₦airaland Forum

CyberG:
@Biina. . .

Apparently, you fancy yourself as being able to decide who read this article and who did not, and that this was supposed to be some attention-seeking or controversial post, which of course, is not. If anyone doesn't understand the article, it may have been you because:

1. The thread topic is essentially from the actual interview itself and not from my personal inference and Dokubo stated that Yar'adua talked to the man he attacked. So, it is wrong to say the post is sensational, get an understanding of the entire interview. . .no one is falling for anything here because there is nothing to fall for!

2. Neither you nor I were privy to the events mentioned here and the interviewee (Dokubo) employed "reported speech" by putting out the things he was told by Tompolo. The statements he made in this interview are not a "secret" and he did not say them quietly in his room, so if Yar'adua or his agents have a defence to make against these allegations, why not wait for them to man-up and make their defense?

For your information, I read the entire article.

The phrase 'Yaradua talked to MEND' was not from the article. There were no comments specifically attributed to Yardua in the article. You cropped the phrase by dokubo and inserted it in a different context. Dokubo stated that Tompolo said that he spoke to people in the government including Yaradua and Jonathan

The actual excerpts are
Unlike us, who say look, the land and the resources belong to us and we must take it. It is our legitimate rights to take it, when you meet him and you try to tell him there is a need for us ,  he would say I just spoke to Yar’Adua, I just spoke to Jonathan, I just spoke to Uduaghan, I just spoke to Timipre Sylva , there is a need for us to find peaceful solution to this problem, it is not every time we will fight even though we have guns, we can just use it to make them to listen to us, but, we can’t fight all-out war. That is the very reason in all these attacks, he has not fought back, as is expected. If it were when they were fighting us, they knew that they met their match and we fought them but this spirit of you know, we can’t fight the Federal Government pervades him


I have nothing to appeal to them, I have no power to appeal to them, they have made their decision, but, for Yar’Adua, I say he should search his conscience. For every action, there is equal and opposite reaction. This fire they have kindled, who it will consume, they don’t know. Let them not be basking in the euphoria of their momentary victory, the battle is still is just starting, the end of which we don’t know, that is my advice.

You thread title gives the wrong impression. Why didn't you use the tiltle of the article as the thread title: War in the Creeks: Military attack premeditated — Dokubo Asari ?
You represented the facts of the article in controversial terms, that is simply sensationalism.

mikeansy:
time and time again the President has been proved to be in the habit of saying so many things to different people

I dont know if it is cowardice or juvenile dishonesty

this was how Tinubu came out swinging during the Ekiti saga and accusing Okiro and Akunyili of not getting their briefs right . . . well I believe after the elections in Ido/osi LGA it became clear who got their brief right

the same president told Ribadu to leave his situation in God's hands . . . he also told the Nation "nothing in further from the truth" when asked to clarify his stannce on whether EFCC need AGF permission to prosecute the corrupt . . . . well we now know better

if Asari Dokubu is taking what Yar'adua is saying seriously . . . . . the I can only ask him where he has been

President Yar'adua is a chronic liar not man enough to say things like they are

You obviously did not read the article. Yaradua did not make the statement. Those statements were made by dokubo himself and some he attributed to Tompolo.

Like most NL thread starters, the OP engaged in sensationalism to attract posters to his thread and you fell for it

no picture = no comment

mine

Alagba, afojudi o lewu.
Jesu ni wipe ki a ma gba adura wipe  ' ki Oluwa  ma fa wa sinu idanwo, sugbon ki o gba wa lowo binisi . . . . .'
Awon omoge won yii ni adura na n bawi.
Ti omo yii ba bora sile, oro ma pesi je.
Ti e ko ba wa ninu emi gidi gidi, oro yii le la iku lo.
Ki e sora, ki e ma ba lo daku ni idi ise oluwa.

FL Gators:
Original ashewo ni yin

O dabi wipe oro mi ekan, ko wo e leti.
Woni 'pata pata ni a n foju, kuna kuna ni a n dete; oju afo ifotan, ija ni da sile'.
A ni ki o so ede yoruba ko gun rege, lai fi geesi kun.
Kaka be, iwa awon ara laodesia lo mu se.

Alagba dayo, pele pele o di owo yin o!
Ki idande ma lo di imuso o!

omo eni ba jo eni, a ba yo.
Kilo de na! tipa tipa ni bi?
Ki omo kaaro, o jire bi, so gbolohun meta lai fi geesi lu, lo wa di tulasi
Gbogbo yoruba aladire yii ko ba agba lara mu.
<o sori kodo>

Definitely the cost of the Abuja road sound dubious, but we cannot expect all our problems to be solved over night. As long as the road is built (with good quality) and it does improve the standard of living of people in Abuja, the inflated nature of the contract can be addressed at a later date. I am not aware of a statute of limitation on corruption in Nigeria.

I wish the press would do a better a job of relaying information to the populace. Investigative journalism into the awarded contracts and the level of progress would go a long way in educating the people on holding their leaders accountable.

@dasa
The contract for the Shagamu - Ajebandele - Ore - Benin Road has been awarded. See the list of contracts in londoner's post.

It also depends on the the way you are brought up.
My parents were more result oriented. From an early age, me and my parent understood that for the best results, I do things on my own time table and I hated impromptu assignments.
For example, my father wanted his laundry (wash and ironed/pressed) done by sunday evening. It was up to me to decide when I did it over the weekend, as long as I delivered by Sunday evening.
Now, if by 9pm on sunday evening (when he is about watching the NTA network news) I am yet to deliver, my ass is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sky Blue:
The issue is the negative impact without any form off compensation whatsoever or any plans to reduce the impacts, hence you might want to re-read why the comparison might not be valid, its not necessarily about underdevelopment which is inherent in Nigeria anyway. The gas flaring deadline has come and gone, has gas flaring stopped? Is gas flaring allowed on mainland in any western country? This is getting a tad futile, so I am out : )

without any form of compensation? That brings us back to the question of what has happened to all the funds that have been pumped into the region. 
The gas flaring deadline was not observed, is that the fault of the northerners too? or the selfish oil companies and their NNPC friends?
If the issue of underdevelopment is common to all areas, then it is wrong to point a finger at a particular region for being responsible for depriving another. Rather the accusing finger should be pointed at corrupt leadership, irrespective of the region, tribe or state of origin.

naijaking1:
The comparison of the north and ND is in very bad light, and very decietful.
B/4 oil took over the ND, the people farmed and fished properously. Infact, they exported fish all over W. African, I know because one of aunties is Ogoni. I know the north, infact I did my NYSC in Wudil, Kano, so I have a first hand information about the 2 regions.
As we speak, the ND people can't fish any more, because of all those pure and sweet smelling creeks/rivers have been completely covered by a thick layer of oil gue for the past 5 years. Don't talk about drinking water, or farmlands that has been turned over to the federal government with little or no compensation. Another tragedy: young people don't know how to fish anymore.
And you want to compare it tothe rural north with its desert, but intact lands? Be real
Who are still trying to convince that your'e not a northerner?

The comparism is valid cos if the  northern states are also in a bad state, you cannot make the argument that the oil money is being spent by them. The money from oil has been ending up in the pocket of a few corrupt leaders.
Do you think the leaders care where the oil is from? Have they not tried, but failed, to find oil in substantial quantities in the chad basin region?
Nigerian leaders, if left unchecked, would loot the nation to bare bones, and they are not guided by regional boundaries as you seem to be.
Accountability and transparency should be the first step towards improving the lot of the people, and not wasted efforts on regional definitions.

asha 80:
u wan force nigeria on people head?na by force?

and you have a ghanian passport?

Sky Blue:
Apologies but your post seems to contradict itself. If anything you seem to be the person making the issue about tribes. Nigeria is a federation made up off states, right? Should states be allowed to control their own resource and development hence actually making the arrangement a proper federation? So where does tribalism come into play? A lot o states have multiple ethnic groups so again, where does tribalism come into play?

You advocate each part of the country developing its own industry in order to have something to present in the 'national pot' (for lack of a better phrase) yet you are against resource control which is more likely to bring such into fruition more quickly?

You seem to advocate patriotism but it seems you do not realise that you can't force people to be patriotic and that forcing people against their will while showing disdain for their rights and their own thoughts on their own development (like the federal government seems to be doing) is definately not a good way to incite patriotism.

Resource control will not improve the lot of Nigerians if we still have the same corrupt elites in office. Look at the various developed countries and the variations in their style of government. The success is not in the theory, but in the practice. Resource control is not a silver bullet for the ND people. I am not willing to expand the scope of the depletion of our natural resources if it would only fill the pockets of the few.

That being said I am all for resource control if it is approved by the legislature, but I am against the MEND approach to achieving it.

JJYOU:
you are seriously trying to bail out your good for nothing war lords.  have you ever heard the word.  peace is not the abscence o war.

many tribes have been subtyly/violently forcing from the federal govt what does not belong to them for years.  you cant say this is the first act of violence you are seeing in naija.

there is trouble looming ovr nigeria.  trouble is you younger generation will not know how to handle what your fathers put together.  the might of the british govt couldnt stop the IRA so nigeria pepper soup generals will not bail out nigeria if that country erupt again.  go to places like uganda and sudan and see the effects of war.

keeping the status quo is over. that era is gone forever. the non sensical non viable states you guys created in the north is enough reason for these boys to be angry

If you are singing war songs, you have obviosuly not witness one, and I doubt you are willing to be an active participant.

the kebbi rep man spoke on behal of majority of you. stop denying what we all know.  we were not born yesterday

It is funny that you are sure the kebbi rep spoke on behalf of the majority of Northerners, while you will not accord same to the reps of your own region.

naijaking1:
I can't believe you guys have fallen for this biina guy pretending like he fell off the moon yesterday. He's a northerner who has been caught in his own web of lies/ignorance.
Note how he says that only 75% Nigeria's export come from the ND. That's typical of Hausa men trying to minimize the importance of oil, and their dependence on it. I have seen some arrongant malams quote 'only 50%' as oil's contribution to our export. In 2009, the truth is that oil accounts for more than 95% of our exports, not 75%, not 80%, and not even 85%.
Next, he's going to lie down there and let you guys waste your saliva teaching him about "true federalism".

You seem hell bent in making me a northerner. why do you feel my tribe affects my point of view. Not all are as tribalistic as you are in your analysis.

As to my comment on the fraction of oil in Nigeria exports. The 75% was simply to accommodate the fluctuations in oil prices (I preferred to err on the conservative side as I didn't have actual figures on hand). At the peak of the oil price hike, the oil accounted for over 98% of Nigeria's export earnings.Does that make you happier?

The Kebbi rep can utter such as a consequence of democracy, and he is required to withdraw same and apologize as a consequence of same democracy.

People that do not contribute directly to the common purse, should get something as they are part of the nation. What fraction they get is a different debate.

At a point, Kainji and Shiroro accounted for a large fraction of electrical power in Nigeria, and the power was distributed across the nation with Lagos getting the lion share. I cant remember anyone arguing that the power should have been localized in Niger State.

In the days of the western region, despite all the cocoa farms in Ondo, the bulk of development ended up in Ibadan. So I don't see the solution in the proposed regional government.

Resources should be used to improve the standard of living of all Nigerians, irrespective of where said resources were from. Each area should be applied to their best use. Even if kebbi is not suitable for agriculture, it might turn out a viable region for military exercises, which would contribute to the strength of the nation.

I am well aware of the entrenched nature of tribal sentiments, but that does not mean we should encourage it. Tribal lines has gotten us nowhere, in the past, and I am sure it will get us nowhere in the future. After all was it not the same tribal eyes, that saw the tribes of ifeajuna, nzeogwu and co first, and never gave consideration that they could have possibly acted independent of their tribe? Yet those events led us into a civil war that was again delineated along tribal lines.

I have spent considerable time in the Niger delta and in the oil and gas industry. I have also lived in the North and visited most states in Nigeria. The ND is in a bad state, and so are the northern states. The problem we need to tackle is our corrupt leaders, and not waste our efforts on tribal sentiments and superiority complexes.

The sad truth is that there is no tribalism among the corrupt elites. They all live and embezzle like sibling of the same womb. It is only the masses (misguided by same corrupt leaders and their foreign cohorts) that waste their energy bickering over irrelevant tribal differences. To put it in context, one should interact with a Caucasian who sees all of African as black people. Be a Nigerian first and a member of your tribe second. Even the the black people in the US can argue about if they are black Americans or African Americans, they never question being Americans.

We can only become a true federation  when we see our selves as different parts of one body, with each serving its purpose.

Sky Blue:
Why set those conditions to begin with in the first place like some reward for good behaviour. Is bad governance a Niger Delta thing? The money being shared at the moment, is it being out to better use elsewhere? Why don't we just stick with the basics, should Nigeria practise true federalism?

and what is 'true federalism'?

naijaking1:
The ND did want to secede, we the Biafrans wanted to. The ND actually helped you(the northerners) win the war. Are just ignorant or you're trying to make a point about betrayal

Typical of the average NL tribalist. You gunned for the tribal angle and assumed I was a northerner. Simply pathetic. You speak of the northern mindset without being a northerner yourself. Makes one wonder where you got your ideas from. The average northerner could care less about the oil from the ND area (that even if he knows what you are talking about)

The ND seceding would not solve the problem as long as they fail to hold their leaders accountable and the greedy developed countries are still around to exploit them. MEND has achieved nothing in terms of improving the standard of living of the ND people, worse they have put innocent lives at risk. Its is futile to pursue a just argument by unjust means against a stronger opponent.

@JJYOU
The majority of leaders are corrupt leading to poor development of most part of Nigeria, but only MEND is seeking redress by criminal means. Do you feel MEND should be left alone or the FG should succumb to the demand of any and all militant groups?

@ono
Nigeria is heavily dependent on oil revenue with it accounting  for 75% of the countries export value. Nobody can deny that. I am sure that some states don't even contribute to the federal revenue.
Do I feel the ND area deserves a larger share: yes. Should they be given a larger share: Not until there is less likelihood it will not just end up in the pockets of a few corrupt office holders. I see no point in making changes, if it wont improve the lot of the ND people.

All this issues should be addressed via proper channels, and not some militant groups holding the rest of the nation to ransom.

One of our failing is not being able to see beyond the tribal lines. It was same short coming that was exploited by the british in their divide and rule campaign.

4 Play:
That is why major conflict looms, because of such moronic thinking. When revenues wasn't slanted inordinately from Niger-Delta oil, the regions were keeping the bulk of their proceeds. Once the oil boom took off, mirabile dictu, it becomes ''selfish'' to keep the bulk.

In reality, it's moronic to think we can maintain this parasitic arrangement for long. You simply cannot have the rest of the country bilking one region.

Simply because you have a different opinion doesn't make mine moronic. You should learn to defend your opinion without resulting to insults.
There is a law in place which is applicable to all of Nigeria. If you feel the current arrangement is unfair, then simply go through the proper channels.  Go and tender your case in the house of rep and/or senate.
Do not seek redress through wrongful means (like MEND attempted), and then cowardly cry foul when you move back fires.
If you feel you are in a position to secede, please do so, but do not cry injustice if your attempt fails.
The ND area is under developed, efforts should be towards making sure that the use of allocated funds is for the benefit of the masses, before you seek to increase said funds.
There is no point in increasing allocations or changing the land act, if it fails to improve the life of the ND people.

There is nothing wrong with the land use act, which essentially allocates the supreme land rights to the federal government, as it is in almost every country. The alternative is to have the federal government being subject to the state, a recipe for chaos and disintegration.

As long as the ND is part of Nigeria, they would have to haggle and debate for proceeds from oil or any other income to the federation. This is applicable to every part of Nigeria. A region should not be allowed to pursue its own selfish interests without the consent of the majority of the nation.

Those that feel the average northerner is spending the oil revenue have never been to the north. One cannot say which is in a worse state of development, the north or the ND.

The question of getting a fair share should be determined by the legislature. We are no longer under military rule, and the reps from the ND are free to make their case. They should be prepared to provide a justification for needing more funds, given that their is no evident improvement since the last increase.

The problem has always been corrupt leaders, and misguided masses. The problem will persist until ND is ready to hold to account, people trusted with responsibility.

Sky Blue:
A government can indeed have an effect on the economy and value of a country's currency. It is easy to throw around economic jargons around but at the end of the day when brought down to its basics the issue is investor confidence. No need to take my word for it, wall street is a perfect example and testament to the shaky foundations the financial system is built on, a foundation which cannot be completely overhauled even with reforms. During the period of uncertainty when the credit crunch was about a year or so old and banks were failing left and right, a lot of banks collapsed based on mere speculation, speculation which is what at the end of the day a huge chunk of investor confidence and the financial market is based on in the first place. You might think the economics and finance of text books apply all the time but honestly speaking you might be shocked at how paper thin the foundations actually are.

How can such apply to Nigeria with regards to @naijaking's postulation? Continuity in government and hence continuity in policies and direction is an issue in african countries. Nigeria has very weak institutions which means whenever a new man gets into a post, a lot of the times there is hardly ever any continuity in economic policies, these affects markets quite easily due to the volatile foundations I highlighted earlier. I personally believe Yar Adua being president and the complete headlessness and lack of direction of his government has strongly affected the economic situation and even the value of the Naira. Some people might argue that the Naira falling is simply a result of the credit crunch but I beg to disagree. Nigeria has a very huge market and investors can get HUGE returns, just ask the guys who run the Palms shopping Mall. So why isn't buiness booming then and why aren't investors rushing in? The issue is RISK. It is a potentially good market with regards to return in investment but it is also very highrisk due to some of the issues I highlighted (lack of institutions, etc) and other factors ranging from infrastructure, insecurity, etc. Things investors won't mind overlooking and simply including as extra costs if there was investor confidence in the first place.

At the core, the value of a currency is simply a case of demand and supply. How much do you export and are paid in forex for it, vs how much do you import and need to pay for it in forex.
The issue is not being addressed in a vacuum, else even the contribution of the average street hawker could be said to influence the exchange rate.
I advise you to check historical data on the value of the naira, and correlate it to the price and sale of crude oil.

ikeyman00:
biina

jump!

u are joke!

watch ur rmouth, more conducive, and we are talkin about nigeria, not lagso, two face slowpoke like u

when the nigerian money was pumped to develop lagos then as a capital, wonder why it was conducive then?

anyway take a dive

Democracy is about choices. If you feel your rights have been denied, then please seek redress in the law courts, but please do not come on here to use tribal sentiments to cloud the facts.
I am indifferent to the issue of someone bearing a title. I am only stating that the Lagos state government acted within their authority and they are not required to consult any tribal organization before taking their decision.
If you don't like the actions of the current government, you can either sue them to court, or try to impeach the governor.

the actions of the Lagos state government only pertains to Lagos, so I dont see why you make it seem like a national issue.

BTW u don put bullet for my body again

JJYOU:
google the word biafra you will see the likes of you those days breaking grammar calling them the same name you are calling these people today or you are not old enough?.  

fact is we have all eaten on their back and detrement  that is the fact. you dont have to be a nigerian to call evil nice.

Did biafra kidnap people? The factors that led to the civil war are well documented, and I am quite familiar with them. I do not need a refresher course.

You seem bent on clouding the topic in extraneous issues, and you do not seem to have the best interest of the ND people (or Nigeria as a whole).

The facts are
- the ND area was (and still is) under developed
- substantial funds have been disbursed over time, in a bid to address the issue
- there is no evidence of said funds being put to judicious use in addressing the needs of the people
- MEND and similar organizations have been perpetuating criminal acts under a just cause
- FG has deployed troops to the area resulting in the death of innocent civilians

Should we not then question those who were responsible for the funds so that the fundamental issue would be addressed?

We should not lose sight of the primary goal of improving the standard of living of the people in the ND area.

JJYOU:
you guys keep deceiving yourselves. what did nigeria benefit from the biafran war?
you dont kill your own people. there can never be a beautiful war. if you think you are safe becos you live outside that aarea wait for some few months and see what war look like

What has the civil war and biafra got to do with the issue of the ND state governments being made to account for their allocations?
If you engage in criminal activities or acts of treason, you endanger your own life.
Nobody ever said war was a good thing, but it is the preferred option to a bunch of criminals holding a whole nation to ransom.

ahf:
Assuming this data can be verified as authentic.

Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom have a large chunk of the revenue. I would like to see the respective government's narartion of how they spend their allocations. That would be a good way to start holding them accountable.

Bayelsa is quite low. Guess it's becuase a lot of the oil production in that state has been shut in and probably the companies dont want to go there.

The figures are from the monthly disbursement of funds from the federal allocation account, to the different tiers of government (federal, state and local). The data is from the Federal Ministry of Finance and it is published monthly. I don't think the veracity is in doubt, as it is publicly available, and none of the affected entities has questioned its authenticity.

JJYOU:
tell us the state with basic infrastructure so we exempt them from the list

or lacking militant groups warring against the FG.
Ans: All states outside the ND area

JJYOU:
why not every state. why not include the pure and ethical states of naija.  what makes these place worse than others?

cos they are the states whose indigenes are crying marginalization, and harboring a militant group that seem intent on declaring war on the FG.
Their people lack basic infrastructure and thus the state government should be made to accountable for those funds.

There is an existing thread on this
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-275686.0.html

@kobojunkie
The insults were uncalled for.

@Babatony
Nobody is saying that Akwa-Ibom should not develop, but rather we question the order of building infrastructure. Educational institutions, hospitals, roads and rail networks, improved local waterway transportation, and similar projects are better use of public funds. The level of development of the state does not justify the $300M investment in an airport. It is like buying a boat in the desert simply because you are close to an oasis (while you lack a camel). There are other projects that would make life better for the general populace. The airport is simply for bragging rights with neighboring states (which has its place) and serving the elite.

Shouldn't this be moved to crime board?

naijaking1:
Sorry, if you don't know how government can affect market and currency; I really don't have all the time to teach you at this time. However, watch out for naira value in the coming weeks if this news turns out to be true.
I'll revisit this issue again only if proven wrong, meanwhile peace

ROTFLMAO.  I advice you go and learn basic economics before you venture into the topic of currency valuation.
FYI the naira is sliding.