₦airaland Forum

Fair enough,you can say anything you like without qouting me directly.Na only laff i dey laff

Mrs, Chima:
What I said to you has nothing to do with MOBO.  Crackheads laugh at silly things.   Keep laughing. I think you dropped a rock.

Madam,once again i urge you to leave me out of your embroilment.This has got nothing to with me.I just dey laugh  

Mrs, Chima:
Erhhmmm. Just say no to crack.

errm i'm sure you know well enough to be understood,so please leave me out of your imbroglio.This is btw you and Mobo.I dey laugh o

lmao .Chei Mobo don kill pesin

A well planned surgical strike will be enough to decapitate the rag-tag Ivorien force.The Nigerian army/ECOWAS have the capacity to jettison Gbabo and his co-travellers.No need for any D-Day styled landings.But the Nigerian government should get Nigerians the hell outta there first.

Ten years from now, all the aforementioned governors will still have a life of opulence and privilege. So will their children and grandchildren. Nothing would have changed. A sweet life they all will continue to have. But not so for the poor and the commoners in the Niger Delta: their lives will continue to be typified by squalor and poverty. Nothing would have changed, except change for the worst. A bitter life is what most will have.

Let there be no doubt: The Federal Government and the Oil Companies share some of the blame for the economic, social, political and environmental problems that has befallen the region. No doubt about that! But the time is here for the people of the Niger Delta to hold their leaders accountable for the theft and mismanagement that are commonplace. I also think that the people of the region share in the blame for tolerating and encouraging third rate leaders: men and women who should be anything but governors, ministers, commissioners and or local government chairs.

Three-and-half- decades after Brigadier Samuel Ogbemudia left office, his legacy lives on. The same is true of Brigadiers Mobolaji Johnson, David Bamigboye, Jacob Esuene, and Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff. These were men who had to govern much larger territories with a tenth or less of the current monthly allocations; yet, their achievements have, in some cases, outweighed the achievements of all their successors combined. After all these years, Nigerians still thank their Lord for these and a few other leaders.

The Great Chinua Achebe and a few others keep reminding us that the greatest problem we have as a nation is the dearth of leadership. Indeed, what we have are men and women without the prerequisite skills, training, character and vision parading themselves as leaders. This is more so more pronounced in the Niger Delta. More than a few consider Governor Donald Duke (Cross River, 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007) an exception. It‘s been said that he, in some ways, justified his stay in office. This exception aside, what are we to say, what will history and posterity say about all the men, and women, who, beginning in 1999, presided over the affairs of their respective states?

@Mr Physics, while there is no doubt that the Federal Government and MNCs have contributed in no small measure to the degradation of the ND are you trying to say the local & state government haven't been complicit in this criminal and wicked act?If only the governors of the region showed a little transparency-just a little transparency,i strongly believe the MNCs will fall in line.What's that cliche again;'charity begins at home'.

. . . . But is the Nigerian government responsible for the nightmarish conditions that are available in the region? Of course! We all blame the government and the various multinational oil companies because a fragile state like Nigeria seems not to have the political will or the common sense to get conglomerates to do the right thing; and the companies themselves are too socially irresponsible to act right all the time. They do in Nigeria those things they otherwise would not do in law and order societies.

In all of these, rarely have pundits and political referees examined the blame-worthy role of the elites and state governments in the oil-producing region. Somehow, we seem to forget that governments and powerful individuals in and outside of the region are also responsible for the ill, the indifference and the calamities that have come to characterize the region. In other words, for all the blames at the door step of the oil companies and the federal government, the elites and the state governments are also culpable.

They have, in no small measure, contributed to the abysmal state the people are in. There is ample evidence to show that those at the upper echelon of the political and economic ladder have, for the most part, engaged in predatory practices – practices that have for so long been inimical to the progress and wellbeing of the common man.

Although the aforesaid is not unique to the region; if the elites and the state governments were humane and sensible, they would have approached the congealing problems in a more honest and concerted fashion. But instead, they allowed, and in some cases left their own people to suffer, while they bask in opulence and institutionalized waste.

Considering the state of the nine oil-producing states, one must ask: where have all the monthly allocations gone? Where are the roads and the schools and the clinics and hospitals? Where are the libraries, the science laboratories and the parks? Where are the waterworks, the bridges and the industries? Where are the social services these governments are supposed to provide their citizens? Stolen? Mismanaged? Where, where has all the money the various states in the Niger Delta received since 1999 gone?

Although some have argued that the current revenue allocation formula is unfair, not proportionate to the contribution of the region to the national purse, still, the region continues to receive hefty and stupendous amounts when compared to previous eras. Frankly, whether fair or unfair, these governments have not judiciously spent the amount they have been receiving since the beginning of this republic.

Considering their monthly allocations, and considering also what‘s available on the ground, it seems that some 70 per cent of monthly receipts have either gone into the pockets of the ruling class and their cronies, or have been scandalously misappropriated.

The aforesaid being the case, the time has come for all honest and purposeful citizens of the region to turn their attention and energy to the culpable activities of their local government chairs, state and federal legislators and other elite who parade themselves as champion of the people. But most of all, it is time for Niger Deltans to critically examine the activities of their state governors and their deputies.

The question concerned and pained citizens must ask is this: [b]”Why, in spite of the billions of dollars that have been collected by various state governors – for the sole purpose of developing and advancing those states – is there very little progress commensurate to the total amount they have received since the summer of 1999?”

The nine federating states of the Niger Delta may have received more money than the next twenty states combined. Together, their yearly allocation is more than that of Gambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Chad and Togo combined. What have the governments in the Niger Delta done with these robust allocations? What happened to the people‘s money?

The ongoing struggle for justice and accountability must not end with the federal government and the oil companies. Activists, the police and law enforcement agencies, commentators, and freedom fighters in the Niger Delta must also investigate the activities of the so-called elites and oligarchy within the region. We must not allow them to shift all the blames to ”outsiders.” Governors from the region (1999-2010), were and continue to be part of the problem. In some cases, they are bigger problems than the federal government and the oil companies combined.[/b]

PhysicsMHD:
How utterly foolish an argument.

Why don't you take his argument to shreds,piece by piece as an intellect that you claim. Rather than writing it off as a 'foolish argument'.As far i'm concerned you haven't made any sense

^^^ they both fail to realise that they are already in a hole and should stop digging

lmao

Written by the first African Nobel Laureate: Wole Soyinka

http://www.republicreport.com/the-crimes-of-buhari-wole-soyinka/

Brothers and sisters,be wise-be wise

Human life is inviolate. The right to life is the uniquely fundamental right on which all other rights are based. The crime that General Buhari committed against the entire nation went further however, inconceivable as it might first appear. That crime is one of the most profound negations of civic being.  Not content with hammering down the freedom of expression in general terms, Buhari specifically forbade all public discussion of a return to civilian, democratic rule. Let us constantly applaud our media those battle scarred professionals did not completely knuckle down. They resorted to cartoons and oblique, elliptical references to sustain the people’s campaign for a time-table to democratic rule. Overt agitation for a democratic time table however remained rigorously suppressed  military dictatorship, and a specifically incorporated in Buhari and Idiagbon was here to stay. To deprive a people of volition in their own political direction is to turn a nation into a colony of slaves. Buhari enslaved the nation. He gloated and gloried in a master-slave relation to the millions of its inhabitants. It is astonishing to find that the same former slaves, now free of their chains, should clamour to be ruled by one who not only turned their nation into a slave plantation, but forbade them any discussion of their condition.

So Tai Solarin is already forgotten? Tai who stood at street corners, fearlessly distributing leaflets that took up the gauntlet where the media had dropped it. Tai who was incarcerated by that regime and denied even the medication for his asthmatic condition? Tai did not ask to be sent for treatment overseas; all he asked was his traditional medicine that had proved so effective after years of struggle with asthma!

Nor must we omit the manner of Buhari coming to power and the pattern of his corrective rule. Shagari’s NPN had already run out of steam and was near universally detested except of course by the handful that still benefited from that regime of profligacy and rabid fascism. Responsibility for the national condition lay squarely at the door of the ruling party, obviously, but against whom was Buharis coup staged? Judging by the conduct of that regime, it was not against Shagaris government but against the opposition. The head of government, on whom primary responsibility lay, was Shehu Shagari. Yet that individual was kept in cozy house detention in Ikoyi while his powerless deputy, Alex Ekwueme, was locked up in Kiri-kiri prisons. Such was the Buhari notion of equitable apportionment of guilt and/or responsibility.

And then the cascade of escapes of the wanted, and culpable politicians. Manhunts across the length and breadth of the nation, roadblocks everywhere and borders tight as steel zip locks. Lo and behold, the chairman of the party, Chief Akinloye, strolled out coolly across the border. Richard Akinjide, Legal Protector of the ruling party, slipped out with equal ease. The Rice Minister, Umaru Dikko, who declared that Nigerians were yet to eat from dustbins – escaped through the same airtight dragnet. The clumsy attempt to crate him home was punishment for his ingratitude, since he went berserk when, after waiting in vain, he concluded that the coup had not been staged, after all, for the immediate consolidation of the party of extreme right-wing vultures, but for the military hyenas.

The case of the overbearing Secretary-General of the party, Uba Ahmed, was even more noxious. Uba Ahmed was out of the country at the time. Despite the closure of the Nigerian airspace, he compelled the pilot of his plane to demand special landing permission, since his passenger load included the almighty Uba Ahmed. Of course, he had not known of the change in his status since he was airborne.  The delighted airport commandant, realizing that he had a much valued fish swimming willingly into a waiting net, approved the request. Uba Ahmed disembarked into the arms of a military guard and was promptly clamped in detention.  Incredibly, he vanished a few days after and reappeared in safety overseas. Those whose memories have become calcified should explore the media coverage of that saga. Buhari was asked to explain the vanished act of this much prized quarry and his response was one of the most arrogant levity. Coming from one who had shot his way into power on the slogan of displine, it was nothing short of impudent.

Shall we revisit the tragicomic series of trials that landed several politicians several lifetimes in prison? Recall, if you please, the judicial processes undergone by the septuagenarian Chief Adekunle Ajasin.  He was arraigned and tried before Buhari’s punitive tribunal but acquitted. Dissatisfied, Buhari ordered his re-trial. Again, the Tribunal could not find this man guilty of a single crime, so once again he was returned for trial, only to be acquitted of all charges of corruption or abuse of office. Was Chief Ajasin thereby released? No! He was ordered detained indefinitely, simply for the crime of winning an election and refusing to knuckle under Shagari’s reign of terror.

The conduct of the Buhari regime after his coup was not merely one of double, triple, multiple standards but a cynical travesty of justice. Audu Ogbeh, currently chairman of the Action Congress was one of the few figures of rectitude within the NPN. Just as he has done in recent times with the PDP, he played the role of an internal critic and reformer, warning, dissenting, and setting an example of probity within his ministry. For that crime he spent months in unjust incarceration. Guilty by association? Well, if that was the motivating yardstick of the administration of the Buhari justice, then it was most selectively applied.  The utmost severity of the Buhari-Idiagbon justice was especially reserved either for the opposition in general, or for those within the ruling party who had showed the sheerest sense of responsibility and patriotism.

Shall I remind this nation of Buhari’s deliberate humiliating treatment of the Emir of Kano and the Oni of Ife over their visit to the state of Israel? I hold no brief for traditional rulers and their relationship with governments, but insist on regarding them as entitled to all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of any Nigerian citizen. This royal duo went to Israel on their private steam and private business. Simply because the Buhari regime was pursuing some antagonistic foreign policy towards Israel, a policy of which these traditional rulers were not a part, they were subjected on their return to a treatment that could only be described as a head masterly chastisement of errant pupils. Since when, may one ask, did a free citizen of the Nigerian nation require the permission  of a head of state to visit a foreign nation that was willing to offer that tourist a visa.?

One is only too aware that some Nigerians love to point to Buhari’s agenda of discipline as the shining jewel in his scrap-iron crown. To inculcate discipline however, one must lead by example, obeying laws set down as guides to public probity. Example speaks louder than declarations, and rulers cannot exempt themselves from the disciplinary strictures imposed on the overall polity, especially on any issue that seeks to establish a policy for public well-being.  The story of the thirty something suitcases it would appear that they were even closer to fifty – found unavoidable mention in my recent memoirs, YOU MUST SET FORTH AT DOWN, written long before Buhari became spoken of as a credible candidate.  For the exercise of a changeover of the national currency, the Nigerian borders  air, sea and land  had been shut tight. Nothing was supposed to move in or out, not even cattle egrets.

Yet a prominent camel was allowed through that needles eye. Not only did Buhari dispatch his aide-de-camp, Jokolo later to become an emir -  to facilitate the entry of those cases, he ordered the redeployment as I later discovered – of the Customs Officer who stood firmly against the entry of the contravening baggage. That officer, the incumbent Vice-president is now a rival candidate to Buhari, but has somehow, in the meantime, earned a reputation that totally contradicts his conduct at the time.  Wherever the truth lies, it does not redound to the credibility of the dictator of that time, General Buhari whose word was law, but whose allegiances were clearly negotiable.

On the theme of double, triple, multiple standards in the enforcement of the law, and indeed of the decrees passed by the Buhari regime at the time, let us recall  the notorious case of Triple A Alhaji Alhaji Alhaji, then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. Who was caught, literally, with his pants down in distant Austria. That was not the crime however, and private conduct should always remain restricted to the domain of private censure. There was no decree against civil servants proving just as hormone driven as anyone else, especially outside the nation’s borders. However, there was a clear decree against the keeping of foreign accounts, and this was what emerged from the Austrian escapade.  Alhaji Alhaji kept, not one, but several undeclared foreign accounts, and he had no business being in possession of the large amount of foreign currency of which he was robbed by his overnight companion. The media screamed for an even application of the law, but Buhari had turned suddenly deaf.

By contrast, Fela Anikulapo languished in goal for years, sentenced under that very draconian decree.  His crime was being in possession of foreign exchange that he had legitimately received for the immediate upkeep of his band as they set off for an international engagement. A vicious sentence was slapped down on Fela by a judge who later became so remorse stricken at least after Buhari’s overthrow that he went to the King of Afro-beat and apologized.

Lesser known was the traumatic experience of the director of an international communication agency, an affiliate of UNESCO.  Akin Fatoyinbo arrived at the airport in complete ignorance of the new currency decree. He was thrown in gaol in especially brutal condition, an experience from which he never fully recovered. It took several months of high-level intervention before that innocent man was eventually freed. These were not exceptional but mere sample cases from among hundreds of others, victims of a decree that was selectively applied, a decree that routinely penalized innocents and ruined the careers and businesses of many.

What else? What does one choose to include or leave out?  What precisely was Ebenezer Babatope’s crime that he should have spent the entire tenure of General Buhari in detention?  Nothing beyond the fact that he once warned in the media that Buhari was an ambitious soldier who would bear watching through the lenses of a coup-detat. Babatope’s father died while he was in Buhari’s custody, the dictator remained deaf to every plea that he be at least released to attend his father’s funeral, even under guard. I wrote an article at the time, denouncing this pointless insensitivity.  So little to demand by a man who was never accused of, nor tried for any crime, much less found guilty.  Such a load of vindictiveness that smothered all traces of basic human compassion deserves no further comment in a nation that values its traditions.

But then, speaking the truth was not what Buhari, as a self-imposed leader, was especially enamoured of enquire of Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor both of whom,  faithful  to their journalistic calling, published nothing but the truth, yet ended up sentenced under Buhari’s decree. Mind you, no one can say that Buhari was not true to his word. shall tamper with the freedom of the press swore the dictator immediately on grabbing office, and this was exactly what he did.  And so on, and on, and on.

The argument of those who say that, by endorsing Buhari, they are settling on someone who can be guaranteed to give Obasanjo and the NPN a good fight, is one of the most depressing excuses I ever encountered for placing a political noose around a nation’s neck. Buhari owes a debt to this nation, not the other way round. If Buhari wishes to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the citizenry whom he has so cruelly wronged, he should first scuttle his ambitions, then place whatever following he has garnered in the meantime at the disposal of a consensus candidate among the opposition. To insist on another taste of power, after such a history of gross abuse of power is an insult to any nation that values freedom and human dignity. Buhari should sit with the opposition and coordinate strategies to defeat the most unscrupulous act of political gerrymandering that, we all know, is about to be inflicted on the nation by a desperate incumbent seeking for a clone to secure his exit from power.  The nation has more than sufficient time and strategic intelligence to organize behind a common choice, publicize his or her qualities and defeat the arrogance of incumbency.

What is being eroded, through the power of suggestion, is a people’s confidence in itself, and this is the beginning of mass suicide. Without that confidence, no powers on high or on earth, external or internal, can rescue the community from both the palpable and symbolic chains of slavery. To invite back into power a man who did so much to destroy a people’s self-esteem, dignity, and faith in law and justice, is a sign of self-abasement, lack of self-esteem, a slave mentality that dooms, not only the present, but succeeding generations.

I wish to declare, unequivocally, that those of my party, the ARP/DFPF shall not participate in such a degrading surrender

The grounds on which General Buhari is being promoted as the alternative choice are not only shaky, but pitifully naive. History matters. Records are not kept simply to assist the weakness of memory, but to operate as guides to the future. Of course, we know that human beings change. What the claims of personality change or transformation impose on us is a rigorous inspection of the evidence, not wishful speculation or behind-the-scenes assurances. Public offence, crimes against a polity, must be answered in the public space, not in caucuses of bargaining. In Buhari, we have been offered no evidence of the sheerest prospect of change. On the contrary, all evident suggests that this is one individual who remains convinced that this is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to order.

Buhari � need one remind anyone – was one of the generals who treated a Commission of Enquiry, the Oputa Panel, with unconcealed disdain. Like Babangida and Abdusalami, he refused to put in appearance even though complaints that were tabled against him involved a career of gross abuses of power and blatant assault on the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizenry.

Prominent against these charges was an act that amounted to nothing less than judicial murder, the execution of a citizen under a retroactive decree. Does Decree 20 ring a bell? If not, then, perhaps the names of three youths – Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26) do. To put it quite plainly, one of those three Ogedengbe – was executed for a crime that did not carry a capital forfeit at the time it was committed. This was an unconscionable crime, carried out in defiance of the pleas and protests of nearly every sector of the Nigerian and international community religious, civil rights, political, trade unions etc. Buhari and his sidekick and his partner-in-crime, Tunde Idiagbon persisted in this inhuman act for one reason and one reason only: to place Nigerians on notice that they were now under an iron, inflexible rule, under governance by fear.

The execution of that youthful innocent for so he was, since the punishment did not exist at the time of commission – was nothing short of premeditated murder, for which the perpetrators should normally stand trial upon their loss of immunity. Are we truly expected to forget this violation of our entitlement to security as provided under existing laws? And even if our sensibilities have become blunted by succeeding seasons of cruelty and brutality, if power itself had so coarsened the sensibilities also of rulers and corrupted their judgment, what should one rightly expect after they have been rescued from the snare of power. At the very least, a revaluation, leading hopefully to remorse, and its expression to a wronged society. At the very least, such a revaluation should engender reticence, silence. In the case of Buhari, it was the opposite. Since leaving office he has declared in the most categorical terms that he had no regrets over this murder and would do so again.

^^^Young man stop regurgitating what you've already said over & over again.Or are you bereft of ideas like your mentor,is this how you intend to sell the candidacy of Sheikh Muhammadu Buhari?You need to do better than this.In any event,i'd advice you not to dissipate your energy.Buhari's presidency desire is a dead end.End of

Kai this Mobo sef!It's not like what you're saying aint true,the problem is with the packaging and not the content

, But my,my.Ricky Gervais really went hard at those celebs.I'm pretty sure his invitation for the 2012 edition will get lost in the mail

i think dplordx just stirred the hornet's nest

Err, whilst you're doing a stellar job here.I just feel the need to correct an impression you made about Shell's offshore facilities being safe.
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-587622.32.html#msg7552781

While attacks on these facilties are exceedingly rare,it doesn't mean they're entirely safe.


Royal Dutch Shell shut down production at its oil facility off the coast of Nigeria today after rebels attacked it Thursday, damaging equipment and taking an American hostage who was later released.

The Bonga oil field—discovered 75 miles off shore in 1995—accounts for 10 percent of the country's oil production. The field produced approximately 225,000 barrels of oil a day, reports The New York Times.

In response to the attack, President Umaru Yar'Adua ordered the Nigerian military to tighten security and hunt down the militants responsible for the attack, Reuters reports. The country's House of Representatives, meanwhile, called for an emergency meeting of government and private security and oil officials to discuss the attacks, according to Thompson Financial.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack in an e-mail sent to journalists. Known for attacking oil installations throughout the delta's network of creeks, the group claims Thursday's attack proved no oil installation in the region is safe.

“The location for today’s attack was deliberately chosen to remove any notion that offshore oil exploration is far from our reach,” said Jomo Gbomo, a spokesman for the group.

The group also threatened to expand its targets to include oil and gas tankers in Nigerian waters.

Please this a 2008 article so no need to panic.

1one:
I wonder what kind of journalist you are.All your posts/threads are rich with syntax errors and grammatical holes,even more holes than a kitchen sponge.
Even if you were an editor for a comic supplied to an old people's home your construction is still so poor .

abeg free the guy jor.There's method in his madness

Jeezuzpick:
I suggest you get born again.

And in one fell swoop all his problems will be solved abi.He'll stop lusting after his fiancee's g/friends.Aren't the so-called born-agains worse than the unbelievers?Please come up with a more practical solution.This one is too simplistic

See how all these hypocrites are attacking a guy who has chosen to confess his weakness with their holier than thou sermons.At least he has admitted he has a problem which is half-way to solving it.
@op i can understand where you're coming from.You're only human,& it's human nature to feel the way you do.All i ask is you show some restraint out of respect for your woman.5 minutes of momentary bliss could ruin all you've worked hard to build all these years.
For all those ladies attacking the dude,take a long hard look at your b/friend/fiance/hubby,he's probably doing the same thing probably worse.Abeg nobody holy pass

Was it not this same Buhari that came out in strong support of the Miyeti Allah Association of which he is the chairman after members of his association went on a killing spree in the remote town Biu in Jos,slithing throats of women and children and razing buildings?Was it not this man who insisted his members did the right thing cuz the natives drew first blood?Is this the same man running to be elected as a democratically elected president in Nigeria?Wonders shall never cease.

This topic is still trending.Wow

ragdollz:
Nice bit of optimism there. Pardon me if I don't share it. If it aint NEPA, its the law enforcers (police, justice system etc) or the frigging unsafe environment with the armed robbers. Heard Mr Nigeria 2010 was shot 8 times and robbed. On his street!! All we can do is hope for the best for our kids and their kids!!

I feel you on that one but what can we do but hope.A man (meaning both sexes) is hopeless without hope,no pun intended