₦airaland Forum

Good move by the present government, I think our policy now should be more towards the east and less of west, because Africas relationship with the west has been more of master-servant while the east relates to us with mutual respect and as equal partner. Another imperative is that many countries in the east are now major players in the global economy with sound economic blueprint for the future while majority of economies in the west are bugged down with astronomical debts and poor economic future. We really need to relate more with those guys, cos we have so much to learn from them.

What really made Lagos special? Is it not because she is part of the nation Nigeria. As long as Lagos is still part of Nigeria, the op can forget about the issue, if the day eventually comes when Nigeria is no more then u can do all those.

The main issue is that all the economic attraction of Lagos is simply dependent on benefit from Nigeria, which the source is simply the income accruing from oil.

Many folks dont know that just like Nigerias economy is in serious danger because of dependence only one major source of income (oil), that likewise Lagos economy is also in danger? Lagos economy is not sustainable, until you develop an economy that is not dependent on the nation and is sustainable, this topic cannot be feasible.

one fact I have noticed about this forum is that many of these guys that put up these types of post are either jobless or are really kids in real life. because this topic doesnt make any sense at all and anybody that is busy and has value for time cannot waste his prescious time on these type of things.

How can a full blooded youngman with vision for his life spend allmost the whole day on a social media platform posting, time wasting topics, it is a pity, anyway maybe most of them are being paid as media propagandists, maybe........

Why has this nation been blessed with a leader like this man. All our past/present presidents, governors, local council, legislators, including civil servants are all guilty of stealing and misappropriation of public funds, and if we want to have a meaningful future as a nation all these men mentioned must be brought to book, if not then we will remain in the same spot. The biggest challenge facing this nation is missapropriating public fund, you will see a man who prior to holding a political office, or an appointment could not boast of hundred thousand will worth hundreds of millions and billions overnight and most Nigerians will feel there is nothing wrong with it. Thats why the only man I think fought graft was Nuhu Ribadu, I dont know much about Buhari's pedigree.

I think u guys should ignore that liar, the issue is that credit should be given to this present govt for trying in some areas like massive investments in the power infrastructure and strides being taken by the ministry of trade and investments in attracting foreign investors to the country. personally I think those two areas I mentioned are areas that are strategic to future economic development of Nigeria because oil our main source of foreign exchange earner will be no more, and infrastructure and investment will be the foundation for our future earnings as a country.

Very wonderful intelectual piece. I personally think OBJ meant good for this country during his regime by banning the importatn of lots of things.

What we need now is for massive investment in infrastructure like power, roads cos this will help our economy to develop as a result of reducution in the cost of production. The earlier this is done the better because in the coming decade global dependence on oil will drop greatly, and if we dont use our opportunity now, am afraid to say it will come to hunt this nation.

It is a pity that majority of people that have commented on this topic cannot read this post, one adage says if u want to hide anything from a black, hide it in a book. If one cant read then how can u develop into a better individual.

Anyway I understand Ribadus line of reason, we are too divided across ethnic and religious line in this country and the political class, have capitalised on it to increase the division. For change to come it will start with enlihtenment, but the sad thing is that the average nigerian on the street is, unenlighted, uninformed, very few understand what is happening and this has favoured the politicians because the day the average man understand his right, the political class wont take us for a ride anymore.

Katsumoto: You stated that 'how many Nigerian banks can fund like say 1 billion dollar deal comfortably'. Do SMEs require $1 billion funding? If not, of what relevance is the point about $1 billion loans or the size of a bank's assets? I hope you can see that they are two separate topics, unless you are arguing that Nigerian SMEs require a billion dollars each.

why i stated the billion dollar issue was to disprove the statement by someone that Nigerian banks have plenty funds and I now stated that they dont have such plenty funds when not even one bank can comfortably fund a billion dollar deal.

Then u talked about SMEs and I told u that even the interest they charge will suffocate the SMEs, so I dont understand what u are on about?

My personal verdict is that Nigerian banks have a lot of improvement to do cos they cannot comfortably fund even a simple long term deals on one hand and on the other hand cannot support growth of SMEs due to high interest on loan.

And both funding of billion dollar deals and small funds for our Smes are needed hand in hand for our economy to develop. For example to invest in power infrastructure, high speed trains, new world class cities will require billions of dollars to do but how many of our banks can fund these types of deals? These things can be done now majorly via FDI inflows from foreign investors, like those wall street fat cats, soverign wealth funds, private global investors etc not Nigerian banks my friend.

Katsumoto: Should Nigerian banks not crawl before flying? Shouldn't the banking industry loan to small and medium businesses before lending to big businesses? How large is the Grameen bank? Isn't it changing lives in Bangladesh and Malaysia? The cornerstone of most stable economies are small and medium sized firms. This obsession with billion dollar deals is misplaced.

And how many Nigerian banks are giving funds to SMEs, when the interest they charge cannot even allow the SME to break even talkless of being profitable. Let me state it again, for our economy to grow, there must be easy access of funds for entreprenures, if not then we have got a long way to go.

wesley80: No Sir, they dont. Ask Babalakin, ask Dangote, as Shell and get data from the CBN. Nigerian banks are highly handicapped and even the PFA's are yet to attain a level of comfort where they can comfortably finance 10year investments let alone banks. All it took to throw the entire banking sector into a spiral was the default of a few petroleum importers in 2008, no Sir our banks lack funds.

you got it right, Nigerian banks have very limited fund, how many Nigerian banks can fund like say 1 billion dollar deal comfortably, I dont think even 1 bank can do it. But many banks in Europe, US and Asia can comfortably do that, any body conversant with money markets will know that over 4 trillion US dollars is moved around across the globe daily, hw much of that money passes through Nigeria? Infact some banks like HSBC, Goldman sachs, Citibank have balance sheets that is more than the economy of the whole sub saharan Africa.

I think our biggest challenge is access to capital/fund. Look at the interest rate of developed countries US(25 basis point which is .25percent), UK .5 percent, EU/ECB btw .2 and .5, Australia1.25. But look at Nigeria 12percent and this figure is the one btw CBN and banks while btw banks and their customers is like 25 percent. So my dear their is serious lack of fund, that I think is the major issue then when u add wastage of available resources by the political class with no right infrastructures like power which will aid in the growth of the economy.

Most of u folks should neglect all those Acn e-goons, who are masters of propaganda and false hood, coming here to discredit the wonderful works of this visionary and very ambitious governor Godswill Akpabio. Infrastructure wise no governor is a match for this Akpabio guy, Fashola is trying but Godswill outshines him, leave all these their propaganda.

Akpabio should use his remaing two years by focusing more on education, quality rural health centres, and all human capital development indices.

And finally he should partner with the FG and ensure that ibaka deep seaport comes to fruition cos that port will seriously affect bussiness across all down south region, it will lead to create an emeging major trading hub, for that part of Africa.

PapaBrowne: ^^^^^
Agribusiness alone can earn more than oil.
Let me just state some interesting facts for you:

Nigeria is the largest producer of Sorghum in the world. We produce over 20% of the world's output despite having some of the worst yields per hectare in the world Sorghum is beginning to be seen as a very cool alternative to corn and barley for animal feed and beer production respectively. That alone can earn us over $2 Billion yearly.

Nigeria is the second largest producer of citrus fruits worldwide but we import 99% of all the concentrate we use in manufacturing fruit juice in the country.

Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world. We make less than $100 million exporting cassava yearly. Thailand on the other hand makes $5 Billion yearly despite producing much less quantity.

Nigeria produces 65% of all the Tomato output for west and central Africa. 40% ends up wasted. And yet we are the largest importers of tomato paste in the world.

We are one of the largest producers of banana in the world. We earn $0 in foreign exchange. The Caribbeans earn upwards of $4 billion yearly.

The list is endless. The story is same for a whole lot other crops. We are tops despite zero mechanized farming. Imagine we mechanize our farming. Imagine all that land mass in Northern Nigeria was farmed. We could feed the world and earn 10 times what we earn from oil.

dude can u imagine and we say there is poverty in the land, while we have these tremendous opportunities. Anyway I thank God for this educative tread like this one, let the wise ones maximise these opportunities staring at us korokoro.

Men men, serious things are really going down in this country, the wise ones will key in while the mentally visionless ones will only see darkness.

When I knew things was going down was when u see the num of Asians, especially Chinese and Indians you jam everyday on the street or when flying to far east, the number of Asians you see in the plane whether to or fro, I always ask myself, for this people to be trooping here in droves, something some of us dont know is going down. Nigeria is changing, I pity some of our brothers that go abroad, being slaves in abroad, there are tremendous opportunity but it will take the patient ones, those with staying power, that dont easily give up, those with entrepreneural mindset, these are the ones that will stand out in the emerging Nigeria, maybe in few years we will join the billion dollars club insha Allah

Any body that takes serious what many people say here serious, I will say ur intelligence is suspect.
This is different from real life, Lagos is owned by yorubas so if you get worked up by the taunting done by some of my people claiming Lagos, then I will say u re childish.

The truth is that we need each other, let us put our differences aside, respect each other and work together. Anybody that begins to judge anybody by his tribe and other things, I pity such a person because u re exposing your self to bitter soul and unnecessary work up. I respect every man, I dont judge someone based on where he is from, never. We are all black brothers. Thanks

Hahaha I really laugh, u guys think the Igbos will have it worst? No wahala when that time comes we will see.

Japan, China, South Korea and Singapore has no natural resources but they are highly advanced, technological and economically succesful countries. What most of u folks fail to understand is that the future of this our world will be driven by innovation, creativity and taping of the immeasurable resources presesnt in the human mind( in fact this is the greatest source of riches under the sun), and I am grateful to God that we Igbos dont lack in that area at all, only time will tell, cos then we will be the matser of our destiny, whether we fail or succede will be how we make of it.

When Nigeria divides we shall see

I really agree to this one, we need to co-exist and co-habitate. We have come to a point where we should have mutual respect and regard for each other, be it north, south, east and west. There is a value each part add to the federation.

of a truth, Fashola is a real shining light among the political class, if we have 5 men with that can perfectly birth their vision and imaginaton like fashola, I think this country will be a lot better off. Let the political class benchmark, copy and better this man's achievement cos it is worth emulating. If we have matured in our politics he should be the highest contender for president, but we are still not matured in our political leaning.

If I have an opportunity to be close to the President, I will advice him to neglect all these bashing by oppositions media propaganda, and focus the remaining 2 years on delivering best services to Nigerians, he should neglect propagandists and liars.

Based on the ones I have seen, I will commend on the quality of airport renovation, roads like ore-benin which I drove on recently that has never been this good.
The President should use this remaining 2 years to focus on those areas he has really been poor like fighting corruption (his giving alams pardon), he should strengthen efcc, and other stuffs. If these are done, then history will be kind on him.

This is the only reasonable explanation I have read on this issue:

the governors forum has always been peaceful; without any rancour until the tenure of Amechi. He politicised it, changed the mode of selection, infact the guy is so controversial. Let him go and rule over his own faction and leave the others to their own faction. Nonsense

Also from the things that have been happening there is a very big battle going on for power and the soul of Nigeria by the political elites, the battle has been drawn but I feel that in all these their battle, they don't give a damn about the poor masses more about their selfish interests
, and the way it is going this battle will get messier as the day goes bye, which will make or mar Nigeria and shape the future.

Symphony007: i am sure by 18. You mean the 18 governours that attended jangs so called meeting. Well the election was a secret ballot so no governour knew who the other voted for. Some of the governours in that jang meeting voted ameachi. But akpabio just wiped up every governour he could find to attend this meeting and create the kind of suspision that you're feeling in the mind of nigerians.

Well it is surprising cos for those 18 to come together, it may have created doubt on Amechis victory, cos they claimed that their own group won. And the way it is going now the NGF is seriously divided and weakened seriously which may be the original plan of the Ogas at the top, and once they are divided, there power will be seriously weakened.

Symphony007: Well, this is officially the end of the governours forum. The meeting jang presided over today is the "jonathan governours forum" and ameachi has his own forum.

These are the traits of an incredibly stupid president. In the 15 years of the 4th republic no president has shown such an incapacity of govern and unite, even yar adua for all his weaknesses commander respect and unity around the country.

PDP in the state that gave him the most votes is crumbling. Ameachi has already issued an order barring the state PDP from using any government property in the state for meetings or ceremonies and they have also been issued a quit notice for their state headquaters on aba road. We're watching!

I never wanted to comment on this Amechi saga since, but for me I think Amechi has become a lone wolf in his zone, the forces arrayed against him is of huge magnitude. Can he come out of this unscathed, that I don't know only time will tell. As for PDP in Rivers, Amechi was never in control, he became governor through the supreme court judgment, he never contested election in 2007 while he rode on the back of Goodluck presidency in 2011. I actually see a scenario where he may be join APC in which he will be finished politically.

I have a simple question, it was reported Amechi won, but new report say that 18 governors supporting jang and 18 is half of 36, meaning a stalmate occured. Can someone clarify this scenario.

But we were told that 19 governors voted for Amechi while I know that 18 is half of 36. This shows that the election was a stalmate.

Thank God I will not miss out entirely, will be back home in the east tomorrow for a relations funeral and Ogidi is at my back yard, so I will try and be a part

@yeyebos I love ur mindset man, u kind is one in a million in this clime. My brother I had this your kind of attitude while coming back to Nigeria after my studies abroad, but I was really dissapointed with the people of this country. Personally I think that only about 1percent of the population of this country has their head screwed on or are really critical/deep and creative thinkers, others cannot even reason straightly, if u think it is a lie look at comments on nairaland.

All I will advise my brother is never let the negativity happening daily in this country quench ur spirit and creativity, keep the fire burning, look for likes mind and share all these ur ideas with and with time u will see what u can do.

Welcome mr president, the International airport is a good news and please, I am calling on the aviation minister and those in charge of the project to ensure it is world class, infact they should copy Dubai aiport or Changi terminal Singapore which won the best airport in the world for 2013.

And I salute the entire 5 south east governors and our leading politicians because they all in one way or the other contributed to this. They should also make sure the 2nd niger bridge becomes a reality.