₦airaland Forum

Annabechick:
Hello please this is my first time of writting here. Pls i meed ur help, my mum was diagnosed of glycoma and also cataract also she doesn't joke with her health but now we discovered she is also having retina tear she has been seeing flashes so we went to an hospital in Ikeja to use laser(around october 2014) but she kept on receiving flashes. So we decided to go bck to hosital 3days back yesterday d doctor said there are abt 3 tear in her eyes so we did another laser . Which is quite expensive also the name of the hospital is Carthem in Adeniyi Jones. Have been doing some online search and it seems removinh cataracts will increase tearing . But th doc is persuading us to remove the cataract that it will make d flashes reduce but am scared that it might worsen d case? Pls i need ur help as am writtinh now am crying i dont want my mum to go blind am just 23 ajd i still need my mums guidance pls if u have any possible information kindly share to me

Gud pm,really sorry about dat.please,stop crying,all is well,your mum wil never get blind..since the flashes of light is as a result of the retina tear,and photocoagulation has been done on her with laser, you don't nid 2 be moody...she wil definitely get better..the problem was that she had multiple tear that was why.I guess she was either hypertensive or diabetic?its true that cataract surgery is also a risk factor for retinal tear and detachment,but if properly done,nothing of such can happen,and I know the clinic is really capable of doing a good job..please stop crying,and just be rest assured your mum can never go blind.so happy u really care so much about her..she can't go blind,let the doctor carry out the cataract surgery so that she can see clearly again cos if the cataract becomes hypermatured,it wil really make things worse,so the earlier the better,and she must always use her anti- glaucoma drugs regularly and always go 4 check up at fixed dates ,cos the glaucoma is what she really needs to take more serious...waiting 2 hearing the good news from u.tanx

Got this from my facebook,and it is a must read to all of us.

OMAR BANGURA from Sierra Leone has this to tell Nigerians;

"I don't think you guys know what you are playing with. You can call each other names and laugh about it now but when you end up inciting hate here as I read through your posts here and a real civil war starts in your country you will regret what you are doing now. Your religious and political leaders are trying to divide you between religious lines and you are helping them do that rather than standing up and say we are all Nigerians never mind our tribe, region or religion. That's the only stand that will save your blessed nation. The foreign powers pushing the government to take certain decisions will abandon you when you start killing one another and reject you from running to their countries so be careful. Our 11 year war in Sierra Leone was not even based on religious or tribal difference and see what we did to our country. The worst conflicts are those based on tribal and religious differences. See Central Africa, Bosnia and Rwanda. To have a better knowledge of this, please watch the documentary/movie called "Hotel Rwanda" or "Sometime in April". My heart bleeds when I read what you guys are saying because I know what this will lead to. You will be the losers all of you whether Christian, Muslim, igbo, yoruba or hausa. Stand as one and save your nation together because you have only one Nigeria that has the potential to lead Africa."

Barely a year after a recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, led to a stampede and deaths of many of applicants, reports say the NIS is set to embark on a similar exercise.

This detail was disclosed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NIS, Chukwuemeka Obuah, a statement issued on Monday after advertorials were placed in major media outlets at the weekend.

“The Presidential Committee To Assist In Immigration Recruitment on Monday February 9, 2015 placed advertorial in some national dailies requesting applications from suitable Nigerians for enlistment into the Nigeria Immigration Service starting from 9 February, 2015 to 22 March, 2015. Note the application is free and must be done online,” Obuah stated.



It would be recalled that the 2014 Nigeria Immigration recruitment tragedy occurred on Saturday, 15 March, 2014, when 6.5 million people in all 37 states of Nigeria (including the FCT) stormed various recruitment centers in the country for the 4000 vacant positions in the service.
It was reported at that time that no fewer than 16 job seekers were confirmed dead in the incident, while several scores of people were injured.

According to reports, what caused the deaths were overcrowding, stampede, exhaustion, and impatience of the applicants.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, at least 23.9% of Nigerians are currently unemployed (about 40 million).

All applicants for the exercise paid 1000 Naira (about $6) before they could complete their registration for the test. They were also mandated to provide a medical report before being considered eligible for the exercise. Since the Nigeria Immigration Service is a Paramilitary agency, they were instructed to put on white sporting attires for fitness training and easy identification.

The Ministry of Interior and the Immigration Ministry delegated the exercise to a consultancy firm citing transparency and accountability as reasons for this step.

On March 16, 2014, the Minister for Interior Comrade Abba Moro explained in an interview that the applicant’s impatience and failure to follow instructions were the cause of the tragedy.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) called for Moro’s prosecution.

Moro appeared before a Senate Committee on interior for two days of public hearings.

On March 27, he accepted responsibility for the events and expressed his grief.

He said he was saddened that his effort to put an end to nepotism and favoritism in the recruitment process had turned out like this.

Following the tragic incident, President Goodluck Jonathan ordered automatic employment for affected families.

The President also ordered immediate return of all the funds collected from the applicants. He went further to say that there would be a new recruitment exercise and the previous one would be cancelled.

http://www.naij.com/382417-immigration-service-set-to-recruit-again.html

A leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has attributed last weekend’s election postponement to the fear of President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples’ Democratic Party​ losing the polls.​
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Tinubu accused the president of engineering the shift in order to extend his stay in office.
“What happened Saturday was actually not a postponement due to security or logistical reasons,” said Mr. Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor.
“What happened was the by-product of overt political interference undermining the independence of the election management body, INEC. The elections were postponed not because they could safely be held. They were postponed because one man, President Jonathan, feared that an election held on February 14 would for him become an election lost.
“While the mouth was Jega, the words were Jonathan. He chose to place our democracy at risk than do what democracy demands by facing and risking the verdict of the people. That he would use our security agencies to provide his excuse only adds insult to injury.
“This act was one desperation of a man in fear of defeat. It was not done for the national good. It was the wrong thing done for the wrong reason by the wrong man.”
Last Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced a six week shift in the general elections originally scheduled for February 14 and 28 for the Presidential/National Assembly and Governorship/State House of Assembly respectively.
According to the Commission, the election will now hold on March 28 and April 11.
Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman, blamed the postponement on the inability of the nation’s security agencies to guarantee protection of its staff if the election went ahead as earlier scheduled.
Mr. Tinubu insisted that the reasons given by the “heavily intimidated” Mr. Jega does not withstand close scrutiny nor the rigours of logical thought.
“It is nothing but a lie draped in a falsehood born by deceit,” he said.
“For the Service Chiefs to be inserted in the electoral process in this manner and at the eleventh hour reveals nothing but a cynical plot to thwart elections.
“President Jonathan has revealed that he only wants elections where the guarantee is that he shall win. This is not the nature of democratic elections. Jonathan’s government has purposefully undermined the electoral process because he is not interested in a free and fair contest where the outcome reflects the sovereign will of the people.
“He wants an elaborate coronation dressed in the garb of an election. The Nigerian people are too smart for this rude trick.”
Mr. Tinubu further described the postponement as a smokescreen, noting that the letter written by the Service Chiefs advising a shift by six weeks is instance subject to the amelioration of the security situation in the North East.
“This is coming from a Chief of Defence staff that vowed to crush the insurgents within four months early last year. A year later, nothing has changed,” said Mr. Tinubu.
“He is now asking Nigerians to believe this government can do in six weeks what it could not do in six years. I ask Nigerians to question why these Service Chiefs decided to launch a major operation a week before the elections?
“What is new about the security situation in the last two weeks that has not been there these past several years? The date and importance of the election was well publicized. Why did they wait till now? They waited because they were given marching orders by the president to delay the elections.
“They have gone on an offensive already. However, the true offensive is not against Boko Haram. It is against the Nigerian people and our democracy.
“If elections could hold in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, why not in Nigeria where only 14 out of 774 council areas are under siege?”
Mr. Tinubu said that the postponement has inflicted a wound on Nigeria’s democracy.
“This postponement may be the prelude to even rasher more authoritarian action by this desperate, inept government. While my party hoped to go into the election and win it that we may offer a new and honest deal to the people. This government continues to feed the people a raw deal,” he said.
“The ambition of one man should not be allowed to affect the destiny of 170 million Nigerians. Nigerians have signalled their desire for change and there is nothing this government can do to erase it.
The former governor also called on APC supporters to remain calm and peaceful even in the face of “this insult to our democracy and common sense.”
“It is inevitable that change shall come and we shall bring it fairly, democratically and peacefully,” Mr. Tinubu said.
“They will attempt more tricks before the six weeks is over. Each time, they will be defeated by the power of our commitment to a new day in a new democratic Nigeria.”

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/176566-polls-shift-jonathan-afraid-defeat-btinubu.html

This is what players get when they lie about their age...hw do u expect a 38years old man 2 play like a 20year old.wish u all d best bro

hisawesomeness:
Hi doctor. My .gets red for no reason even in the morni g. This has been happening to me for a long time now. But it gives me serious concern. My vision are perfect. Sometimes i wake up with an eye irritating me. But most of the time my eyes jus turns red. Pls help

redness of the eyes is a result of vasodilatation ( dilation of the blood vessels in the eyes). This may occur as a result of infection,allergy,refractive error or sometimes physiological. A proper eye test wil really give an answer to the cause of this redness..I wil advice u visit an eye clinic nearby as soon as possible.

doeying:
i was advised to make this post here from a nairalander...
i have read a little of your replies to earn my trust..
.Please i need your help...

i went to the optician in my school's health center to get glasses for the first time...
he went straight for refraction, and tested a variety of lenses on me...he figured out the ones he was testing were too low
so he took me to a machine i had to look through...the machine had an image of a house on a farmland..

the doctor exclamated when he saw the results from the machine(he did it three times to be sure).
he said my lenses were "special lenses" and that my eye were really not so good.

i took a peek into my file and i saw something like this

right-planol 5.00DC X 15degree
left -planol 5.00 DC X 165degree


the doctor said something like OBLIQUE ASTIGMATISM...

MEDICAL HISTORY
last year, i started my journey on fixing my eyes, so i went to LASUTH in ikeja,lagos.

the doctors there, after looking into my eyes with this device that brings light and measurement,
they were amazed, they kept on calling other doctors to see and recheck if they had been wrong...
i asked them what went wrong, and they said my readings were way beyond normal,
they explained to me that every normal person had like a reading of 0.2,0.3 but mine was about 0.9...
they kept telling me to come back, which i did,...i did other tests with various machines

one machine that spits a liquid into the eye...
the machine with the farmland and a house
another one where i had to press a button for every red dot i see...

after a lot of coming back and forth, i went to the refraction room where they recommended glasses, but here is the thing,
the person that was to give the recommended glasses said he could not give me because they were very high and i would not be able to handle them as a first timer(i have never used glasses)...

on another accasion, i went to LAUTECH in ogbomosho,osun state for another eye test and it was the same story over and over...someone even recommended surgery...

but up till now, they did not give me another alternative yet they refused to give me glasses...

SO PLEASE I NEED YOUR OPINIONS AND WHAT YOU PROPOSE I SHOULD DO...

you need urgent medical attention, Glaucoma is an eye problem which calls for emmergency..To know more about glaucoma,u can check dis out.
https://www.nairaland.com/1569966/understanding-glaucoma-one-leading-causes-blindness

doeying:
i was advised to make this post here from a nairalander...
i have read a little of your replies to earn my trust..
.Please i need your help...

i went to the optician in my school's health center to get glasses for the first time...
he went straight for refraction, and tested a variety of lenses on me...he figured out the ones he was testing were too low
so he took me to a machine i had to look through...the machine had an image of a house on a farmland..

the doctor exclamated when he saw the results from the machine(he did it three times to be sure).
he said my lenses were "special lenses" and that my eye were really not so good.

i took a peek into my file and i saw something like this

right-planol 5.00DC X 15degree
left -planol 5.00 DC X 165degree


the doctor said something like OBLIQUE ASTIGMATISM...

MEDICAL HISTORY
last year, i started my journey on fixing my eyes, so i went to LASUTH in ikeja,lagos.

the doctors there, after looking into my eyes with this device that brings light and measurement,
they were amazed, they kept on calling other doctors to see and recheck if they had been wrong...
i asked them what went wrong, and they said my readings were way beyond normal,
they explained to me that every normal person had like a reading of 0.2,0.3 but mine was about 0.9...
they kept telling me to come back, which i did,...i did other tests with various machines

one machine that spits a liquid into the eye...
the machine with the farmland and a house
another one where i had to press a button for every red dot i see...

after a lot of coming back and forth, i went to the refraction room where they recommended glasses, but here is the thing,
the person that was to give the recommended glasses said he could not give me because they were very high and i would not be able to handle them as a first timer(i have never used glasses)...

on another accasion, i went to LAUTECH in ogbomosho,osun state for another eye test and it was the same story over and over...someone even recommended surgery...

but up till now, they did not give me another alternative yet they refused to give me glasses...

SO PLEASE I NEED YOUR OPINIONS AND WHAT YOU PROPOSE I SHOULD DO...

gud day bro...the liquid or air spitting test was to determine the pressure of your eyes,to know if it was within the normal range.the other test where you were asked to look into the machine and click a button is called the visual field analyzer..this is used to ascertain how well you can see things around you 4rm peripheral to the central.Astigmatism has to do with abnormality with the curvature of the cornea( the black part of the eye) but your C/D ratio is quite alarming @ 0.9, this calls for urgent attention..this is a sign of glaucoma,and your eye pressure test and CVF test is very important for treatment.I will advice you to make use of my signature since u stay in lagos,so we can talk better about your eyes..Thanx

Tobbiemi:
Thank you. As regards my being photophobia, its actually wen am in the sun or a place with heavy light. I got a darkened glasses nd i have no problem with distance wen using the glasses. The only tin is that i fel eye pain whenever i operate my i- pad. I feel this is as a result of the light from the device aldoe av reduced the brightness bt i still feel this pain.

I wil advice u go for a thorough eye exam and really emphasize on ur discomfort while under bright illumination...a photochromic lens might will help give succour to that...Thanx

dkronicle:
lawanson in surulere

good...there are many eye clinics in lawanson and its environs...u can take ur time 2 visit any of them, 4 a comprehensive eye examination 2 be carried out on u...thanx

Tobbiemi:
How do one improve one's eye vision Particularly when one is shortsighted nd one squints d eye in the sun orwhere dere is soo much light. Cos am tired of using glasses.
Thank you

being short sighted is as a result of ametropia ( refractive error), the best known correction for such eye condition is either th use of spectacle or contact lens correction and in some cases refractive surgery might be needed..being photophobic ( excessive reaction 2 light) arises from 2 much sensitivity of the cone cells 2 light,and this can be relieved by wearing sunshades or a special lens called photochromic glasses which comes with the patient prescription if any..
I will like 2 no if u do have any problems with ur glasses regarding the photophobia and seeing distance objects clearly? For more info..u can make use of my signature 2 get 2 me...Thanx

Jonathan inherited 774 LGA, today he has ceded 30 to General Shekau of Boko-haram.

Jonathan inherited 23 PDP Governors but he ceded 5 to opposition APC.

Jonathan inherited 4000 megawatts of electricity but we are now left with 2500 megawatts with obnoxious tariff from PHCN.

Jonathan inherited 2.4 million barrel quota from OPEC but he ceded 1 million barrels to smugglers and economic saboteurs which are mainly niger delta ex militants.

Jonathan inherited a Naira value of 155 to dollar but Naira is now traded at 209.

Jonathan inherited 30% unemployment but he has doubled it to 55%. Jonathan inherited positive AAA rating bond but JPMORGAN has rated our bond negative.

Jonathan inherited a surviving stock market but he killed the stock market.

Jonathan inherited 10% duty on tokumbo cars but he increased it to 70%.

Jonathan inherited # chibokgirls but he lost them to Shekau.

Jonathan inherited a rag tag boko Haram. he will leaving behind a sophisticated and daring Boko Haram by May 29th 2015. Jonathan inherited a booming economy but doom is what he is about to handover.

To worse it off, Jonathan is promoting STEALING against our moral and societal upbringing. What then is safe under Jonathan? Absolutely Nothing! Dear President Jonathan, I can't afford more losses Change is all we want, Sai Buhari!! Vote APC!!!!!!!

dkronicle:
doesnot affect the right eyes, just d left alone. Am not on any medication.. Its been like dat since i was in secondary sch, cos that was were i noticed it.

kk..I wil advice u visit an eye clinic 4 a comprehensive eye test..u may be referred 2 see an orthoptist for vision training if the need arises...wil like 2 no were u stay

dkronicle:
bro i dont now what dis is calld, but every mornin my eyes used to look odd, if am lookin @ an object, my left eye ball will be @ another object. Its rili affectin me cos i cant even play ball with my fnds wen we are in stadium i will have to wait for few hours till it coms normal.

this shows ur left eye is strabismic..I wil like to know how often u do experince it,and if it do affects both eyes somtimes or it mainly the left eye dat is affected..I wil also like 2 know if u re presently on any medication for any systemic problem? U can also make use of my signature so that we can talk better.Thanx

brytandre:
Here on nairaland, a doctor too. Its a yellowish growth in my left eye between my sclera and iris. It is usually red while the right eye will be white. And on exposure to dust, smoke or bright light, it hurts........

kk..this confirmed that u have pinguecula..which seldomly comes with all the symptoms u have listed above..but steroid drugs are not usually prescribed just like that,even thou they are the most effective.I don't like prescribing drugs online 4 fear of drug abuse.check my signature and make use of it,so we can talk better.Thanx

brytandre:
Here on nairaland, a doctor too. Its a yellowish growth in my left eye between my sclera and iris. It is usually red while the right eye will be white. And on exposure to dust, smoke or bright light, it hurts........

kk..this confirmed that u have pinguecula..which seldomly comes with all the symptoms u have listed above..but steroid drugs are not usually prescribed just like that,even thou they are the most effective.try get ivycrom,and diclogenta eye drops.Thanx

Aminzy:
Help pls,what z d solution for blind at birth,no totally blind,d prrson can see but not clearly unless wit d use of glass, any solution pertaining to dis

has the person visited an eyeclinic and proper eye check was carried out on the baby? Cos a detailed eye check will really tell the cause of the eye problem..since u said there is improvement in the vision with glasses,it showed that the problem is a refractive error. I will like u 2 give a detailed information if any eye check was carried out on the baby and when it was done..Thanx

shegsky:
its sticky in nature. and doesnt come with redness.

sticky purulent or mucopurulent discharge is as a result of bacteria infections..use of antibiotics drug is indicated 4 such

brytandre:
Please Sir, I have been diagnosed with pinguecula and asked to use steroid eyedrop for the infected eye (left eye), please can u prescribe a particular product so I can go buy it?

who diagnosed and prescribed the use of the drug 2 u?

krall:
Dickdastardly
What's your say on this?

change is inevitable @ this time. Nigerians want change and Febuhari 14 will attest to this

Lately, there has been a sudden romance between Goodluck Jonathan and Bishop Oyedepo. President Jonathan has been using the highly respected preacher and man of God 2 draw unnecessary attentions in his desperation 2 remain as the President come may 29.
Livingfaith worldwide ministry (winners) has been in existed for over 15 years,why is it that it is really this period he is more interested in the congregation and the head of the church. My assumption is that he has done his mathematics,and he believes since the church has a congregation of large number of members, he can be rest assured of nothing less than close five million votes from the church as most winner members have undoubting respect for Papa Oyedepo. I believe the president is only interested in the political gain he is goin to get from this romance.. I pray he will remember that livingfaith still exists if eventually he wins 4rm this seemingly slim chances of his.. To me this is just Politics at work and every Nigerian needs to be wary of his move..since there is no more empty propangada against apc,the best way of getting Nigerians votes will be to do his homework well. I pray 4 a peaceful Election and Godsent leader..God bless Nigerians and the Federal republic of Nigeria.

Dis is really getting out f hands

Enough of all this certificate propaganda... let feb14 decide..we haven't seen anybody who has come out 2 say GEJ taught him in skul.

Nigeria needs change,a leader who is brave

Its so obvious that the American govt are not in support of Nigeria fight against insurgency..So they are using all means possible to discredit the effort of Nigeria govt.jus the way we disgraced them about the ebola issue,so shall we overcome this bh madness.CNN spreading false news abt Nigeria since 19BC
In another news..Happy birthday to me

shegsky:
@dr,Need your insight on what or the kinda drug/eye drop i could make use of. Have been experiencing itching in my eyes for some years now ,and as soon as i wake up, my eyes often has these dirt / eye muccus . Thanks as i await ur response.

Itching is as a result of alergic reaction,mainly due to exogenous substances like dust,smoke etc.the discharge u do experience wheneva u wake up may be as a result of underlying infections in ur eyes.I wil like 2 no hw the discharge looks like;sticky,ropy or watery,or if it usually comes with redness?

abbeywasc:
thanks. how do i go about it? is it done in nigeria and if yes, how safe is it and like risk? and what is d cost?.
thanks once again

its done in nigeria,it is really a very simple surgical procedure,and the prognosis is really gud.it is really affordable,but there are two main types of the surgical procedure,they are:the one without graft,and the one with graft..The one with graft is a little bit expensive than that without graft.Pterygium surgery with graft has lesser probability of re-occurrence unlike the one without graft.

Odunayaw:
give me ur number sir

its on my signature

favoured234:
Dr, I did an comprehensive eye test about a year ago, because I had this black eye bag down my eyes.
After the test the doctor said I was fine that the eye bag is definitely an allergy reaction (Was told the same thing 6 years back)
During the test I found out that my right eye was sharper than my left.. but the doctor insisted that I have perfect eye sight. (although I would have rushed to get glasses because they had perfect pretty pairs of glasses there)
Only for last week some people came to my office to do eye test, they made me look through a hole and came up with this result

Distance SPH -0.5R and 0.25L Cyl-, Axis-

The next thing he told me was "you need a pair of glasses"..
I just told him that they cant see me in their clinic because I have the best vision one would wish for...
I see clearly both far and near
1. My point is: Can I be needing a pair of glasses so soon just after the test a year ago (BTW that was the second comprehensive test this is just one kind pin-hole camera test)
2. I would have expected the R=-0.25 and the left -0.5.

Can you advice me on that result

from the prescription you wrote,it shows that u have astigmatism.Its really possible u have an error and since ur eyes can tolerate the refractive error,you may not notice any difference.I will advice you to take the neccessary treatment as soon as possible.

BabaNath:
Doc. please where can I get a photochromic glasses done and for how much. thanks in anticipation of your response

where do u stay?

Irked by what he perceived as the frivolous expenditure of the Jonathan administration, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, once again took a swipe at President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing him among other things of squandering $25billion crude oil savings left behind by his administration.
Obasanjo made the allegation while hosting the South-West women leaders at his residence in Abeokuta, describing the administration of President Jonathan as full of impunity. Obasanjo also said the failure of Jonathan’s administration to save for the rainy day led Nigeria into the current economic mess where a dollar exchanges N195.
Obasanjo claimed that the more than $25billion inherited by his successor, Musa Yar’Adua, was raised to $35 billion but the Jonathan administration squandered all, including also the $40billion in Nigeria’s foreign reserve account after paying the outstanding debt at the time.
According to him, former President Yar’adua also raised the reserves to $60billion, but under President Jonathan, the reserves plummeted.
These new claims followed series of public denunciation of Jonathan’s government by the former president.
I’m not against Jonathan
Last year, Obasanjo repeatedly lambasted the current government, accusing the president of promoting and tolerating corruption, and failing to provide security for Nigerians. But Obasanjo, yesterday, said he was not fighting the President, nor was Jonathan fighting him. He said he was more concerned about the interest of the country, and, therefore, cared less about criticisms.
“I have no grudges against Jonathan and I think Jonathan equally has no grudges against me. I’m not quarrelling with Jonathan. All I know is that whatever is good for Nigeria, that I’m ready to die for.
“I emphasize that whatever is good for Nigeria is what I’m ready to defend with my life. Whoever I emphasize, whoever says he would not do anything good to Nigeria, even if he says he’s ready to go ‘konko below’, I’m ready to square it up with such a person. I say again, whoever that person may be, I want you to get that correctly. If this country is going to change for the better, it would start from the top and if it’s going to be otherwise, it would start from the top, too,” the former president stressed.
 Economy in bad condition
The former president also lamented the poor condition of Nigeria’s economy, saying it shouldn’t have been this bad.
“Our economy should not have been this bad. When I was leaving office about eight years ago, I left a very huge reserve after we had paid all our debts. Almost $25billion was kept in what they called excess crude, including the excess from the budget we were saving as reserve for the rainy days. When we left in May, 2007, the reserve was said to have been raised to $35billion.
“But today, that reserve has been depleted! The reserve we left when we finished paying all our debts, our debts that was about $40billion, that is including debt forgiveness, the remaining debt was not more than $3billion. Our reserve after we had paid off this debt was about $45billion. As at the end of 2007, I heard that the reserve increased to almost $67billion before the end of that year. But our reserve now, I learnt is left with around only $30billion.
“That is why the Naira has been falling against the dollar. What would now happen? I learnt if you want to buy a dollar now, it’s about N192 or N195. What it means is this, what you have been buying at N150 to a dollar, now you need N192 or N195 to buy it. That is the real situation. Is there any remedy? There is, but it does not come overnight because it means we have to give up all the bad things we have been doing,” Obasanjo said.
He continued: “I know that God did not create Nigeria not to be rich or great. Is it that the people he created in Nigeria are not knowledgeable enough or not intelligent enough? Or is it that they don’t know their rights? Our problems in Nigeria lie with the leadership. Let’s look at the foundation of our leadership. In the profession I know very well, the military, what we normally say is that there are no bad soldiers but bad officers. If you see a situation where the soldiers are not doing well, we need to examine the officers in charge. So it is in the family, the community, the town and the country.
“Truly, the price of crude has fallen, but anyone who is wise enough should know that since we depend on just one resource and since we have no control over its pricing, we should be planning for this type of situation and the way out of it. Our inability to have a reserve has brought us into this economic quagmire.
“If we are going to solve unemployment problem, it is through agriculture and not through oil and gas. Now, we have no alternative. Agriculture is renewable because the land can be used over and over again, but, once a barrel of oil is gone, it’s gone forever, “he said.
 
I’m not apprehensive about forthcoming elections
 
On the forthcoming election, Obasanjo said he’s not apprehensive as being speculated. He also advised the electorate to vote for candidates with integrity and good records.
“I have had some little experience about this country. I was a military head of state and I was also a civilian president, so what is left? So, if I talk, I know what I’m saying. Whoever wants should listen to me and whoever feels otherwise, may turn a deaf ear. But when I’m talking, I’m talking with my understanding and intellect. I’m drawing from my experience and from what I’ve learnt with others and from other countries and fellow eminent citizens of the world that I relate with. I have no apprehension over this coming elections. I have no fears over the forthcoming elections.
“Good governance comes from voting, from selection of leaders. It is now left to you to decide who you cast your vote for because if you throw away your votes and tomorrow you are saying good governance, once you throw away your votes you have lost out. That is one. Find out the track records of achievements of those you want to vote for. What have they achieved in the past and not what they have said.”
 
I’m still in PDP
 
Concerning his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Obasanjo said: “I am still in the Peoples Democratic Party, though not active. With the kind of people and behaviours I see in the party, I don’t think I can stand before God and defend them.
“Nigeria does not deserve the position it finds itself today. Our nation is plagued with insecurity, corruption, economic downturn, and impunity in doing thing. If man cannot arrest you, God will arrest you. The position you are now, God puts you there. If you think lies can keep you there, continue. If you think bad people can keep you there, continue. If you think it’s money, continue. But remember God does not sleep nor slumber. A leader must be forward looking and plan ahead.
“At the beginning of last year, the budget was based on $78 per barrel. That year, the government spent more on recurrent expenditure and a little on capital expenditure”.
 
Nigeria cannot disintegrate
 
The former President, however, ruled out the possibility of Nigeria disintegrating after the election, saying, he had been told that he would be the last President when he was contesting the election in 2003.
He recalled that, “1964 election led to ‘Wetie’. I saw people being slaughtered; there was 1966 coup, the 1966 pogrom and the civil war. We survived it. Then, Abacha came, we survived it. When I was about to contest in 1999, I was told that it was a deceit like IBB and Abacha did. They said that Abubakar Abdulsalami was also out to deceive us. Some people said after me, there would be no Nigeria again, but, after me, there had been two presidents. This God is God of Nigeria”.
 
You are the repository of nationhood
—Lawson
 
The women who were led to the former president’s house by the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson included the Iyaloja-General, Mrs, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo and Iyalode Ibadan, Alhaja Aminat Abiodun represented by Eketa Iyalode, Mrs. Adedeji among others.
Earlier in her speech, Chief Lawson noted that President Obasanjo has become a good repository of everything that makes nationhood.
“You are the hand and eye in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. You are the voice everybody is waiting to hear on any topical issue in the public domain. We believe we are in the right place to discuss with you some knotty issues bleeding our hearts as we have seen you as a beacon of hope and light for the nation”, Lawson told Obasanjo.
On state of the nation, the women said they were concerned about current happenings in the country, going by the current atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.
She said the nation is plagued by insecurity, economic downturn, poverty, corruption, among other challenges.
“The unabated nefarious activities of the insurgents which have placed us as a people on the throes of war is worrisome to us, because womenfolk is the most affected. Countless Nigerian women have lost their lives, husbands, children, relatives and sources of livelihood as a result of the despicable acts of killing and wanton destruction by the Boko Haram insurgents,” she said.
Obasanjo’s response
Reacting to the speech, Obasanjo said the meeting had been politicised on the pages of newspapers, declaring that, he had no problem with President Jonathan, but, insisted that he would never associate with anyone that does not have either interest of the country at heart.
According to him, “God had put you in a position for a purpose, and if you fail, you will give account to God. It was prophet Samuel that God sent to anoint Saul to be king but when he misbehaved, it was the same God that sent Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint another king.
“But when Samuel got to Jesse’s house, he was attracted by the physical and outward appearance of Eliab. But God told him, he (Samuel) was looking at outward appearance whereas he was looking at the heart. We must not keep quiet concerning this nation.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/jonathan-squandered-55bn-oil-money-obj

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