₦airaland Forum

irisher:
You're absolutely right, a lot of people want to setup an industry on that axis because of its proximity to Onitsha and the much availability of lands on that area. But the problem here is that the road is yet to be dualised.
From the boundary bridge between Nsugbe and Umueri down to Aguleri Junction will be filled with Industries once the road is dualised.
This road dualisation will also uplift the face of the newly Ikenga Umueri International market that's currently under construction.

Unbiased1:
Nothing concern me with Lagos, I don't care what happens in Eko Atlantic. Our focus should be on making Igbo land the number 1 choice destination in Nigeria. If the Federal Government is marginalizing the South East, the Igbo people should not also marginalize themselves by starving their land of investments. If more Igbo men move their business headquarters to Igbo land, it will attract more investors, both local and foreign. Forget about investing in any Ibeno and focus on Igbo land. A
South African business man once built a luxury resort with an artificial lake in South Africa. There is nothing we can't achieve in Igbo land. Stop advicing Ndigbo to move their top tourism investments to other parts of Nigeria, try to learn from history.

Bebigiby1:
In the past few weeks Nigerians have been inundating with calls from IMF (International Monetary Fund) to devalue naira and remove all subsidies including electricity subsidy…. Those foreigners running IMF enjoy stable economy and several government subsidies in their respective countries but are bent on destroying Nigeria’s economy by pressurizing the government to remove all subsidies and implement draconian policies that will further destabilize Nigeria’s economy. They grant the corrupt Nigerian government greek loans that they know will be looted so as to gain influential economic power over Nigeria’s economy. It’s indeed unfortunate that several IMF’s economic advice to the government has played a major role to the terrible state of Nigeria’s economy and the government appears helpless as it implements IMF wishes without looking inwards for local solutions on how to boost Nigeria’s manufacturing and local productive sectors. It is glaring that the insatiable taste of Tinubu for foreign loans that will be looted by the malicious APC government may eventually destroy this country if nothing is done by Nigerians to hold this government accountable. Foreign organizations like IMF don’t mean well for Nigeria as it is obviously clear that they want to destroy Nigeria’s economy. It is time for Nigeria to cut ties with IMF and look inwards to solve it’s economic crisis. As a nation, Nigerians must rise above tribal and religious sentiments for genuine progress to be achieved. What must be done to heal our land is to dissolve this incompetent evil Tinubu APC government and restructure the country’s political landscape to a decentralized government system where states/regions control 100% of it’s resources.

bennybuhari:
[s]Tunji Shelle, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, says the directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on cybersecurity levy is another way of exploiting Nigerians.

On May 6, the CBN directed deposit money banks in the country to start charging a 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions, in line with the Cybercrime Act 2024 as amended.

Speaking with TheCable, the retired navy captain says President Bola Tinubu and his appointees are insensitive to the plight of the masses.

Shelle added that it is worrisome that Nigerians who are going through the hardship of subsidy removal, hunger, and fuel scarcity, are being told that certain amounts will be deducted from their bank accounts when they make transactions.

“I am not surprised by the announcement by the CBN because Nigerians have always been exploited by this government. They have no regards or feelings for the common man at all and they don’t care if the poor continue to get poorer,” he said.

“The man who has N50,000 in his account, is that somebody you should levy cybersecurity fee upon? A man who is earning N30,000 minimum wage and is wondering how he will survive until month end, is that the man you still want to tax cybersecurity levy? These people are just so insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

“It is very easy for someone to say, how much is 0.5 percent? But what they are thinking about is the cumulative amount they will realise from the cybersecurity levy.

“By the time, they collect these 0.5 percent levy from all Nigerians, including the poor masses, it goes into billions of naira.

“They will spend the money lavishly and use it to renovate the national assembly and share the remaining among themselves. The masses will benefit nothing from the amount generated from the levy. We have never had it so bad.”

Shelle added that the Tinubu administration has achieved very little in one year.

“With all the amount used to renovate the national assembly, the lawmakers are even still complaining because a poor job was done,” he added.

“I think people with good conscience should resign from this administration and go and beg God for forgiveness. That is the only thing that can save this country.

“Only gullible Nigerians will continue to see Tinubu as a messiah and man of hope. I can’t pinpoint what he has done for the average Nigerian.

“Almost all Nigerians have lost hope in his government. They are just trusting in God for a miracle to happen.”
https://www.thecable.ng/tunji-shelle-cybersecurity-levy-insensitive-to-plight-of-nigerians [/s] /

ebufa:
True words my brother...........Nobody is coming to save Alaigbo aside her own children! I like the way Soludo and Alex otti are gradually changing the narrative............by the time the road dualization of Amawbia - Ekwuluobia and Nnewi - Amawbia is completed the metamorphosis of Anambra will be clear even to the blind!

hammer567:
He was always going to gradually erect skyscrapper there.


He may still find another beach to start again too.


He loves the beach life.

afube:
Competent contractors are not all as expensive as Julius Berger......Craneburg is good and Arab contractors are cheaper than JB. There are certain roads you cannot give out to these 2 for a penny contractors Soludo is using! Soludo has lost 2 years fumbling with these quacks...he has 12 months to redeem himself!

Ezewuzie01:
.
Soludo is not serious. I don't know what he thinks he gains by playing to the gallery. Governments around the world are rated by their efficiency and quality of service delivery. These roads were among the very first roads he awarded immediately he was sworn in. That's almost two years of struggling with mere 14km roads. Shameful. Where is his commissioner for works? Why should the governor be the one moving around ascertaining the quality of roads when he has a commissioner for works who is a so-called engineer and is paid for doing nothing? It is either the commissioner for works is a thief or is grossly incompetent. Either way he should be fired or we will believe that he is sharing kickbacks with the governor. How will the state government recover its money already paid to the contractor for lousy job done and for time lost? I expected Soludo who is a first class economist to be so much smarter than this display of inefficiency and tardiness that his government has come to be known for. Didn't he know that something like this was going to happen when he awarded road contracts to these quack contractors he is using all over the place? How about using just two or three well-known reputable contractors and award them bulk road projects for which they will surely offer your government a discount and you can also rest assured that they will give you a quality finishing? This one year, one road government that Soludo is leading calls to question his competence to lead a government. I am beginning to think being highly educated does not always translate to being a competent administrator. Soludo has been disappointing so far. What he has offered so far doesn't show he has capacity to do exceptionally well. He can start redeeming himself by using only good contractors like RCC, Nigercat, CCECC and let them turn Onitsha, Obosi, Nkpor, Ogidi, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and our urban areas into a massive construction site, not this story of dubai-taiwan he is always telling and yet people are seeing squalor and incompetence everywhere. Let him borrow if necessary. Ndi Anambra won't mind as long as they see the borrowed funds in action.

ANSMEDIA:
Updates on some rural roads across Anambra. Cities, towns and villages are all getting attention all at once . God continue to bless Anambra with good leadership

Unbiased1:
Send this video to the federal government, they are the ones in charge of the gas.

RepoMan007:
The 2016 massacre was just a dwellers relocation exercise.
You see why Nigeria is 10 steps back and one forward? Because of conquest mentality, they left northern states that are twice the entire 5 SE states in landmass to go kill them and establish a useless ranch.

searchng4love:
Bakassi and co

ChimaAdeoye:
There are currently two prevailing schools of thought in Igboland: one advocating for a return to our traditional roots and ancient way of living, while the other proposes mimicking Western countries entirely, from methods, infrastructure designs, and ideas to culture.

In my view, the truth lies somewhere between these extremes. There are instances where embracing Western ideas and concepts is beneficial, just as there are times when blindly copying them proves unwise.

Personally, I always consider the cost implications of any proposal. It's essential to weigh the cost-benefit ratio when discussing initiatives. For example, having lived in New York for many years, I witnessed the city complete major projects like flyovers within just 2 or 3 months. Initially, I attributed this efficiency to Nigeria's lack of seriousness until I delved into their budget.

a. The 2024 budget of New York City , is $107 billion , for its 8.5 million residents! For those who don't know, the City of New York is just an LGA in the state of New York. It is like saying the City of Ikeja in Ikeja LGA of Lagos state.

b. Nigeria's 2024 budget , even with all its excesses, amounts to $34 billion for 225 million people.

c. Anambra's 2024 budget is a mere $280 million (#400 billion naira), serving a population of 6-9 million people. To put this into context, the City of New York Fire Department's 2024 budget is $2.3 billion! (i.e. just Fire Brigade funding for New York City is larger than the budget of all north central and southeastern states combined!)

These figures should tell us something when we are proposing ideas about what is obtainable abroad that should be in Nigeria. Unless you pause for a moment to do a cost-benefit analysis, you will be wasting time. Now some proposals are fine, but in a country where almost everything is lacking, you almost wonder what to spend the precious little resources on to drive economic development and what to leave for later. Of course, many Nigerians don't care about these figures because we have lived in a country where politicians do nothing but steal public resources. Yes, these financial figures underscore the critical importance of distinguishing between feasible initiatives that can be adopted without significant financial strain and those that are unrealistic, considering Nigeria's resource constraints and pervasive corruption among politicians. It does not make sense to demand why a starving man is not clean-shaven and did not buy soap to wash his clothes when he has an even greater priority - addressing hunger.

Gov. Soludo is trying his best with the few resources available. Many of us bad-mouthing him from the sidelines cannot perform what he is doing if we are made governors now. Of course, many of them have never forgiven him for the regrettable letters he wrote at the early stages of his administration. I also tongue-lashed Soludo all over social media including sending him tweets demanding why he should distract himself with national politics, especially after the second letter. Instead of facing the enormous work he was elected to do for the Anambra people. But if Peter Obi himself came out and hugged Soludo, and asked us to forgive the argument among brothers, why should we hold on to that grudge and therefore refuse to acknowledge the good that Soludo has been doing since then?

Acidosis:
I like to believe that the whole idea is to restrict speculative activities and potentially stabilize the Naira. However, for every 1 potential benefit of this policy, there are at least 5 brutal consequences.

If this policy backfires lasan! Kai! But lets stay optimistic.

Hx1x:
Just got this email from WorldRemit.

Seems CBN has quietly re-introduced their policy where people abroad can no longer send foriegn currency directly to folks in Nigeria. Folks in Nigeria now can only receive the naira equivalent of the money sent.

I've checked Western Union and seems to be the same as well. Moneygram still allows dollars to be sent, but can only be picked up. Can't send to a dorm account any more.

I have checked and haven't seen any news on this.

Purehuman:
Our level of education in Nigeria is sorely lacking and needs a proper upgrade. There is no reason that we should keep open gutters. There are designs currently that will help in removing silts and prevent scenarios like this. We build the most basic infrastructures in the east without paying attention to different designs all over the world that will not cost you an extra coin. We must understand that we live in temperate regions where mosquitos, other insects and micro-organisms will kill us if we do not try our best to curb it now. For crying out loud, we are in 2024 and we are supposed to look at these things as old and should no longer feature in our state again.

jmoore:
How far for the depot price of 3,500 naira?

Bag of cement is sold at 6,500 naira.

christejames:
I love this new competition Soludo has staged amongst landlords across the state...


Paint your house, beautify it with trees and keep the street clean to win up to 5 million naira.



Good initiative!

abuzz33:
Anambra residents lament open defecation, refuse, fear disease outbreak
1st February 2024

Anambra
By
Ikenna Obianeri



Residents and pedestrians along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway and its environs have lamented the continued open defecation and indiscriminate refuse disposal near medians of the roads, particularly the Upper Iweka axis.

Findings by South-East PUNCH showed that the trend had become rampant as miscreants, traders, and hawkers defaced the road median and other places undergoing construction, with faeces and heaps of refuse, thereby causing pedestrians who cross the expressway to cover their noses.

Our correspondent, who monitored the sanitary situation on the expressways on Monday and Tuesday, observed that the median from Obodoukwu, Upper Iweka, Down-fly and parts of Ochanja in Onitsha South Local Government Area of the state had become regular spots for defecation and refuse dumps.

Similarly, along the Awka-Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, it was also observed that indiscriminate open defecation has become a norm, especially in gutters around the UNIZIK Junction, despite the presence of toilet facilities in the area.


Although, the area has a cluster of motor parks, shops and other beehive of commercial activities with insufficient sanitary system, the gutters and open spaces around the area have been defaced with faeces.

Residents and passers-by were seen managing to walk across the road medians and other lanes and going to their various destinations while avoiding the faeces and refuse dumps.

However, pedestrians and residents in the area who raised the alarm that the strong smells that ooze from them are dangerous for personal hygiene, especially as food vendors surround the area and openly display their food items.


South-East PUNCH correspondent gathered that, although, employees of the Anambra State Waste Management Authority come regularly to clear the refuse dumps, but the residents said before the refuse collectors come, the refuse dumps would have increased and thereby causing an eyesore and also hindering free flow of both vehicular and non-vehicular traffics.

While there were concerns about the insufficient number of public toilets along these expressways, South-East PUNCH correspondent on Tuesday sighted some public toilets near the corridors, but they were not being utilised due to the money charged by the operators.

One of the attendants of one of the public toilets along the Onitsha-Owerri road, near Ochanja, who identified herself simply as Ijeoma, said, “The toilet has always been in operation and we charge just N100 for bathing and N200 for the use of the toilet. But while some of them make use of this facility, others choose to go in-between the median to defecate because they don’t want to pay.

“We always tried to prevent that because we understand that a toilet has been provided, but they won’t listen. Sometimes, we go as far as trying to arrest them through the security agencies, but they still continue. You know Onitsha is surrounded by markets and mostly traders, who are by the roadside are the worst offenders of this.”

However, speaking to South-East PUNCH on Tuesday, a resident of Onitsha, Chibuike Ifeanyi, said, “Aside from the embarrassing outlook of the median, the faeces pose a serious health risk to us the residents and the government needs to act now, especially as food vendors openly display their wares right in front of the faeces and the refuse, this is creating room for epidemic.

“This has been going on for a long time and we have made series of complaints, but nothing has been done while these people keep on messing up the place. We are risking diseases such as cholera and dysentery. We cannot pretend as if we do not know the dangers of allowing these unwholesome practices to continue unchallenged.”

Another resident of Awka, identified as Chike, said, “It has always been an eyesore while passing through the UNIZIK junction going to work in the morning. The gutters are always filled with faeces and it constitutes a health hazard. Some of these food hawkers go there to defecate and come back to start selling without washing their hands, it is not a good development.


“The refuse is also another challenge, although, the refuse collectors are trying, but most of the time, they allow the refuse to become an eyesore, causing traffic snarl before they come to evacuate them. I think the best way to manage this refuse is to create a centre for it and not for the people to be dumping it on the road. The relevant authorities should look into the situation.”

A public health expert, who gave her name as Ifeoma Chikere, said, “Until the government starts to arrest those engaging in open defecation, it may continue to occur. We have preached against it several times, but they are not taking us serious because they don’t know that their action is negatively impacting on other people’s lives and well-being.

“I understand there are laws against open defecation, but implementation is the challenge here. Once these offenders are arrested and made to pay a fine, they will begin to have a change of attitude.”

The state Commissioner for Environment, Felix Odimegwu, did not respond to enquiries, when contacted on the development.

However, a top staff in the ministry said the state government would step up enforcement to ensure the perpetrators were apprehended and refuse collectors promptly attend to refuse.

He said, “We are not happy with what we always saw there. We are going to step up enforcement in the next few days. We need to station people there permanently and we are going to pay them. People need to see effective enforcement before they desist from there.”

Expressing dismay over the development, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, Osy Onuko, said strict enforcement will apply to offenders of open defection, especially around the UNIZIK Junction, which is regarded as a gateway to Awka, the state capital.


Onuko recounted ACTDA’s persistent efforts in cleaning the areas, and revealed the agency’s latest decision to station some officers of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade in the area for strict enforcement against such acts henceforth.

It was gathered that the decision was sequel to a petition by a senior citizen in the state, who condemned the act.

Onuko said, “Beyond the sanitisation efforts, ACTDA is set to open up new roads and advise the governor on strategic road development within the capital city. Building upon the success of last year’s palliative initiatives, the commitment to addressing dilapidated roads, eliminating potholes, and sustaining a green and clean campaign underscore the comprehensive approach taken by ACTDA to transform Awka into a model city.”

Discovery4today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-c5UjJiZ6Y?si=oz0Q2yGn6W0qPc-d

Clowns- VP Shettima knocks Nigerians laughing over depreciating value of the Naira against the dollar
Those celebrating on Twitter over exchange rate of Naira against the Dollar are clowns — Nigeria's Vice President Kashim Shettima

It is sad that some Nigerians are celebrating on Twitter that Naira is now N1,500 to a Dollar - VP Shettima