₦airaland Forum

The simple solution to this is to publish the complete list of who owns all the Oil blocks in Nigeria. This will never happen though, as too many vested interests do not want this information made public. What a country

The Aboki's have been very foolish this time and it's nice to see the south corner them for a change. Now that the cat is out the bag regarding the oil blocks we'll soon see them looking for a compromise on the PIB. I agree with a previous poster, we MUST start again. All oil blocks must be awarded based on fairness and Federal character. Nonsense

Demdem: What are u even talking about? Did u mention anything about Buhari winning any election, did he himself even made mention of such? Did u Infact read his speech? He made mention of electoral malpractices. It's left for u to point out from his speech where u think he wasn't being truthful.

Secondly, ur opinion about him is noted however I disagree. He isn't such a man. U are mistaking a principled man for those that stand for nothing. Buhari is no such. Deal with that.

Indeed I did read his speech and states in very clear terms that all the elections that he has contested 2003, 2007 and 2011 were not free and fair. If he knows for sure that he did not win the 2011 election why dose he keep going on about the issue in the SS/SE. Recently in the US a woman in Ohio confessed to voting multiple times for Obama,did that make Romeny come out and start making noise? My point here is that even if the 2011 election was not perfect, Buhari LOST THAT ELECTION so he should stop making reference to it.

Now as to you claim that he is a principled man. Sorry but I need to counter that.

1: Dose a principled man serve in Sani Abacha's govt while people are being killed and detained?

2: Dose a principled man keep quite when young youth coppers are cut to death by his own supporters?

3: Dose a principled man run to known crooks like Babangida on the eve of an election to get them to try and broker a pack with the ACN?

4: How come this principled man has never said ONE NEGATIVE world about the Abacha administration?

5: How come this principled man has never come out to clearly condem Boko Haram?

6: How come this principled man enjoined Muslims to only vote for Muslims?

I am sorry but Buhari is no saint and most certainly not a principled man.

Demdem: The general spoke the truth. That's what he is noted for. It's near imposibility to disprove such.

The truth? for real? Come on my fellow Nairalanders while a lot of what he said may indeed be true, I think we really need to address the case of the 2011 election. Dose any sane, neutral person really think Buhari won that election? For Gods sake, the entire south voted en mass for GEJ(Yes I know many regret that not,but that's not the point)add the middle belt and please tell me how Buhari could have won in 2011.

Buhari is not a bad man. He cares deeply for Nigeria and wants to see the country do well. However he has in my opnion a bit of a 'God-Complex' he simply can't see or accept any other view that is not in 100% agreement with his. It is this personality flaw that will prevent him every being President of this nation

[quote author=lanre_front]F*OOL.

Was is not IBB that came after and scatter the whole thing with the Introduction of SAP to the benefit of the west. Even the Shagari Administration would have adopted the disastrous SAP if Buhari government had not taken over. But alas, IBB came and continued where Shagari stopped.[/quote]I will not lower myself to join insults with you. However I will ask you some questions Was Buhari not the head of the state? Why did he not sack Babangida? For your information the buck stops with the leader. If he can't be asked to determine the quality of character of his fellow officers and then plans and executes a coup with those same criminal officers, he must also take repsonsability for the subsequent actions of those officers. You can't seperate the overthrow of Shagari with the subsequent coup in 1985. Both are linked.

muyiwah666: That coup was the only true attempt redemption in Nigeria

Wow and it worked a treat right? Please. The coup was simply carried out by power hungry people who felt 'It was their turn'

Orikinla: [size=18pt]Return ticket to UK was less than N600.
New Benz car 180 was N8, 000.
I was earning N400 monthly then at 20.
But we were squandering our riches and "Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches" became a documentary was produced by the BBC and NTA and narrated by Onyeka Onwenu.
The coup was more of a revolution against corruption.
It was a bloodless coup.[/size]

Weather the coup was bloodless or not is besides the point. The fact of the matter is that the it fails the simple Regan/Clinton test which is 'Are you better of today than you were then?' That is all it's about. It was via that coup that such wonderful characters as Tanko Ayuba, Sani Abacha, David Mark and of course the godfather himself Babangida gained significant positions in the nations affairs. How can anybody say that was an attempt to repair the nation? I beg open your eyes people. The truth of the matter is that the the overthrow of the second republic was THE WORSE THING to have happened in the last 30 years. We have not come close to regaining the living standards that we had then. Buhari was part and parcel of that, whatever his intentions, he must take part of the blame. Did he not know the character of his chief of Army staff Babangida?

Buhari was part of the coup that truncated the second republic. I am old enough to remember the 2nd republic for those young ones here let me tell what life was like in the 'bad' second republic that Buhari and his army brothers overthrew.

A return ticket to the UK cost less than N1000

A brand new 504 SR cost N8000.

A bottle of coke cost 30K

Our universities were among the best in Africa and there were no private ones.

Petrol cost less than 50 K per litre

I could go on but I think you get the point. Before Buhari takes up the moral high ground and tries to cast himself as God and everybody else as a sinner he should say SORRY to Nigerians for his act of Treason on Jan 1st 1984. We are all still paying the price for that til this day.

davesndy: Let us not pretend. A muslim-muslim ticket won't work. Nigerians don't have enough trust to make that work
Not with what is happening at present in this country

There was a time (1993 for example) when a such a ticket could have worked. No after years of Islamic induced murder and carnage there is simply no way a muslim-muslim ticket can work in present day Nigeria. It's a sad fact as we really should be looking beyond religion in selecting our leaders, but that is the reality on the ground today

Tambuwal did nothing when Farouk Lawal was accused of taking bribe. At no time has he shown himself to be ready to challenge the corrupt status quo in the nation today. He only went against the PDP bigwigs when it was in his own self interest. As far as I am concerned he's part of the problem, not the solution

Deep Sight: Well I must say that one unfortunate reality that is emerging from this thread is the paucity of realistic options for an opposition presidency in 2015. IF Buhari (as seems to be the case from the generality of comments here) is the only realistic opposition option, in a nation of 250 tribes and 160 million people - after 16 years of Democracy - and a full 32 years after the same Buhari took power as Military Head of State; well, that just says a lot for the very sad and limited space in Nigerian Politics.

It also says worse about we Nigerians ourselves: namely that our enlightenment is not yet what we imagine - we still remain grossly unenlightened and "un-emancipated:" otherwise there would be no reason why newer fresher options would not be "realistic" enough for us.

Quite sad really.

Very true and well spoken. I really can't understand why the only option being spoken off is a man who will be 74 by 2015 and had lost 3 elections. There must be other candidates from across the Nation who can step forward.

Buhari has run for president 3 times and each time his performance in the South was dreadful. I don't see why it would be any different this time. The ACN is actually not as strong anymore as the recent Ondo election showed. People in the SW are now seeing that the ACN are not much different from the PDP with the exception of Fashola and Osho baba. But even if Buhari/Tinubu were to sweep the SW I still don't think it will be enough. As in the last election, the PDP's ground machine in the North East and North west will ensure that Goodluck is at least competitive in the North, while he will win the North Central, SE, and SS.

What nonsense is this? Do they intend to run a domestic airline? If not then since when did the FG start buying planes for private airlines?

Indeed I've seen it all now. How can any sane person rate Yaradua. His govt was a total joke with no direction whatsoever. Every positive policy from OBJ like power sector development, EFCC. Everything!! To be honest both of them were crap and not worth to be the President of the Africa's foremost nation

is this not the same OBJ who promised 10000MW by the end of 2007? Please sir go and rest in your semi burnt mansion and let us be

mpmp: @

YOU ARE SO UNINFORMED. YOU ARE AN HE-GOAT if you think all you wrote was sound advise

Dear all
99% of those screaming "you can make it in Nigeria" are total mental failures. They have gone abroad, couldn't make it and are now looking for an alibi: Nigeria. They are either of two categories:

a) someone living outside Nigeria and telling you to go back to Nigeria because you can make it there, or
b) someone living in Nigeria and telling you not to go abroad because you can make it in Nigeria

Whenever you hear someone like that, please close your ears. They have no advise for themselves, talk less for you. Which is better: an environment where things are working or an environment where nothing works.
ex:
It is only in Nigeria where people actually pray to God for electricity. Over years, your psyche even changes to believe that electricity comes from God.

Oh yes, can you make it in Nigeria? but you have to buy everything and be a little corrupt in the process:
a) you buy your own water. Ive been living in Lagos since 2006 and govt water hasnt flowed out of my faucet once; I mean I dug my own well, bought my own pump, hired my own plumber, bought my own tank, etc....just to get water into my house.

b) you buy your own security at home, on the road, at work, all around: coz the Nigerian police cannot even secure itself. We know the rest of the story. Get a mallam, give him some money and a sharp knife and tell him to watch your gates.

c) between a car / public transport: well, I have a car and I have my own mechanic, I have my own road-safety officer and a contact in the army who gave me an army badge. I also have a couple of arial boys in each part of Lagos - just in case.

You can continue with the list for every area of life and living, but can you tell me if such a life is normal?

Isnt it better to pay taxes and live a normal life in a sane environment than live in a jungle called Nigeria with millions in the bank, millions that you dont feel safe about? and be watching your back 247 just because nothing works normally?

Is there any rich man in Nigeria that can walk the streets comfortably?. Can the Dangote/Adenuga you have mentioned walk around as normal people? When last did either of them buy anything in Obalende? The financial resources Dangote/Adenuga spend to power their houses, business outlets, offices, etc is more than the yearly educational budgets of some African countries, and yet we happy about it.

Even barrack Obama and his wife live more normal lives that some rich ppl in Nigeria.

@
If you are a poor man in America, please remain poor, but NIGERIA IS DEFINITELY NOT THE BEST PLACE TO BE as far as sanity is concerned.

And rather than talking about Nigeria, why not tell us how rich you can be living in some other African countries that import pure water from Nigeria. I bet, you could be a multibillionaire overthere coz their dollar exchange rate is higher than our naira.

Yes, to be rich in America, you need a great idea, something nobody has ever done before, like an invention.......this should be the ideal

Unfortunately, to be rich in Nigeria, you dont need a great idea, you dont even need a brain. You just need to know how to forge signatures, dupe a couple of people, and the money starts rolling in. Just make sure you have a brother in customs, another brother in the police, and another one in the army. Have a sister in the civil service and a couple of boys to do your bidding.

Or you can work in a bank, cheat your employers and customers, deduct 1-naira from each account or sell your virginity for new customers; or you might not even do the cheating, you can just aid in the misappropriation of funds for your own small cut. After this you can begin selling plots of land that dont belong to you.

Or launch a problem with some advertized services, knowing fully well you cannot provide any of them. How fast is your internet speed in America and how much do you pay for it per month. Check out a similar internet speed in Nigeria and its cost.

Or you can carry a Bible or Koran and go preaching the good news, tell your listeners that God will provide them a jet before tomorrow morning, but they must empty their bank accounts into your offering bag.

Or you could join politics, have a god father or mother in place, almost kill and roughen up a couple of people - coz the final aim is the money which begins to flow once you elect yourself.

In conclusion, its easier to make it in Nigeria than in America. but you must leave sanity at home.

Its people like you who end up decieving people seeking a better life.

I just returned from a trip to europe-italy and I met with several refugees from Africa. An example was a sudanese guy who earned a PhD in nanotechnology, all on italian govt scholarship, after 7-years of arriving in Italy - despite the fact that he had refugee status. He completed a B.Sc, Msc and Phd all within 7years of his arrival. Presently, hes on a post-doc in the US. Thats what going abroad can do for you. Can any so called refugee in Nigeria achieve such a feat? how many refugees in Nigeria have such a hope, how many of them graduated from our Universities in the past 10years? Ok, forget the refugees, how about bonafide Nigerian youths? Is there any hope for them?

Has the govt provided scholarships for its youth? talk less for refugees?

I would tell anyone who wants to go abroad for study or to get a life to please make necessary enquiries and please go.

So many destinies are ruined everyday in Nigeria, unfortunately we allow selfishness to have the better of us.

Just in case you might wonder: Yes, I met Nigerians hussle-ing, doing 2-3 dignifying jobs, and making ends meet. They might not be rich because they live honestly and not flamboyantly, but they are moving ahead with their lives and families.

And lastly, Mr ,
the point is not to just be rich, but to make your wealth in a legit way. Most people in the Nigerian society which are looked up to as being rich have skeletons in their cupboards, but we usually dont like talking about that either.

Very well said indeed. A lot of wisdom here

As long as we continue to act as sheep, we will continue to be ruled by wolves

omosexy1: Commenting on Nairaland is now becoming boring. However, you have assisted me to say what I want to say. Thank you.

You are welcome brother, keep the faith, we'll get there

Kx: SLS is on point no doubt.

However,but for federal character and quota system, perhaps SLS wont have become CBN governor.
Must we always "fall the ladder once we ve used it to climb up"?

The fact he may or may not have gained from the system is not the point my brother. The point is the system is WRONG! There are many cases of people changing systems they may have gained from. In the UK the current generation of leaders had their University education system paid for and they actually got grants to go to school. 10 years ago those same people had to cancel the grant because the UK could no longer afford it. They did not say 'hey, I gained from this therefore I can't cancel it' they took the tough option which was in the best interest of the country. That is what leadership is all about. At independence there may well have been some merit in the Federal Character approach to give all sections of the country a sense of belonging, but it has now outlived its usefulness and is actually an impediment to growth and development. Any patriotic lover of the Nation can raise this as SLS has, regardless of if they benefited from it or not.

felifeli: If not for federal character will the fool have been able to get where he is today ? People just say things without thinking first.

I think you do not do the man justice. Are you saying there are no capable Hausa/Fulani people? Please. SLS is the ONLY person who has been calling it how it is in Nigeria for the last few years. Let's be honest for once. We are all want Nigeria to develop, no country on earth operates the way we do. Not one. During the Army govt we used to have at most 20 something ministers, the AFRC/SMC never used to be more than 30 members tops. The current political structure is an impediment to development.

Correct man! However the problem will not be solved by the politicians as they are feeding fat on the current structure. Only a change of political structure with a new crop of non-politicians, people like SLS, Ngozi etc at the forefront can take this country forward. Everything else is just more of the same for the next 50 years, till the Oil runs out.

dabigwalls: Our society needs to engage in some re-orientation of sorts for our upcoming young men and women. "LONDON" as we used to fondly call it and grow goose pimples over 20 years ago is no longer the same LONDON o. There are stinking locations in london, dirty streets and a lot of weekday drunkenness. While they have a very high sense of organisation and are usually very decent people, the jobs have gone into thin air, rates are not looking good, and you still cant park your car in front of your house in some places o. you pay TV license to watch TV, you do insurance for car and sometimes insurance costs more than car value, you must pay council tax apart from rent, London no be "LONDON" like that again oooo, london hustle pass lag hustle o

Very true words. People need to understand that 'London' is not a place to come and hustle anymore. If you have a job before you come (very slim chance) then fine, else you are really better of doing your hustle in Lag/Abuja. At least the weather is good and the babes don't have the cold induced hard face of our dear London babes

A lot of you guys make me laugh. I am an older dude with a taste for 'young meat' and I can assure that the so-called good girls are the worse. I can't even count the number of good middle class church going girls I've had sex with. Some were even engaged at the time. For me a stripper or even a hooker as a million times more integrity and class than the average Nigerian Uni babe.

Feelings of ethnic superiority has been the downfall of many 'great' empires and nations. It is a real shame that a many of Achebe's intellect could stoop to such a lowe level. Then again there were many intellectual titans in both the Nazi and South African white govt. I am not a Yoruba or Hausa, but I must say in this case I totally stand with them. What we don't need in Nigeria of 2012 is any kind of ethnic superiority claims.
How we would feel if a well known and influential white writer came out to make claims about white's being superior to blacks? We would be up in arms and full of rage and disgust. In this case all right thinking people must feel no less. Shame on you Prof Achebe

dare2think: Alot of self-delusion/ self denial going on. It is only natural to go into over-drive when under scrutiny!

Fact is; I dont think it is anybody's father's business that some folks go abroad to better their lives in anyway they deem fit. Likewise is anybody's farher's business that some chose to stay behind.

Nigerians both home and abroad contribute to the welfare of Nigeria in one way or another. And both groups have the right to criticise in any way they see fit.

To claim dominion or advantage over another is ridiculous and myopic. There are Nigerian millionaires both home and abroad. And there are suffer heads both home and abroad. It is inevitable.  

The op is very ignorant  and is projecting  is bitterness to a group if nigerians that made individual choices to travel out. Some of these folks have raised families abroad or were even born abroad. They criticise 9ger because they have that right to do so just as you criticise them as well. This is not a military regime where fos is curtailed.

This is one of the most thoughtful, and intelligent respones I've seen. A lot of Nlander's could do well to learn from this poster. Well done sir!

send in the drones!!

The opponents of State police have really not thought it through. They say state police will be used by the governors for intimidation. Well there are 2 responses to that. First the state governors already have the stage AG's, the state Judges and the ministry of justice at their disposal. What stops a state governor ordering the state attorney-general to bring charges against an opponent. What many people fail to realize is that the it is not the police that charge people to court it is the public prosecutor. A state governor can easily appoint a 'special prosecutor' to investigate anybody and bring charges against them. Are we now saying that state governments should not control state courts anymore?

The second point is the Nigerian police would not be dismantled. Rather it would become a Federal force akin to the US FBI. It could still maintain it's MOPOL force in the states to ensure that their is a counter-weight to any state police that may be used for ethnic attacks. If we address this issue without sentiments, I am sure we can establish state police in such a way as to get the benefits while preventing the fears of the opponents.

I really don't understand the ministers logic here. Abuja is a rapidly growing city with rising demand from abroad for direct flight access. To say people should first go to Enugu is just plain dumb. Why can't we ever do things for the benefit of the whole country and keep out ethnic bias

Nigeria Nigeria!!! A country where...

The Oil minister is indited by the National assembly for large scale and she dose not resign

Planes fall from the sky and the Aviation minister dose not resign

National highways are in a state of total disrepair and the minster of works dose not resign

Power output rises to it's highest since independence and the Minster of Power resigns

Nigeria we hail thee

IBB knows everything about these guys. Weather it's Buhari, Obj, Danjuma, any of them. I've said Buhari is a big hypocrite who keeps pretending he's the only honest person in Nigeria. IBB has body slammed him big time.

On a more serious note, it is quite funny to see all these former rulers and maximum rulers taking shots at each other. I guess it's indeed true the saying of our people 'Those who the Gods want to destroy, they first make mad'

We are waiting for Baba Obj to fire the next rocket

Awolow, Zik and Amadu Bello were founding fathers of the Nation, as was Herbert Macully. Murtala was an assinated head of state and Balewa an assinated PM, they all deserve to be remembered by the Nation. While I don't doubt that Ojukwu is a hero to many Ibo's, that sentiment is not shared by many others acorss the Nation. As an Edo man I see Ojukwu as one who invaded my land when no a single Ibo person had been harmed in the mid-west. I dont' share the postive sentiments to him and certainly would not support his face on the currency. However I totally understand the reverence many in the east have for him and so I wonder why the eastern states are yet to find a way to honour him

A deep study of the Nigerian political landscape shows that the North is in BIG trouble. The 3 zones in the south and the North Central are quite unlikely to vote for a Northern Muslim due to all the violence they have been getting since the slaughter of the Youth coppers(with no sign of remorse from Osama bin Buhari) to the continuing menace of BH. Tinubu would be quite unwise to go into a merger with the CPC, as the Youruba are not cattle who will just vote for a Northern Muslim because Tinubu says so. The only way CPC can get relevance in 2015 is to either merge with AC or APGA and accept to be the junior partner in such a relationship. There is NO WAY in a free and fair vote a Northern Muslim wins in 2015. That's not sentiment speaking, I am just calling it how I see it.