₦airaland Forum

Katsumoto:
At the end of the day, the Greeks are responsible for the mess they find themselves in. Speculators make money by betting on events that they think will come to pass. You can not blame speculators for cooked books. Without the EU/IMF package and its concomitant conditions, can you suggest a way out for Greece since you reject the loan/conditions.

like a typical brainwashed nigerian who is not used to critical analysis your level of understanding a situation is limited to regurgigating in a parrot like fashioin what you have read from the pages of govt censored newspapers with no appreciation of the background issues - why do you think i provided you with the background to this situation? it was in order for you to  put the situation into its correct context in order to know where the problem came from and who is to blame, but without skipping a beat you go back to blaming the Greeks for a situation that they had no control over. 

When IBB colluded with tthe IMF and adopted SAP which imposed even more draconian economic policies on the nigerian populace,  were nigerians to blame for that state of affairs? if you are saying the Greeks are to blame then that means the nigerian people are also to blame for our eeconomy being in the deplorable state that its in following decades of corruption,mismanagment by the nigerian oligarchs and collusion with the international banking cartels.   

I have tried to explain to  you that from the start Greece was set up to fail, the wall street investment bankers KNEW Greece were going to default on their loans, they encouraged Greece to HIDE the debt by repackaging their existing debt and selling it on the international money market, and then like a bunch of depraved jackals these same bankers used their inside information to take bets from speculators on the imminent collapse of the entire greek economy.

In the event that Greece cant pay its debt - which we now know it cant - the IMF steps in and takes over but guess what Goldman Sachs laughs all the way to the bank by way of millions of dollars raked in from CDS's (credit default swaps) for ACCURATELY predicting the collapse of an entire nation's economy.

The idea that speculators are well within their rights to take bets on the economy of a soveriegn state and predict its eventual collapse is the height of moral bankruptcy.  What baffles me is that you are from a country that the IMF and world bank has crippled and continue to cripple and yet you advocate that this same institution step in to hijack the Greek economy just as they have hijacked the economies of your own country causing the vast majority of your people to live in grim poverty.

have  you ever seen any country which has been the recipient of IMF loans ever prosper ? the only winners in those situations are the corrupt leaders of the recipient countries who get a percentage of the loan and the foreign banks themselves, are you aware that the interest rates and conditionalities attached to those loans guarantee the citizens of the recipient country a life of unending misery and poverty. 

here are some of the conditionalities attached to these type of loans:

public sector cuts- education, health care, social services, cuts in employment, devaluation of the local currency and many others - do these sound familiar to you? they should because these are all the conditions that the IMF asked nigeria to comply with in order to qualify for the "bail out" loan they offerred IBB in 1985

Didnt your country Nigeria under the leadership of that animal Obasanjo hand over $12 billion just a few years ago  to this same bank in order to settle a questionable debt which they claimed we owed.

The Greeks are doing what the nigerians should have done 25 years ago they are resisting the hijacking of their economy by an international banking cartel aka the IMF and world bank, they are resisting the extinguishment of their status as a soveriegn state, they are resisting the third worldisation of their standard of living.

i mentioned earlier that goldman sachs received over $300 million in fees for helping the greeks govt falsify its debts, and even encouraged them to borrow more money knowing full well that come repayment time when those loan agreements matured the greek govt would still end up defaulting, the first thing that shoudl happen is that those bankers should be charged with criminal fraud and high treason for deliberately precipitating the collapse of a soveriegn state's economy, then Greece's debt should be cancelled, the greek people should stop at nothing to prevent the hijacking of their soveriegnty, even if it means bringing the entire country to a standstill they should do that, to give in to these criminals will mean that no soverign state is safe, as a matter of fact portugal, spain, ireland and italy are said to be next in  this economic takeover of sovereign states by investment bank vultures, the above mentioned economies all have budget deficits which are around that 12% of GDP mark.

how come there were no pictures of him lying in state before the burial

[quote author=tpia. link=topic=442465.msg6019614#msg6019614 date=1273281474]^^with the uk border agency and BNP supporters practically knocking at your door, is the life you're living in uk not currently a horrible nightmare?

let's not mention the budget deficits looming over your head.[/quote]they say those in glass houses should never throw stones - the life of the average nigerian in nigeria is nothing more than  a life of unending misery and despair, yes britain has a huge budget deficit but you know what? i can guarantee you that when the govt starts trying to implement austerity measures that it has been threatenting to implement ie laying off people from their jobs, this country will descend into chaos, people in the west dont just bow their heads and allow their leaders to shaft them endlessly like the nigerian population allows its own leaders to do, here people stand up and fight, nobody in the west will tolerate the coming job losses, there is going to be anarchy in this country, the IMF and world bank has been shafting nigeria for over 25 years and nobody does anything they just sit down bow their heads and pray for god to come down from heaven and save them, cowards, get ready for another round of austerity measures from your incoming president IBB, all of you psychophants singing his praises are all going to get what  you deserve.

info henry:
Aso radio reporter, thanks to nairaland, we are all power brokers now. sometimes we come here to post our horrible dreams for the whole world to read. Yaradua died on 5th of may and as devoted muslim was buried the next day. I dont know where you ar coming from, the search engine is picking what ever falsehood you droping here, tommorow the whole world is reading it.

keep on deceiving yourself along with 150 million others like yourself, what horrible dreams are you talking about - is the life you are living in nigeria not a horrible nightmare, are you living the way decent human beings are supposed to live, is it normal for a president of a country to remain incommunicado for 3 whole months and after much cloak and dagger performances the international press give your kleptocrat leaders permission to tell the world that a man who died in december died yesterday, please go back to sleep my friend.

Katsumoto:
I get the point you are trying to make but the Greeks have no business protesting. Their government has cooked books for a long time, Greece has the largest underground economy in Europe, and there is no growth in the country. Without the lifeline given to Greece by the EU and IMF, Greece would have sunk. It would have been unable to pay salaries or continue with certain public services. The conditions are necessary to ensure that the deficit, which is the highest in Europe, is cut drastically in the next few years. Greece has a 2009 budget deficit of almost 14% of GDP and overall debt that is 150% of GDP. Unlike most countries whose deficits are high because of stimulus packages, Greece is high because of corruption, high wages, slow growth, etc.

the Greeks have every right to protest because their govt did not consult them before approaching a corrupt group of predatory wall street bankers.

goldman sachs are responsible for bankrupting Greece - they colluded with the Greek govt by helping them hide their debt, this was done in order to enable Greece comply with strict EU regulations that it imposes on member states concerning debt reduction, in exchange for helping the greek govt falsify their accounts Goldman Sachs were paid astronomical fees, however the repercussions of this deal have resulted in the downward spiral of the greek economy because goldman sachs were using their insider information to make speculative bets on Greece being unable to keep paying its debts, in the event that Greece defaulted as is happening now - goldman sachs would stand to make a shedload of money - its a bit complicated but goldman sachs took bets on the greek economy  by way of what are known as CDS's (credit default swaps) - these are basically insurance policies that investors take out to insure themselves against loss should any business that they invest in goes bankrupt, should the business go bankrupt the insurance company reimburses the investor, bascially this is what goldman sachs have done to greece, they started out by helping them hide their debt for a huge fee of over $300 million they then took bets using their insider information predicting the collapse of the greek economy and they will make even more money from that.

why should the greek people have to pay for this treachery, this is nothing to do with them, all the govt officials involved in this scam together with the goldman sachs vultures should be arrested and clamped in jail, the people should continue to challenge their govt for doing this to them.

[quote author=bk/babe97 link=topic=440516.msg6017908#msg6017908 date=1273259577]@ Chidicris:

Reading your piece had me incensed; u r a slowpoke!!! It makes no sense even retorting to the utter nonsense u wrote in the above, but. . . . . Time and time again I hear from Nigerians (both Yorubas and Ibos- - - - but, MAINLY IBOS) on how "Well, so what he committed a crime, is that worse than the crime so and so committed?". Since that is yall mentality, it is no surprise that the average Ibo man cannot function in any civil society. Ya'll think other societies are just as crude and lawless as the ones u left behind where there are no rules and regulations to follow? Its then no wonder why prisons in The United States, Canada, Europe and Japan are filled up with Ibo men. Even prisons in Brazil, South Africa, and poverty stricken countries like Honduras and Guatemala have their own share of Ibo drug dealers. Do u want me to remind you how many Ibo men wallow on death row in places with known draconian rules like China, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia? Do u know why this is so? Most people are apt to say it cus of the Ibo mentality of "money, whichever way possible", I object, I think it has to do with your mentality!!! The "I committed a crime, so what?" mentality that a lot of "you" are imbibed with!

How does the fact that Obasanjo has supporters translate into you "having" to defend Babangida at all cost?!?! You want an "independent man", yet your idea of an independent man is one who is not alligned with Obasanjo, does that make sense to you? You plan to vote for IBB just to spite the Yourbas, talk about cutting your nose to spite your face! The devil u know is better than the angels u cannot predict. But those same "devils" took joy in murdering the hell outta u in the civil war, can your mentality be any more warped? Reread your comment and notice that you didnt answer the question or write anything meaningful. All u did was go on a tirade against the Yourbas!!! Why r Ibos always in competition with the Yourbas? Go thru any discussion on here and you see that out the blues, no matter what the topic is, an Ibo man will always find a way to compare or compete with the Yourba man!!! This, to me, if its not jealousy can be considered full-scale lunacy!!!

My main reason for joining NairaLand was to see Nigeria from the eyes of its "ordinary citizens". I wanted to view Nigeria away from the hate filled speeches I'd heard members of my (step)Dad's circle spread over the years. I wanted to "see" the other side. All I heard, for years, was the Ibo side and I knew something wasnt right; like my dad always said "Do not take what your uncles say at face value, if u want to know, learn!!! THERE ARE ALWAYS TWO SIDES TO A STORY". God bless him. I will always love, honor, cherish and respect him, if not for anything, but for the fact that he is open minded in his way of thinking. He was never a bigot and he has raised me the same way!

Though my knowledge of Nigeria might be sparse, but I am learning everyday and NL has been of tremendous help. Even though I have seen that there is deep seethed distrust among Nigerians, I boldly state here that the worst culprits of these "distrusts" are the Ibos! Some might argue that it has to do with what "they have faced in Nigeria", I say "bull", it is just their nature!! Even in everyday life, the average Ibo man is cutthroat. He believes its a dog eat dog world and that anything goes!!! Otherwise, how do u justify the reasoning behind your revered leader supporting the murderous General? A General that ground the development of your country to a halt! Do you know what Nigeria could have been if yall governments hadnt been this corrupt all these years? A General whom I have read that during his reign corruption was institutionalized and drug dealers and other criminals were allowed to roam free? A General who killed scores of journalist and anyone who opposed him with bombs and other crude methods? A General who truncated democracy by killing the winner of a Presidential election ?!!? A General whose motto might as well have been "COME RAIN, COME SHINE, WE'RE GONNA RIP NIGERIA OF EVERY DIME"!!! This is the man you want to vote for as the next president of your country? And you expect development when, in this world or the hereafter?

I have scoured the internet to find one, just one miserly reason to justify any sane person voting for this murderous General; I'm still unable to find one!! Everytime I see a name I'm not familiar with in Nigerian politics (I'm not familiar with most of the names anyhow,lol) I google it. Google the General's name; what, my friend, do you see? I do not see one single achievement that this man made. Someone (I think it was Dede1) mentioned a bridge? A bridge? Are you fxcking kidding me? Except that bridge somehow emits Dollar notes when you walk on it, then I do not see the significance. Do u know how many bridges and tunnels we got here in the States? Do u think we remember what administration built what bridge? Are those achievements in your eyes?

Now, Google Obasanjo!!! He might have been corrupt, and to what scale, I honestly do not know, but what I do know is that credible news sources available on the internet say that during his tenure he : (1) revolutionized the Nigerian telecommunications industry ;(2) Erased Nigerian foreign debt (which was swollen under your darling General) ; (3) increased the number of middle class citizens and (4) increased Nigeria's foreign reserves almost 20 fold. Is this the man you want to be angry at just because he is from a tribe you Ibos despise for reasons neutral observers cannot fathom? Shouldnt this be a man (Obasanjo) to be revered? Do u know that if he hadnt been elected as Nigerian President, there was a very high probability that he would have been the Secretary General of the United Nations? You think that post goes to just any monkey in the circus? Huh? I know your bigotry will not permit u to do an indepth, neutral, and honest analysis, but do me a favor and compare the two Generals using their REPUTATION on the world front as a barometer and tell me what you find! While doing the comparison, keep in mind that the rest of the world does not worship who has the most money (as you guys are want to do), so do not use that as a criteria!!!

Finally, Google the name Ojukwu. Expectedly, almost all references to his name relate to the Nigeria/Biafra war. Now, Google his name searching for "latest results", and what do you find; his dalliance and support of the Murderous General, Banbagida!!! Is this a good look to the world? Remember, Ojukwu, for all intents and purposes speaks for the Ibo nation. He even declared his support for the murderer on behalf of the Ibo nation!!! I ask again: IS THIS A GOOD LOOK?!? Ojukwu is good but Banbagida is bad, right? Is that so? Show me your friends and I tell Who you are; Birds of a specie, flock together; Red doesnt just soak on rice without agreement yada yada yada. I will not revert to childishly joking about Ojukwu's character in this piece, but if he's associating, praise, frolicking, and endorsing a person with such a terrible world-wide reputation. . . .

Nigeria could be a great country if "Honest" people are in charge of it. Tribal sentiments (especially those that even the bigot doesnt know why/where they eminate from) should be shrugged aside! A man should be elected not because of how much bribe he can pass around but because it is presumed that he can effectively carry on the job at hand, namely: Providing Economic and Military security for the citizens of the country he leads. Votes shouldnt be cast based on color, tribe, religion, intimacy or sexual orientation. It should be cast based on the qualities of the man and how u think/hope he will improve your lot!!![/quote]bk/babe97 you couldnt have said it better, one thing you have to undersand about many of these so called "educated" nigerians is that unlike in other parts of the world where education elevates a human beings level of reasoning and enables them to aspire to higher ideals, with nigerians it seems to have the reverse effect.

As you rightly pointed out to chidchris how can you vote someone in to office simply because you want to spite someone of another ethnic origin, if that is not the most backward way of thinking i dont know what is, well its just a matter of time and their dream president IBB will be back to impose some of the harshest austerity measures you could ever imagine, nigerians are cowards we have no balls, we have refused to stand up and fight for our future, look at what is happening in Greece, the IMF are trying to do to Greece what they have been doing to Nigeria for over 25 years and see how the Greeks came out en masse to reject the harsh economic measures that the IMF is trying to impose on their country, compare this to nigerians - docile fools, look at Yaradua who went missing for over 3months, what trick didnt the international community play on nigerians and like retards we swallowed hook line and sinker all the lies, even the fake BBC interview, not one nigerian demanded to know the whereabouts of this man and now the international community have now given the go ahead to the nigerian politicians to "break" the news to us that Yaradua died yesterday - pathetic.

AjanleKoko:
More from Chinweizu. Whatever you say about the man, I think much of what he says makes sense:

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10747:black-colonialists-the-root-of-the-trouble-with-africa-12&catid=96:columnists&Itemid=350

brilliantly written, this man is outstanding, he encapsulates the passive and cowardly state that nigerians remain in, look at the atrocities we have allowed the compradore class to get away with for years and yet we continue to wait to see if things will change, pathetic, now IBB and his fellow 75 year old generals are preparing themselves for part two of their destruction of what is left of the nigerian economy, but look around and you ll see loads of shameless sychophants on NL singing his praises - there is no hope.

Onlytruth:
^^^


Did you just say that Nzeogwu was more intelligent than Ojukwu? Well, you are entitled to your opinion on that. If Nzeogwu was smart at all, believe me, there would never have been an "Ojukwu" or a civil war at all. In fact, Nigeria would have had a completely different history. It was Nzeogwu's naivete that started it all. Pray, what was he smoking seeing Nigeria that way? Nigeria was a country of tribal champions and bigots like Obafemi Awolowo even as early as 1950s. The Hausa had been restive even in the 40s. There had been a riot in the north in 1953.

For Nzeogwu to dream of a utopian Nigeria were tribe did not matter was foolery of the highest order, much like some idiots here trying to sell such moronic concept "tribe-less" Nigeria. I am really only interested in training Igbos to grow up and match other tribes in terms of tribalism because they are the most delirious on that subject in Nigeria. You still find some Igbo folks talking like Nzeogwu today, but when the sh*'t hits the fan, the Igbo will be singled out for repercussion.

Your problem is that you keep thinking that every Igbo is a fuul. You want Ojukwu to diss IBB and join in the effort to stop him. He WILL NOT DO THAT. Go hang if you don't like it. When we fought our war, we fought alone and some other Southerners fought against us. Your theory about IBB being under some sort of foreign tutelage is completely moronic and has no logical role in this discourse. Who told you that other candidates aren't under the same tutelage? Who told you that Obasanjo for instance is not higher in rank in national sabotage than IBB? I don't know who you think you are kidding.

All I care about is my ability to prognosticate (using solid information and standing on solid grounds, not treacherous ones) about my future in Nigeria. I have always said that the day Ndigbo did away with Biafra was the day we secured ultimate victory and freedom in Nigeria. No one can blackmail us anymore, and we can play the game like Nigerians. If you have a war with IBB, go fight the war and leave us out of it. Simple! We are not Pan Africanists. We've paid too much for that, from Zik to Ojukwu. Our concern is to SURVIVE in the jungle called Nigeria. You can take your presidency and shove it far up your azz.
Ojukwu is right to support IBB. I support Ojukwu!

Onlytruth the problem with you is that  you keep buying in to all this propaganda about how "great" Ojukwu was when the real story about him remains shrouded in secrecy, Nzeogwu was the real hero, he tried to get rid of the northern puppets and their southern acolytes but he was outmatched by the military might of the western backed northern elite. 

You cant blame Nzeogwu for the carnage perpetrated by the tribalistic and feudalistic northerners - they were egged on by the british in case you are unaware, the british abhorred the idea of an igbo man taking power - think about it Zik, Awo and Enahoro were the most prominent nationalists at that time (pre 1960) they are the ones who fought for independence but instead it was  given to a bunch of illiterate northern puppets, Zik was blackmailed by the british and given a meaningless ceremonial presidential post to keep him quiet and Awo who the british really feared and hated was thrown in jail on trumped up charges for 10 years, Enahoro was to be given the same treatment as Awo but he fled the country.  Nzeogwu understandably wanted to clear away these british stooges because he saw that they were causing nigeria to regress and instead of applauding him for his courage you condemn him for being a fool, so what you are saying is that because he was able to think beyond tribal constraints that made him a fool, are you not aware that the british have been using our tribal differences to exploit us, they pit igbo against hausa, hausa against yoruba, igbo against yoruba in order to maintain their grip on our natural resources.

dont you think it is high time we extricate ourselves from this game of exploitation and start to think as one people, there is no way we can defeat western imperialism if we continue to pledge our allegiances to our respective tribes, isnt it high time we unite across all ethnic groups to face our common enemy - the hausa fulani oligarchy which incidentally consists of many southerners including some treacherous igbos.  there is no way we can ever become a free nation if we continue with this inter tribal fighting, the british have been using us now for over 50 years - when are we going to wake up!!!!

You carry on hoping on IBB, you are in for a big shock come 2011 because this man is the biggest traitor known to man, did he not annull his friend MKO's mandate? did he not kill his so called good friend Mamman Vatsa? this  man eats and drinks with his friends whilst planning their demise, you carry on with him, we shall see how far it will get you.

platinumnk:
@Cap- Yardua wanted to trade with China out of his own greed. Dont get it twisted.

and do you think jonathan and his band of thugs want to trade with america in order to bring prosperity and economic growth to nigeria, anyway nigeria would have got more out of trade with china as the chinese were willing to invest in infrastructure projects and their loan agreements were less punitive, america and britain just wanted everything for nothing as usual, well i guess they've got that - the nigerian people will never stand up and fight to change their destiny - compare what happened in nigeria to what is going on in Greece right now and you'll understand what i mean.

Yaradua just died for nothing.

Yaradua  died in december 2009 when he was murdered by either the CIA or MI5,  in order to cover up their crime the americans and the british orchestrated that whole charade of him being hospitalised in  a Saudi hospital  and the hopeless nigerian press moved into action with their fairy stories about a "powerful cabal" - headed up by his wife Turai who was trying to appropriate power away from Jonathan his "rightful successor"  - bull Poo, i have said it before and i will say it again - Jonathan replaced yaradua by way of an american/british backed coup d'etat because Yaradua was engaging in bilateral trade with China.

After Yaradua was deposed there was a scramble for power by members of his former cabinet and various successors, the news was not disclosed to nigerians then for fear of the country descending into anarchy - that is the truth - forget about this fake story about him dying yesterday - he died in december - beleive it or not Yaradua actually had good intentions for nigeria, he was brokering deals with China which would have benefitted the nigerian economy much more than the bilateral trade that jonathan and obasanjo are brokering with the americans, i beleive he paid for his unwillingness to toe the line with his life.

Onlytruth:
My analogy is for human beings, not jackals and dogs. Any human would at least understand that they have no idea how intelligent Igbos feel about Nigeria.
Ojukwu has been consistently smart and wise through the years. I didn't understand him when he returned from Ivory Coast and joined NPN (was too young to understand Nigerian politics). Through the years, I took time to study him and Nigeria. His position on Nigeria is abundantly clear to me now.
Above all, he is a man of honor -someone who understands and abides by agreements and covenants. You cannot be a good leader if you renege on agreements. When it comes to keeping agreements, IBB is light years ahead of Obasanjo. So, if he agrees to institute true federalism leading to things like state police, and if he abolishes quota system and federal character, if he fixes federal roads long neglected in the south east and builds that second Niger bridge; then , he would have achieved the same thing an Igbo president will achieve. He has everything he needs to be able to deliver. IBB is power in Nigeria. If he works with us, we will vote for him. I'm sure others are scheming for the same thing. We don't owe these hypocrites any loyalty or explanations for our support of IBB.

Onlytruth tell me something - how does it feel living in cloud cuckoo land? 

What is it that you didnt understand about Ojukwu that  you now understand?  Okay let me let you in on a little secret - Ojukwu was never a man of the people  - the reason i say this , is  Ojukwu knew that cessation was not viable but he carried on regardless, Nzeogwu who in my opinion was a more courageous and intelligent man than Ojukwu ever was,  said himself that cessation was not viable because it would plunge the country into civil war, which would lead to the loss of many innocent lives, if you are looking for a real hero you should go and read about Patrick Chukwuma "Kaduna" Nzeogwu  - this man was a real hero - he was a true nationalist who actually beleived in a united "nigeria" he was not a tribalist he was a PAN AFRICANIST  visionary in the same league as Dr Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba and Nelson Mandela, but being young and idealistic he thought he could outsmart the british and their lap dogs unfortunately for him he underestimated the cunning and treachery of the western powers who would stop at nothing to hold onto their possession, "nigeria".

If Ojukwu was as smart and wise as you claim he was why did he go down the route of secession without an army, without any backing from any foreign govt?

IBB - a complete waster, a psychopath who has no shred of conscience, this is the man you adore, -you are deranged if you think IBB will ever honour any agreement he enters into with Ojukwu, why should he, what has he got to gain from favouring the igbos in nigeria?  Listen up Onlytruth -  IBB is a western puppet his only allegiance is to the people who will place him in office ie the US, the British and MOSSAD (Israeli intelligence who protected him throughout the 1980s) , IBB is more concerned about pleasing these people than pleasing nigerians, let alone the igbos, so spare me your wet dreams about how he is going to grant concessions to igbos - i laugh in swahilli!!!!!!!!

So you think IBB will abolish federal character, does that make sense to you, why would he do that - have you forgotten Buhari's statement when the idea of fielding an igbo as president was considered? what did Buhari say "that an igbo president of nigeria would be TOO MUCH FOR MANY NORTHERNERS TO SWALLOW", and you have the nerve to think that IBB will put his safety in jeopardy by challenging this kind of opposition, please go and rethink everything you have written on this thread because your naivitey is embarrassing.

Princemuba:
Cap, I really love your analysis and i gained lot from it, I am just 20 and i knew nothing about the Biafra war although I have learn't and read about it severally although I knew a lot about the June 12, 1993 election won by MKO Abiola in which the fool (IBB) canceled and also killed an innocent man, with this, with all the blood of the innocent people shed by IBB, he will never regain the power in Nigeria, he should go and impose himself as the president of his family not Nigeria, Great Nation, Bad leaders and bad and fool supporters of bad people,

thanks prince, if you are interested in knowing the truth, research widely and do not confine yourself to nigerian politics or history but research world history and politics and this will give you a broader understanding of the genesis of the situation in nigeria and even offer ideas on how these problems can be resolved, these old bastards - IBB, OBJ, danjuma are trying to prevent your generation from realising your birthright and they think they can get away with it because the average nigerian is too frightened to stand up and fight, these people are a curse and a cancer in the nigerian system and until they are wiped away for good they will continue to hijack the furture of the country for their own selfish gain, if you look at countries like Venezuela a similar situation obtained with rich oligarchs running the country on behalf of foreigners, but unlike nigeria the venezuelans united against their common enemy - the ruling classes and overthrew them - they were fortunate enough to have a charsimatic leader like Chavez to lead the movement though and this is what we need in nigeria.  Nigeria can never rise as a viable nation until the cancerous hausa fulani along with their psychophantic southern acolytes are eradicated, nigeria's destiny lies in the hands of a grassroots movement not in the hands of these brigands.

[quote author=bk/babe97 link=topic=440516.msg5998572#msg5998572 date=1272994749]Let me respond to your MENTAL aszz b4 I go about normal bizness. So, the writing you responded to was not concise enough? What was not precise about it? Was it the articulation? Was it the proper use of grammar? The correct spellings (something u never seem to get right)? Was it the correct use of apostrophes, commas, full-stops and/or question marks? Pray tell, what else needs to be "translated" before you understand what was written? Oh, u probably meant to request that he translate the above into "Ibo gibberish", u freaking, deceitful monkey.lol. Translate into english indeed. This coming from someone that thinks scouring the dictionary and ending up using searched words wrongly amounts to a show of intellect. lol. U will never cease to amaze, you Ibo men!!! [/quote] - thanks bk/babe97 - the metal gongs and ezeuches' of today beleive it or not are the future idi amins' and pol pots of tomorrow, brain dead brutes who are incapable of constructive or logical reasoning, they see life through a distorted tribalistic lens which severely limits them, i blame the deplorable state of the nigerian educational system for churning out people with this sort of mindset.

Onlytruth:
It is impossible for ordinary folks to understand Ojukwu on this issue. I'll try one more time.

Those who own Nigeria still alive:

(1) Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida
(2) Olusegun Obasanjo
(3) Theophilus Danjuma

Those who own Nigeria who have died now:

(1) Shehu Musa Yar adua
(2) Sani Abacha
(3) Murtala Muhammed


Fraud No 1

In 1979, then General Olusegun Obasanjo was the military leader. He conducted elections and rigged a northerner named Alhaji Shehu Shagari into office ahead of more popular candidates Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Obasanjo sealed Nigeria's fate until December 31st 1983 when Sani Abacha and Babangida overthrew the civilian government and installed Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon.


Fraud No 2

In 1993, the General Ibrahim Babangida canceled an election won by MKO Abiola. Some say he executed a northern plot, while others say he had personal quarrel with Abiola. Bottomline is that he single handedly changed Nigeria's history. He would eventually step aside for his old buddy Sani Abacha. We know the rest of Abacha's story.



Fraud No 3

Ibrahim Babandiga while working with Abdulsalami Abubakar rescued their old buddy Obasanjo from death row. Dusts him up and rigged him in as Nigeria's civilian president (the first time an ex-soldier would lead as civilian president). They empower him in office with the help of Theophilus Danjuma (Obasanjos defense minister) and Rtrd, Gen Muhammed Aliyu Gusau (Obasanjo's national security adviser). Obasanjo goes on to rule Nigeria for 8 years with nothing to show.

Fraud No 4

Obasanjo dusts up the brother to his old buddy Shehu Musa Yar Adua (Umaru Musa Yar Adua) and imposed him on PDP as flag bearer, and goes further to rig him in as Nigeria's president. Today Yar Adua is sick, and his vice is acting for him.


Folks that is where we've been and were we are today.

Pray, from 1970 till date, does anyone see any other forces at play?
When Babangida said that the youths of Nigeria is not ready for leadership, what do you think he meant? I think he meant that Nigeria's youth is deluded and irresponsible. They are cowards who talk more than act. They expect a man who stood up and fought at a time when he was younger than most of them to still fight for them today.
This story is longer than this, but the summary of it is that Ojukwu is NOT in a position to stop IBB. The least he could do is to extract as much commitments and concessions as possible on behalf of the Igbo. He fought mediocrity in the Nigerian army and leadership; his efforts was misunderstood and it led to a civil war. Ojukwu will not repeat that mistake.

If IBB must rule (which is actually the case no matter how deluded folks are here), then so be it. If you have the courage and wherewithal to stop him, leave nairaland and go do it. Stop insulting folks who achieved far more than you could ever dream of in your miserable life.


THE ULTIMATE TRUTH.

onlytruth - this your analysis of who really owns nigeria is a pile of crap because like a drunken man suffering from amnesia whilst recounting a story you have left out massive gaps, i dont know whether you left them out based on ignorance or dishonesty but let me fill them in for you:

the nigerian "independence" elections in 1959 were rigged by the british govt who were detemined to ensure that they retained their grip on the political and economic destiny of the country therefore the objective was to ensure that the succession would pass to a pliable puppet - this meant nationalist leaders like Zik and Awo would have to either be neutralised or hung out to dry, the idea was to rig the elections and put in place a puppet who would take instructions from the west ad infinitum - Tafawa Balewa was their puppet, he was to become one of many in a long line of pliable northern puppets, remember that the northerners pre independence were not even interested in independence, while people like Enahoro, Zik and Awo were agitating for independence the northern elite led by the Sardauna of Sokoto and his cohorts were pleading with the British to extend their stay!

the british installed balewa and hoped for the best but the seeds of discord had already been sown, a group of idealistic army officers headed up by Kaduna Nzeogwu seeking to bring about what they thought was change tried, via the January 1966 coup to root out these british stooges but unknown to them those stooges were being propped up by much more powerful interests, the likes of Ironsi and co were brutally murdered in retaliation and 3m igbos needlessly lost their lives in order  for the northern elite to put nigeria back onto a predetermined track of economic destruction and exploitation.  The northerners were under instructions from the west to make sure that the igbos were never to be given the opportunity to gain power unless it were to be in a subordinate position to the northern oligarchy.

now turning to your analysis of the current power brokers in nigeria - yes babangida, danjuma and obasanjo are members of the northern oligarchy - they are also king makers however they are not the invincible gods you make them out to be the reason they have successfully retained political control over nigeria is because they are backed and armed by britain and now america.  

whoever controls the army controls the nation and i think we can agree that the military is dominated by northerners this is the north's other source of power - this was not coincidental - the british who understood that nigerians pledge their allegiance to people who come from the same ethnic group as themselves ensured that large numbers of northern men were drafted into the military knowing full well that  in the event of any uprising the north with the military advantage would always have the upper hand - making it virtually impossible for a southerner to appropriate power away from the north, this is why Ojukwu was always going to be in a loosing positon for the simple reason that igbos were not present in the military in numbers which were substantial enough to pose a viable threat to the northern oligarchy - which made his attempt at cessation all the more suicidal.

now with a northern dominated army the northerners know that no southerner DARE attempt to wrest control of the nation from them because they are doomed to fail and that remains the postion to date.

Therefore the idea that babangida, danjuma and obj are courageous heroes who somehow deserve to be where they are based on their valiant efforts and sacrifices made for the country is at best a sick joke and at worst the kind of delusional garbage only someone with zero intelligence would spout. Babangida, Danjuma and obj are tyrannical puppets who have been armed, financed and propped up by their equally tyrannical friends in the west  - IBB has the guts to openly challenge the youth in this country becuase he knows that he has the backing and support of the west who will help him rig these coming elections and also fight tooth and nail to keep him in office because they know he will do their bidding. Instead of worshipping this set of brigands why cant you expose them for what they are - a bunch of psychopathic scumbags who think nothing of selling out their own people and nation to a bunch of western plutocrats, the same western plutocrats who are only interested in milking nigeria into the ground.  You and your kind deserve a second dose of IBB, but let me tell you that the 1985 episode will be a dress rehearsal compared to what he will do to people like you come 2011 and beyond.

becomrich7:
Oshiomole made a mistake to invite IBB there. You must ask yourself, how do voter see IBB. they dont like him. You can do a poll of Nigerian anywhere in the world.  Even those in the USA.

It is a No. And Oshiomole  may end up paying for this in an election. He has given the PDP the opportunity they want in Edo state.   Even the labour union in nigeria would vote 99% against IBB. He has to be very careful.

I think IBB should not run, but use his connection with ex president to help nigeria get investment from those countries.   Like calling other ex president around the world and looking for investment in Nigeria. Even if it means nigeria foot his bill. I mean IBB starting an investment company.  You can see what George bush and clinton are doing. Give talk , that what IBB should be doing. He would make enough money from it. They would pay him in dollar.

IBB should do business. He would get loan from other countries from his connection, that way he can employ other nigerian.

Where is IBB library located. I think IBB should be thinking of project like this. This is what ex president do.

IBB should become a motivation speaker.   If he give talk in Nigeria for N5,000,000, that is N260 million

they say if you engage a mad man in a fight after a while onlookers will not be able to tell the difference between the mad man and the sane man but ill take my chances with you becomrich - first of all who says Oshimohole didnt  know what he was  doing in inviting IBB to that rally, i hear IBB actually sponsored the rally so to my mind the whole thing was a premeditated plan to gradually ease IBB back into the public arena in order to gradually win over the  nigerian populace and it appears to be working in some quarters, what with sabotuers like Ojukwu endorsing his plans to run.

the idea that IBB to quote you "should use his connections to get investments for nigeria" is nothing more than a sick joke, as IBB is a US puppet who was used to wreck the nigerian economy 25 years ago - the hijacking of nigeria's wealth (which our leaders like to call foreign investment) commenced with IBB and accelerated under OBJ and is now continuing with OBJ's puppet Goodluck Jonathan.

You say IBB should "get loans from other countries" are you aware that the nigerian economy was handed over to a group of IMF and world bank officials following IBB's decision to take on loans with monstrous interest rates attached to them?

IBB as a motivational speaker!!! what would be the topics of such motivational speeches -  how to become a successful drug baron, loot billions from the national treasury, bankrupt an entire nation, murder any dissenters  AND STILL get s.t.u.p.i.d nigerians to vote you in to do the same thing all over again -  that shoudl make for an interesting day out im sure.

reading through some of the posts especially the ones written by primitive neanderthals like ezeuche and metal gong makes me understand why no nation on this earth has anything to fear if people who think like this constiute the majority of the nigerian populace, if people like this are the future of nigeria, you can rest assured that we will regress another 200 years.  They say future generations look back on history and learn something from the mistakes that their forefathers made and try to correct or avoid those same mistakes, but reading posts written by those two seems to prove that the reverse is the case - it has been known in many circles for a long time that Ojukwu is a self serving demagogue with nothing to offer the igbo people except the kind of grandiose posturing that only deranged megalomaniacs like himself would be capable of, a man who shamelessly used his own people to prosecute a futile war which he knew he could never win, a man who caused the genocide of 3m of his own people, a man who refused to atone for his sins by exempting himself from the political arena but like a man possessed continued to jump onto any political bandwagon going in order to grasp at any crumb the hausa fulani oligarchy would throw his way, and yet his loyal followers continue to see no evil and hear no evil anywhere his name is mentioned and i ask myself why?

I have never seen any supposed revolutionary leader get away with 1/4 of what this man has gotten away with and still live to tell the story, only in Nigeria can a man prosecute a failed secession movement, escape into exile, return and try to form an alliance with his former enemies.

Now his new best friend is the inimitable IBB - a man who borrowed billions of dollars from the IMF and world Bank under the guise of "structural adjustment" , stole a huge chunk for himself and left the tab with the nigerian people - a former drug baron and murderer, this is now the type of person who Ojuwkwu decides is the best person to lead Nigeria - they say show me your friends and i will tell you who you are - I think it is now abundantly clear that Ojukwu has never represented the average nigerian, he is an elitist who desperately seeks power no matter how high the stakes (provided those stakes dont involve him losing his own life) he is a sophisticated man with a machiavellian mindset - thats probably why he likes Babangida -  he does not care about the common man he merely uses brainwashed igbos to further his ambitions  - this is why even after having the blood of 3m people on his hands he didnt flinch from continuing in his blind pursuit of power even if it meant alligning himself to his former enemies.
this is the person the Ezeuches and the metal gongs of this world idolise - God help us!

rhymz:
Cap
i seriously am not getting your point!

well, why don't you specify the points that you are not getting rhymz?

bgees:
I agree with the highlighted. But can u give a more reasonable and logical arguement against Wole Soyinka?

i am afraid you are barking up the wrong tree if you think i am going to exonerate a self appointed social critic who to date has done nothing but allow himself to be co-opted by corrupt nigerian politicians.  You can not dine with the devil and then turn around to try and explain that you were trying to convince the devil to see things from your perspective. 

Look at the fiasco with Oshimohole and IBB - its things like this that should indicate to the nigerian populace that our destiny lies in the hands of a grassroots movement and not in the hands of politicians or self appointed leaders.

violent:
It is programs like this that makes the rest of the world see anyone from Nigeria as a poor wretch whose daily survival probably depends on picking waste from dumps.

Its even amazing that some Nairalanders who in all entirety, claim to have gone to school, find the program whose tittle portrayed the entire lagos citizenry as scavengers, good enough because in their own words "It is fabulous to show the poor ones amongst us to the rest of the world".

Why is it so difficult for BBC to tittle the program[i] "welcome to the slums of Lagos"[/i]?

Who in his/her sound mind would dare go to china, make videos of the dirtiest places around and tittle it "Welcome to Shangai" without causing a serious diplomatic row?

the truth of the matter is that africa and nigeria has always been depicted in this manner by the western media, but in this instance i say - why the hell shouldnt they, they are exposing a system so cruel and so callous that it reduces its own people to live in the kind of filth and squalor that no western country could attempt with its own people.

But my question to you is this - what did you expect?  why would you expect the BBC whose sole aim is to spread propaganda on behalf of the UK govt portray nigeria in a positive light, why would a nation like the UK who sees Nigeria as nothing more than a source of  cheap oil suddenly care about portraying the country in  a positive light - oh let me guess to  massage the ego of deluded nigerians like yourself.

You attack people on here who welcome this expose on the appalling standards of living that a huge segment of the nigerian populace find themselves trapped in and instead of being incensed at your govt who create this situation you get on your high horse and start pontificating about how people will think ALL nigerians fall into that category which to my mind sounds like your more worried that YOU might  be mistaken for one of those poor nigerians who live in such conditions  - well ive got news for you - ALL WESTERNERS LOOK DOWN ON AFRICANS, THEY THINK WE ARE ALL POOR,  just because they are civilised enough not to mention it to our faces does not mean that they do not think it when they speak to us, this is why many westerners are very patronising to africans but i guess people like you are too s.t.u.p.i.d to know when they are being talked down to.

You then go on to make the staggeringly ridiculous comparison between China and Nigeria - first of all  let me enlighten you on a few facts China unlike Nigeria is not a client state of any western nation, by that i mean China's political and economic destiny remains firmly in the hands of the Chinese people and not in the hands of the IMF, World Bank or any western multinationals.

Secondly China holds approx $877 billion dollars of US treasury bonds in other words the US is indebted to China to the tune of $877 BILLION - now i dont know how your brain works but when you owe that amount of money to a creditor you cant afford to Zap around with them.
Therefore the idea that Nigeria can make demands on the UK govt in the same way that China can make on the US for instance is pure lunacy, the truth of the matter is that Nigeria's soverignty has been hijacked by the US and many other foreign multinationals (Shell) and this is why the BBC can send a camera crew into nigeria and documentaries can be made which exposes the callousness and brutallity of a system which has no shred of interest in its own people, but my argument is the camera crew did not go far enough there are hundreds of ghettos even worse than the ones shown on that documentary, dotted all over Nigeria which they should have filmed - let them expose to the world the dystopian nightmare that many nigerians have been condemned to by their own people.

If you want our country to be respected why dont you emulate countries like Libya, Algeria or even Iran  and stand up and actually fight to rid yourselves of these rogues and looters that condemn its own people to such a grim life, dont sit back and expect that a foreign nation that has for over 50 years kept its boot on your neck (in collusion with our leaders) is going to suddenly wake up one morning and learn the error of its ways, you attack people on here of lacking knowledge and yet all i get from your posts is misplaced self righteous indignation that the BBC had the temerity to expose the fact that the poor in our country live in conditions that many animals would turn their noses up at.

@sagamite - thanks for being such a fan/stalker of all my previous posts, unlike you i have no interest in browsing through any of your previous posts beccause i know that they are all full of the kind of vacuous junk that a kindergarten pupil would be embarrassed to be associated with.

Do you not find it revealing that you seem to clash with every single poster on NL with an iota of intelligence, looking at some of your comments on this particular topic gives me an idea of just how limited you are when it comes to intelligence, you unquestioningly allign yourself with a dubious comment made by Soyinka because you think that this will add value to your pathetic argument that the bbc should not have entitled their documentary "welcome to lagos" but instead "welcome to the slums" . - jesus bro - do you argue like this in public, because you have my heartfelt sympathy if you do, as im imagining the incredulous looks on people's faces when they hear these sort of words coming out of the mouth of a grown man.

Like i said steer clear of debate which requires the use of more than one brain cell and stick to the intellectual free debates where like the proverbial one eyed man in the land of the blind you can remain the king.

Sagamite:
You really need to be locked up in some mental institution. You surely are retarded.

my dear Sagamite i know how difficult it is for you when you are out of your comfort zone and in uncharted intellectual waters , why don't you stick to commenting on the entertainment boards and leave the serious discussions to those of us who actually have brains that work  eh

bgees:
Your post reeks of ignorance perhaps tribalism. keep your retarted opinion to urself.

hmm interesting - can you kindly point out what you consider to be ignorant and tribalistic about my post and i will respond accordingly

shotster50:
@ Cap28

Well said. I completely concur with this view of Soyinka. He is more concerned with how the documentary will affect his standing among his international colleagues more than anything else.

thanks shotster50, the nigerian elite are the most hypocritical, self serving set of scumbags  you will ever come across, their protestations are less to do with the west's supposed skewed portrayal of lagos and more to do with the fact that they can no longer boast and brag about how great they are and what they have acheived in front of their western friends without attracting ridicule and sarcastic remarks.

It has never ceased to amaze me how nigerians have this staggering ability to live in denial there is no denying the fact that many people in this country live in sub human living conditions and it is the duty of every concerned nigerian citizen to expose this instead of shying away from it, now that the BBC have decided to do this on our behalf, lets put aside the accusation that its being done for an ulterior motive and concentrate on the fact that it is a problem which needs to be addressed.

The worst thing about all these two faced hypocrites is that they are the same people who march into churches every sunday to deceive themselves that they are godly people when their hearts are full of wickedness, jealousy, barbarism and greed - who are they fooling?

The average nigerian is in denial and they want everyone else to be in denial along with them.  That ignorant fool they call the nigerian ambassador to the UK in his usual vacuous emptyheaded manner started wittering on about how wrong it was for the BBC to portray nigeria in that light instead of being ashamed of the fact that his govt condemns the poor to live in conditions that most people in the west would not allow their animals to live in.
For anyone who wants to continue being in denial i wish them luck  -  Fela Kuti described it as suffering and smiling and it is apparent that nigerians are still in the grip of this debilitating illness.

As for Soyinka he better get used to the sneering remarks and the sarcastic jabs from his contemporaries abroad my advice to him would be : Take a week out of your  busy schedule of hobnobbing with corrupt political brigands and looters, forget about wasting your time attending rallies with theifs and liars, come down from your ivory tower and go into those hell holes , spend a day going around makoko, ebute metta and ajegunle , better still spend a couple of days with a poor family in one of those slums like the BBC camera crew did and lets see whether you  will still feel that undue attention was given to the people in those slums or not - pseudo intellectual jackass!!!!!

Then surely you most know in your infinite "perspicacious and stratospheric thinking" capacity that when you throw insults people no longer take you seriously and can't tell the difference either.

priceless!!!!!

i love it when a person of superior intellect puts a retard in their place

i think wole soyinka is upset because this documentary will give some of his contemporaries at those elite institutions where he lectures  a license to sneer and smirk at him with his grandiose speech and irritating air of superiority.  They probably laugh at him behind his back wondering why he  puts on all these airs and graces when the poor in his country are reduced to scrabbling for scraps on rubbish heaps.  If indeed he is a true social critic as he likes to pretend he is he should not be offended by this expose but should welcome it as a refreshing new angle on how to expose a govt made up of brigands, thugs and drug barons. 

Notice how he Kitty-Cat foots around with his criticism making the ludicrous suggestion that the BBC should make a follow up documentary which is more "balanced".  He should go and write some more of that impenetrable convoluted junk he calls literature  and stop pretending to be a man of the people because it is apparent that he skillfully avoids placing his head above the parapet when the going gets tough.  Ive noticed a trend with him - he always seems to want to work in some sort of coalition with the corrupt nigerian govt  - only recently he was almost tricked into attending an IBB sponsored rally by political p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e  and stooge - adams oshimowole -  what a joke!  the truth of the matter is you have to make a clear distinction as to which side of the fence you want to be on  - its either you are a collaborator or you are fighting on the side of the people - in Soyinka's case he obviously likes to talk the talk but not walk the walk.  Why give up the comfortable middle class lifestyle, the lucrative tenureships abroad and the regular tv and other media appearances for a life of continous intimidation, persecution and poverty - this is why i totally doff my hat to the great Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Personally i prefer Achebe as a writer, I beleive he genuinely reflects the views of the people and not Soyinka who i think is more concerned about retaining his tenureship at various foreign institutions around the world - he knows he has to be measured in his criticism of the west or the work will simply dry up hence his reticence and unwillingness to launch into an all out attack on the west and their collusion with corrput govts around the world.

One thing Soyinka should understand (which im sure he does)  is that the nobel prize is merely an empty accolade,   it means nothing and is not a determinant of anything other than ones ability to be a yes man, ass licker and stooge of a dominant power structure - after all Henry Kissinger, arguably one of the world's worst war criminals and fomer US national security adviser  recieved the nobel prize for peace despite masterminding the carpet bombing of cambodia and north vietnam.

Former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, on Thursday latched on to his inter-ethnic marriage to his late wife, Maryam, to argue that it is not possible to break Nigeria up, as canvassed within and from as far afield as Libya, where Muammar Ghadafi stirred the hornet’s nest on March 16.

what has the fact that he was married to a woman from Asaba got to do with the political and economic future of a country which is nothing more than an artificial creation of a neo colonial power - created not for the development and progress of the people within it but for the ease by which those same external powers can continue to direct and control its political and economic destiny.

Ghadafi said Nigeria should be divided into two nations to avoid further bloodshed between Muslims and Christians, an idea that has since elicited comments for and against; one from Senate President David Mark who called Ghadafi a mad man.
Babangida threw his hat into the ring by saying that it is impossible to split the country unless Nigerian journalists back the campaign.

When people say that this man is a master manipulator - they have a very good point - he craftily makes a direct challenge to nigerian journalists by asking them to come forward and openly lead a campaign for the break up of nigeria, i wonder why? could it be because he wants to know who they are so that when he assumes power he can quickly round them up and eliminate them?

He was speaking at the 55th anniversary of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) held in Abuja.
Represented by Saleh Jambo, he lamented that journalism in Nigeria is drifting away from the ideals of the founding fathers who used the pen to unite the nation.

what a pile of garbage - nigeria is a british creation - the hausa fulani oligarchy are the lackeys of the british who were brought in to deceive nigerians into beleiving that a united nigeria would be  beneficial to all nigerians, but 50 years down the line, i think it should be abundantly clear to anyone with a brain that only a fraction of the population is benefitting from the current structure that is in place.

He said reports in the media these days tend to fan the embers of break up, as journalists assume the role of hatchet men in pulling down important personalities in the society.
The survival of Nigeria lies in the hands of journalists, Babangida stressed, and they must do everything possible to ensure that the 2011 elections are conducted peacefully, with credible results.

again master manipulator in action - he skilfully tries to shift the blame  onto journalists by making it look as if they are stirring up trouble by agitating for the breakup, hmm interesting, well how about the years of abuse, economic exploitation, murder and brutalisation that the nigerian people have been subjected to by him and his hausa fulani cronies, i suppose these are not legitimate reasons for nigerian journalists to be agitating for the break up of the country.

His words: “IBB’s wife is from Delta, what happens to the children when the nation is broken apart? Do you cut Aishat and Mohammed into two parts and give each piece to Delta and the other piece to Niger so as to satisfy the purpose of break up? Intermarriage has put to rest all possibility of break-up in this country.
“We are not prepared to kill our brothers and sisters in any senseless strife all because the interest of some minute group must be fulfilled. So going our different ways as some people will say, is not possible, we should learn to live together and weather the storm together. Collectively, we will reach the promised land.”

This man must think the average nigerian has the IQ of a retarded child - again i ask what has the fact that he happened to be married to a woman from Asaba got to do with the economic and political future of 150 million people?  Why is he talking about violence, who said nigeria cannot breakup without violence?  This is what i call emotional black mail - in a bid to appeal to deceive people into buying in to his lies, he tries to browbeat the people with empty platitudes and fake appeals for unity.

Babangida expressed concern that news  celebrated by the media tend to divide rather than unite the nation, regrettably in line with the negative prophesies about the country.
He  admitted that mistakes were made in the past, “But the right thing to do is to forgive and move ahead” in the task of putting Nigeria on the right track of development.

"Forgive and move ahead"- what about the $12.5 billion dollars looted from the national treasury which is sitting in his foreign accounts ? is he going to return it? what about Dele Giwa's murder, is he going to stand trial for that, what about journalists who dared to speak out against him - is he going to stand trial for their murders too?  What about his other ill gotten wealth from drug dealing - will he be willing to turn himself over to the NDLEA for investigation?

Nigeria is at a crossroads politically, the nation needs the journalist more than ever before to put it aright. Journalists should play a noble role in helping the nation find its feet, rather than pushing the coach off the rail.”
He warned that no one benefits if journalists use their pen to cause disaffection, division, and confusion in the country – rather than stress issues that will put it on the path of development.

Again he shifts blame onto nigerian journalists, could this be a veiled threat from him - a warning shot from him of what will happen to any journalist if they dare to tread the same path that Dele Giwa tried to tread?

Babangida urged the media to do a soul searching and see if the tenets of the profession are being followed in the interest of Nigeria.
House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, shared the same views on the role of the media in ensuring the sustenance of democracy, and promised the commitment of the House to the ideals of democracy and to help facilitate the work of the media.

A man who killed Dele Giwa a journalist who spoke the truth and exposed this demon for what he was, now attending an NUJ conference and asking journalists to do some "soul searching" - how ironic.
And of course we have political p/r/o/s/t/i/t/u/t/e/s like Dimeji Bankole echoing this tyrant's toxic views.  Again i dont know how he gets away with it, in any other country in the world it would have been a different story,  but here in nigeria, he is given a platform to pontificate and lecture journalists on what they should and shouldnt be doing.

Kobojunkie:
What makes you believe that MOST of our problem stems from lack of competent leaders in our country?

isnt that a really dumb question kobojunkie?

well whites will always try to justify their continued subjugation of blacks by labelling us as less intelligent, this has been going on for centuries, slavery was justified by the white slave owners and merchants because they claimed it was necessary to turn heathen blacks away from their primitive idol worshipping ways, they even used their bible to justify the atrocities that were meted out on black slaves, saying that it was necessary in order to "civilise" us. Now in the 21st century we still have so called academics coming up with this racist ideology.

Until we as a race of people learn to do for ourselves and not look to the white man as our alpha and omega we will continuously be exposed to this our ancestors built the pyramids a feat so outstanding that present day skyscrapers all over the world are modelled after its structure and design.

has erika badu lost her damn mind - i watched this clip of Ms Badu's latest release "window seat" and i have to say i loved the track but was shocked to discover as the video unfolded that Ms Badu gradually began shedding items of her clothing in Dealy Plaza - Dallas Texas, the place JFK was shot, Dallas is also the singer's hometown.  what really shocked me was the fact that this was done with tourists looking on and their were quite a few children too, the video was supposed to be some sort of protest against people who cant think for themselves, is it me or is this a bit over the top, i really like Ms Badu and i think that she is very very talented but this is seriously pushing the boundaries way back.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hVp47f5YZg

tensor777:
Yes you have not been able to stick to main issues raised by Ms Odumosu's long-winded tirade against free trade and globalisation.
Indonesia is an example of a country that has achieved NIC status by adhering very closely to free market principles. Now can you mention just one country that has developed through communism or socialism?

well why dont  you try answering my original question which was - if socialism is such a bad thing why did obama and brown appropriate over $700billion of tax payers money with gordon brown sinking  £500b of taxpayers money into several british banks, the really awful thing is that in america goldman sachs actually used over $7billion out of this money to pay banker's bonuses!!! so effectivley money was taken from the masses to pay people who are already fabulously rich.

this is where your scathing criticism of socialism does not make sense, if it is anathema for govt to be involved in regulating the market and deregulation is the key why were failing banks not simply left to go bankrupt, why were they saved through govt bailouts?

tensor777:
If and when Nigeria builds up its tax revenue then we can debate whether bail-outs are the answer to the inherently cyclical nature of economic and financial growth.
For now, it is more important for the FGN to encourage foreign investment and consequently not act as a kind of Santa Claus figure to inefficient companies.

but dont you see you are contradicting yourself again because you are implying that its okay for the govt to step in and assist banks using tax payers money even after they have behaved in a greedy irresponsible and reckless manner but the govt should adopt a non interventionist role and allow market forces to prevail where these services benefit the public.  

the UK and US govt DID act as a Santa Claus figure by giving billions of dollars in tax payers money to these banks insted of allowing them to fall into bankruptcy.