₦airaland Forum

Sadly we don't even need their aid but the article was on point since we have decided to bring shame on ourselves as a nation.
"Nigeria(ns) when will you regain your senses"

A country so corrupt it would be better to burn our aid money

By MICHAEL BURLEIGH

PUBLISHED: 23:14 GMT, 8 August 2013 |
UPDATED: 23:41 GMT, 8 August 2013

Nigeria is not quite the most corrupt country
on earth. But according to Transparency
International, which monitors international
financial corruption, it is not far off — coming
a shameful 172nd worst among the 215
nations surveyed.


Only countries as dysfunctional, derelict and
downright dangerous as Haiti or the Congo are
more corrupt.
In theory, Nigeria’s 170 million-strong
population should be prospering in a country
that in recent years has launched four satellites
into space and now has a burgeoning space
programme.


Moreover, Nigeria is sitting on crude oil
reserves estimated at 35 billion barrels
(enough to fuel the entire world for more than
a year), not to mention 100 trillion cubic feet
of natural gas.
It also manages to pay its legislators the
highest salaries in the world, with a basic wage
of £122,000, nearly double what British MPs
earn and many hundreds of times that of the
country’s ordinary citizens.


No wonder the ruling elite can afford luxury
homes in London or Paris, and top-end cars
that, across West Africa, have led to the
sobriquet ‘Wabenzi’, or people of the
Mercedes-Benz.


Yet 70 per cent of Nigerians live below the
poverty line of £1.29 a day, struggling with a
failing infrastructure and chronic fuel
shortages because of a lack of petrol refining
capacity, even though their country produces
more crude oil than Texas.
And that poverty is not for want of assistance
from the wider world.


Since gaining its independence in 1960, Nigeria
has received $400 billion (£257 billion) in aid
— six times what the U.S. pumped into
reconstructing the whole of Western Europe
after World War II.


Nigeria suffers from what economists call the
‘resource curse’ — the paradox that developing
countries with an abundance of natural
reserves tend to enjoy worse economic growth
than countries without minerals and fuels.
The huge flow of oil wealth means the
government does not rely on taxpayers for its
income, so does not have to answer to the
people — a situation that fosters rampant
corruption and economic sclerosis because
there is no investment in infrastructure as the
country’s leaders cream off its wealth.


Corruption in Nigeria is endemic — from
parents bribing teachers to get hold of exam
papers for their children through clerks
handed ‘dash’ money to get round the
country’s stifling bureaucracy to policemen
taking money for turning a blind eye.
It is at its most blatant, perhaps, in the oil
industry, where 136 million barrels of crude
oil worth $11 billion (£7.79 billion) were
illegally siphoned off in just two years from
2009 to 2011, while hundreds of millions of
dollars in subsidies were given to fuel
merchants to deliver petrol that never
materialised.


Whether the country is ruled by civilians or
soldiers, who invariably proclaim their burning
desire to eradicate civilian corruption, it makes
absolutely no difference.


The military ruled Nigeria between 1966 and
1979 and from 1983 to 1999, but if anything,
corruption was worse when they were in
charge since they had a habit of killing anyone
threatening to expose them.
It is estimated that since 1960, about $380
billion (£245 billion) of government money has
been stolen — almost the total sum Nigeria
has received in foreign aid.
And that even when successive governments
attempt to recover the stolen money, much of
this is looted again.


In essence, 80 per cent of the country’s
substantial oil revenues go to the government,
which disburses cash to individual governors
and hundreds of their cronies, so effectively
these huge sums remain in the hands of a
mere 1 per cent of the Nigerian population.


Political power is universally regarded as a
chance to reap the fortunes of office by the
ruling elite and its families and tribes.


The most egregious example was President Sani
Abacha, a military dictator who ruled in the
Nineties and accrued a staggering $4 billion
(£2.58 billion) fortune by the time he died of a
heart attack while in bed with two Indian
prostitutes at his palace in the nation’s capital,
Abuja, in 1998. Abacha’s business associates
did nicely, too — one of them deposited £122 
million in a Jersey offshore account after
selling Nigerian army trucks for five times
their worth.


Public office is so lucrative that people will kill
to get it. Nigeria has 36 state governors, 31 of
whom are under federal investigation for
corruption.

In one of the smallest states, a candidate for
the governorship occupied by one Ayo Fayose
received texts signed by the ‘Fayose M Squad’
— and it was clear the ‘M’ was for ‘Murder’
when they stabbed and bludgeoned a third
candidate to death in his own bed.

By the end of its term of office, the British
Government will have handed over £1 billion
in aid to Nigeria.

Given the appalling levels of corruption in that
nation, this largesse is utterly sickening — for
the money will only be recycled into bank
accounts in the Channel Islands or Switzerland.


Frankly, we might as well flush our cash away
or burn it for all the good it’s doing for
ordinary Nigerians.

The total amount of electricity generated in Nigeria as at 6am on Saturday was 2,628.6 megawatts.

This indicates a sharp drop from the little above 4,000MW, which the Federal Government had recently announced as the country’s generated power.

The drop in generated electricity, according to the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, is as a result of severe leaks in the supply of gas to some strategic power plants across the country.

Nebo, according to a statement on Saturday, which was signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Ms. Kande Daniel, described the development as worrisome.

The minister, in the statement said, “Total grid generation as at 6am on Saturday is 2,628.6MW,” adding, “With this low level generation, management of the grid is currently a big task, necessitating a nationwide load shedding.”

While explaining the current grid generation situation, Nebo attributed the drop to the low gas supply to the generation plants especially in eastern Nigeria.

He said three power stations in the region: Afam IV, Afam VI, and Rivers Independent Power Plant, were shut down again on Friday night, as a result of gas constraints arising from condensate issue on the Trans National Pipeline.

This, he said, put total generation loss from the stations at 624MW.

He said Olorunsogo power station was also down due to low gas pressure, and as a result, 89MW of power was lost.

The minister went further to state that low head water elevation was also limiting generation at Kainji and Jebba hydro stations to one unit each.

Nebo, however, observed that the Federal Government had moved in to arrest the crisis in the gas sector as this was affecting power generation in parts of the country negatively.

He stated that the government was assembling a crack team of experts across the oil industry to investigate in particular the cause of the severe leaks in the gas supply channels in the eastern part of the country and determine measures to ameliorate the situation.

The minister said it was painful that this was happening when many Nigerians were already rejoicing and celebrating over the stabilisation of power nationally.

He noted that as soon as the cause of the leakage was established, measures would be taken to fix the problem.

Nebo solicited for understanding and urged Nigerians to be patient, stressing that the situation was being tackled.

source: http://www.punchng.com/news/power-generation-drops-to-2628-6mw/

tintingz: [size=16pt]Talking of the most benefitted so far...i give to D'banj

Abi wetin concern Loyal milk with Sony

You cant compare Don jazzy the Loyal milk daddy with D'banj the Sony crew and Bank of industry ambassador... Oyato!! [/size]

bros don jazzy is a samsung ambassador too,so ur point

mods front page please

Imanuelle: As for the smart phones, the Blackberry was the only model said to contain one of the suspect substances. :-)


definitely, a black burial !

hahaha

we need to go back to using torchlight phones,and btw you all should check your ear area to see if it is not getting dry. lol

Have you noticed that whenever you try to answer a call, people around you want to see the kind of phone you are holding? Beautifully-designed phones attract attention, such that those who can’t control their curiosity readily asks how much you bought it and where.

Indeed, those who own smart phones confess that they are usually afraid to brandish them in public places like crowded motor parks, markets and other insecure places where they may become objects of attacks by hoodlums who make a living by stealing good phones.

Smart phones don’t come cheap, as they are highly priced. Tech geeks say a smart phone ranges from N50,000 to anywhere around N400,000 or more, depending on how recent it was made, the manufacturer, country of origin, as well as the functions therein.

But then, take a look at your skin — especially that part of the face where you usually receive your calls — do you have what looks like dry, itchy patches of skin along the cheekbones, jaw line, and ears? Or has the skin become darkened or scarred and you have no idea how it happened?

These questions become pertinent in view of the fact that despite all the ogling that a smart phone and its owner receive, a new data presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology gives smart phones a knockdown in terms of the alleged health risk they pose to users.

According to lead study author, who is also a member of the ACAAI, Dr. Tania Mucci, “researchers analysed 75 cell phones — including iPhones, Droids, Blackberries, and flip phones — in search of models containing cobalt and nickel (two common allergens).

The result shows that flip phones contained the most nickel. As for the smart phones, the Blackberry was the only model said to contain one of the suspect substances. In fact, the researchers disclose that approximately one-third of all Blackberries contain nickel — one of the commonest allergens that cause contact dermatitis.

Scientists warn that when the skin is in contact with nickel for too long, you could develop an allergy to it. For busy people who make or receive numerous calls per day, therefore, the watchword is being careful.

But then, what is nickel and how dangerous can it be to human health? Environmental chemists say nickel normally occurs at very low levels in the environment. As such, food is the major source of exposure to nickel, albeit in small amount.

Toxicologists say you may also be exposed to nickel by breathing air, drinking nickel-tainted water or smoking tobacco containing the metal. Some household stuffs, such as stainless steel bowls or plates, keys, personal effects such as jewelry, as well as coin money also contain nickel, experts say.

In a discussion about the toxic effects of the environment we live in, the Medical Director of MART-Life Clinic, Lagos, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru warns that exposure to extremely high level of nickel through inhalation can lead to severe damage to the lungs and kidneys.

He also warns that it can lead to “gastrointestinal distress” such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea; or scarring of the lung (pulmonary fibrosis) and renal oedema (fluid build-up in the kidney).

Scientists say in humans, the most common result of chronic skin exposure to nickel is dermatitis, and it comes with symptoms of eczema (rash, itching or burning sensations) on the fingers, hands, wrists and forearms, among others.

Though dermatitis is not contagious or dangerous, dermatologists say it can be uncomfortable. And when it takes permanent residency along your cheekbones, jaw line and ears, other social factors may start to creep in, as people are now forced to take a second look at your face after your phone call!

Dermatologist, Dr. Peter Esele, explains that nickel allergy usually develops after repeated or prolonged exposure to items containing the metal; and that once you develop nickel allergy, you will always be sensitive to the metal and therefore need to avoid contact with it altogether.

He warns that if you have a skin rash and don’t know how you got it, you should consult your doctor, especially when you start experiencing pain, increased redness, warmth or pus in the affected area. “All these are indications that the affected area has been infected,” Esele says.

Sad still, Mucci notes that there is no cure for nickel allergy and that the best bet is to eliminate the nickel-contaminated substance that’s giving you problems — including your Blackberry, perhaps!

Nickel allergy signs and symptoms

• Rash or bumps on the skin

• Itching, which may be severe

• Redness or changes in skin color

• Dry patches of skin that may resemble a burn

• Blisters and draining fluid in severe cases

Source: mayoclinic.com

http://www.punchng.com/healthwise/your-smart-phone-can-give-you-dermatitis/

Thieves came to my school when i was in pry 5 and stole the wall clock.I was sitting with the timekeeper then and being the only one who wears a watch in class,my wristwatch was being used to keep time,so we would alter the time to get to break time quickly and turn it back,so our breaks were unusually long until the headmistress brought another clock for us.

yuzedo: 1. I use to lign op behind gals and be press my mon-kee on deir bum bum
2. I use to still biro, egg, pen sul, etc.
3. I use to lie?? oh god! I lie sotay Jisos say WTF! if I teel u all d lyes eh, seun will banned me, ahswear!
4. One fooooolish sit mait I have dat time use to pornish us. He will mess in side his hand, close it and troway d mess in to ur face wtf?! dat tin gave me youth canser!

But tenk Obatala, upon evrytin, I use to come FIRST evry time. Oh obatalamdulahi!!!

Dont u think this is getting silly?

Sigh

ebamma: I eat 300naira food but am more healthy than she who eats 1billion naira food #thank u Lord

lol u beta go for medical check up first before u jump into conclusions

nig2change: Can't she live her private life Sahara reporters. She is free to sought for experts for her medical condition anywhere they abound.

NO! she can't, she's the first lady (wife of the president)

One tip which has and will never fail is "Have money"

k2039: [color=crap] [size=13pt] That could probably be a curse.
[/size][/color]

Lol

Go beat that Apple, we are waiting.

Go beat that apple.

ddim22: Why do you guys in this forum always talk like fools when things like this happen.Stop comparing misapprophation of funds by our leaders to armed robbery.There is no excuse for armed robbery and you can not compare the assault and battery coupled with the fear they put in people and killings during operation.
Looting the treasury is a crime quite alright but compared to armed robbery,it is a lesser crime.It is not about how much is stolen but the means used in stealing the money..If this armed robbers come to your house will you still hold brief for them.

Lesser crime my foot. Do you know how many people have died as a result of bad roads, bad health care system because one thief embezzled the money meant for them. Isn't the insecurity problems we face in the country as a result of corruption,where our security agents are not trained well and lack basic equipments.
So just STFU and let sensible people contribute. nonsense *hiss

Goddex: Tinubu is by far a much bigger thief than Alams but is
moving freely and even calling the shots in South West politics.

Alams wealth is not up to 5 percent of Tinubu's. He may have sinned,
but is sorry for his sins and is forgiven, simple. GEJ alone is not Council of State.
Council of State include: All former Heads of State,President and Vice-President, Ministers,
Senate President and Speaker House of Reps, All governors.

The irony of your post is i don't know what we did as a nation to have deserved Gej and I don't know what your children had done or will do to deserve you as a father.

you see I couldn't sleep yesterday night because of heat and mosquitoes, and I won't curse Gej nor his apologists but God will ...... sigh

Sincere 9gerian: Mischievous moderators at work again. How many threads about state pardon will make front page? At the last count, about three threads, have made front page on three consecutive days. How many more do we expect?
Smh!

Personally, I dont like the decision to pardon certain political actors, but those who took the decision have their reasons.

The Council of State consists of the president, vice president, senate president, speaker of the house of reps, all the former president/head of state, past chief justices of the federation, the 36 state governors (including ACN, APGA and CPC governors). If certain persons were not satisfied with the decisions by the Council of State, they could atleast have staged a walk out or did something to register their dis-satisfaction.

But if all of them emerged from the meeting smiling, it is safe to assume they deliberated on all the issues and took the RIGHT decisions.

It smacks of mischief and opportunitics politicking to reduce a body as large as the Council of State to one man- the president.

Anyway, I will not dissipate time and energy discussing intangible issues such as granting of state pardon. For me, the pertinent issues are tangible things that impact on my life and the life of other Nigerians. Things like stable power, infrastructures, job creation,etc

smh

HectorTroy: Nairaland hapy baiday....but u guys are using our mb and time to make money for yourselves...if not that I am jobless I would have left here since....seun buy recharge card for us...no...muki organise party..nehi...oya give us small advatisement money nko...NOO...make una change o

How much has facebook given you? my bro this forum is not an NGO moreover there is Nairaland charity, so what else do you want?

It's been a privilege for me to be a member, to meet/share ideas, disagree with people, it's been fun really.
Happy birthday Nairaland and congratulations to Seun

All I know is that African queen won Mtv Europe music award, and Oliver twist ...well didn't.

Touching and motivating!!

lol! I even saw a tweet that said this is PHCN's year of international invasion.

By Luck Gold & Samuel Burke, CNN
While American waited 35 minutes for the
Super Bowl’s lights to come on, Nigerians
just chuckled.
They know all too well the problem of
power outages: Nigeria has been plagued
by rolling blackouts that last hours,
sometimes even days.
So as the television audience worldwide
waited for the power to come back on,
Nigerians took to social media with wit.
“Power outage at the Super Bowl on
Sunday. Suddenly, Nigeria doesn’t look as
dark anymore,” tweeted one Nigerian.
“If they had the Super Bowl in Nigeria, the
power coming back on would be the real
surprise,” another tweeted.
Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan,
recently told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour
that his country’s electrical woes have been
improving.
“That is one area that Nigerians are quite
pleased with the government, that
commitment to improve power. It’s
working,” President Jonathan told the
president.
Many Nigerian viewers tweeted messages to
Christiane Amanpour to express their
continued frustrations about having to rely
on back-up generators for power.
In the video above, you can watch an
“Open Mic ” series CNN conducted after
Amanpour’s interview with President
Jonathan. We left a microphone in a public
place and recorded Nigerians expressing
their frustrations with their notoriously
unreliable power supply.

http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/04/what-nigeria-and-the-super-bowl-have-in-common/

When tragedies happen in Nigeria, you feel more devastated with the rescue efforts.
I'm sure it is the canoe owners at the scene undertaking rescue efforts there, cos from that pic I can't see any proof that emergency officials there can even handle the situation.

NONE

weaseloo: To all the critics on here, what have you done in your own little way to make Nigeria a better place?
We fail to forget that the change has to come from us. No saviour is going to come and deliver us. We have to work hard and work together to make this country great. In your own little way, do good and do not be sucked in by the bad and evil influences around you. This is our country, our home, OURS and no one else's. Quit bickering and criticising and start believing and working hard.

I believe in Nigeria, I believe in my country that we will one day have peace, fairness and comfort in this country. Amen!

I pay my tax, and i criticize our useless government. It is not until i start employing pple or bankrolling campaigns that i become a patriotic citizen. If u are as enlightened as u want to portray yourself on here then you should know that my tax is meant for infrastructural development, security among other things but sadly it is being stolen by d c-in-c and his fellow goons and yet you are still here asking me what I've done for d country abi.
Was it not only yesterday dat d self revealing daftluck said Nigeria is second only to d us in fighting corruption, a nation where one of d richest men in d world, Maddoff was sentenced to 150years imprisonment for running a ponzi scheme and another has been given 140 years. How many people have been prosecuted by this useless administration? yet u come on here and spew out of your reservoir of unintelligence asking us of our contributions as citizen.
They did not tell u in pri school dat a leader is supposed to direct, head in d direction he wants d pple to go, that a leader is supposed to assume responsibilities abi.
Our president eats with 3m per day, was involved in a fraud, his wife was involved in a fraud of $15m,his administration paid out over #2 trillion on subsidy etc and to you it's still d critics abi

To be fair GEJ has exceeded all my expectations cos i never new Nigeria could ever ever plunge to d depths she has now.
U see i don't know how you'll be a success in life if u say Jonathan is transforming Nigeria right now as it is (except u being paid sha) cos obviously it means u are planning NOT to make it in life if u're comfortable with failings/failures.
Gej has spent over two years on the job, yet those who criticise him still mk excuses for him that it's jst over a year and yet some of u that have adapted yourselves in reasoning outside d realms of intelligence &sheer common sense still think pple are just out to pull d guy down.
To those saying Jonathan's transforming Nigeria, that is d kind of transformation that will be happening in ur lives.
Those that av endorsed him for 2015,God will endorse ur problems for another 4years.
And to those that av said God will bless him, GOD WILL JUDGE HIM and posterity will judge all of us.

Bigflamie: Mr. Jonathan, try your best in transforming this country and put your dumbass, dunce critics to shame. 2013, lets go there

you're d dunce and dumbass. continue in your state of delusion