Nigerian analysis, a very accurate window into the collective Nigerian mind.
They have also been able to decode one NL member, ndu_chucks writing code. Their analysis show's that this poster thinks "olodo" is fullstop and "dan iska" na question mark. grin grin grin

@topic
John Campbell (Council on Foreign Relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria) is a good source of information on Yar Adua's state of health. words of wisdom. . .
He added, "the government is all but paralyzed" by Yar'Adna's illness and lack of agreement in elite circles "on a course of action if he dies soon, which is widely expected."
The power hunger of the North has all but put the country on a runaway course to tribulation.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 (of 876 pages)