How the military pauperised the North
By Pat Utomi


,
What had changed since 1966. Military rule, Oil and Nigeria's federal arrangement were the intervening variables. How did it get to hurt the North? My greater fear was that the same phenomenon was getting ready to destroy the Niger Delta if new leaders did not emerge. Two events which took place simultaneously in Port Harcourt recently bring them into focus. These were the Job Creation and Empowerment Summit of the Rivers State Government of which I was Chairman, and the Niger Delta Legislative Retreat sponsored by Vanguard Newspapers so the South-South could speak with one voice.


You do no have to be a genius to tell that what happened was that soldiers who had political power and were predominantly more Northern saw Oil revenues and wanted to get more to their part of the country thought he instrumentality of fiscal transfers. Net result, the North got more and became poorer. Why? Simple. The incentives were scramble for power and appropriate as much of the unearned receipts as possible. How do politicians who have appropriated money not earned spend it? Like people who have won the lottery. They often return to poverty.

In the meanwhile more and more revenues are going to recurrent expenditure to meet the needs of these politicians and the bureaucracies they create than build infrastructure that open opportunities for growth.

Go to the North East and see cities that boomed more with the arrival of good roads that have since died because the infrastructure has deteriorated and collapsed. Do we remember the rise and fall of Numan (part of the Numan - Biu highway). So when I see people from the Niger Delta agitate for more, not to maintain a principle but to get more, I fear the same 'gold rush' effect that pauperized the North.

This is why I celebrated Rotimi Amaechi's job creation and empowerment initiative as a way of building a generation that seeks to create wealth as against those waiting for their share who will more quickly turn to kidnapping for ransom. The voracity thesis of the scramble for unearned income, the reason for many of Africa's civil wars is still alive in our midst.

None of these phenomena should surprise people who make a point of learning from the mistakes of others.


I have been showing Niger Delta leaders, and the governors particularly, the need to work assiduously to prevent themselves from repeating what Gnerals from the North did, pauperize their people in thinking they were doing them a favour. When I heard a former Northern governor accuse Niger Delta leaders of their corruption and incompetence being responsible for the state of the region, I laughed. Insensitive and inappropriate as the remark was, it happened to be true, but the speaker was himself a classic example of that phenomenon. We must not democratize poverty in Nigeria because a political class seems unwilling to make democracy work. Civil Society and direct popular action must safe Nigeria the worsening 'resource curse' effects of our experience.

N.B: I have removed some parts of the article to make t more readable. See link for full article.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article04//indexn2_html?pdate=210808&ptitle=How%20the%20military%20pauperised%20the%20North


Learn! Learn! Learn!

this is my fear for this country!

young 'educated' nigerians not being able to show clear understanding of the difference betwen 'invitation for questioning' and 'arrest'.

portends danger for the future

, and these same youths make noise about current 'leaders'

as bad as they are (current crop of leaders), I hope they wouldn't turn out to be better than many of these ignorant and sensation-seeking 'future leaders'.

By no means is this a generalization,

my respect to those Nairalanders that are very discerning.

Good job lawyer,

I am in urgent need of accomomdation: 2-bedroom or mini-flat in Anthony, Maryland or Obanikoro

Total package: Max. N550,000.

IMO Nigeria has enough negative energy as it is. We need some positive energy.

America is good, UK is good, is it not people that made sacrifice to make it so? Did they become good by running away to some foreign country and bad-mouthing every single event or news about their countries from their homes in exile?

People made sacrifice in almost all the countries that Nigerians go to before those countries became what they are today, including America, UK France etc.
The people in those countries didn't run away to other lands.
They acknowledge things were not right in their countries but
they did not refuse to see anything good coming out of their country.

It's ok to travel out of the country for whatever reason but
refusing to see anything good whatsoever in the country or anything good coming out of it is sad

anytime anything seemingly good is developing in the country, some people say it's a fluke
anytime the people they left at home see something to cheer about, they shoot down the hope
ok make a wish for Nigeria, it becomes a problem
it DIDN'T say make a wish for the govt, NO!
it says make a wish for (the people of) Nigeria who may not be as fortunate as you to abandon the country
all some people can do is point out why they can't make obviously good wishes. Shocking!

The way to start effecting a change is for Nigerians to start believing in Nigeria regardless of what the govts do!

Ghanaians amaze me. I have listened to commentaries of matches where Ghana was woeful but the commentators would keep saying wonderful things about their team, even though they are losing!

I have a feeling that people that would forever see gloom in Nigeria, if they were asked to name one thing that they have ever done for Nigeria, it's a null set! It'ok to talk but what have you done or what are you doing?

No doubt, things have been terrible, it is still bad, but believe we must, work we must!

some people have made wishes like:
may Nigeria split
may bad leaders die
may nigeria unite and so on
IMO these wishes may not be the end in themselves, but means to an end

my wish: I wish the people of Nigeria will have abundant prosperity and justice (whether split or united) muslim or christian, young and old.

bilymuse:

niger police no sabi grammer o , na egunje

Nigeria1@:

if i remember well. As long as you have your wazobia, you are ok with police stop. No wazobia, you are in trouble. Have they change or still the same. ??

cescky:

yes nice write up!!!

it will be practised when we reach civilization aka vision 2020

these are the reasons Nigeria is what it is right now
some people make all noise about corruption and how bad Nigeria is
but they are not prepared to do the right thing themselves
they surrender to corruption
even when they are told this is a good way to deal with a situation, they refuse to believe it's possible
the only way they can see is 'egunje', 'wazobia', 'not possible now' and so on
every time people like you give egunje or wazobia to a police at a checkpoint(of course it means you're appeasing them to cover up something), you undermine the future of your unborn children.

doyin13:

I am currently watching it on AIT and na so so 419 full there.

One guy came there with two coconuts and coconut oil, asking for three
sums which he added up to 35 million naira, but when the dragons added it up,
it came to 34 million.

Just jokes man. . .

Even the UBA advert managed to misspell Tenure as Tenor.
Na wa for Naija

@ doyin13
don't know what UBA stuff you're talking about but I think tenor is the right word in terms of loans repayment or returns and sort.
I stand corrected.

@show
I need to be reassured this isn't stage-managed.
Well, maybe b'cos I didn't get to hear much 'bout it before yesterday.

Interview

Fifteen months into the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar Adua, not a few Nigerians are feeling apprehensive about the administration taking the nation to the Promised Land. But his spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi, in this chat with Ike Abonyi in Abuja thinks otherwise. He also spoke on a number of other issues, including teachers’ strike and the Niger Delta question

The Niger Delta issue appears to be overwhelming the Yar’Adua administration. Why did the government drop the summit for a dialogue?
The Niger Delta issue is not in anyway overwhelming the Yar’Adua administration and nobody has dropped the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit. In fact, I fail to understand the slant given the recent comment of the Vice President, which was interpreted to mean the summit had been dropped. Fortunately, I was around when the VP made the statement in question and I heard what he said. The explanation of the VP was that if people feel so fixated about the word summit, which they erroneously connote to mean another jamboree, then they can call the stakeholders engagement a dialogue or anything. The bottom-line is to find solution to the problem; that was what he said, not that the idea of a constructive engagement that is meant to address the Niger Delta question has been shelved. It has not. The peaceful resolution of the Niger Delta question is a process and not an event so nobody is under any illusion that you would just hold one conference and the problems would disappear. While the President is determined to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the problem, there is need to acknowledge its complexities and very soon he will unfold his Niger Delta agenda in which the issue of a stakeholders summit is just one part of the entire inventory. That is essentially what the VP was saying.
Will government adopt military option?
I wonder where some people get the idea that the government is adopting a military option to tackle the problem…
Well, the impression has been created by government, otherwise what then is the extent of foreign support the president has been seeking in tackling the issue especially from the UK , US and France?
What the president has always called for by way of assistance is in the formation of the Gulf of Guinea Guard Force for the sub-region. He is the principal promoter of that idea which is meant to make the entire Gulf of Guinea safe for maritime activities and the assistance he is seeking is by way of training and logistics. By his idea, troops will be contributed by the countries within the sub-region since we have the men, what we need is just support. You don’t need soldiers from Britain to fight some people in the Creeks, the whole campaign is ridiculous. And when you read about some alleged secret deals you begin to wonder how anybody could believe such mumbo jumbo in today’s world. To make matters worse some otherwise respected newspapers have been feeding an unwary public such stories that have no basis in fact. I recall that at the recent G8 meeting, the president asked for and got pledges of support for help in combating the rampant criminality of bunkering in the Niger Delta. While he identifies with the genuine claims by peaceful groups clamouring for righting historical wrongs, the point must be made that he will not stand by and allow violent criminal gangs operating with the connivance of some international criminal cartels to undermine our national security and sovereign responsibilities. But he has never sought direct military assistance from UK or from any government to fight any group. That is just part of the propaganda. How would the President bring the British military in, just how? The President has always believed in a peaceful resolution of the crisis, which we must admit has two fundamental phases. There is the challenge of development, which he will tackle. And there is also the criminal element, which he will confront. But because the problem has festered for long, the two now feed on one another but the president recognises that there is no problem that cannot be resolved through dialogue and instilling rule of law.
If that is the case, what is the level of talks between the government and the militants and what really are their demands?
The office of the Vice President has been coordinating most of the talks with the Niger Delta stakeholders and that includes some of the militant leaders and we are all aware of the contending issues of development. But we also know there can be no meaningful development without peace. For instance, as I stated recently, no contractor wants to do any business in the Niger Delta because of the high risks involved so even if you want to military projects aimed at development, that can only happen if you bring a measure of stability to bear which means peace must precede any meaningful efforts in that direction. That is the essence of the summit really, to get the stakeholders to buy –in into the president’s plan of action for the region. The militants, that are those who are genuinely campaigning for the development of the region, are recognized by the government and they are being engaged and will continue to be engaged but those who hide under the crisis to kidnap for ransom and steal crude oil will also be dealt with in accordance to the law.
More than one year after President Yar’Adua promised to declare emergency in the power sector, all we hear everyday are stories while the power situation deteriorates. Will he ever declare the emergency?
The emergency in the power sector will be declared but it is also not for another entertainment, it is a serious matter meant to tackle in a realistic manner the power challenge in our country and I am talking of both short and long terms. I am aware of what critics are saying but the hard part of leading an orchestra is that you must have the capacity to back the crowd and that is what the President is doing. There are those who argue that he could have pumped more money into the power projects when he came in last year without stepping back to see why the genuine efforts of the last administration have not yielded the expected results despite all the efforts. With the way things were and with no clear direction, any spending would have ended up a waste. I feel sad about the way President Obasanjo is being castigated for the power projects because he took a bold decision and made considerable efforts but it would have been a shame if President Yar'Adua could not learn some lessons form that experience that would allow him avoids possible pitfalls. It may have taken him a year but at least now, the president has a clear direction on power in the short term, medium term and long term and his achievements in the direction will be measurable once the emergency is declared.
But when will the emergency be declared? I recall that the president said he would do this within three months of assuming office. Three months became six months, then one year and now we don’t know for sure if it will ever happen.
I don’t know if the President promised to declare the emergency within three months but even if he did, the point remains that at the point when he said that, assuming he did, he was not yet the President. On assuming office, he must have seen things differently and a fuller picture could have compelled him to review his strategy. You see, as they say, the view of the road changes the moment you move from the passenger’s side to the driver’s seat. When he assumed office, he had the opportunity to see more than he did as an aspirant. Now, what was the President to do at that point? He had two options. Either to coast along and declare the emergency unprepared just to please the mob or tarry awhile to get it right. He chose the second option. One thing you forget is that this same power issue was critical in 1999 when President Obasanjo took over and he made promises. Efforts, and I am talking of genuine efforts have been made and in spite of what you read, the problem in the sector was not all about corruption, yet nine years after we are still more or less where we were in 1999. That should tell you something about the sector and the compelling need to have a proper plan. But now, there is a clear direction and the Power emergency bill is ready to go to the National Assembly for appropriation. The states will also appropriate the money legally. But that is just one aspect because there are other components designed to make Nigerian self-sufficient in power supply in the long run.
Okay, let’s talk about education which is also one of the campaign points of the president. For weeks now, Nigerian children in public schools have been at home due to the nationwide strike action. Considering that the President is a former teacher, one expects a better approach to tackle the impasse. Why is there a lacklustre attitude from the government?
I feel very sad about this but so does the President and you are not correct to say the attitude of government on the issue is lacklustre, no, it is not. The problem is that the whole strike was designed to create a wrong impression that the Federal Government is the principal actor when the NUT officials are quite aware it is not within the purview of the president since he doesn’t pay primary school teachers. You see the problem is that perhaps because of decades of military rule, we have more or less created an all-powerful president who should be involved in everything and our democracy will never grow if we allow such notion to continue. This is a matter that concerns the states and I am aware that some states even pay much more than the TSS that the NUT is demanding. The problem is that we must decide whether we want a unitary system or we want to be what the constitution says we are which is a federal system. Many people have been calling on the president to intervene and when you ask them how, they would not give any plausible answer. How can the president dictate to the governors what to pay teachers? The Ministry of Education has had extensive sessions on the issue and dialogue is still going on with regards to the issue, which is quite unfortunate. I am an advocate of public schools, I attended public schools and I believe teachers should be well remunerated but you can’t dictate what you don’t pay. That is the dilemma of the president on the issue. But there are other issues some of which were raised in the back page of your paper (THISDAY) today in a piece by my friend and former colleague, Bolaji Abdullahi, who is now the Kwara State Commissioner for Education. I think people need to read Bolaji’s piece because he comes with the perspectives of someone who knows and can situate both sides of the arguments. But I agree that we have to find solution to the problem of our education at all levels and working with other stakeholders, the president will do that. But he will not be blackmailed on this TSS issue because that exactly is what is going on.
But there is this allegation in some quarters that Obasanjo's friends and associates are now prey to attack by the EFCC while some former governors believed to have looted their states are going about free. Yet the likes of Prof. Borishade, Femi Fani-Kayode and Bode George are being haunted.
One thing you must give credit to President Yar’Adua for is that he doesn’t interfere in the work of other arms of government. He respects the principle of separation of powers. He also doesn’t meddle in what doesn’t concern him, like what the EFCC is doing. Prof Babalola Borishade and Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode as far as I am concerned are innocent people to whom allegations were made and I think the case is in court so I will not speak about that. As for Chief Bode George, I am surprised to hear he is being haunted, by whom? But since we are all Nigerians, I perfectly understand where you are coming from and this is where I believe the media should help. It is not always good to criminalise people who have not been convicted, whether they are former governors or political opponents. Every citizen should have the opportunity to defend himself in a competent court of law. But the point is that we most often want to apply the law of the jungle for people we don’t like. That goes against the spirit of the rule of law which presupposes all accused innocent until proven guilty. But I need to stress that contrary to what some people say, the rule of law is not meant to protect any corrupt public official, whether former or still serving. The law is ever sure and while the process of conviction may be slow, under President Yar’Adua’s watch, people who steal public funds will account for their deeds. However long it takes, as the Bible says, the sinner will not go unpunished.
There is a general feeling that the President is ill prepared to govern Nigeria , that he has no plan or vision for the country and many say this because of the seeming inaction and I can give you an example. Last year, the Minister of Transportation under a media blitz visited the Benin-Ore express road yet as I am talking today, that road remains as impassable as it was last year…
Let me assure you that the president is aware he has a mandate of four years and he will deliver on his promises but he has realised that to succeed, quick-wins and low hanging fruits would just not do so he set out very clearly to identify problems and plan meticulously before applying solution that will work. Yes, there are major economic roads that are today eyesore, like the Lagos Ibadan Express road, the Benin Ore express road, the Kaduna-Abuja road, the Onitsha-Owerri road to mention just a few. These are roads that have been in deplorable conditions for more than a decade now. What you have had over the years are periodic repairs and resurfacing of these roads after which they go bad again. Hundreds of billions of Naira have been spent on them yet the stories remain the same year in year out. As they say, you don’t continue to do the same thing again and again yet expect different results. The president has taken a different approach and I would say that before year 2011, he intends to deliver most of these roads, some with no fewer than eight lanes and when that happens what people would be talking about is the quality of the roads and not the amount spent on bad roads. All the plans are in place and some of these roads will be concessioned with work started before the end of the year. The ones that are not economically viable will be operated under a different arrangement. I once said it that planning takes time but if the President wants to adopt the approach of populism which some people suggest then he could because he has everything on his side to do that. Considering the amount of money we have in our foreign reserve, all a populist president would do is perhaps call a meeting of the governors and agree to spend huge sums on roads and some of other projects. He would then take the money and then award the contracts upon contracts. Of course that would make some people happy but at what cost? That again would be an easy choice that requires no rigour or fresh thinking and while it may earn for the president a temporary applause, such recourse to cheap populism will hurt the nation ultimately. The President has elected not to travel that road because as a leader, he knows it is his responsibility to chart the course. But ultimately, his approach will pay off because I am very certain that Nigerians will at the end of the day applaud this president who is bringing a scientific approach to governance. Because at the end of the day his achievements will be clear and measurable.
Finally, there seems to be confusion concerning the birthday of the President…
Well, if there is any confusion, it was created by the media to make money and the least I expect was that those who benefited from the so-called confusion would just keep quiet. We were attending the G-8 summit in Japan when some editors contacted me about the President’s birthday, asking whether the birthday was July 9 and I replied that the real date is August 16. I recall that when the number of calls and text messages on the same issue kept increasing, I also began to have my doubts even when I thought I was very sure so had to ask one particular media chief to wait so I could ascertain the correct date from the President’s International Passport again and I did. I asked for the passport from one of our protocol persons and he gave it to me and I reconfirmed that it is indeed August 16 and sent a text to the person in question to reconfirm to him because he was the person who actually informed me people were placing birthday adverts in newspapers to congratulate the president. I knew what was going on since I come from the newsroom. I am sure letters were written from the advert departments of the newspaper houses to some identified people to place adverts for the president and they obliged without checking whether the date they were given was correct. But even though most papers knew they were wrong they still allowed the adverts to run in which case they did not allow the fact to stand in the way of making money and I don’t want to blame anyone for that. But it is unfortunate that some newspapers whose editors knew the fact, including one to whom my office actually sent a copy of the President’s CV, would go ahead to run ridiculous stories about a so-called confusion. Even while he never flaunts it, considering his background, we all know there couldn’t have been any question about the President’s date of birth. The reason why I didn’t make a public statement on the issue when we came back from Japan was that I thought I should not embarrass the people who had been misled to place the adverts to congratulate the president. Even though I know he cares less about such things, I still considered it unfair to make the people who innocently felicitated with the President to look stupid, that was why I quietly told editors that the birthday is August 16 and not July 9. But now you read stories of how the president is not listed in Newswatch Who is Who as if we don’t know how people are listed in such publications. It’s a simple thing, they send you questionnaire which you have to return with a token fee and if you don’t return your form, you are not listed. So what is the big deal if the president, a former governor was not listed? Well, I just hope nobody will place any other congratulatory advert on August 16, after all the President has had the fortune of celebrating his birthday in advance, at least on the pages of newspapers.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=117708

Kobojunkie:

@Courage, before you jump to blame the National Assembly on this one, I think you should get a better understanding of why it actually dragged on for as long as it did.

since you seem to have a "better understanding of why it actually dragged on for as long as it did", please pass it on, we'd like to know.

Novacaine:

Obj was a thief and a disappointment while Yaradua just seems to be confused so far its like picking the difference between half a dozen and six

No sir. This is no six and half a dozen.
I'd rather 'seem to be confused' than be 'a thief and a disappointment'.

Someone wrote he couldn't remember what obj did in his first year.
Well I do.

OBJ changed the service chiefs, picked old folks for his first cabinet, made a mantra of anti-corruption, increased the pump price of fuel (?) and junketted around the globe.

I stand corrected.

Now I wouldn't say that was 'action packed' like some folks here would have us believe.

the way some chaps reason here in this virtual cyber community makes me fear for the future of the Nigerian community
Or is it just that most intelligent young nigerians don't have the time for this kind of cyber community?

Agreed, there is still no electricity and there are street urchins,

so every other thing must be put on hold until power problem is resolved and all urchins rehabilitated!

even if second-hand smoking is a serious health issue?

without any intent to condescend, it's just that it's difficult sometimes to ignore some folks here!

coolier:

Propaganda or not, it's only in a country like Nigeria that a person that has been deemed unfit to continue serving as a Police Officer in our Armed Forces, as a matter of fact kicked out, would then turn round to emerge as the governor of Oyo State. So sad. I weep for Nigeria

stop weeping! your cry is only adding AVOIDABLE NOISE to the mess!
rather than weep like a baby, why don't you do something about it!
DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE SITUATION. STOP WEEPING. IT'S RATHER USELESS AND NEGATIVE.

@skyblue
you don 't seem to get it. You dead right about corruption.eThe increament however isn't meant to make more money for PHCN, it is rather an effort to make the environment attractive to private investors who would eventually give PHCN that competition you are talking about.

Bills are inflated, right, and maybe half of the revenue is even siphoned, but the analysis on ground is that mathematically, N4/kwh even if all of it is remitted just isn't right for any serious private investor! Essentilally it means it actually has been double tragedy for PHCN!! The N4-6/kwh being charged is ab initio inadequate to cover cost, then to make matters worse, half of the inadequate revenue is even being stolen by corrupt officials. So the all encompassing solutions are: FIGHT CORRUPTION (to shore up PHCH's revenue) and RAISE TARIFF (to make it economically feasible for private investors to come in).

Summary: The lasting solution is PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN ENERGY and it has been made clear that can't and won't happen with N4/kwh.

See what we're talking about!!!
Just as I'm typing this, I'm watching this special documentary on CNN on the troubled mortgage industry in the USA - 'MORTGAGE MELTDOWN'.

One of the points I just heard them made is ", if only there had been some level of regulation, "we wouldn't have been in this mess, THAT's COMING FROM THE CAPITAL OF CAPITALISM.

Market forces determinant is good and welcome, but in some industries, some degree of regulation is necessary.

ufofex:

Before the GSM revolution, we had NITEL. Govt. did not have to pay subsidies for us to recharge our GSM phones, govt. did not take part in the pricing, not even with the PTOs. Market forces/competition played their role, and those who could afford it got it. We didn't need govt. subsidies and we sure don't need it now. Even if electrcity is charged at #10 per unit, it will still be far less a price to pay when you compare it to howmuch we use to run our generators.

Subsidies or no subsidies, govt. should create an enabling environment that will allow for true private sector/investors participation in the power sector, and leave the pricing for market forces to determine.

you obviously can't see your own contradiction.
enabling environment? the first and foremost enabling environment to any investor is an environment that makes it most likely for him to recoup his investment. And that has been PROVEN not to be the case with current tariffs.

Corruption is the biggest obstacle here. Just like it will be obstacle for ANY other suggested solution.

Who says the GSM rate wasn't moderated by govt? NCC did and is still trying to do same since.

For a critical industry like energy, you certainly don't want some SYNDICATES to take charge of affairs. Regulation of some degree by govt is needed at least for the early years.

Bottomline? IF YOU'RE FOR PRIVATIZATION, YOU HAVE TO BE FOR RAISE OF TARIFF. Govt has only proposed to pick the bill of the extra cost to cushion the effect on the poor consumers (masses) who are not even getting the power in the first place.

someone posted something about the cost of fuelling his generator being more than any tariff that might be proposed, insinuating he doesn't need the subsidy. Well congratulations you can afford it! What about those 60% living on less than $1 a day?

Seriousl some guys aren't for real.

The one person in my opinion whos has got it half right is 4play. With the current tariffs, no investor nor fund lender will be convinced the venture will be profitable. Solution? Raise tariff. But then how can you raise tariff in a situation where supply is at best dissmal (never mind that the people are mostly poor) Solution? Consumers don't get to pay the increament (at least until supply improves remarkably). So the govt picks up the bill for the differential. So it's not exactly a catch-22 scenario here.

Are subsidies and privatization mutually exclusive? NO. Subsidies and privatization can complement in certain situations like this.

Guys here have always suggested a GSM-revolution like case for the power sector. Now the govt is trying to do something in that line, same guys are here complaining.

It sounds a good idea. My hope is that it works - not made a stillborn by inherent systemic corruption.

Amazing!!! I hope this is not a sensational crap.

bawomolo:

i personally believe a fine would be more appropriate, suspending BA operations seem absurd.

Finally a real man! Here is someone at least who is not hanging unjustifiably to a position.

@topic

the most sacred of possessions is your live and your honour (not necessarily in that order)

If the president is even pretending to stand up for the honour of Nigerians, he should be encouraged and not shouted down with cynicism. Never mind a few misbehaving citizens, never mind infrastructure isn't in good shape.

Imagine if your loving/loved parents were on that plane.

I just believe whatever bit of good move by the leadership, even if you are of the opinion they are minimal and too few, it still should be encouraged and commended.

That the president wants Nigerians treated better foreigners is the reason 'we' are goats! And that's coming from a supposed Nigerian! Oh my! Going by posts by this individual in other threads and other setions, I conclude she isn't worth joining issues with.

almondjoy:



Do you have rulers? Please specify which countries you are referring to here so we can save our fingers from from responding.  Franlky, matters concerning Nigeria are not worth discussing.


Oh, you are quoting your diary or someone else's diary? Go there and see the Ghanghzou for yourself. Did you see the rail system. . .one of the fastest in the world.  We purchaced first class tickets for the trains and sat down to enjoy the luxury of the cabin only for the ticket attendant to tell us we were in the "cheapest" section of the train.  Only to get to the real first class and almost passed out in disbelief.  I have been there and let me tell you. . . that is just one more reason to hate Nigeria. . .where the people are so wicked.  Nigeria as a country full of people without any conscience. . . who will gladly sleep at night while looking at all the nonsense around them praising and worshipping. . .while others die everyday around them.

In fact. . . Ghanghzou too far. . . just visit Dakar. . Senegal and you will weep for Nigeria!

Useless country! Who think that "Abuja" is the best thing that ever happened to them.

Do Nigerians travel. . .only to roam around Newyork, London and Paris for 2-week vacations and come back to Nigeria and make some stupid noise.  Where you have a dunder-head of a president who goes to Germany to treat himself while the lay man on the street. . . cannot even afford fake drugs.  Yet he will still go to the mosque or what ever shitty house of prayer they all go to on Fridays or Sundays and pray for long life.

Idiots!

And what is the point of your venom-pouring and names calling!
Some guys can stay in the comfort of their asylum or whatever in europe or America and rather than give some hope to people who aren't as fortunate as they probably are, they write and talk as if they made the countries they emigrated to what it is!

Nigeria is in a mess, no doubt, but pray tell us:

what have you done to help in any little way?
what are you doing to help in any little way?
what can you possibly do to help in any little way?

Look and talk down on the country and its people? No, I don't think that's the way to go.

Simon Kolawole's article is, in my opinion, his own contribution to nation building, and it's so much appreciated, but your hate article, names-calling and venom-pouring certainly ISN'T.

kemofash20:

the only thing i believe in is results i don't believe in hard work or plans and as per results i believe this guy (yaradua) has failed.
nigeria is a country that cannot afford to move at a step by step pace we have to jump steps because we are really behind time.
its like someonecomes into sch at the middle ofthe semester and expect to read at the same pace as someone that came at the beginingof the semester
can't be done. nigeria is like d student that came to school at the middle of the semester

Yeah, and so in order to be seen as 'fast', that student must NOT review what has been done before he joined the semester! He should just go on ahead and study whatever remains of the semester 'cos he 'doesn't have time'. Good reasoning!

Oh yeah, you believe in result, not hard work. Ah, well!

The easiest thing in the world probably is armchair criticism.

Kobojunkie:

If I was God, I would let africa fall as far as the people want to let fall until you all learn that prayer(faith) without works is DEAD.

show me where you read 'prayer without work' in that post.
you really didn't have to post reply to that post.
I believe in hard work but I also believe in divine support.
I believe Nigeria needs the two.
You could choose to believe what you choose to believe.

some chaps here have been saying obj initiated this obj initiated that. gosh!
who cares what he initiated for eight years but never got completed!
you forgotten the success story is not he that starteth but he that completeth.

If in 8 years the east-west road couldn't be accomplished just like no road project i know was accomplished and a guy comes in and it was completed under his watch, who takes the credit?

Some tribal bigots also mentioned that only projects are in the north!! oH YEAH, LIKE THE WARRI REFINERY THAT WAS PUT BACK ON STREAM IS IN MAIDUGURI!

Yar'Adua appears slow Ok, but I'd rather a president that's more inclined to well thought-out plans and actions than an impulsive 'with immediate effect' bungler.

We have had presidents that moved fast and you all know them! What did we get for the fast actions? Bad roads and darkness at home and fat personal accounts in swiss banks!

What's more? This guy just got his first budget back from the nat. assembly. A budget he submitted since Nov 07. He declined to sign the bill into law 'cos a 'business as usual' nat. assembly decided to cross the bounday of power separation and padded the budget to feather their personal nests. The guy that would be held responsiblre for implementing the fraud said 'NO, I CAN'T SIGN IT'! Here people still blame him for that! Some people really don't know what they want!

We'll keep praying for him so God help him do good for the people of Nigeria.

"What courage or vision has he shown for Nigeria? , He lacks needed leadership skills , "

What is this courage and vision that you so much refer to vaguely? Vague issues are the cheapest ways to criticise an individual.

Leadership skill? What exactly is he lacking that you can honestly and objectively see missing and that you can wisely suggest?

Quit this vague cliches and talk real issues.

Sometimes one doesn't understand what people want. They want demlcracy but they can't settle down with court rulings! OK the election was FLAWED, even the president acknowledged that much. But the law as democracy practises it is not about reality, rather it's abt what can be proved! That's why it's said that the Law is an Ass!
Even if the judges know for certain thta the elections were rigged, if the challengers counsels cannot provide good enough evidence, then too bad, the judges have to rule on evidence, not their own wishes or YOUR wishes or The PUBLIC wishes for that matter!

Have you not heard of cases where everybody knows someone has committed murder but because the prosecuting counsel aren' smart enough OR the defence counsel is too shrewd for the prosecutor, the murderer is let loose, even when the judge hates to let him go. THAT'S WHAT YOUR LAW IS ALL ABOUT! and by extension THAT'S WHAT DEMOCRACY IS ALL ABOUT!
We should just be consoled that at least the beneficiary here is a decent man and one that has good intent and maybe hopefully the strongwill and ability to better Nigeria's lot. Peace.

Without any intent to condescend, I wouldn't have thought the ban on 'spraying' would generaye so much passion here on Nairaland. I had believed most nairalanders would agree on the indecency of the practice.

Some folks here have argued on human rights to use your money as you wish, but I'll like to ask a couple of questions:

1. The currency is a national symbol just like the national flag is. Can you trample on any county's national flag in public without consequences?

2. I believe the value of your note is your personal property, but the material is not! It is the property of the public. You can 'spend' your money as you choose BUT you cannot use the material as you wish. OR can anyone who thinks he's rich enough choose to use the currency notes as toilet papers in his toilet instead of tissue paper and still send the same notes in the public domain, OR just simply choose to burn it, since afterall he can use his 'hard earned money' as he wishes?

3. Mishahdled notes expose other innocent handlers to dangers of infection. People have a right to smoke, but when it constitute a danger to other innocent pepole, it has to be banned in public places. Are you folks saying the ban on public smoking in the west in an infringement on the rights of the people.

I have a feeling if this law or a similar one had been enacted in USA or UK, these same people would have hailed it as triumph of decency and would probably have urged our govt to do same. Now our govt. took the initiative, they are saying it hasn't been done in America. Oh my God,

@Seun

I reffered you to the newspaper that reported this story viz: ThisDay and Punch.
OK I provided the link to ThisDay but couold'n get the link for The Punch. If you were interested in getting the facts before going on to call me names, you could have checked up both sources.
Punch reported that the NASS source claimed the amount was 'close to a billion' nad that is what I stated in my post.
If you need to call someone a liar, then you could say the report was a lie or the paper a liar.
I have no need to sensationalize nor exagerate, talkless lie! Over what?
Decency deserves you check well before you run off calling people names.

@ Kobojunkie

Honestly I don't know what point you are trying so hard to make

Kobojunkie:

He has not spent a single kobo of his SECURITY VOTE in 7 months, which according to the article is his personal money to spend?? ok, Has he been spending Money that belongs to the Nigerian people then?? If yes, what has he been spending it on and what good can we speak of his spending practises I mean a man can keep his own account in good standing and all but what matters more is how he deals with the account that does not belong to him. How much of Nigerians money has he spent in that 7 month period, on what and what has Nigeria gained since then??

Do we have to commend him for not spending the money for 7 months or even for seven years when it is his to spend as he chooses What is this?? Kindergarten Should we get him ice cream and stroke his ego while we are at it ?? Come on , What about focusing on what really matters more in that country

hey! easy man!

you got something wrong.

The security vote does not go into his personal account. If it isn't spent, it is returned to the treasury. But if spent, it is unaccounted for.

So his security votes for 7 months has been returned and captured in the 2008 budget.

There is no point being beefy about everything. When there is something commendable, let's commend it. Period.

@doyin

exactly the reason his action is commendable. He obviously believe what you believe that the security vote is a luxury Nigeria can't afford. We need leaders that believe in such prudent use of public fund.