₦airaland Forum

Islamic banking is not a bad idea, as long as we can attract some of dat Arab oil money into Nigeria via Islamic banking. Islam is a way of life and not going anywhere. We welcome Islam but not violence and more violence. Reject radicalism.

Ready for business

namfav:
nigeria will not have a women president soon

Ok, When? If we are waiting for Nigeria to be ready, without testing or grooming Nigeria with potential candidates then Nigeria will never be ready. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala seems to be ready and the best Presidential candidate of all potential candidates so far. I mean dis woman will deliver bouncing baby boyz and girlz for Nigeria, so wat is the problem. 

So, huge things in construction, real estate, mortgage markets. Financial services: we had 89 banks. Too many not doing their real business. We consolidated them from 89 to 25 banks by requiring that they increase their capital - share capital. And it went from about 25 million dollars to 150 million dollars. The banks - these banks are now consolidated, and that strengthening of the banking system has attracted a lot of investment from outside. Barclays Bank of the U.K. is bringing in 500 million. Standard Chartered has brought in 140 million. And I can go on. Dollars, on and on, into the system.

We are doing the same with the insurance sector. So in financial services, a great deal of opportunity. In tourism, in many African countries, a great opportunity. And that's what many people know East Africa for: the wildlife, the elephants, and so on. But managing the tourism market in a way that can really benefit the people is very important.

So what am I trying to say? I'm trying to tell you that there's a new wave on the continent. A new wave of openness and democratization in which, since 2000, more than two-thirds of African countries have had multi-party democratic elections. Not all of them have been perfect, or will be, but the trend is very clear. I'm trying to tell you that since the past three years, the average rate of growth on the continent has moved from about 2.5 percent to about 5 percent per annum. This is better than the performance of many OECD countries. So it's clear that things are changing.

Conflicts are down on the continent; from about 12 conflicts a decade ago, we are down to three or four conflicts,And if we are down to three or four conflicts, it means that there are plenty of opportunities to invest in stable, growing, exciting economies where there's plenty of opportunity. And I want to just make one point about this investment.

Read more: http://www.sweetspeeches.com/s/49-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-want-to-help-africa-do-business-here#ixzz1TIb5vLSA

By Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

^^ Care to expatiate exactly why u said dat? 

there's an Africa that you don't hear about very much. And sometimes I'm puzzled, and I ask myself why. This is the Africa that is changing, that Chris alluded to. This is the Africa of opportunity. This is the Africa where people want to take charge of their own futures and their own destinies. And this is the Africa where people are looking for partnerships to do this. That's what I want to talk about today.

The best way to help Africans today is to help them to stand on their own feet. And the best way to do that is by helping create jobs. There's no issue with fighting malaria and putting money in that and saving children's lives. That's not what I'm saying. That is fine. But imagine the impact on a family: if the parents can be employed and make sure their children go to school, that they can buy the drugs to fight the disease themselves.

If we can invest in places where you yourselves make money whilst creating jobs and helping people stand on their own feet, isn't that a wonderful opportunity? Isn't that the way to go? And I want to say that some of the best people to invest in on the continent are the women. And the women are diligent: they are focused; they work hard against all odds have developed businesses, some of them world-class.

Read more: http://www.sweetspeeches.com/s/49-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-want-to-help-africa-do-business-here#ixzz1TIQhpwNO

By Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

mods can i get ya ardua's wife pic off the What Nigeria needs thread. It is off topic since she was first lady and not the first or the last. She represented herself and not Nigeria. Thank you. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-720560.0.html

p.s change my mind leave the pic.

Sun of God u and i will agree that your pic is not necessary, so remove that pic from this thread. please. Besides she was a first lady representing herself and never Nigeria.

It is time we embraced change in this country to attain progress. P.S. CONTINUE READING ON THIS LINK https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-720560.0.html

At present can thinnk of no presidential candidate more qualified than Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

I have been asking myself that same question of late. It is clear the best Presidential Candidate we have today in Nigeria is a woman by the name of Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

She is a technocrats and have twice been made to abandon her career and family in Washington to work at the very heart of Nigeria government as the finance minister. Yet people don't think she has earn a promotion despite her excellent service to Nigeria with out the usual corruption and Mal-practice. 

P.S. CONTINUE READING ON THIS LINK https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-720560.0.html

namfav:
      wallahi billahi talahi

I know dis is Hausa and dat's about it.

Igbo dark skin is rear and not as much as brown skin or light skin. hence your wrong assumption. Don't take my word for it just facebook a igbo name and see how many dark skin comes up as oppose to brown and light.

Most Igbo family have a mixture of dark and light skin kids. Normally one dark and the three light. So it is not a case of praising the light skin like in the US but family and love for one another regardless of complexion.

afam4eva:
Ondo and Ekiti people are cleaner and less tribalistic than other Yoruba people. That's why I'm Forced to believe that there's something going on in their gene.

Very wrong assumption dey are the worst. just look at ileke idi. I say no more.

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=721357.msg8794737#msg8794737 date=1311704472]What doesnt make sense is

1. How Yorubas have Igbo ansc.
+
2. How Igbo does not have Yoruba ansc.

Maybe it's just those ppl. Esp since Yoruba men are historically  known for banging anything in skirt.[/quote]I had earlier explained to people on this site that the migration root of the ancients was from the south to the north, then east before west, just like the shape of our continent.

This is common knowledge to those that studied anthropology. Hence, it is not a big deal Igbo have efik dna and Edo's have Igbo dna more than the yoruba nad then the yoruba have lesser percentage of Igbo DNA. ETC.

By Godson Nwa Offoaro

Monday, July 25, 2011

Each time there is a snarl of traffic on the nearly fifty year old Niger Bridge, I hold my breath. Each time there is a report of vehicular accident (like there was on it last week) on the present Niger Bridge, I hold my breath. Yes, if you were in my thinking position you would. Imagine a scene like the Niger bridge falling down. Imagine how many vehicles (particularly if it happened during rush or traffic peak hour) that would be on the bridge when this happens.



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Imagine the spiral economic dislocation. Imagine that hundreds, if not thousands will die. Imagine that there will be a huge economic dislocation of the entire region of the south east and south-south up to the fringes of the north central and even up to Sokoto and Maiduguri. Imagine that the impact could reverberate across the entire west coast of Africa and cause an economic quake with accompanying socio-economic consequences of seismic note.

No amount of monetary value so attached would be enough to ameliorate or assuage the victims’ pains.

Let me repeat myself for sake of emphasis. Imagine what a catastrophe of immense proportions that would follow, should the Niger Bridge fall down and or gets dislocated. If this bridge collapses on a busy weekend when traders from the south east and regular Nigerians from other parts of the country are coming home from their weekly runs to Lagos, Aba, Onitsha, Uyo, Calabar, Otukpo, Makurdi, Benin Republic and or Cote Devoir? There will be wailings that would produce tears and pains monumental enough to rouse a tidal wave of tears bigger than that generated by the usually placid, unobtrusive River Niger when it is provoked. Especially between the months of June and September. Such tears may drench the minds of the people east of the Niger. There will be instant widows.

There will be instant orphans and there will be instant loss of bread winners. The collapse of the Niger Bridge would have unimaginable economic consequences whose long term impact on the lives of the peoples of the east and some parts of the north will be more severe than the impact of the Nigerian civil war on Nigeria. Imagine if that happens now as the nation is going through down-turn man-made economic pains. Have you ever, ever imagined that there will be a collapse of economic lifeline not only for the people of the south east but to the economic line of the people of the west and the people of northern Nigeria? To be sure, that and many more, have been the reasons why, the worries over the state of the present Niger Bridge and the need for a second one is heard loudest and may be clearest from a segment of the country known as the south east. Being from the south east, somebody I know or myself, could be on the bridge, the day that avoidable catastrophe may happen. And that is the reason I write today.

Now, flashback to July 28 2009, when the former minister of Works and Housing Dr. Hassan Lawal told members of the working committee of the PDP in Abuja that the much talked about contract for the construction of a second Niger Bridge was a hoax. Quickly he was reminded of the elaborate ceremonies that preceded the launch of the proposed Bridge by our erstwhile president, my friend, the super Nigerian Nationalist, Olusegun Obasanjo. Dr. Hassan Lawal had retorted to the effect that, there was never, ever a contract signed for the construction of a Second Niger Bridge. It was when he said it and the press reported it and he did not deny it that I knew my friend, OBJ, who should as a matter of fact be named the real Maradona of Nigerian politics, had done it again.

For what were those elaborate celebrations wrapped in uxorious pomp and pageantry that preceded the foundation laying ceremonies that ran simultaneously on both sides of the Niger River, a few days before the general elections of 2003? Because it is on record Obasanjo in his hey days had done a lot of incalculable damage to the people South East, especially the Igbo speaking segment, I was almost forced to begin to get confused. Remember, he is my friend. Then, I quickly remembered that a man’s better deeds should always be able to supersede his short comings.

Then I placed in proper context, OBJ’s numerous sacrifices and policies to move the Nigerian nation and humanity forward. And I said, to myself, not to worry. After all OBJ is an equal opportunity dispenser of bitter political pills nationwide, including his home zone, the south west! May be he deliberately did not build a second bridge across the Niger, because of Ngige, or Odumegwu Ojukwu, or Alex Ekwueme or Chinwoke Mbadinuju or even because of the stubborn Igbo who showed him pepper on the battlefield around Nekede and Obinze. My friend, OBJ has no forgiving spirit. This I know.

However, those of us, who had apprehension if a second bridge would indeed be built across the Niger River any time soon, were soon soothed by the subsequent pronouncements of Professor Dora Akunyili, then Minister of Information. One day after a Federal Executive Council meeting, Dora had mounted the podium (with Comrad Labaran Maku - then Minister of State - standing by her and nodding his radical-laden, Marxist head in approval) to admit that, indeed the so called contract for the construction of a second Bridge across the River Niger at Onitsha and Asaba had been cancelled. She attributed the cancellation to technical difficulties; and that, in its place, the feds had approved a total sum of seven billion naira - as down payment for a proper study of the construction of a befitting Second bridge across the River Niger. She disclosed with Labaran still standing by her and nodding in affectionate approval, that the money so designated would be captured in the 2011 Appropriation Bill. Concluding she said it again and again as she smiled to news men and for proper television effect, that work would commence on the Second Niger Bridge as soon as possible since our brother Ebele Zik, would love to commission it before his departure, say in four year’s time. That was then, and this is now.

Now, it’s almost a year, since Sister Dora made the heartwarming disclosure. Now, it’s almost 100 days since our brother, Azikiwe before the elections, reassured us that he would see to it that, that work would in earnest commence on the illusive second bridge across the River Niger. Now, this is the month of July and nothing seems to be happening. While the purpose of this write up is not in any way to blame the GEAJ administration, it will nonetheless serve as one of the constant reminders of the dangers that lurk around the now, aged and congested Niger Bridge. The little incident recently that snarled traffic on to Onitsha-Owerri Road, Onitsha Awka Road and Asaba Benin Roads was a constant reminder of what that (God forbid) always postponed day of the apocalypse on the now overworked, aging Niger Bridge.

Just as I and a few concerned people from the south east were putting thoughts on paper for the need for a sixth state in the south east (to match existing situation where every geo-political zone in the country has at least six states) came news that members of this class of our national assembly are putting thoughts on paper in form of constitutional amendment with priority attention being earmarked for the need for a sixth state for the people of the south east. Another news, actually has it that, the president and commander in chief of Nigeria’s armed forces, Goodluck Ebele A. Jonathan was sending a Bill to the national assembly which will consider among other proposals, a one term tenure of 6 or 7 years for the president, governors and legislators in the land. I said, to myself, Ehm, a Daniel is finally arriving at the corridors of Nigeria’s judiciary. Nigerians, just look at this scenario: poring over what and who constitute the various states (population and geography) in the federation, we discovered that almost all the states in existence today were created following an existing pattern – a pattern that mimicked colonial provincial administrative headquarters. Or the group of provinces created soon after 1966 at the wake of the confusion that followed the military coup. It is worthy of note that of all the regions in the federation, it was only in the south east, where this fine guiding principle was glossed over or deliberately ignored.

And so, for example, whereas, the old Abeokuta province became the basis for the creation of Ogun state, present Imo State is a lump up of three former provincial headquarters vide: Okigwe, Owerri and Orlu. The old Port Harcourt Province became the basis for new Rivers State while Uyo and Calabar provinces produced Akwa Ibom and Cross River states respectively. What of the old Adamawa province, it produced Borno State as the old Jos provincial headquarters produced the present Plateau state.

The above examples are not exhaustive. It then follows that if equity and fair play should be guiding principles in our vanguard to found a true nation where every one’s interest is taken into consideration and where no man should see himself as being oppressed, the south east area of Nigeria with as many provinces as eight – Enugu, Owerri, Abakiliki, Okigwe, Orlu, Onitsha, Awka, Umuahia and Aba and so forth, should at least have been seven states. Why past military dictators in their now unwise consul created a mere 5 states out of an area that had eight or more administrative colonial provinces should beat the imagination of all men of good will. That is the reason I await in glee as the nation tinkers with its constitution. It should indeed be an opportunity of a life time to correct this gaping imbalance. A sixth state (not exhaustive for now) for now, anywhere in the south east should do it. Recall that the last time the south east almost got its sixth state was when the subject featured prominently in the consideration of the legistature in Abuja in 2006.

Offoaro writes from Havensgate, Owerri. Offoaro@yahoo.com 070 251 61 236

Niyi Odebode, Abuja

A member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, representing Oluyole Federal Constituency in Oyo State, on Saturday said the House had not approved Islamic banking.



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Olaifa told our correspondent in Abuja that although the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, appeared before the House, Islamic banking had not been debated by the lawmakers.

He said he expected the leadership of the House to allow for a debate on the issue this week.

He said, "I read in the newspapers that the House approved Islamic banking, Speaking for myself, nothing like that happened. Lamido Sanusi came in respect of an invitation of the House. He presented his position and he was allowed to go. He was not even asked a question.

"The House has not even discussed it (Islamic banking). The reason why he was allowed to go and the sitting adjourned was to enable members to attend the burial of the Chairman of the National Assembly Commission."

He added, "We would have postponed the CBN's governor's appearance. But we know he is a very busy person. If we had postponed it, getting him to come another time, may be difficult."

"As a sign of respect for the deceased, the sitting had to be postponed. You would have observed that the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, was not around. He went for the burial. That was why the sitting was adjourned. I can assure you that the House will discuss Islamic banking and arrive at a position."

Olaifa commended the House's legislative agenda, saying if the lawmakers implemented it, Nigeria would change.

He said, "If the House of Representatives is doing its job the way it should do it, the Senate would take their own cue from that. The executive would try as much as possible not to mess up."

The lawmaker further said that the agenda would assist the House in performing its oversight functions properly.

lol! Can't help but pity u Bakare. My advice to u is be careful wat u wish for becos it might just come true. U necessary might not like it. This is my advice. Long live our Mr President Jonathan Ebele Azikiwe Goodluck.

Written by Soji Ajibola and Tunbosun Ogunleye, Lagos
Monday, July 25, 2011

THE vice-presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the April general election, Pastor Tunde Bakare, in Lagos, on Sunday, said situations in the country might prompt the emergence of a dictator.



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In his message, Signposts to the emergency of dictator, the cleric said the economic and security situations in the country were evidences that the leadership of the nation had got it wrong.

Members of the Islamic sect, Boko Harm, according to him, were not the problems of the country, but the leadership.

Accusing the leadership of insensitivity to the plight of the masses, Pastor Bakare said a good leader must be responsible and responsive.

He called on the leaders to refrain from the act of celebrating swindlers, while the just were allowed to wallow in abject poverty.

A good leader, according to him, must be able to think ahead of situation, lamenting that in Nigeria, instead of concentrating on how to make lives more meaningful for the people, the leadership would be dissipating energies on unprofitable venture.

Pastor Bakare called for effective management of the resources of the country, adding that what you do in the time of boom could spell doom for you later in life.

As a way out of the civil disturbance in some states in the North, the cleric called for a level playing field in terms of good leadership.

Speaking on the recent flooding in Lagos, which left in its trail death of about 25 people, Pastor Bakare exonerated Governor Babatunde Fashola, but, instead, called on the successive administrations in the state to account for the millions of naira approved by the World Bank for construction and clearing of drainage.

On Islamic banking, the cleric said when it became operational; he would be the first to patronise it, adding that "I am a business man. I will be the first person to open account with the bank."

Ozioma Ubabukoh, Enugu

The Peer Review Mechanism of the Nigeria Governor's Forum has ranked Anambra State high in good governance, saying hardship is being alleviated despite the low revenue base of the state.


Governor Peter Obi

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The SPRM was conceived by the NGF as an instrument to assist states in accelerating the pace of development, through periodic reviews of progress in the implementation of their development policies, plans and programmes.

The Director-General of the forum, Mr. Aishana Okauru, who made a presentation of the outcome of a peer review tour of the state in 2009 and 2010, said on Saturday that "governance in Anambra was demand-driven, targeted at alleviating the hardship previously experienced by the people."

He added, "Since the state is one of those with a comparatively low revenue base, the Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, runs a slim government."

He explained that Anambra and Edo states were selected as pioneering states for the exercise that he described as "unprecedented in the sub-national level in the world."

According to him, arrangements are ongoing to commence the process in Ekiti, Jigawa, Niger and Rivers states.

Okauru said, "It is in this regards that my team is visiting Awka to commence the process. The visit to Anambra State took place specifically from June 2 to 4, 2009. From this visit, it became obvious that the state was doing a number of things well. From infrastructural developments to innovations in education, health and agricultural sectors, Anambra State is making giant strides in socio-economic development."

He noted that a number of benchmarks were identified by a peer review team. He listed the Ornor rice farms, together with the Ogboji Ezira rice lands of Orumba, and Odoekpe rice fields in Ogbaru, as having earned the state the third richest rice potential areas in Nigeria.

The director-general added, "Anambra State government has spent over N3bn to provide potable and sustainable water schemes in over 40 communities in the state.

"The current administration has completed and put to use two magnificent state secretariat complexes. Tremendous progress has been made in the provision of infrastructure and facilities for schools.

"Over 100 schools have benefitted from the state government's laboratory rehabilitation and equipment programme, entailing renovation of school laboratories and increased supply of science and computing equipment and instructional materials. Libraries in 174 secondary schools have also been renovated and equipped."

From PETRUS OBI, Enugu

Monday, July 25, 2011

The apex Igbo social-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo which massively threw its weight behind Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition has declared 2015 as the year the people of the South-east geo-political zone will have a shot at the elusive presidential position.



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The National President of the Ohanaeze, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, who declared this in Enugu at the weekend said the Igbo body was putting great emphasis on uniting the Igbo people and guiding them towards a common political and economic agenda.

Uwechue was delivering a lecture to mark the inauguration of the new executive committee of the Enugu Sports Club led by Mr. Richard Agu as chairman.

The Ohanaeze president said, “the target on which Ndigbo must now focus is securing the presidency–the master key to any national development exercise. In this regard, Ohanaeze has put forward a case and is canvassing for the rotation of the office of the president among the six geo-political zones of our country.”

Tracing the political history of Nigeria, Uwechue declared that it was a cruel irony that a people who had done so much to keep Nigeria together as a nation were being systematically denied their rightful turn at producing a president for the country. He recalled that the leadership of the three largest ethnic groups, though with the support of the smaller ethnic groups, masterminded the negotiation for Nigeria’s independence from Great Britain: Hausa/Fulani, represented by Sir Ahmadu Bello; Igbo, represented by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Yoruba, represented by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

He noted that, “apart from the minorities who have been president of our country, two of these three bigger groups, Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba, have already had their turns of the presidential slot several times over. To rectify this anomaly, virtually perpetuating the exclusion of our country’s largest ethnic group from its rightful share of political power at the center must now be perceived and firmly accepted as the priority task of the leadership of the Igbo nation in charting the new course for Ndigbo in the Nigerian polity.

“The attainment of this objective will restore the confidence of Igbo nation, severely bruised by the civil war and its debilitating aftermath, both in itself as a people and in the Nigerian project as a worthwhile venture.”

He described the Igbos as exceptionally resourceful as evidenced in their outstanding achievements in various fields of human endevour, noting that,“now is the time to put these human impressive attributes to work and make the desired political impact at the national level where team work is crucial for collective success.”

The Ohanaeze chieftain noted that the rallying cry for Igbo support for President Goodluck Jonathan during the April general elections was based on this particular premise. “The way forward for Ndigbo, whose South-east is currently allotted the least number of states among the six zones is to press for a constitutional ammendment that enshrines the reality and absolute equality of the six geopolitical zones and work with one mind to secure the presidency after the South-south.

“Producing the next president by the South-east is not a privilege but a legitimate political right and should be seen as such by all well-meaning Nigerians in the interest of equity and national well-being.”

2015: How Igbo can be president, by Uwechue

News Monday, July 25, 2011

BY TONY EDIKE

ENUGU- PRESIDENT General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, weekend, said that unless the South-East geopolitical zone pressed for a constitutional amendment that would enshrine the reality and absolute equality of the six geopolitical zones and work collectively to secure the presidency after the South-South in 2015, it would be difficult for Igbo to regain their leading role in the nation's polity.



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Uwechue also lamented that the South-East zone, which had been in the forefront of the nation's affairs, had been relegated to the background.

In a lecture, entitled: "Charting a new course for the Igbo nation in the Nigerian Polity" at the inauguration of the Richard Agu-led executive committee of Enugu Sports Club, Uwechue noted that Ndigbo had been consistent in the pursuit of national unity and inter-ethnic cooperation.

He stressed that under the leadership of the late Owelle of Onitsha, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Igbo played the role of bridge builders in the fledgling Nigerian nation.

Uwechue said: "Ndigbo, apart from their demographic weight, are exceptionally resourceful as evidenced by their outstanding achievements in various fields of human endeavour, both at home and abroad."

He traced the core problems facing Ndigbo at the national political stage to the immediate events that preceded the civil war from 1967 to 1970, saying it created fear and distrust among the Igbos.

According to Uwechue, despite the immense contributions of the South East zone to the nation's development, the zone has remained the only zone that has not produced the president of the country since the birth of Nigeria some centuries ago.

He said, however, that the zone had not helped matters, despite its obscure nature due to the continued infighting and divisions which had become the hallmark in Igbo affairs anywhere in the country

He said Ohanaeze Ndigbo was putting great emphasis on uniting the people and guiding them towards a common political and economic agenda, stressing that the target was to ensure that Ndigbo focussed attention on securing the presidency, which, according to him, is the master key to any national development exercise.

In this regard, he disclosed that Ohanaeze had now put up a case and was seriously canvassing for the rotation of the office of president among the six geo-political zones of the country.

Uwaechue disclosed that the rallying cry for Igbo support for President Goodluck Jonathan during the last April general elections was based on the premise that power should rotate within the six geopolitical zones.

He said the emergence of the next president from the South East was not a privilege but a legitimate political right and should be seen as such by all well meaning Nigerians in the interest of sheer equity and national well being.

Surrounded by rivers, Bayelsans still lack water to drink

Written by Adebayo Waheed
Monday, July 25, 2011

ERNEST Anyamaene, a 36 year old man from Ihiala Local Government of Anambra State, makes at least N2,000 profit everyday from the supply of borehole water to residents of Imgbi, off Punch Road and Amarata, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He would be green with envy, if an average and energetic Hausaman discloses his daily income from the sales of water, usually fetched in 25 litres jerry cans and packaged in a two-wheel cart, constructed to ply, even the most inaccessible neighbourhoods in the capital city.



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The thriving water supply business of these young men aptly brings to the front burner the failure of the government of Bayelsa State in providing potable and hygienic water to the Ijaws, surrounded by several rivers and seas, which could have been harnessed to quench the thirst of the people.

An emerging state, synonymous with rich aquatic splendour and endowments, coupled with its wealth, accruable from the oil sector of the nation's economy, urban residents and villagers in both up land and riverine communities do not have access to safe water.

But to several northerners and few strong easterners engaged in this "mobile water ventures", government should not wake up to its social responsibility so that they can continue to make their living and as well cool off with part of the hard earned profit after a stressful day job.

Bayelsa, created out of the old Rivers State about 15 years ago, can not boast of a functional water service system, thereby making life difficult for both Ijaws and other ethnic nationalities, residing in the oil rich state.

It does not stop at that level. A visit by Nigerian Tribune to the Federal Medical Centre and other state government owned hospitals and clinics indicated high prevalence of water-borne diseases among the helpless patients. These ailments include typhoid, diarrhea and other diseases, which medical experts described as dangerous to the collective health of the state.

Despite the recent heavy rain currently being witnessed in the country, many Bayelsans, even in the rural communities still groan under needless water crisis, a development that is fast generating concern among environmentalists, who argue that concrete steps must be taken as an elixir to end the hardship of the masses.

A prominent environmentalist, who pleaded anonymity, informed our correspondent that "issue relating to the provision of hygienic water by the government should be accorded topmost priority, with a view to averting epidemic in this state", stressing that "over the years this perennial dearth of drinkable water has become a very shameful phenomenon in a state that is virtually surrounded by rivers and seas".

Continuing, he pointed out that "I learnt the government has done something in that direction to get around the problem, but we have not seen the practical manifestation of their so called efforts in that critical area. Some poor residents, in both rural and urban communities, including Brass, Sagbama, Nembe and Amasomma, who could not afford to pay the water vendor to supply them water, often go to streams or rivers to fetch it, thereby predisposing them to all forms of water-borne diseases, taking into cognizance the effect of oil explorations in these villages".

In a chat with the Nigerian Tribune, Ernest, popularly known as Agency around Amarata area, where he plies his trade, said "My brother, this is what we do to keep body and soul together and I must not deceive you, it is paying off. I normally wake up latest by 7.00 am and prepare myself for the water activities of the day because I would not like to disappoint my customers, most especially around this Punch Road. Charity begins at home; therefore I always ensure that they are satisfied with my supply, before considering other neighbourhoods".

He continued, "Despite our services, including all those Mallams you see doing this business, we cannot match up with the increased demands of the people for water. There are many requests by our teeming customers, but my brother we cannot kill ourselves due to the rigorous experience involved in doing this business. If you want to over stretch yourself, you may end up cutting your life short due to quest for money. To push this cart, you must be extremely strong and healthy, otherwise something unpalatable may happen".

While explaining the start up cost of the water vending business, Agency explained, "Personally, I have two carts. Each costs N12, 500 and I bought each of the empty 25 litres jerry can for N300. I go to the private borehole points to buy water needed to fill up my kegs and then commence my supply immediately to customers, who have booked. If you don't book, I may not supply you. To say the truth, this business is lucrative, provided you are determined to do it".

Asked if they need assistance from the government, he retorted, "Government should assist us with capital so that we can have enough money to buy more carts and kegs. With this done, our desire to satisfy the people would be accomplished, because we are doing our best, though our best may not good enough, taking into account the number of people that need our services".

In his own view, Mallam Yussuf Abdulkadir, a 28 year old from Katsina State, stated, "This business is not easy to do. But, if you don't want to steal or do anything that is against the law, it is important to work and that is why I am doing it. I normally set off for my water business very early in the morning. This is due to the fact that people would need water for various domestic works in the morning. So, if you want to remain relevant or get customers, you must wake up quickly to do your work".

He added that "the business is good now. At least we are making daily income from it to sustain ourselves and even beyond that level. But, in the dry season, to even get borehole water to buy, you have to struggle hard".

Commenting on the hardship faced by the people of the state over water usage, the immediate past Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Orientation, Chief Nathan Egba Ologo, contended that "the way Yenagoa is built, there are still that rural part of this state, where access is still very difficult and some of those people who live in these areas are experiencing difficulties in getting water. This is what is affecting water distribution now. There are still places where you cannot even access and just do a kind of neighbourhood thing.

"We are doing something significant on public water works. The government of the day had concluded works in some areas as regards to the laying of pipes and you know that our terrain is bad, but we still manage to lay these pipes in some parts of Yenagoa. These have been done to the reticulation levels in some areas, with signposts, indicating that reticulation had been completed in some designated neighbourhoods", he stressed.

"Definitely, the government of Chief Timipre Sylva has not abandoned the people, as far as the provision of good and potable water is concerned and we are intensifying our efforts to permanently address this issue," Ologo submitted.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

^^Mr 1025, This thread has nothing to do with all the aforesaid listed in your post. We are here to talk about good governance and whom is best fit to place the mantle of leadership after GEJ tenure in 2015.

As a Nigerian and Progressive, i take seriously the role of leadership in attaining sustainable development and securing the growth of our economy. To that effect, we can think of no better candidate to entrust those responsibilities in present day Nigeria with all the corrupt politicians than Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

So next time before u jump the gun and start posting out of context or sentiments at least read the title and content thread first. No-doubt Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is the most versatile and astute development champion we have in Nigeria and Internationally.

Hence, she is over due for a promotion from the capacity of finance minister Nigeria has repeatedly dragged her out of Washington to undertake. She undoubtedly in the present political climate is one of the best technocrats Nigeria has been blessed with.

Career
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the 2004 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group

Prior to her ministerial career in Nigeria, Okonjo-Iweala was vice-president and corporate secretary of the World Bank Group. She left it in 2003 after she was appointed to President Obasanjo's cabinet as Finance Minister on 15 July.

In October 2005, she led the Nigerian team that struck a deal with the Paris Club, a group of bilateral creditors, to pay a portion of Nigeria's external debt (US $12 billion) in return for an $18 billion debt write-off. Prior to the partial debt payment and write-off, Nigeria spent roughly US $1 billion every year on debt servicing, without making a dent in the principal owed.

Okonjo-Iweala also introduced the practice of publishing each state's monthly financial allocation from the federal government in the newspapers. She was instrumental in helping Nigeria obtain its first ever sovereign credit rating (of BB minus) from Fitch and Standard & Poor's. Nigeria is considered to have defaulted on its sovereign debt in 1983 (debt rescheduling is considered a type of default by rating agencies).[5]

Some controversy surrounded Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment as Finance Minister, and that of Foreign Affairs minister, Olu Adeniji, as other ministers were resentful of their United Nations salaries of over US$240,000, compared with their own $6,000 base salary. The controversy was spearheaded by reform-minded media reports, although Okonjo-Iweala felt that her critics were unjustified because of the temporary nature of the payment, which came out of the donor supported Diaspora Fund negotiated by the Nigerian government.[6] On Friday, 20 July 2007, the Court of Appeal ruled that the salary payment was not done within the ambit of Nigeria's laws, and directed her and Adeniji to pay back the excess to the account of the state.

Both Okonjo-Iweala and the Federal Government of Nigeria have appealed the case to the Supreme Court, and judgement is pending. The appeal is on the basis that the appeals court made its judgement due to erroneous information provided to it that the Nigerian government was making the salary payments, when in fact it was not.

She resigned as Nigeria's Foreign Minister on August 3, 2006 following her sudden removal as head of Nigeria's Economic Intelligence team by President Olusegun Obasanjo. She left office at the end of August 2006.

On October 4, 2007, World Bank President Robert Zoellick appointed her to the post of Managing Director, effective December 1, 2007.[7]

Given the recent challenges faced by Nigeria on how to manage the macroeconomic policy in such a way to achieve the country's vision 2020, Okonjo Iweala was seen as a the Joshua who can actually lead the country to attain achieve her goal. During her confirmation as a Minister, she stressed the need to reduce the country's recurrent expenditure which is presently 74% of the National Budget and embark on capital projects which could improve the 14% unemployment rate in the country.[8] One of the conditions she gave to the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, was an additional power to influence/exercise power over the economic team. This power include the appointment of credible and proven staff to head departments and ministries under her portfolio.

Any news that refer to Ojukwu in the term of 'Biafran warlord' is a propaganda.