₦airaland Forum

please does anyone know how much i can buy kerosene for at the depot, assuming i'm purchasing a truckload - 33,000 litres. thanks

r.i.p. very sad. i saw a sparsely populated military 'coaster' bus marked 'command secondary school' at the akure junction of the akure-owo express at about 12pm yesterday.  i remember thinking, they must be coming from a long distance, prob ibadan or lagos cause the few kids i saw looked tired and bored. bus was heading north, so unless they went thru ekiti, they will have headed for akungba -where accident allegedly happened - to ibillo, and further north. not that it matters which vehicle was involved. the untimely deaths of kids in such horrible circumstance is sad. my thoughts are with theirfamilies.

change 'dpk' to 'kerosene' in your subject title, then you might get responses.

Guys,  does anyone know of a reputable estate valuers in Benin. Ideally one with a national network of offices, or a local firm with first rate reputation. No one-man business please.

@Aventures, good analysis.

I pray the walls are not load bearing, and if they are I may well consider selling the house (albeit reluctantly) to a bank or or other interested party as I dont have the resources to knock it down & rebuild. Last thing I want is to imperil the lives of others.

Through good fortune, the house is now on one of the smartest roads in Benin, with about 5 new generation banks within 150 meters of the same road.

Brabus, the logistics of having you in Benin may have cost implications that I may be unable to bear - eg you'll prob need to be in a hotel for the duration of the project. But, I will keep in mind your interest.

Great, thanks Brabus.

Regarding planning permission - in addition to opening up the space within, I am also looking at knocking down the external wall of the front of the house (top floor) and on one side (top floor) and replace with new walls to 'eradicate' the veranda that runs the full length of the front and one side of the house. I anticipate the new walls will need to be supported by pillars.

If this was in the UK, I would need planning permission as the proposed changes will cause a material change to the 'street level' appearance of the building. I assume this is the case in Nigeria also? Or you reckon no permission will be required.

It's a pity the property is not in Lagos/Ogun/Oyo. I would have handed it over to you!

Brabus, well done.

Please, couple of  questions for you and anyone who may be familiar - I am at the planning stage for a renovation (conversion from flats to open plan offices) of a 1980's building. My problem is I can't locate the original drawings or even a copy.  Would I be able to get a copy from Town planning, Land registry or any other department where the original/copy will have been submitted? My initial enquiries from a friend in the building trade suggest this is unlikely. What do you reckon?

If I don't get a copy of the plan, I assume any architect, builder, or structural enginneer that I engage will work on assumptions/ Might this lead to some hits & misses, and prove more costly.

Just to add also, at the time Mr Soludo was CBN governor, most economies in the world were experiencing exponential growth, due to the free availability of cheap money. As an example, property prices went through the roof across the globe, from Cape Town to Shangai and from London to New York. So, to give him so much credit for the 'outperformance' of the Nigerian economy at the time is just ridiculous.

No doubt, increasing bank's capital base was a very good idea, but other factors that contributed to the large rise in inward investment were the advent of 'democratic' rule and the associated political stability, and importantly, the lifting of the heavy burden of debt servicing following the successful Paris Club negotiations. I believe these 2 factors were more critical in driving inward investment than the increase in bank capitalisation. Even in the UK, the level of inward investment (FDI) collapsed between 2008 and 2010 following the global recession, and has yet to recover to pre-recession levels. The idea therefore, that in Nigeria's case, the fall in FDI should be blamed on Mr Aganga is laughable.


At the end of the day, the primary role of a central bank governor is regulation, and Mr Soludo failed miserably in this regard. The huge fraud perpetuated by bank CEO's under his watch cant be swept aside simply because he recorded one or 2 successes during his term. The least he can do is apologise and admit that mistakes were made, as some central bankers of the time have done in their respective countries.

As usual, this debate has taken an enthnic slant, which debases the need for further serious contribution. We need to start seeing things objectively, or this country will remain stuck in its current unfortunate situation.

GEJ will prob win, but once counting reaches some of the big northern states, many of them may be one sided for atiku.

Dont forget that a state like Kano has more delegates than 3 southern states put together.

But losing adamawa is a public humiliation for the guy

yes, $350 billion GDP is corect.

H/ever, 350,000,000,000/150,000,000 = $2333. That's roughly our per capital income - which is very low & thats why our people remain poor. We have a huge population.

Compare that to Ireland for example:

- Population - about 5 million
- GDP - about $125 billion
- Per capital income - circa $40,000.

Our GDP needs to edge towards around 1.5 trillion dollars before we can even think of becoming a middle income country, and that assumes our population growth rate remains at about 2 - 2.5% per annum.

With the right policies, we can scale-up to 1.5 trillion GDP within 10 years.

ewwww, that name 'Nigeria'.

the less I say the better!

am all good, taking it easy.

cant wait? . i think everyone's fed up right now. mind u, the politicians seem quite happy with d status quo.

Ileke, how far now.

You're the sis from Ekiti right?

Thought you were strongly pro 'Nigeria must remain together at all cost?' Used to think that, but NL has changed my mind Too many whinging folks.

They get the South East states, and negotiate with the north or wherever else they have assets - dont think the Igbos need worry too much about this.

All sides in the debate on separation repeatedly make wild & wrongful assumptions about how the other side will suffer. For example:

1) The NORTH will be sent back to the dark ages of widespread primitive existence  - big lie. They have the potential to be successful outside of Nigeria

2) YORUBAS will wilt under the weight of crippling economic crisis, erm, wrong again. Yorubas are a powerhouse in today's Nigerian economy - dont underestimate these people

3) IGBOS will starve without food from the North. Even assuming there's not much land to go round in Igboland, surely all they need to do is look accross to Cameroon where they can buy their food. And why will the Middle belt not sell them food?

4) WITHOUT IGBOS, Lagos economy will collapse - No it wont! Yes the economy will be impacted, but since the population of Lagos will also reduce significantly, the economy will simply need to recalibrate.  Just like the Igbos, millions of Yorubas are involved in trading. The assumption that only Igbos know how to get a visa to an Asian country to import clothes or spare parts is ludicrous & laughable. Many Yorubas & people from other tribes do the same, though to a lesser extent than the Igbos. But it's no big deal at all.

Unfortunately, all talk of separation will be confined to the internet. In the real world, there are too many treacherous Yoruba, Hausa, & Igbo politicians who benefit so much from the current failed system that they will scupper any attempt to bring this debate into the public domain.

actually, most of the oil revenues go into paying for our voracious apetite for imported goods & supporting the value of the Naira.

That is why, even during OBJ's regime when our coffers were flowing with dollars, the government couldn't do much in terms of improving infrastructure. The external reserves do not necessarily translate into money the government can use locally - well, not to a great extent.


That's why a country like Japan can have huge foreign reserves, but still be up to its neck in Yen (local) debt.

Nigeria cannot spend dollars on the streets of Uyo or Kanfanchan!

Just my primitive understanding of economics. Sure, an economist out there can correct me.

yes, as I said, poultry & some other meat are imported.

Rice is currently abundant & very cheap in Nigeria, even though it is imported. The fact a product is imported doesn't mean it is not readily available and at a reasonable price.

A 50kg bag of rice sells for about 7k - 8k - about 30 pounds ($45). Good for a family of four for about 3 mths (am guessing).

Go into any shop, you'll find up to 15 different brands.

Also, Nigeria's locally produced rice is gaining in popularity so much that it is more expensive than the imported variety, and many States now have & implement blueprints for rice production.

trust me!

I said abundant, not cheap. I stand to be corrected.

I mean our staple foods.


Yes, Nigeria now imports a lot of western foods, but these are for the afluent. It does not affect the ordinary Nigeria.

The only 'basic' stuffs that are in relative short supply & probably expensive is meat. As our per capital income and population have increased, we have become a huge net importer of meat, from as far away as Europe.

Though, most of the beef (cows), sheep, goat etc come from neighbouring countries, like Niger Republic.

not sure if he's on NL. will encourage him to join & share his experience.


according to CIA factbook, almost 70% is employed in agriculture (extraordinary!), though agric's contribution to GDP seems less than I'd read elsewhere.



https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html0%


You are right that oil makes very little impact on Nigeria's real economy & employs disproportionately few people when you think of the huge amount of capital investment it requires on an ongoing basis.

One of the key reasons Nigerians are 'suffering but smiling' (ala Fela) is because food is relatively abundant.

For the past 40 years, agriculture as a proportion of our GDP has never fallen below 60%.

Forget petro dollars, and erstwhile booming financial sector, agriculture has always been the quiet, unglamorous mainstay of our economy.

Do you know also that between 50 - 60% of Nigerian workers are employed in the agricultural sector.

As for the recent spur in agriculture, look no further than Obasanjo. Yes, the guy is disliked by many, & they would not want any positive development credited to him.

But the truth is, during his 8-year term, he was a huge promoter of the sector & a fair amount of money was pumped into the sector too.

That's all bearing fruit now.

A friend in London was telling me he is starting an orange plantation (only a few hectares I suppose) in Ondo State, and he was surprised by how much the State govt has been willing to help him - he's not connected in government btw.


States like Ondo, Ekiti & some others accros the country live on agriculture.

fstranger:
@MShittu

It reminds me of secondary school where we used to beat some of the Igbos and during the Ife-Modakeke war, we killed some of them , and then lied to the cops that they were killed by the Modakekes. Up till today, Nothing has happened.

I think you are taking this NL ethnic banter way too seriously & it is very childish & irresponsible of you to try & fightback with the most gross & hopefully, false account.

I attended the University of Ife & so have some familiarity with the dynamics between Ife & Modakeke.

For those who do not know, Ife & Modakeke are two relatively sleepy Yoruba towns, with Ife being the larger of the two. These towns have fought several wars between them over several hundred years. During the last war in the 90s, up to 100 people from both sides were believed to have lost their lives.

Like most Yoruba towns, Ife & Modakeke have a fair amount of people from all parts of Nigeria. Unfortunately, when fighting breaks out, the thugs on both sides do not ask about your background - they kill whoever they believe to be/live on the other side - be that person Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba.


To make matters worse, there is practically no distance between the towns as they have morphed into one.  Also, the largest market in town is sited right on the 'boundary' where the fighting normally starts. As with most markets, there will be a fair number of people from all parts of Nigeria who unfortunately can become victims.


But to suggest that someone was targeted simply for being Igbo, when this particular war has been fought for generations, and has not the slightest relevance to Igbos, is preposterous

In those days, to avoid being part of the collateral damage, whenever there was a threat of new fighting, the University was shut down & the students bailed out of the town in panic - Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas - all of us.

You can throw banter on these ethic threads without making up very upsetting & totally unacceptable stories.

I am all for free speech, but I strongly urge the owners of this site to ban you with immediate effect, though I understand people like you can come back in a different guise.

I am disgusted & I hope you'll have the decency to apologise and tell us if you were merely joking, though a sick joke it would be.

texazzpete:
Now you're thinking like a child.
Strike should be the last resort for those in such sensitive professions, but it is the ONLY weapon in their arsenal. We live under a Government that is insensitive to the needs of the populace. The only way to make these pampered clowns see reason is to employ Industrial action judiciously.

I don't give a damn about the elongation of academic tenures as a result of university strikes. The students and parents of the students are partly to blame that sorry situation. If they paid more attention to the quality of education they were paying for, they should be the ones on the front lines, not even the lecturers.
70% of the time, strikes in the University community comes about when the government reneges on agreements it has entered with lecturers and doctors. Instead of blaming these people, look no further than the Government.
It's also amusing that you freely condemn the lecturers. The strike lasted 3 months not because the doctors wanted to stay at home, but because that overhyped Fashola failed to do anything about it! Is there any indication that agreeing to their demands would bring the state to penury? No!
Blame all those dead people on Fashola and his advisers. But you people love your god-king-messiah Governor so much that you'd lie to yourself.

I wonder, if you were a landlord, would you reduce the rent for Doctors because 'their reward is in heaven'?

You put someone down for thinking like a child, yet blaming the govt, society and everyone else for not putting doctors on a pay pedestal undermines your claim to maturity. For instance to suggest that the Governor refused to negotiate is plain wrong.

Notwitstanding threats, intimidation, and blackmail - tools that these shameless doctors appear to have used to good effect in this case , a Governor must think carefully about agreeing to a 75% increase of anyone's salary, for the following reasons:

- can the state afford it
- does it make economic sense
- will workers from other sectors - teachers, nurses etc seek equanimity ie 75% or similar increase
- will it establish a precedence that is unsustainable in years to come.

In this case, and considering all the circumstances, particularly the unpleasant effect of a continuing doctors strike on the populace, the Governor has had to back down in the face of the doctors' blackmail. I think this is a necessary, if undesirable, step, but the doctors have not covered themselves in glory in this matter.


You also need to consider this -  nothing stops these doctors coming back in say 3 yrs time to ask for another 75% pay rise.

With every sector downing tools at will, if govt doesnt immediately yield to demands for ridiculously high pay increases, the Nigerian economy is sadly going to be in a mess for many years to come.

When is this revolving circle of every sector holding the rest of society to ranson going to end? I agree there should be a long term agreement around a moderate, affordable yearly pay rise.

Also, remember that Nigeria already spends almost 70% of its entire budget on paying salaries! Unbelievable, but true.

3 weeks ago, I went to Benin/Edo State for the first time and I was shocked by what I saw.

The stark contrast in the standard of infrastructure in Edo and supposedly poor Ondo State was notable.

First the roads. Akure - Benin. From Akure to its boundary with Edo state, the road was good, little or no potholes, and very motorable. Step into Edo, and the story became different. Just after Ifon, the road, all the way to Benin was so bad, we barely achieved an average of 50 kph, and it was stop start, stop start all the way.

Second - Benin City. I have heard of Benin City for so long, I wrongly assumed that it would be just one step down the ladder from the likes of Lagos in terms of infrastructure. Remember, the city has been a 'regional' administrative centre for centuries. Well I was disappointed. As we approached Benin, we were met by a mount (about 4 ft high) of rubbish on both sides of the road. The road into town was shambolic; everywhere was dirty; and a particular section of an adjourning road had what looked like a 4 - 5ft deep 'lake' strecthing over 50 meters. Touts were collecting money to lift women and children on their backs to the dry side of the road. Exraordinary!

After my meeting at the High Court complex, I couldnt resist telling my host that I was disappointed by what I'd seen of the city. His response was that sadly, Edo State's last good government was in the 70s & 80s -  the likes of Ogbemudhia & Ambrose Ali.

Essentially, the current Governor is battling with such huge infrastructural deficit accross the whole State that it will take several years of huge spending, before the people can feel any significant difference.

As for jobs, in well-run economies, it is not the sole responsibility of government to create jobs. The govt cant create jobs that are not available - the civil service accross Nigeria is already overpopulated.

You acknowledge that the government is spending money on improving the infrastructure of the State. This should mean that some jobs are being created through such projects, though they are probably not enough to go round.

You should look at self employment, but then again, I assume getting finance from a bank to start a venture is quite a challenge in Nigeria. Look at businesses requiring relatively small start-up capital, and maybe try to source capital from relatives if this is an option.

The key thing is to start something, however small. And please, dont wait for a govt to provide you a job!

Hope this helps.

saying that, I expect some NLers to crawl out of the woodworks later to admonish us for supporting 'whiteys' who are deporting our 'brethrens.'

truth is, these crooks do not deserve anyone's support. They are thugs.

yippeeee!!! great news!

hopefully, their names & photographs will be published in Nigerian newspapers to serve as a lesson to other crooks.

this could be a tangible first step towards reclaiming the good name of our country, which has been so badly sullied.

pop pop pop pop, pop pop champaigne! - to the folks abroad, this is a line in a song I heard in Nigeria few weeks ago. Seems apt.

I've read a lot about the history of the internet, but never heard of this guy.

Also, why did a frontline Minister feel the need to intervene & confirm they will launch an investigation - the intervention of a senior minister at this early stage raises the stakes unnecessarily. Irrespective of the outcome of the investigation, I think the guy's reputation is already dented.

It should've been left to a Special Adviser to simply say they will 'look into' any allegations. This would have dampened interest & given the government time to do their fact-findings quietly behind closed doors. This is what most govts will do to a supposedly valued citizen.

Is Akunyilu the same lady who reads out minutes of FEC meetings to the press - on TV. Laughable, a Professor has to read out every word of several pages of minutes. 

White House or Downing Street communications chiefs address assembled world press for 30 - 45 mins with no more than a sketchy outline of key points. But this publicity-hunting Professor?