₦airaland Forum

[quote author=Dudu_Negro]The 2 member representation is a reflection of the political function of the Senate. They are there to formulate policies not represent demographies. Demography is represented in proportional numbers by the House seats. The House is the voice of the people.[/quote]Total nonsense. Formulate what policy? Are you telling me that the house of reps cannot formulate policy? Desola provided a comparison that was completely misplaced. The Nigerian Senate and the House of Lords are very different.

Billyonaire: This politics section is not for kids, Kids Stay off Politics Section! You can go to Jokes & Romance section. That being said; GEJ's leadership style evokes hope for Nigeria. Humility and wisdom has been personified. Lagos State is Nigeria's former Capital and most of the infrastructures were put in place by the Federal Government. Lagos is where and what it is because of its history as a function of former Capital Territory. Any elected Political office holder ceases to be be partisan to his party and blind loyalty after successful election in order to work for the benefit of all Citizens irrespective of who votes you. Although the ripples from the opposing electorates are always loud, one has to be diplomatic in winning the compatriots from opposing political divide into the vision of the government. Fashola is intelligent enough to understand this and I am sure he has little other choice than to dance to the rhythm of the FRESH AIR music. When the beats change to Azonto from Etigi, great dancers change their dancing style to the popular Azonto dance. GEJ, Leads; Others follow. FRESH AIR!

Sycophant!

Desola: while it appears that Tinubu makes sense in his suggestions, he is in no position to talk really as not only is he a beneficiary of the rot in government, he is also a perpetrator. That he created a party different from that of the notorious evil party - PDP, does not avail him from the ills he has also committed. If truly he believes in fairness and credibility, he would have encouraged a far more qualified ACN member to represent Lagos state and not foist his wife whom had no recorded experience in political administration other than being a one time first lady of Lagos state. Admitedly, PDP is probably the worst political party that has ever happened to Nigeria, but ACN with its oligarchic tendencies could be another PDP waiting to happen.

As per the matter he raised, my opinion is that for there to be check and balance, we require both the lower and the upper houses. Getting rid of one and giving absolute power to the other would be absolutely wrong (at least in Nigeria) because we know that absolute power corrupts absolutely! What we need is an overhaul, restructuring but not removal. In all, our powers need to be separated and made more effective, less corruptible and more credible. These are what we need. Can you tell the UK to remove the house of Lords or tell the US to remove the senate? It makes no sense.

Tinubu should come up with suggestions that can actually be implemented not just talking for talking sake so as to be seen as an opposition leader. He is getting stale fast.

Madame Desola, a bicameral legislature leads to gridlock. In the senate, a state like Lagos with over 9 million people is represented by the same number of senators as a state like Bayelsa with less than 2 million people. That isn’t fair. When you say that this will make the legislature have absolute power, I beg to differ. You say this as if the house of reps is made up of only one man. The house of reps is made up of 360 people. Hence, you will still need a lot of consensus building in order to pass legislation. By the way, please do not compare Nigeria to the UK. Your reference to the House of Lords is a misplaced comparison. The House of Lord is an unelected body that has no power to pass legislation. The role of the House of Lords is to make sure that a law is constitutional before it is passed. In the United States and in Nigeria, this role is played by the Supreme Court.

PEREP: Please who is praising the Governor of Lagos state for having so much resources with very little to show for it. This is a Lagos where 52% of the nations GDP is generated?? Lagos of today is characterized by citizens walking and living in an environment where you pay for almost everything (we will soon pay for air) and the road network expected to be on the laps of State government is so rugged that every trip on Lagos road send aches all around the body.

The government run enforcement units with targets expected to pay their salaries. Can't really imagine what will happen if Lagos have armed Police with targets to deliver revenue to the state government.

With Land use charge alone, Lagos rake in billions on a monthly basis not to talk of multiple taxation all over. There are many exploitative efforts by the Lagos State Government and yet we are talking of an investment friendly environment.

If many of us living in Lagos can connect Speed train to Ibadan/Abeokuta daily, we won't think twice before moving.

The Federal government of today is not there too but the efforts are yielding positive results and I know all will pay off in a couple of moments. I just hope if this government deliver on power, Naija won't come up with another excuse why they cannot grow a business successfully.


Just my thots

My friend you dont have to live in Lagos. You can always move to Ado Ekiti or Abeokuta. In fact why havent you moved to Ibadan already?

Nigerians want everything from government but they dont want to pay for it. We have to pay taxes in order to develop our society. I live in the US and I pay a lot of taxes. 33% of my salary goes to federal, state, and city taxes. Everything is taxed. When I lived in Chicago almost all the highways had tolls. When I go out to buy anything, I pay a 7% - 8% sales tax. When I buy a house I will pay property taxes. By paying those taxes I get to drive on good roads, go to good hospitals when I fall sick, enjoy security, and can call 911 when my safety is threatened etc. There are so many states in Nigeria country with people who pay no taxes. These are states whose commissioners of finance go to Abuja every month hat in hand begging for Niger Delta oil money. You can criticize Lagos all you want but you live in Lagos because it is the economic hub of Nigeria.

Governor Fashola has done a good job. He has made Lagos less reliant on the federal government by making the citizens of the state to fund the government in the state. If you want a state where you pay no taxes and where everything is free then you are free to go elsewhere. Just remember while you are at it that you will get what you pay for.

thelastPope: Another ignorant kid on NL. Who needs who? Lagos need FG not the other way round. Fashola is the one asking for Mega city. I wish GEJ will shun him and take it somewhere else.

Take it to where? Your village? Abeg go and sit down.

I think it is harder to choose between Pete Edochie and Olu Jacobs. I think it is a tie between both of them. If I had a gun to my head, I guess I will pick Olu Jacobs because I think he has more swagger. However, I think that picking between Joke Silva and Liz Benson is very easy. I pick Liz Benson. Joke Silva sounds too scripted like she is reciting lines that she memorized. The only reason why she pulls it off is because she has a very nice sounding speaking voice and she has swagger and grace. Liz Benson is more natural and versatile. She doesnt sound scripted and she can act as anything: a prostitute, a mother, a wicked stepmother, a girlfriend, an armed robber, a suger mommy etc. She can do everything. Joke Silva, as one of the posters above has stated, is a little to limited in the roles she plays.

Jonathan said that the 2011 election was free and fair. How can an election be free and fair when opposition candidates do not have a fair chance to reach the voters through the media? How can an election be free and fair when governors in the ruling party refuse to allow opposition presidential candidates to campaign in their states?

We all heard the news of how NTA refused to air Buhari and Shekarau ads, we all saw how PDP elected officials tried to bully Buhari and prevent him from using campaign venues in their states. This news should surprise nobody.

Sky Blue: And since when did Vice Presidents start driving policy implementation in Nigeria? Did we not learn anything from the Yaradua years? Modify that 'Atiku/Amaechi' and 'Buhari/Fashola' to simply Atiku or Buhari, you don't make the ticket sound any more progressive by attaching a token vice presidential figure, the key thing is who will be driving leadership, so please don't insult our intelligence. Why can't we have an Amaechi/Atiku or Fashola/Buhari choice? When did you last feel the effects of a Sambo Vice Presidency? If those are choices then I await a third option.

Your post made me laugh. The last time I checked Buhari had a very powerful VP when he was a head of state. Buhari gave Idiagbon a very large portfolio and I am confident he will give his VP a large portfolio if he becomes president again. I know that many people hate Buhari. I just want to know if folks prefer Buhari to Atiku.

If PDP nominated Atiku as their presidential candidate and you had to choose between an Atiku/Amaechi ticket vs. a Buhari/Fashola ticket, which one will you choose and why.

I think our first priority should be developing a modern industrialized economy. This super power talk is premature. We need infrastructure, electricity, education, healthcare, and security. Once all these are provided, Nigeria will begin to rise. Our GDP will double every 6 years for 20 - 30 years.

This pastor is a comedian. I sincerely hope that nobody takes him seriously.

El Rufai needs to learn how to act like a statesman.

Contrary to his scathing criticisms, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mallam Nasir El-Rufai gave President Goodluck Jonathan a clean bill of health on financial accountability and transparency on the international front,a fresh report by Wikileaks has revealed.

In a United States diplomatic cable just made public by the whistle blowing organization, El-Rufai described President Jonathan as “ clean and honest”.

Details of the confidential cable with reference 07ABUJA77, show that the controversial politician gave the endorsement during an interactive session with the erstwhile American Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr John Campbell, in the build-up to the 2007 general elections.

Explaining the rationale behind the emergence of late President Umaru Yar Adua and Goodluck Jonathan as the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidates, El-Rufai informed the ambassador that “they were the only two Governors that could have cleared the EFCC hurdles”

The cable further reported El-Rufai as stating that in the contest for the Vice Presidency, “Governor Jonathan was the only candidate that met Obasanjo’s guidelines- honesty and Ijaw”

The Ambassador’s report disclosed that “the Minister said the PDP leadership pushed for Rivers Governor Peter Odili as the Vice Presidential candidate but that Odili along with Governors Markafi (Kaduna) and Mu’azu (Bauchi), face ‘integrity issues’ with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)”.

These disclosures are in sharp contrast to the virulent and disparaging attacks by former minister on President Jonathan whom he is accusing of corruption, profligacy and mismanagement of the nation’s resources.

In one of his recent tirades against the President, El-Rufai alleged that he used “crony capitalist and state funds – variously estimated at between 1 and 2 billion dollars to facilitate his election”

He also accused Jonathan of “practically sharing out the nation’s savings account to state governors, Party apparatchiks and traditional rulers to buy their support for his presidential bid”

According to the diplomatic cable, El-Rufai denied nursing any presidential ambition but stated that his rumoured interest was only being advanced by his admirers including Obasanjo.

“When President Obasanjo called me to ask about my intention, I told him that I would do it, but that I had not campaigned for the position” the report quoted El-Rufai. It added that “According to El-Rufai, the president agreed with him and told him that there were ‘other bridges’ to cross before EL-Rufai was ready “

In the report, The former Minister claimed to have known late President Yar Adua for about 25 years and described him as an “odd fellow”.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/jonathan-is-clean-honest-wikileaks-quotes-el-rufai/

jmaine: Buha who ? Who gives a shyte about him . . . . .

Oga I made a mistake. I mistakened you for Jakumo. He is the one who keeps calling Buhari Ayatollah. Sorry for that.

Odunnu: I miss Beaf, I miss Jmaine and I miss Mr Cork

Jmaine goes over the top when he talks about Buhari.

kingoflag: Basically, youre saying hes a liar!

I said nothing about whether or not Beaf is a liar. Please read my post carefully. I only described the way he debates.

Mandelaguy: Hypocritical bedwetters like Gbawe are so scared of the Beaf venom. What have they not done to stop his crusade,he has refused to bow down. Knowing the stuff Beaf is made of,his re-emergence will make them run with their legs between their tails.

I have actually seen Gbawe put Beaf in his place a couple of times.

ilugunboy: Could PointB = Beaf ?

I have suspected the same thing for some time. Their style of writting has the same tone.

nku5: You sabi d guy. Lol. When he's in a tight corner he starts whipping out ridiculous pictures that are so funny you forget the topic. Na only his pro pdp stance wey I no like

I agree with you. I didnt like his pro PDP stance either, but he contributed to the debate. The sahara reporters fake picture he loved posting was legendary. Beaf come out from your hiding place. We miss you.

nku5: I was just wondering the same thing. Very smart and witty guy

He is a very witty guy. His posts amuse me. What I like is when he circumvents the facts in a person's argument and resorts to name calling. Another thing he does that amuses me is when he ignores the facts in a person's arguments and gives a counter argument that, although unrelated, still undermines his opponent’s argument.

Gbawe: I tend to agree with this. I don't know how hounding Gays and Lesbians has become top priority for a Government facing many serious and extremely pressing issues.

I cannot agree with you more.

It has been a while since I have seen a post by Beaf. Where is Beaf?

[quote author=garri_gangster]Failed attempt at Humour[/quote]I dont think it was a failed attempt. I think it was funny.

1025: the topic is not the party base or popularity rather it is about winning in a free and fair election.
how many nigerians will listen to the pdp and their candidates and vote for them? do u know the story of october 1st bombing in abuja? jonathan came out openly and told us that Chief Raymond Dokpesi was the master-minder. do not forget, Dokpesi was working for IBB prior to that accusation and arrest but Dokpesi had to support jonathan to gain his freedom and remain in business in nigeria. such man will never vote for jonathan under normal circumstances.
when u talk about free and fair elections, we are talking about and independent umpire and not a compromised jega.
the same jega we praise was the same saint that organised the same free and fair election in Bayelsa.
how popular was apga in imo state for rochas okoroocha to win in the same state that jega organised election that saw pdp won 27 out of the 27 local govt chairmen and 300 our of the 300 councellorship wards. i know about a saddam hussien who was winning 100% elections in iraq and another gaddafi that was winning 100%. these in their ways were all free and fair elections.
if u know about nigerian premier league before now, it was a host and win situation because host sides were asked to pay the flight tickets of the refs and take care of their feeding and accommodation. if as unknown as i am today, i happen to be in a position to choose the next jega(inec chairman) i am sure of winning dangote and adenuga combined.
pdp knows that free and fair election will never be a good news in their camp.

Nigerians who hate PDP do not listen or vote for PDP candidates, they simply do not vote at all. You have to understand that Nigerian voters often say that they do not want to throw their votes away. This mindset hurts opposition candidates because they do not have the kind of money PDP has to campaign. If a Nigerian has not seen your billboards, posters, tv ads etc. If he has not seen videos of your rallies on network news or heard your ad on the radio every 10 minutes, he wouldnt believe that you are running a credible campaign and on election day, he will stay at home. Nigerian elections usually have very low voter turnout because people who hate PDP stay at home. Why did Theodore Orji win reelection? Because the opposition candidates where unknown and nobody thought they were running viable campaigns; hence, they stayed at home. There needs to be a well organized and well funded oposition that people can channel their frustration to. In low voter turnout elections, PDP member and the area boys and thugs on their payroll are the only ones who vote. Period!

I am not saying that we do not have elections that are compromised. The 2007 elections were a national disgrace. However, the 2011 elections were better. Where they perfect? Hell no. They were far from perfect. However, I do think (maybe naively) that under the climate that we have now, it is a little more difficult to rig against a popular candidate. For goodness sake, Buhari won 12 states with his 2 kobo campaign. I am saying the opposition needs to come together and present candidates that are well organized and well funded. An unknown governorship candidate who cannot raise at least 500 million naira should not be running for governor; and an unknown Senate candidate who cannot raise at least 200 million naira should not be running for the senate. Btw these numbers are conservative.

BTW why do you say PDP is not a party? I think it is an organization that enables people to chop oil money but it is still a party. Your thoughts?

1025: what is ur definition of a national party and how does that concern winning a free and fair election?
at the end of the day, nigerians will tell u they don't vote party rather the candidates. even if we have a good man from a village party, can't we vote him instead of these criminals from ur so-called national party.
i don't know ur involvement(s) in politics but i can authoritatively and convincingly discuss argue the fact that pdp is not even a political party. if you doubt that, i will be here to discuss that with u any day any time.

My friend please look at my above post. I think it addresses what you just said.

1025: i can bet it with my life that only less than 10% of pdp candidates can win in a free and fair election.
what jonathan and jega call free and fair was shown in the bayelsa gubernatorial.

My brother please don’t bet with your life on this one ooo. I am not a supporter of PDP but I know that it is the only national party in Nigeria right now. Unfortunately, in politics, name recognition is very important. In many rural states, PDP is the only viable party. If the PDP candidate is the only one with billboards, posters, tv ads, and radio ads, then he wins. People who oppose PDP in rural states usually stay at home on Election Day because the other parties do not have enough money to promote themselves; while PDP members go out and vote for their party's candidate.

That is Nigerian politics. I commend the SW for being politically savvy and for voting for candidates based on merit. Unfortunately, in politics, you can’t beat somebody with nobody. Take for example in Oyo state in 2011, Ajimobi was running against a stark illiterate and he won only narrowly. The reason why is because the stark illiterate was a sitting governor. If Ajimobi ran a shoe string campaign, he would have lost even though his opponent was start illiterate with a failed record. Same goes to Rochas Okorocha who also won narrowly against an incumbent with a failed record.

For this to change, the opposition needs to come together and pull their resources together. Buhari won 12 states in 2011 with a shoestring campaign budget. The opposition needs to use the goodwill of this man to get governors, representatives, and senators elected. For this to happen, the people in the North need to see TV ads, posters, and billboards showing Buhari promoting these candidates. If this doesn’t happen, they will vote for the PDP candidate who has run a well funded campaign for governor and then vote for Buhari for President because his goodwill transcends money.

I have started rambling, but I hope you get my point.

New states We need to merge some of the states we have and save money. Right now we have too many states that are glorified local governments.

Moderators please put this on the front page.

There is one golden rule in life that I believe with all my heart: "if it sounds too good to be true then it is."

Your story made me laugh. Your friend is what my high school principal will call a "swegbe." My childhood friends will call him a "dodoyo." While my vice principal would have called him a "dundie united."

Well for me I will simply say that we all have stories of when people pushed our "mumu buttons" and made us to do dumb things. Your friend was wise to have walked away when he did.