₦airaland Forum

Lucasbible:
How much is the tint permit. This one is just for revenue generation. I cant drive a car without tinted glass.

Its free. They are just using it to collect data on people with tints. If you dont have the permit they may easily label yu as a dodger.

Real Horror.

But trust his supporters they wont see anything wrong with it!

Rivers has become the headquarters of violence.

Their governors are the chief promoters of it!

Terrible.

I cannot judge another man. It is possible that he means well. BUT....

If he is well connected let him get you interviews and go for the interviews. If that means staying over with his daughter for 2 days, perhaps its fine. Be watchful, so you dont end up as a 'domestic' staff for the man!

Have you been to the house before? Some houses are 'irresistible' for ladies.

Better play safe than bring upon yourself consequences that will cage you for many years to come. Find a sister to stay with!

Rule 1

Dont give a job to someone with an 'impressive record' whose office is his laptop and who has no address or business card! 50 per cent chance he will end up defrauding you. I have learnt my lessons.

APC is finished!

One came and promised FRESH AIR and gave us PUTRID air instead.

Here they come again promising change and offering CHAINS!

Wither Nigeria?

All charge, no change!

What is the economic agenda of this administration? The question is asked everyday and the response seems to be 'we dont give a damn'!

We are virtually in a recesssion - there are job losses, withdrawal of foreign funds, stagnated budget process, trips without traction etc.

Even the party structures have collapsed. There is no PDP or APC anywhere, just rulers and sole administrators. Governors are doing whatever they like, and that cuts accross at all levels.

This is not how to govern a nation!

Oil Minister has admitted it is CHEAPER to import petrol than to refine locally. I am not surprised at all. The COST of everything in the country is prohibitive, from land to water and to electricity.

The FG has put a nail on it by raising electricity tarriff. It is the most nonsense step in government in many years. It has taken cost of production beyond the roof and it is likely to commit the nation into perpetual IMPORTATION of just everything. That in itself will keep putting pressure on the Naira.

Incessant increases and NEW NEW charges will push us further into a vicious cycle.

Why dont we learn from the Dubais and Qatars of this world, who have dropped charges and lowered costs in order to attract investments? Even the US stimulates its economy all the time by looking for ways to lower costs of living and of production.

Why are all the ministers quiet? What is the plan? Where is the development blueprint?

All charges, no change. Let us re-think and not turn Nigeria into Siberia.

So much noise about how much to charge MTN! If you have all the money in the bank and have no plans on how you want to create MULTIPLIERS, then it leaves you worse off.

Think.

Think of how to bring down costs so that people can produce. Put the country to work and you'll be better off.

10% of 10 billion is better than 50% of 10 million. Is that not common sense?

grandstar:
I have long speculated that El Rufai may be the man to watch in 2019.

The reason is not far-fetched.

In 2011, people sentimentally voted for a man who seemed amiable and has a child had no shoes. Unfortunately, they were disappointed.

In 2015, people went gungho for an impeccably incorruptible and no-nonsense ex-dictator. People felt his clean character and his hatred for corruption were enough credentials for the job. The electorate passionately voted for him. With the continuously dwindling economy and twin blows from the recent petrol scarcity and power blackout, people feel they have been taken for a ride.

In 2019, people may no longer vote based on sentiments any longer. They will want someone who has a long record of proven performance.

The normally passive business community who have been burnt badly by Buhari's foreign exchange restrictions would no longer fold their hands and let it be business as usual. They will play a more active role in determining who the top dog will be. They are bound to root for a tested technocrat. The only person who I see making the cut for now is El Rufai.

When I say business community, I am referring here to the corporate sector (formal) suich as blue chip companies and titans in business who conduct legit business. I am not here referring to the rent seeking businessmen who are always in the corridors or power.

They'll probably be impressed with the work he did in Abuja and also in Kaduna and he does not care whose ox is gored, whether rich or poor, Muslim or Christian. He is simply determined to do his job. His ban on begging in Kaduna is the most powerful expose of his character.

Elrufai's Achilles heel is his high handedness. That is his biggest shortcoming.

The manner he handled the Shia massacres is a tell tale sign of what to expect in power.

He is a wily character. He probably knows that Buhari is a goner and that by June next year, his honeymoon will be fully over.

If he can work wonders in the eyes of the people, that would be his biggest manifesto to Nigerians and the corporate world.

Please note that I am apolitical and I also write on socio-economic issues of other countries as well. My vote is for God (Matthew 6:10)

If he has a goat as an opponent I predict the goat will win! He is not a president material and cant smell it!

Now they have to pay another fine of $6billion for losing so badly and shamimg soccer!

Possibly yes. They were probably chanting chains for Nigerian most wicked longstanding LOOTERS disguising as leaders who will not even stop at sharing the dollars meant to arm our soldiers!

Even some of these modern day late in the day crusaders milked us dry when they had positions. It is only in Nigeria that such have mouth to talk, because they think we are gullible.

Sunky200:
those criminals in that chambers will definitely form active but our eyes don open.

NNPC must be overhauled.

well, i hope they won't act against public interst or they'll further loose the respect and confidence Nigerians has in them

What respect? They will gain some if they release their budget for scrutiny. Otherwise, no one takes them serious, and they themeslves are aware of that!

If indeed he is plotting against christians then he should be prepared to be dealt with by the God of the Christians the same way God dealt with pharaoh!

Nigeria's currency can have better value when our rulers STOP stuffing dollars in their private strongrooms!

Not surprised. Anyone who can rape a whole country can rape just anything!

It reminds me of the man who bought TOKUNBO range rover and covered the seats with nylon to try to prove to his uncle that the car was new. On getting to his uncle, he was shocked to realize it was his uncle's car that was stolen that the foolish young guy went to purchase in Cotonou! The car was only repainted and re-sold as Tokunbo!

Mr O, please help Nigerians to identify any NEW road that your bosses started and completed. And please dont mention again that you went to XYZ College if you cannot distinguish between OLD and NEW!

Some thing tells me this story is made up!

Anyway, a man that is having premarital sex is as guilty as the one having extra marital sex. You may call me preacher, but the truth is that you also need to repent! Why call someone your wife when you are not marraied? Why live together?

How exactly does he want to curb 'excess liquidity'? FG is the biggest spender in Nigeria and anytime it witholds funds the whole econmy bleeds! Where is the excess? Nigeria just simply needs to earn more by producing to scale, by taking risks to enhance its earnings within and without, through promotion of private enterprise.

There is nothing wrong with having A Nigeria Airways where FG has minority shares. Wait till he gives details before you crucify him!

THERE IS HARDLY ELECTRICITY IN ANY PART OF NIGERIA AND WE HAVE OUR DEAR PRESIDENT TELLING THE MIDDLE EAST HOW TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM.

I HOPE PMB DOES NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE HIS PREDECESSORS MADE. YOU GET VERY POPULAR AT FIRST AND THAT TURNS AROUND QUICKLY THE MOMENT PEOPLE DO NOT SEE PERFORMANCE!

YOU SHOULD ASK JONATHAN!

He said the FG has not built a single 'NEW ROAD'. New road means that the road is new from design to completion. Is that not true? GEJ did his bit revamping old roads. Lagos-Ibadan expressway, benin-Sagamu, Ore....all those are old roads. It is worth commending when those old roads are revamped and FASOLA did commend GEJ's government.

It is still a matter of fact that Nigeria has hardly built new roads, except in some states.

No comment!

TERRIBLE!

The sheer number of funny and shady characters who make it to the parliament shows there is something wrong with all or most of us! These guys ooze out arrogance, impunity and incompetence morning to night!

REMITA is one of Nigeria's great success stories in IT, yet they want to frustrate them because they are totally ignorant of what REMITA is.

TANoidEconomics.......

sam90s:
If you remember what happened with Local manufacturing of cement during OBJ administration, laws were made and enforced to make it profitable to manufacture cement locally,
It's a standard measure in economic policies everywhere, let in the tide and every boat will sail, you dont scream murder just because you don't have a boat or yours is powered, on the other hand, when a government signal its intentions to let in the tide and everyone build/buy a boat if it then change its mind, that will leave a bad reputation and discourage future boat building,
Dangote said years ago in an interview, that his investment in cement factories then could have bankrupted him if government reversed its policies then.
Now is the time for us to support this government with its policies, it will take months or years for some of the dividends to materialize, it's better than being a dumping ground.

SPOT ON.

Nigerians are smart. You let the environment encourage production and see how many new factories will spring up. Just let in the tide, and the boat will sail!

kindredspirit:
Insightful.

Question for you though : Help me, exactly what " manufactured goods " would Nigeria be exporting to " other countries "?

I'm scratching my head as I try to think of something we manufacture that we could put on those ships and export. Or did you mean Raw materials like Agric, Solid minerals ? What " other countries" ? China and India? Those countries simply add value to the our "products" and sell to us.

Manufacturing goods in Nigeria, with the challenge of power, infrastructure, high cost of doing business.... at some point, it became even cheaper for businesses to set up factories in neighboring countries to produce goods for our market. Also, it became somewhat cheaper for businessmen to import from China rather than produce in Nigeria.

For the life of me, I don't know how the government can fix the issue of Power in Nigeria. Obviously, our quest ( maybe dream) of becoming a country that manufactures for export is tied this. Do you honestly see the government taking care of this in the next five years or so?

I totally agree. My comment was not in defence of government but a statement of fact that low freight rates are not in themselves bad. The hike in electricity tarriff and the fact that supply remains epileptic do not help us at all. Hiking the tarriff goes to show that our economic team really dont seem to get it.

Nigeria can export bye products of petroleum, like RESIN. There is the Eleme Petrochemical factory. If that has been given enough focus, we ought to be exporting resins now. Apart from Eleme, we ought to have more resin factories. We have the raw materials in abundance.

Nigeria can export wood products. A lot of our wood particles are BURNT. Asia uses its own particles to produce MDF and HDF which are now largely consumed in Nigeria!

There is a lot we can export and get the balances right. I read that we are producing industrial starch as well for export. Let us just admit that cheap oil has encouraged us to be LAZY at thinking. There are lazy billionaires in Nigeria who just got rich because they got allocations.

But I totally agree with you. Government must consciously sit down and find ways to encourage low cost production, such include:

1. Reducing the levies imposed by regulatory bodies like NAFDAC, SON etc. NAFDAC charges 1 million naira for pure water licence. That is ridiculous. SON charges you like they are imposing duties. It does not help.

2. Give access to low cost funds. CBN is actually doing a bit of this.

3. Make it possible to acquire land - Our land use law is anti-progess, anti-productivity. It encourages IDLE LANDS all over the place.

4. Nigeria has a RESOURCE map. Use it. Encourage production based on proven economies of scale. Following our resource map will boost exports.

5. Make electricity, rail transport and truck transport easy and affordable.

6. Remove HUMAN bottlenecks on our roads. On a trip from Lagos to Benin you may find 20 checkpoints of police, Customs, SON. This is highly counter-productive. The real thieves sit in offices, so harrassment of business people has to stop.

It can be done. Rome was not built in a day. India started somewhere and China too. It took them a number of years to turnaround. We have to start.

Shedding tears that some mushroom shipping companies have packed up because of 'low rates' does not make sense, at least when you know that the so called 'low rates' are still some of the highest in the world!

Nigeria has for long been seen a dumping ground for all kinds of goods, from toothpicks, to all kinds of rice and fish and tomato paste. The foreign shiping companies were the unintended beneficiaries of that. They brought in MEGA vessels full of all sorts and sailed back EMPTY because Nigeria did not have any exports to offer the world, apart from oil.

Shanghai to Apapa for a 20' container cost USD2800 at one time. At that same time Shanghai to Hamburg cost only about USD150. Because of petro dollars we went on buying just everything and paying huge freght rates. All of the shipping companies wanted to be here to partake of the windfall.

Now the tonnage deployed has far exceeded the demand and naturally the freight rates will fall. This is why the fringe players are packing their loads.

Low freight rates are good for our economy, because it means landed cost of raw materials will be lower, duties will be lower, and NIgeria can produce at lower costs.

We have an opportunity to turn around the economy like India and China did many years ago, by targeting low cost production that will enable Nigeria to export manufactured goods at scale to other countries.

Nigeria must trade and must seek good trade balances. It is senseless to make your economy a dumping ground that we have been in the last 2 decades.

Today, freight rates from major Asian ports to Nigeria is still about USD1500/20' and it is still significantly higher that Asia to Europe which would not noramlly exceed USD700. The information can be googled. It is available to everyone to see. If a shipping company will check out of Nigeria at the current rates, then it did not really have any reason to be here in the first place.

CBN is rght on one thng. Nigeria cannot be treated as a dumping ground anymore. Low freight rates are good for the economy. At the current rate, any sincere shipping company will still be making a fortune. The main cost of shipping is bunker (oil) which are selling very low right now, meaning that the cost of sailing ships to Nigeria has dropped significantly.

And some Nigerians are crying wolf! I dont understand that.

I,........, wishes to......

should read:

I,........., wish to......

Sometimes it looks like Nigerian political elite, the parliament, SAN lawyers, have all colluded to wage war against the people in order to enrich themselves in perpetuity. Just a thought.

How come Senate will spend so much energy vetting the budget of the executive and no one knows the budget of the Senate and the House?

How come elected officials collect hundreds of billions in the name of 'security votes' and there is so much insecurity in the land?

SAN almost means you can no longer be questioned and not even the Police dare stop you!

Na wa o.

Scrap S.A.N.

You will never see Americans discuss the price of naira or cefas. Nigeria's currency is NAIRA and our focus must be to strengthen the NAIRA. Devaluation does not strengthen the NAIRA, development does. Rather than trade on substance we are focussing on how we will help currency dealers make more profits.

Our currency (the NAIRA) will be strong if we create enabling environment where manufacturing, agriculture, IT, innovation thrive and where we are able to make good capital gain exports. This should be our focus. No one spends NAIRA in Oyingbo market. Why the fuss?

The sad part is that we donot have this enabling environment. Government hardly helps the people. All we see are VIO, FRC, etc harrassing and harrasing. A country that charges one million naira (NAFDAC as alleged) for licence for pure water is still not serious about industrialization and obviously not serious about getting good value for its currency.

Ama80:
it sounds positive but why is d president hesitant?

Well, cocoa beans does not grow in 3 days! We have a bad situation now because we have not been planning. I say we. No blame games here! Instead of looking for the easy way out (devaluation) let us get to work and produce so that our currency can gain value. We have devalued 3 times in the last 1 year and we have not seen any improvement in export. I think we must look at our consumption side as part of efforts to revalue the naira. Our leaders from time immemorial have worked against us. The vital industries are not working. No steel. No easy acess to land for Agriculture. No functional refineries. No stable power. Without these, we will be foling ourselves to think devaluation will help us out.

India built the world's largest refinery in 2 years and today they can buy crude at USDx and export the refined oil back to Nigeria at USD5x. The task before PMB and his team is to make Nigeria work. Till now, we cannot see them taking this move. Yes, I agree we should not 'devalue'. At the same time, there must be a 2 year plan to massively boost exports.