₦airaland Forum

Fadelex: sorry to say this, president Jonathan is still a learner when it comes to politics, u can't fight all your perceived enemies at the same time, he got it wrong when he decided to fight amaechi. amaechi is a strong character and obviously has no political future so he has absolutely nothing to lose in getting dirty with d president. today, no governor's forum. this is a forum where the president was hoping to table his 2015 ambition but that is gone now. you can't fight obj, ibb, atiku and others at d same time and have an octogenarian bamanga tukur as your defendant. in 2012 election in US, when the ground became so hot for Obama, president Clinton came to his rescue without which mitt Romney woulda floored Obama. this was d same role obj played in Jonathan ascending to throne in 2011. I know power is sweet and it is almost impossible for Jonathan not to contest in 2015 but he's going in a wrong way. his enemies are increasing everyday. I can't predict where this will end, but it will be easier for a Carmel to pass through needle eye than for Jonathan to win 2015 elections

@Fadelex, in the highlighted part of your statement lies the solution to our country's quagmire. Jonathan shouldn't be prevented from contesting the 2015 elections. If the forces against him believe he shouldn't return, they should rather mobilize and defeat him at the polls. Stopping him from recontesting, would only be fueling the other alternative, which incidentally, non of the commentators have given thought to: how to prevent an upheaval in the Niger Delta region should they feel aggrieved by how they have been treated in the political process.

And don't forget that the principal actors in the region have now been massively empowered financially compared to when they started their agitation and what catastrophic effect it would have on our economy. Boko Haram effect would be a child's play

Raggedy_Ann: The constitution trumps case and common law. Where the constitution has given room for subjective interpretation, as in the case with Governors defecting to another party, judgement can be sought by reverting to past cases. Case law is not statutory, it's just a precedent. Therefore we still need to get a ruling from the courts regarding this issue. Now there are conflicting precedents in existence on this very issue as evidenced by the following cases: Amaechi vs Omehia and Shinkafi vs ANPP (amongst others) - that gives room for argument. The prevalent circumstances in both cases will be examined and each aggrieved party is free to argue how the circumstances that prevailed in their preferred judgement applies to them now in order to get a favourable ruling.


I still believe the courts should examine the issue objectively and not just force a required outcome. Do we elect candidates or Parties? If we elect candidates, why do we not have the option of voting the Governor and the deputy on separate tickets, if they're not unified in a party ideology? What does a political party even stand for in Nigeria? In the USA, for instance, the democratic and republican parties have succinct and distinguishable identities that everyone is familiar with. A US citizen can assess for himself the zeitgeist and the issues that need urgent handling to enable him vote not only responsibly but responsively. He would know what kind of change he is enforcing by voting - that's the idea and relevance of a Party: ideology. It is bigger than an individual and it's got longevity. It's an insurance policy; A constituency can rest assured that their mandate is protected even when the candidate is unable to continue in office, if that mandate is given to an idea and not a man.

You succinctly captured my thoughts too. I believe the courts should make a definitive pronouncement on this. Their judgement won't be of much benefit in this dispensation, but will set the parameters going forward (read- post 2015) on the conduct of political actors across the different political divide

The Chinese Vice President making incantations

If a court declares their seat vacant, I don't see how that will be termed unconstitutional. If the other parties did not approach the court to declare the seats of the defecting Governors vacant, doesn't mean that PDP cannot in this case approach a court for redress (if they strongly feel that they have a case).

So quit threatening and ranting and challenge them in court

Paroman: errrrrrrrr ...I'm still kinda confused here pal. While saving pix with a phone, do u click on the pix(tried that but couldn't), quote the poster or u copy the weblink?? :-/ :-/

right-click on the picture you would like to save and select "save image as" or in some instances "save location as", but in the second case, be sure that the link to be saved ends in ".jpg"

Bandit C.:
North Rhine Westphalia is a very big region with the highest population in Germany and lots of industries. It is a perfect place for engineering students to begin their career and they have some of the most hospitable people you could meet in Germany.

The state of Hesse has lots of industries too, quite notably, the Industrie Park situated in Frankfurt (it's as big as a small village in Nigeria) and would be the dream of any body who studied Chemical Engineering since all the companies situated there are the some of the biggest Chemical Companies in the world. Think BASF, BAYER, SANOFI, CLARIANT and so on. Other than that, Frankfurt is a purely banking and Stock exchange city with gigantic banking buildings.


Berlin does not offer much in terms of industries. It is a town where politicians, secretaries and assistants thrive. Think Abuja.

Other than that, the state of Hamburg is also another huge industrial region with lots of importing and exporting going on.

Bavaria is good (don't know much about it) but I heard that the people dwelling there are some of the most unpleasant people to meet. They even look down on other Germans and have some of tbe most effed up accent you can come across in Germany. Unfortunately they have some of the best looking german girls.

Whatever you do, stay away from East Germany. They hate you and are proud of it.

@ Bandit C, I think the highlighted is factually inaccurate.

zopaks: Hi! I have recently completed a bachelor degree
In Agriculture Sciences with specialization in
Agronomy . Now I am interested in International
Master of Horticultural Science at the Technische
Universität , Weihenstephan Campus. München or Food/Agric Science in University of Hohenheim Stuttgart , or International Horticulture in Leibniz Universität Hannover .... kindly guide me

University of Hohenheim is very good and one of the best in Agricultural Sciences. They offer a course in Crop Sciences in English. Weihenstephan is also good. However, if you want to major in horticulture, Hohenheim doesn't offer it

markobinna: pls how can I start my admission process in Germany, visa application, can some one help wit German universities official site

To search for German Universities offering your programme of choice in English, you can use this link:
https://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programs/en/

Junipero: North Rhine Westphalia houses a lot of Prestigious Industries.. And my Language School Owner has lived there for over 20years.. She is trying hard to push us to study there.. Most of our students are there nd making it..

Students, irrespective of where they reside, are able to find something to do and sustain themselves while studying. So people shouldn't restrict themselves to Universities in big cities

garri4all: Hi Bandit,
I'm studying in Austria and I want to cross to Germany for my M.Sc once I'm done with my B.Sc
What parts of Germany is education free? How much is the student health insurance per month?
What university did you finish from? What did you study?
Are there M.Sc courses available in Englisch?
I hope to get a reply

Generally, Studies in German Universities are Tuition free. Some programmes offered in English do charge some fees, but most of those are MBA courses. Competition is very high, so apply to as many universities as your resources can carry you. Health Insurance depends on your age. If you are below 30, you can be insured (mostly mandatory) with the Govt Insurance agencies (cost is around 80 euros per month), but above 30, you either take up a private policy with the govt insurance agencies (cost ranges from around 120 for males to 180 for females per month) or go with many private insurance agencies (cheaper, but cumbersome - ranges between 40-60 euro per month).

The language is very important. It's advisable that you make every effort to learn it. Most universities offer German language courses to go along with lectures for as little as 20-50 euro per semester.

Damlesky: Europe ke? ? ?

Unfortunately, FIFA only allows IP addresses from European countries to view the matches live

plaindealer: Hospital or medical center is where they treat people with illness, not in an illegal prison under lock and keys with crooked, unethical and bought doctors paid for by the taxpayers.

Yes, pray for her recovery inside illegal state prison. Why not just pray that your own mother, sister or family member gets the same treatment in there time of need.

No, the best place to treat such medical condition is at home (provided it's conducive) and not in a medical facility as some of you erroneously think. Such facilities (abroad I mean) are actually high security prisons. Depending on the person's condition, (s)he is not allowed to even leave his/her room for weeks/months. Sending her overseas for treatment will worsen her situation. She should however, be allowed access to those who are close to her, but access to computer and/or telephone, no, unless her condition improves.

The after effect of making this issue public, in my opinion, will result in her being denied access to her phone and computer unsupervised.

Scun: Yes o, They've caused a big upset by beating Tunisia away (not yet over)
Updated list
seeded teams based on August Fifa rankings will be:
Cote d'Ivoire
Ghana
Algeria
Nigeria
Burkina Faso
Unseeded teams
Egypt
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Senegal
Ethiopia
I'll take Cameroon

Seeding will be based purely on FIFA ranking in September. At the moment, Nigeria is ranked 4th in Africa and should we loose or draw our next match (friendly) against Burkina Faso on Tuesday, we might likely drop out of the first 5 places. As things stand now, Cape Verde will leap-frog us when the next ranking is out to 3rd or 4th position in Africa, even if we win our next friendly against Burkina Faso. So the possible pairing would be:
Pot 1
CIV
Ghana
Algeria
Nigeria
Cape Verde

Pot 2
Burkina Faso
Cameroon (likely to overcome Libya tomorrow)
Egypt
Senegal (leading Uganda by 1-0 with 2 minutes left to play)
Ethiopia

FIFA and CAF are going to rig the pairing to ensure that West African countries play each other as much as possible, and 1 or 2 north African country is given an opportunity to qualify. So the possible pairings for the knock out stage would be:
CIV vs Cameroon
Ghana vs B/Faso
Algeria vs Ethiopia
Nigeria vs Senegal and
Cape Verde vs Egypt

A slight variation might be Ghana playing Senegal while Nigeria will take on B/Faso, else, it's likely to remain as above

Delafruita: first,your analogy only works in a case where the governor transmits a letter to the speaker informing him of his desire to seek treatment,i dont recall suntai sending a letter to that effect.
there are many angles to this issue.according to section 182(2)b of the 1999 constitution,a person is unfit to be the governor of a state if he is of unsound mind.

then again,section 189 states clearly that it is the duty of the house of assembly to ascertain if the governor is capable of discharging its functions.the full powers to determine this reside with the medical panel to be constituted by the speaker which will include five medical practitioners one of whom must be suntai's personal physician.if the medical panel believes he is fit,he continues but according to

189(2) "where the medical panel certifies in its report that in its opinion the governor or deputy governor is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind as renders him permanently incapoable of discharging the functions of his office,a notice thereof signed by the speaker of the house of assembly shall be published in the official gazette of the government of the state"

189(3) "the governor or deputy governor shall cease to hold office as from the date of publication of the notice of the medical report.........."

the above should be the reference point and not secion 190 which has to do with a governor going on vacation or needing medical check-up.the governor didnt transmit a letter,he was in a plane crash and some people expect that he is in the best position to determine his own ability to govern a state?we practise a democracy for pete's sake.lets follow our constitution on spirit and letter

@ Delafruita, I like you line of reasoning, though I don't agree with it. If he didn't send a letter when he was airlifted to Germany after the crash, from which section of the constitution did the state house of assembly get the powers to install the deputy governor as the acting governor? I can't recall reading anything that has to do with "the doctrine of necessity" as we had in Yar'Adua's case.

The state house of assembly cannot on their own constitute a medical panel to ascertain the health condition of the governor. The executive council members have had to vote first with 2/3rd supporting such call for a panel before the house can act. In this case, he has sacked his cabinet and there's no one to vote or send a recommendation to the house of assembly.

So which brings us back to the issue of the governor being back. I still maintain that he doesn't need the approval of the house of assembly to assume office again - his mandate is still running and all his actions since he came back remains lawful and constitutional

2ndChance: If Suntai wrote to the state house of assembly to resume duties, shouldn't he wait for their assent before going ahead to take back power, dissolving cabinet and swearing in appointees? There is nothing wrong in requesting to return back to his duties but he should please follow the disctates of the law. His deputy should also avoid being used against his boss at this trying moment by selfish politicians.

Vigoprince: Taraba state House of Assembly will need to approve governor's decision to resume official duties, until then the deputy governor is still in charge as Acting governor. Therefore, dissolution of state exco by Suntai is invalid

Sorry to disappoint you. The constitution states that Suntai only need to write to the state House of Assembly that he's back to resume his duties. There's no where it is stated that the house has to first approve before he takes over governance.

I only pity the deputy governor. If he's not impeached, then he'll be useless for the rest of their tenure. And the speaker's days in that seat is numbered, unless the National Assembly will come to his aid the way the did in Rivers State

manuch: any link

I am watching it live on NTA weblink. They are getting their signals though via AIT
http://ntanews24.tv/24Live.html

I hope the Super Eagles will take this match seriously as it might decide whether or not we will be in Brazil 2014. The pairing for the second and final round of qualification will be made based on FIFA ranking at the end of September and we need to win this game and the game against to maintain at least our 5th position in Africa. This will ensure that we either get Ethiopia or Cameroon as our opponent in the final round

Juan_De_Dios: Andy Showman.

No, it wasn't Andy Shurman that played it, rather Best Aguoha. Andy Shurman's classic, Save the Masses, can be listened to on youtube

Ola Johnson: Who remembers this reggae song?
Chase them oh Rasta chase them. Chase them away.

The reggae song was performed by Best Aguoha. I haven't been able to locate his song on youtube though.

Erwin Bach is no gold digger. They've been together for 27 years and only decided to make it official. Best of married life to them

~ZN~:
Oh my, you really do work inside the Nigerian DSS to know exactly how their technology works.

Listen up, son. Stop playing with your imaginations and yammering on cluelessly from stuff you watched on the Big screen.

You have any idea the sort of spying facility you're painting? You realize that every mobile carrier in the damn country would have to consent to it and make a lot of modifications on their infrastructure to provide access to softwares constantly scanning each call made and comparing it with the "audio sample" for a match, then recording it? You really realize how much resources a project like that would undertake and cost to run? Let's not even go into the cellular network receptiveness and poor audio. Your imaginative talent sure packs a punch.

Even the sleekiest, advanced phone spy tech at the moment (to my knowledge, the sting-ray), used by the FBI has no such "auto mode" capabilities, and heck, they still have to go through a lot of manual work, filtering/deleting data unrelated to their target.

And here you are, telling me, a country that still struggles to provide 24/7 electricity for it's citizens has a high-tech "automatic" phone spy technology in place that constantly scans every call made in the entire region, compares it to a pre-recorded audio from a target, identifies the fellow regardless the phone line in the world he uses to call a line in the country, starts recording his conversation and probably alert a superior via phone or sms "Bingo, Boss we've got new leads".

No point arguing with you. Your imaginations are hilarious enough.

Sorry I don't get what you are driving at. I told you what I've experienced. I am not a security professional but have worked with some as a translator and this is exactly how their system worked. The person of interest kept changing lines almost on a daily basis and using other people's numbers and even from public phone booths and all were captured. If you don't believe me, well,that's your wahala

OK let me spell it out to you a bit more elaborately. Here's how it works (in a layman's point of view). Say Person A is someone of interest and his conversations are to be monitored. His voice is added to the program and calls are filtered for a match, and once there is (i.e, the person uses a phone to make a call, the program is activated to start recording the message - irrespective of the phone he uses. Mind you, using a foreign SIM (same thing as roaming) the voice still has to go through the infrastructure of the networks in the country the card is being used, so the program will still pick it up.

That your mind can't conceive the possibility of such doesn't mean it's not ota akara stuff in this age

~ZN~:
Pray tell.

Funny how some folks here be fronting excess knowledge.

Dude, re-read your post. The program? what program? Is it installed in the targets brain? or perhaps on every single mobile provider?

Believe me, I know what I am talking about. You asked about the program? You think the agency the governors are suspicious of listening in on their conversation, just lift a telephone to eavesdrop?

Despicable of Wole Soyinka. I have nothing further to say

The technology used in monitoring phone messages is voice activated. Even if you use your neighbour's telephone line or a SIM obtained from Afghanistan, once the person under surveillance says Hello! the program recognizes the voice and starts recording.

Why am I bothering sef. The governors no sabi anything apart from under age girls and stealing of our commonwealth

Oga Spyder, good job. Jisie ike

He's looking at the giant billboard behind him

pazienza: Kayode will go places. I see it already.

Kayode is a good player but he's being played out of position. During the U-17 world cup hosted in Nigeria, Obuh played him as a winger. He has the speed and built of Finidi George and could have been a better player there. As a point-man up front, he has no chance

Afam4eva: This is not a very good Nigerian team. The coach should have picked players who have at least their school cert. Anyway, the coach himself did not finish high school. He has some connections in the glass house, that's why they're always picking him to coach one Nigerian team or the other. The team is no where near the Nigerian team that got to the finals in Holland.

It's not the coach's fault. He has to make do with the material at his disposal. The Football Federation has to get serious with youth football development. I don't see any player there that can make it to the senior team - maybe one or two defenders.

Our only hope regarding future Super Eagle players lies with the young U17 boys, especially their strikers.

As for Obu, he won't survive the Glas house Apparatchik - his refusal to fly with the team to the African Tournament will be remembered now