₦airaland Forum

President Goodluck Jonathan has given cement manufacturers in the country marching orders to bring down the price of cement within the next one month.

The directive was following a meeting he held with the manufacturers in his office in the presidential villa.

Presidential spokesman, Mr Ima Niboro, who announced President Jonathan's decision after the meeting said the manufacturers had agreed to do all that was necessary to meet the one month time frame.

According to Niboro, Dr Goodluck Jonathan was saddened by the complaints of Nigerians over the sharp rise in the cost of the product and decided to call a meeting of the top five manufacturers to find a way out.

The cement manufacturers who also briefed state house correspondents after the meeting revealed that already, measures had been put in place to ensure that the prices of the commodity fall to about 1000 naira per bag.

The President of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria [CMAN], Chief Joseph Makoju; Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Dangote; Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu and Country Manager of Lafarge Cement, Jean-Christophe Barbant who were all present at the meeting assured Nigerians that the prices would come down before the deadline.



http://www.spotlightnigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=565:pres-jonathan-orders-reduction-in-cement-prices&catid=35:business&Itemid=56

u sound hillarious! The killings in the north was carried out by a "sect", and a sect constitute a small section of the larger society, so their interest can not be widely accepted by the society and that makes it illegitimate. So, the killings can not be compared to the topic in discussion. Thanks!

are you from the moon? the killings were not carried out by a sect. they were carried out by regular mob. the boko aram sect are only responsible for the bombings and shootings which have been mostly in borno state. they always claim their attacks.

edicolove, "good morning and how was your night'. Now, in considering this fact, the two things that u have to bear in mind is, 1 that the law is not ubiquitous and infallible, 2[b] that a generally accepted is legitimate[/b]. Okay, lets assume that someone was attacked by gun men in a secret place, at the point of death he was taken to the hospital but requesting for a police approval before treating him (when they know that there's no police station around), wouldn't it be normal for them to save the life first before requesting for the normal thing? Another thing is that as  a person on ground, we knew that rochas got upto 80% of the votes, so there's every tendency that majority of his supporters buttressed this policy, thereby, making it legitimate and democratic, cos the two policies is all about the choice and acceptance of the populace.

Congratulations! You have just approved and justified the killing of corpers in kaduna and bauchi states. Have you ever heard of the phrase, "the tyranny of the majority?"

@edicolove, people power/support supercedes any law or constitution any country might have. 9 out of every 10 Imo citizen support the step Rochas has taken whether legal or not legal. Also like someone mentioned earlier, the banks are private entities and are not obliged to take this directive from the Gov. elect but have chosen to do so to protect their business interest and may be in sympathy for the plight of Imo citizens whom Ikedi Godson Ikiri Ohakim has continously looted, flogged and maltreated without any iota of respect.

We welcome the pro-activeness of Rochas, we do not want a reactive leader like you suggest. Waiting till he is sworn in and then to start probing Ohakim is a waste of time and state resources which we imolites can't  afford, we are already in debt to the tune of N120billion (thanks to Ohakim), our monthly internally generated revenue has shrunk to N530million and he also left us with educational, health and agricultural sectors which are in a very bad state (worse state since the creation of Imo in 1976).

We don't have time to probe past regimes and wasting precious state resources (follow the legal process ), he needs to get to work as soon as he is sworn in, he needs funds to do this and his actions is in our interest, WHETHER LEGAL OR NOT LEGAL. CASE CLOSED !

you can accept what you want. my only suggestion is that you dont use double standards, i will be watching out for you to see if you will complain when someone else uses non legal means and it affects you negatively. since you think it is ok, you must accept it when it doesnt favour you or you will be an hypocrite. 2 wrongs dont make a right. you dont correct a wrong with another wrong.

and please stop being assuming and speculative. did you conduct a poll to know how many people in Imo agree with this? people power is not determined by mob on the streets. that is why we have constitutional conferences. otherwise, the almajiris in the north would have been right to kill those corpers. you are talking like buhari who sits in an armchair and says everybody likes him. you should never make generalised statements because even the most loved people in the world have their enemies who dont like them. Rochas did not win by 90% so dont make such assumptions. i can guarantee you that before the end of his first year, he will have people talking about his flaws. thats the way the world is. just be truthful and just. those are the only virtues in life that can stand the test of time.

I have painstakingly answered your question but you choose to believe what you want. I am on the side of the law because it is the only guaranteed protection. cheers

Like i said before, I like Rochas, but when a man begins to show certain tendencies we must caution ourselves. Imo state is not the only state in transition. In ogun state, the governor elect came out to caution the sitting gov on the spending of state funds, but he never wrote a directive or any such letter to the banks because that is illegal. most of you here went against obj when he withheld Lagos funds. was that not a necessity? but it was illegal and the courts said so. even with the knowledge of the fact that Lagos state also acted wrongly. the law is the law and it must be sacrosanct. I was seeing him as a good south east candidate for the presidency but I have to watch closely now.

You make arguments while deliberately refusing to address the very poignant examples raised by kaisem. I thus am not able to discern any substance in the wordy but insubstantial posts you have made above. For the avoidance of doubt let me just make this clear: I do not support illegality, and it is not my view that kaisem is advocating illegality either. Far from it.

The simple point sought to be made is that the puristic legalism you are advocating amounts to expecting an Utopia. Let me assure you that there has never been any place in the history of statecraft where absolute and untainted puristic legalism has been practiced without flaw. Your arguments are thus most black-and-white, and thus unsuitable, given that we live in a world with many muddied grey areas.

Now i do not want you to make another post which will skillfully evade the clear and succint examples rasied. Therefore simply answer me in short, concise and succint words the following questions. Do not beat about the bush -

1. Was the invasion of Pakistani airspace without permission ffrom the Pakistani government lawful?

2. Was it necessary?

3. Was the Acting Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan birthed according to the strict letter of the law?

4. Was it necessary?

5. Was the dislodgement of Laurent Gbago in Cote-de-ivoire carried out in a lawful manner?

6. Was it necessary?

Point: Puristic legalism does not always address jungle situations thrown up by jungle politics. There is an old saying that drastic situations require drastic remedies. There is also another old saying that the law was made for man, and not man for the law.

I do get your points and have already responded but you seem not to get it. All the scenarios you have raised have alternatives. I support goodluck but do not agree to the doctrine of necessity theory that was used to bring him in. There were alternatives but the insincerity of the day made the senators and government circles to pretend it didnt exist. There is a reason why true democratic nations adhere strictly to the law. The reason being that once you start to allude to this so called doctrine of necessity ideology and the end justifying the means, you open the flood gates for anything to happen. the law itself is not perfect but provides a sure meeting point for everyone. the constitution of a country is not a set of rules that everyone is happy with, rather it is a set of rules that everyone can live by in the spirit of coexistence. what is the guarantee that Obama will not use the same principle and commit havoc tomorrow? what is the guarantee our senators will not do something crazy tomorrow in the spirit of doctrine of necessity. the only safe haven is strict adherence to the law, even when it hurts.

One thing that amazes me about people on NL is that they are never objective yet they claim they are on the side of good. Most people make comments here based on sentiments. When they like a person, they defend his wrongs and promote his good no matter what. They accuse politicians but act exactly like politicians. That was how bb supporters kept defending all the undemocratic characteristics of Buhari until the last mayhem. The law is the only sure platform for anyone to stand. if you stand on anything else, you will eventually fall flat as history has shown again and again. that is why you have the Ghadafis of today. The end never justifies the means. That is a panacea for chaos. Men are not perfect including Rochas. that is why the only safe place for all of us is the law. There is absolutely no guarantee that Rochas will be better than Ohakim. We are all hoping and believing but in reality, there are no guarantees. Hitler was a revolutionist who was adored by his people. the rest as they say is history. The only thing that can guarantee some measure of safety is adherence to the law. it is alarming to see people supporting acts outside the law. anything outside the law is jungle justice. The so called law of necessity is an aberration and i hope someday, someone will not use that precedence to perpetuate chaos. That my friend is human characteristics at its best. I like Rochas but believe me, if he starts with a disdain for the law, it will come back to bite him.

@kasiem

@ediclove, dont be sad at all. The paramount thing in this matter whether the policy was generally accepted by the people and there's no way that a law accepted by the people being governed be justified as illegal,cos legitimacy is being acquired through the popular acceptance of a policy by the people. Okay, in that case obama is guilty of murder, for killing a perceived criminal without going through the due legal process. The rule of law states that someone until proven guilty by a court of law is still a suspect, but the USA government charged osama to any for any offense and they killed him.

This is the very reason constitutions are made. You are contradicting yourself and putting yourself in bondage by these kind of statements. You can never make a law based on people sentiments. there are consequences for laws. that is why a body has to sit and deliberate to pass a law. you dont consider something a good thing just because the people are happy with it. The same people could turn around tomorrow and detest it. a country not governed by the rule of law will always fail and sometimes with serious consequences. Ojukwu fought for a good cause in 1967 and had the backing of the people but the consequences are still being felt. if there had been a long deliberation, maybe the approach would have been different. Those who perpetuate jungle justice will themselves turn out to be victims of it. It is just like you justifying the murder of a thief by a mob. you forget tomorrow it might be your brother.

Again you contradict yourself, because by your assertion, even Ohakim is innocent until proven guilty. the law must be applied to all in the same measure otherwise there is no justice. the assumption by anyone including Rochas that Ohakim is guilty is wrong as far as the law goes.

State Chairmen of the Congress for Progressive Change in the South-West,South-South and South-East geopolitical zone of the country have dissociated themselves from the petition filed by their party before the Presidential Election Tribunal challenging the election of President Goodluck Jonathan in last month's Presidential Election.

The Chairmen also condemned the post election violence witnessed in some states in the northern part of the country and criticised the legal adviser of the CPC,Abubakar Malami for defending the violence.


http://www.spotlightnigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=560:south-cpc-chairmen-dissociate-selves-from-buhari&catid=34:politics&Itemid=55

Reading a lot of these comments makes me sad for Nigeria. No matter how good it sounds, an illegality is an illegality. No one should ever justify it because it might look like a good thing today but become the bases for disaster tomorrow. The law must be strictly kept at all times. If Rochas is sworn in and wants to probe Ohakim, he if free to but you people should never ever support things done outside our constitution because you will be supporting something that someone will use tomorrow to cause immense damage. The so called doctrine of necessity is not a good thing for the same reason. Rochas should not lay a bad precedence. All those who tend to act illegally in the guise of concern for the people always end up wrongly. Check history. From Stalin to Napoleon to Hitler to Buhari. The constitution should always be supreme.

^^^^

I just want to add that one of the serious problems we have in the country and south west in particular is that there is so much propaganda that people are now believing lies. I will list a few:

1. That only the south west govs are doing well in Nigeria.
This is a very big propaganda that have been sold by the  SW controlled press. It is very far from the truth. The best governor since 1999 is still Donald Duke who was a PDP Gov. Fashola has still not met his achievements no matter how much you try to hype him. Fashola is trying to repair things. He built systems from the scratch. I need not elaborate. Fastward to the present. Govs that can match Fashola for achievements are Rotimi Amaechi (actually doing better than Fashola). Goodswill Akpabio, Sullivan Chime. Someone said Akpabio rigged. Well you can say that because you read the Nation newspaper. Akpabio does not need to rig an election. He will win 10 times out of 10 elections. You only need to travel to Akwa Ibom to know that. The guy is a star. He is building a world class state.

2. That Yorubas have a progressive ideology and the rest of the country does not.
Well this is another falsehood. I live in Lagos, What the Yorubas portray here is not a progressive ideology but a tribal one. Their "we are better than you" mentality is very funny. Lagos is not this developed because it is a Yoruba state but because it was once the capital of Nigeria and a major business hub in Nigeria. In fact is that the population of Yorubas in Lagos is not more than 2 in 5 persons.

3. That the Yoruba candidates are better than the candidates of the other parties.
This I find very funny and very hypocritical. One of the most corrupt states in Naija is Lagos. Ask any one that pays his tax here. The government circle here is full of political jobbers sharing the state loot. Fashola is trying and I wont deny that but even he is being persecuted by the ACN chieftains, particularly Tinubu. And for the records, most ACN candidates from the other states that made little impact in the last elections were all ex PDP members who were aggrieved that they didnt get the PDP ticket. Even Amosun who won Ogun governorship was a former PDP man and an OBJ boy. The ACN man in Akwa Ibom was a 2 time PDP senator and only joined ACN in Jan when he lost in the primaries to Akpabio. He was useless during his tenure as a senator for 8 years. We didnt even know he existed in the senate. So what difference would he have made in Akwa Ibom? Same goes for Benue and Adamawa. Even Ngige was a former PDP man. Very funny how people can become so called progressives when they suddenly loose out in the primaries.

4. That Nigerians are seeing the performance of ACN govs. Well only Fashola has shown any real sign of performance. Oshiomole is just coming on the scene and is showing some promise and I pray he does well. But even Fashola still has a long way to go. The propaganda machine in the south west was able to play down the many failures of Fashola. The health and Education sectors where totally messed up during the last 8 years. Lasu was closed down every now and then during Fahosla's first term. Medical doctors were on strike for months. I need not say too much. It was a real mess. Alimosho is still a mess. But like I said b4, he is trying so we give him the benefit of doubt that he will sort these areas out this time around. But to say he is a role model, I dont agree at all. Building 3 toll gates in one residential area to extort residents of that area is not a good example to follow. I hope the Lagos water ways project will not remain a myth. And the irony of it all is that he said he would not come back for another term. In his words, it is only someone who fails that needs to re-sit.

I have used Glo and I like their data plans. I think their speed is good but VISA is faster and doesnt break. ZOOM is about the fastest if you live in their coverage area. MTN is annoying.

@Dabraska, I don't use Swift but from your post, i don't think Swift is the problem here. You are downloading what you don't want without knowing. Most computers download things at the background without your knowledge because someone set it that way without knowing. Some softwares do download things automatically without informing you. You better check your system and disable every automated downloads. Check your download statistics from the browser software. Windows update can use up your data too. I wish you luck.

As a very experienced programmer and expert in ICT, I beg to disagree that the problem is windows update. Window full installation is not even up to 5GB so to say windows update consumed 10GB is very wrong. The problem is from swift.  Most of these networks have bugs in their systems that malfunction from time to time and it can affect customers. This is not supposed to be a very big issue if they had good customer service. But most of them have very terrible customer service. I think the customer service is something you should consider when you buy a modem.

The best in my books are

1. Starcomms
2. VISA
3. SWIFT
4. ZOOM
5. GLO
6. AIRTEL
7. ETISALAT
8. MTN

Criteria include, speed, cost, coverage, connectivity, reliability and customer service.

for example, ZOOM is very good in terms of speed and connectivity but their coverage is very poor.
VISA is very good for speed, coverage, customer service is fair and connectivity is good but their pricing is crap and expensive.
Swift is good but very expensive. Good speed, good connectivity, coverage is increasing but you can mostly use it in Lagos. Their plans are expensive too.  about the worst in terms of cost.
GLO, ETISALAT and AIRTEL are good and about the same in terms of performance and pricing. Average customer service apart from AIRTEL who has a fairly good customer service. Etisalat has a lot of their process automated though which is cool.
MTN is good in some areas but the slowest in terms of speed and has poor connectivity. Also very poor customer service.
Startcomms is good in most areas but their congestion is their major problem.

And just to add that the 3G or 4G claim is scam. They are all still operating on 2G or less. downloading 1.5G in 2hours is very slow compared to 3G or 4G. But we are just managing them for now.

^ Again you join the ranks of posters who missed out the part where the OP says
"I must state most analysis is based on a mixture of (1) utterances by the governor that I have read, (2) general reports online and (3) the citizenry affection and respect the governors generate."

^ I didnt really miss that. I reacted because I understand that sometimes, the goal of a poster is not to establish or reveal truth. It might just be to try and influence opinions and use propaganda to shape people's thoughts. It is a very useful strategy because one of the biggest secrets of the press trade is the fact that "print is right". That means that people generally believe what they read. So if you say it continuously and consistently without counter views, people will believe it and form their opinions from it.

One thing about Nigeria is that the press is largely controlled by the south west. That is why Fashola's achievements has been blown out of proportion. He has done well in some areas but a lot of what he is praised for is still in powerpoint presentation form. Like the lagos waterways, the barbeach tourism project, etc. Beautification of a state with flowers and fountains is not a fantastic development like the press has made it to be. This is how I rate him in the following areas:

BRT:    Great Initiative

Clearing of Lagos roads and freeing of traffic:    Very good

Construction of Roads:    Average as most of the roads were patched and are patched again and again when they go bad. Alimosho roads are still very bad and some parts completely useless. He only tried in the major roads like Lekki, Ikorodu. Oshodi-Apapa expressway is still a mess after 12 years. Both Tinubu and Fashola have negleted that road. The Adeniyi Jones link road has been under construction for the past 8 years and is still not even half complete.

Schools: Apart from free education, the schools are still mostly in poor conditions. Lasu has been a mess for the past 4to 8 years. Strikes, fighting, etc.

Hospitals: He is ok here. The health centers across the state has improved. The only problem here is the incesant strikes by the staff. He seem to have no clue about how to handle that.

LASTMA: Average performance because while the initiative is very good, the implmentation has been chaotic. They are simply agberos in uiniforms. Do you know a LASTMA official once asked me to use the ATM to get money to settle him? It is that bad. They need serious training.

KAI: the worst of the lot. Agberos and touts in green uniform. They just pick up people and harras them. No wonder he asked them to stop all operations 2 weeks to the commencement of the elections.

A very assumptive post which only shows that the poster is very ignorantly arrogant. You cannot sit in front of your computer and write things about states in Nigeria based on other people's opinions you read in Nairaland and other sites. It is ridiculous and unintelligent. For example, Akpabio has been the best governor in terms of structural development in Nigeria for the past 4 years. I know because I have been to Akwa Ibom a lot for business. I also live in Lagos. I can compare and contrast. dont just sit in front of your computer and make assumptions. The roads across the state, the industrialization, the transformation of pubic schools, the provisions of jobs for youths, the special initiatives like e-library, airport, World class hotel and resort, Independent power project, are just a few. That he has political enemies doesnt make him a bad gov. I am not in the business of praising people but I just used that as an example to show that you just got your views from Nairaland, not from knowledge of what is happening on the ground.

If Ohakim does not have supporters, there wont be a rerun. Rochas would have won outright. he has his supporters. all you can do is try to convince people so see your side, not to claim he has no supporters. There is no rigging anywhere else Ohakim would have won already. INEC has been credible throughout this process. Give them their credit. That there is a stalemate is proof that it is credible.

Are you guys really serious. All these comments. Is Ohakim now INEC chairman? or Jega is now Ohakim's boy? INEC has conducted an election. how is it in the hands of Ohakim? If he was in control, wouldnt he have won already? will there be a rerun? Please Nigerians be objective and sincere. It looks like a keenly contested election so keep your fingers crossed and if you believe in the Owelle, if there is a rerun, go and vote for him. After all, Ngige just won the rerun. Ohakim is not capable of manipulating the election else he would have done that already. The present scenario shows it is actually a free and fair election.

IMO a stalemate

PDP     11 LGs
APGA   11 LGs

Waiting for about three more LGs

please ignore all these false news. The winner is based on total votes not LGAs. Even if they have the same LGAs, it is not a stalemate. One will still be declared winner

Please you guys should not mislead people. The winner is not based on how many LGAs the contestants win but the total number of votes received. So please stop quoting all this 11 APGA and 10 PDP stuff. Lets wait for INEC announcement

FLASH: Jubilation in Kano over victory of PDP governorship candidate, Musa Kwankwanso#Election234next

NIGER: With results of two local councils outstanding, state governor, Babangida Aliyu is set for victory.

EBONYI:Martins Elechi, incumbent governor (PDP), wins state governorship election ahead of ANPP candidate, Julius Ucha #Election234next

FLASH: Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido wins reelection by scoring 676,307 to defeat ACN’s Mohammed Badaru who got 343,177.

KATSINA: Ibrahim Shema, incumbent governor (PDP) is declared winner of governorship poll#Election234next

Beginning of the end for terrorist party. I knew they have shot themselves in the foot with last week mayhem. They will loose woefully in the north.

Tell me that once more. Have you heard of newly invented slogan; DIBO KI O GBA OWO E ( Vote and collect your money)? This thing happened in a pooling unit right before everybody including security men in my area.

nonsense. so how will you know who i voted for? please tell that to illiterates

PDP and APGA are the same. Just pray for good governance and change. Rochas is PDP to the bones.

Bros relax. Where are u coming from? Moon I suppose. I know that Nigeria is coming of out the doldrums but its not that fast. Money was actually shared and our politicians still induce people to vote for them

We are coming but lets not lie to ourselves that we have arrived that fast.

I have voted in all the elections and no one has ever approached me to offer me money. I observed several polling stations and nothing like that happened. It is very easy to promote lies. Monies maybe shared in party meetings but not on election day at the polling units.

I HAVE SOMEONE THERE IN IMO, HE SAID THIEF BORROWED N120BILLION
EACH PEOPLE ACCEPTING TO VOTE FOR PDP WILL GO HOME WITH 1K

Please Ohakim may be bad but dont echo stuff like these. It is too cheap a lie. When you went to vote, that is if you actually voted, in the elections so far, did anyone offer you money? Those days have passed. Nobody does that again. especially in the south.

THE DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS GUYS GOT THIS INFO, I AM IN OWERRI RIGHT NOW AND RADIO NIGERIA 100.5 FM CALLED RESULTS FROM OWERRI FOR 9 LGA AND ROCHAS WON IN 7 WITH A BIG MARGIN AND PDP WON IN TWO LEADING APGA IN THOSE 2 LGA WITH VERY SMALL MARGIN. APGA HAS ADVANTAGE FOR NOW AND MIGHT WIN PDP.

this is old news. FRCN and Channels are more recent.

You guys should be careful not to mislead people. The winner is not determined by how many local governments you win but by the total votes cast. Please we should get it right. It is possible to win more local governments and still loose.

I dont have your time so as not to derail this thread. I supported GEJ but if you ever studied elementary politics, you will know that it is impossible for an election where there were other contestants to go 95% one way. I am just making an obvious political and scientific fact and not a basis for support of anybody.

how is it impossible? where you not following the political trend b4 the election? GEJ could have gotten 100% if not for the few Suya sellers and Onion sellers in those states. You think any right thinking Niger Deltan will vote for Buhari against their son? you must be kidding me.