₦airaland Forum

A senior pastor in my church told me recently he voted for GEJ in 2011, but now he wants to actively campaign against him.

He is so frustrated with the corruption in this government and believes we must try someone else.

The last thing he said was that his wife (also a Pastor) is the only person he knows right now who remains determined to vote GEJ

It is good to know that potential voters are thinking deep about the options available and are not going to be sentimental about their vote.

Btw, who is the 'Ajayi' on the Arsenal substitute bench.

Must be from the Arsenal academy. Never heard his name.

One to watch for future Super Eagles?

Arsenal is so frustrating.

Why can't they hold on to a lead

I have agonised over this matter over the past few months (as if I am APC chairman!), and I can tel you there is no easy answer. However, this much I know:

A Buhari/ Fashola ticket will be a tactical mistake, for the simple reason that it will put religion right at the top of the political debate in the lead-up to the election. Religion will dominate and distort all political discuss and I think that can only hurt APC.

People support Buhari in the faint hope that he can fight corruption. However, if the entire public discuss is dominated by muslim/muslim candidacy, Buhari's real strengths will be drowned out and that will only help PDP.

Those advocating Amaechi, Oshiomhole etc should forget it. Neither of these folks can even be sure of delivering their states.

Buhari's VP must come from the SW, and preferably a young high - profile personality with credibility.

The answer to your question is yes, because like Biafra, there would have been sufficient people (millions) left to recreate and bounce back.

The Igbo bounce back has been impressive, but it is not unique. In my view, Rwanda's bounce-back following their more recent civil war experience has been remarkable, and shows that humans (in most cases) are very resilient, and have the God-given ability to bounce back following very serious adversity.

Yorubas are not intellectually or physically lazy. They will have bounced back.

Layolaw: ok! ..... But You don't need to steal before you can impact pple's life, l am not against what he's been doing in the human right area but was only responding to the comment.

I notice from your name that you might be a lawyer or Law student. The bottom line is this man does not have a lot of money, nor is he influential in a way that can lead companies, factories etc to locate in Ilawe and thereby create jobs. What else can he do?

1. Give financial assistance to disadvantaged kids from Ilawe - paying school fees etc I agree. May be he already does that. If he's not, it may be that he does not have the financial capacity. It is possible to be famous and not be rich!

2. Help Ilawe graduates find jobs in Lagos - with the situation in Nigeria, this is not an easy task. There are many more powerful and influential people in Nigeria who can't find jobs for their constituents. It is simply not easy

3. Set up a law firm in Ilawe and employ Ilawe lawyers - I am assuming there is very little legal work in Ilawe, so where will the briefs come from?


I don't know how much help he can be to Ilawe people, but I agree with you that we should always remember to help others around us. However, we should be cautious about judging people unless we know their financial capability.

Layolaw: are you sure you are living in Ekiti? Stop reacting to what you read from apc newspaper and if you must post anything on Ekiti please confirm it frm pple living there. I think channel tv (sunrise) interviewd both pdp spokesman and apc attorney General for the state on saturday.........in a nutshel, stop depending on lagos bloggers. On falana, go and ask ilawe Ekiti pple if they have benefited anything from him, they are all making name/noise in Lagos

Actually, with over 30 years untarnished reputation fighting for our human rights (me, you, and everyone else), I would like to think that Mr Falana is to be respected for his contribution to our life as a nation.

I am sorry to hear that you are disappointed in him because unlike our thieving politicians, he's probably not rich enough to come home to Ilawe now and again to distribute rice, ankara etc. Mr Falana is a man of modest means. I also think we need to move away from demanding that townsmen and women must 'benefit' from an individual for that individual to matter in society. You are effectively asking this guy to be corrupt, otherwise where will he get the money to 'benefit' Ilawe people?

Please be assured that many of us who have witnessed his sacrifices for us the people are eternally grateful to God that he was and continue to be on our side (the ordinary people of this country).

Mr Fayose's behaviour should concern all reasonable Nigerians, and be rightly condemned, irrespective of what side of the political divide you fall.

It is simply unacceptable.

As the Judiciary, Legislature and, the Executive branch (The Presidency etc) are the tripod on which our sovereignty (and ultimately democracy) as a people rest, this unprecedented invasion of courts and attack on the Judges are acts against us, the people.

If there is nothing under the sun that will justify the slapping of the President of Nigeria, I submit with all respects that there should be nothing that justifies the slapping of a sitting judge.


I am angry and frustrated that once again, people place party politics about something that goes to the very root of our nationhood.

kenex4ever: Femi falana is now d official APC lawyer, judiciary is no longer a neutral body

Actually, lawyers are not members of the judiciary.


Even if we leave aside his human rights activism background, and the fact that he is from Ekiti State, he is, as a member of the public, entitled to an opinion on this serious matter.

Is Mr Tinubu such an all-conquering, all-powerful super-human that he can even buy a favourable judgement in a Federal High Court that is under the control of PDP-led Federal government? People will accuse this man of every evil under the sun. O ga o!

The prosecution simply did not prove its case to the satisfaction of the judge.

That said, one cannot rule out the possibility that the accused greased the hands of the prosecutors. But please, let's leave Mr Tinubu out of this for once.

Even PDP wants him dead asap so they can make headway.

The man has single-handedly fought PDP to a standstill in the South West and cleverly orchestrated the most formidable national opposition party (APC) the PDP has ever faced. History will not forget that.

2015 will be a mammoth contest and whatever the outcome, PDP will be heavily bruised and come to the realisation that the one-party state they so much desire is now a lost dream.

double posting

I admit I find it difficult at times to understand Mr Buhari clearly due to his strong accent.

However, his pronunciation skills are not that important. Right now the country needs someone to save it from the destructive force of corruption. Mr Buhari is that man.

"...The report is a well-organized orchestrated plan, all because of their desperation for the 2015 general elections. If not for the blindness and intellectual myopia of some Nigerians"

Well done CAN - now you insult millions of ordinary Nigerians whose sole 'offence' is to believe whoever they wish to believe.


"...people in the calibre of El-Rufai shouldn’t be taken seriously and should not be walking on the streets."

You mean we the common people should lynch him for daring to hold a different opinion from CAN's?


"This was the same El-Rufai abusing Gen. Muhammad’s Buhari (retd) and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, calling them all sorts of names."

When did Messrs Buhari and Obasanjo become your wards that you need to speak for them?

"El-Rufai is more of a Street Boy whose history and antecedents are very much known. He has been the person defending Boko Haram and this is an opportunity for him to hide his misdeeds."

So, in CAN's world, street boys are valueless and should be denied the right to partake in public discuss. Jesus taught us not to look down on the down trodden. CAN tells the world to disregard them!


"We are waiting and we can assure you that [b]at the appropriate time, he and his allies will pay dearly for it."[/b]
Why not now? 'Cause you and I know that this is a shameless and empty threat.

I hope none of my Church's money is being remitted to this corrupt anti-Christ organisation.

Trailblazer1: I am disappointed in GEJ

Interesting...after yet another billion dollar fraud, you can only drag your conscience to the level of being 'disappointed' in this horrible man of a President?

However good life is for you, surely the plight of millions of fellow country men and women who can barely afford one meal a day would prick your conscience to muster even the tiniest degree of anger at these heartless, horrible, conceited and evil looters?

I suspect this is from the Kashamu wing of Ogun PDP.


Infighting amongst PDP 'chieftains' can only be good news to APC's Ibikunle.

Oga Oronsaye is from Edo State. The man is a disgrace if these allegations are true.


The big issue now is, how do we wrestle Nigeria from this President?

A President whose inner circle includes big time fraudsters, alleged sponsors of terrorism, Niger Delta hoodlums etc


And to think that in a few months, millions of the same ordinary people who have suffered the most under Mr Jonathan's reigns will still queue in scorching sun to vote for Mr Jonathan, all because of tribal allegiance.

It beggars belief.

The picture at the airport is an even worse commentary on Mr Jonathan's lack of professionalism.

Even assuming Mr Sheriff was not part of the President's team but somehow forced himself into the line of people waiting to receive the President (something that should never have been allowed by Mr Jonathan's handlers in the first place), the chummy mateyness between the President and a man who is supposedly being investigated by his (Mr Jonathan's) government is extraordinary.

Usually you see Presidents, including Mr Jonathan, giving muted handshakes. But here, it looks like a meeting between home boys! The only thing missing is a high five and chopping of knucles!

With this picture, any faint hope that we the people have that DSS's investigation of Mr Sheriff's will be fair, honest and thorough has evaporated.

This is a very frustrating country.

Well done poster.

However, there's a risk that with too many pictures, many will be discouraged from accessing this thread due to the heavy download.

Even with high speed internet, it takes ages for the pages to load in my location.

This is why I disagree with those who say APC governors are the same as the lot from PDP. They are not!


APC Governors in the SW have this 'roll - up - your - sleeve - and - let's - get - working' attitude that you just don't see in many PDP Governors.


From Fayemi, to Aregbesola, Ibikunle to Fashola, and Ajumobi. Yes, there is always room for improvement, but there is something good about SW APC that we must fight tooth and nail to preserve and improve.

And I think it all boils down to the fact that the current political consciousness in the SW puts the region's electorates far ahead of their counterparts in other region.


In the SW, if you don't perform, you are out! Simple.

This is very wrong and unacceptable.

It also shows arrogance from a Governor who feels he is above playing by the rules and norms of the land - relations between countries should be left to national governments.

The only good thing about his action is that it shows me that this man does not have the character to be a President.

He is arrogant, repulsive, and reckless. He is in the mould of the Akwa Ibom Governor.

^^^^

Oyo was never an APC stronghold and from recollection, only a handful of votes separated the 3 parties in the last elections.

So if APC loses Oyo to accord, it would not be much of a surprise. I doubt PDP can win Oyo, particularly if they present Akala.


It is highly unlikely that PDP will win in Lagos. Some other time may be.

APC has a point.


INEC needs to be as independent as possible, and the best way to achieve that is through the constitution.


It is undesirable to have the President giving executive orders to INEC, when the President is an interested party in elections.


That's not an argument for saying the ballots should not be printed in Nigeria. But it should not be the President ordering INEC to do so.

The fact is, you are unlikely to get consistently true information about this war from either the government or a particular news source.

It would be naive to expect the government to be totally honest about Nigeria's losses in this war. And I believe most governments in the world that find themselves in a war situation would do the same. Such information has to be responsibly managed and when necessary 'massaged' or outrightly denied. However undesirable this is, it is the reality.

If the government announces it has lost this town today, that city tomorrow, and on another day swathes of territory, imagine the panic and the resulting chaos from millions of people potentially fleeing (unnecessarily) from northern towns and areas that are not even affected by Boko Haram yet. These people will head southwards and right into the already combustible middle belt where ethnic clashes and tension are already rife.


Yet, while I believe most Nigerians would reluctantly accept a degree of lack of transparency from a government at war, the problem now is that people are no longer certain about the government's ability to defeat BH. Yes, we all hope and pray for victory, but there is an unspoken doubt now.


Overall, dismissing news material that is at odds with our view of what we hope is happening in the North East is self-defeating. This is one of those situations where one needs to search for the truth rather expecting to be fed the truth by either side. And searching for the truth inevitably involves getting your news from a broad basket of media sources, including foreign ones, and making your own dispassionate judgement.

Also, are we supposed to go on the streets protesting about Tinubu following your unproven allegation that he was negotiating with the Federal Government about Oando buying oil interest from a foreign company that wanted to quit the country?

Assuming your allegation is true, what is wrong in Mr Tinubu protecting his business interest - assuming he has shares in Oando. I, like tens of thousands ordinary Nigerians also have some (very small!) shares in Oando. If your allegations are true, then I salute Mr Tinubu for protecting our interest from petty political meddling by the PDP.


Oando is second only to Dandote group as the largest and most diversified publicly held company in Nigeria. It can be argued that Oando is now one of only a handful of companies whose operations are 'critical' to the economy of Nigeria.

Why would PDP want to scupper national economic interest by playing petty politics with Oando's progress? This is the real matter of interest here Mr Ikimi, not Tinubu's alleged (though welcome) intervention to salvage a very important commercial transaction between two independent private businesses.

All this because Mr Tinubu did not support you for Chairmanship of the APC?

Haba, why must this be a do or die thing. You have occupied several top political positions over the years, so what's wrong if someone else (from your own state btw) becomes chairman of APC?


And going on and on and on making all sorts of unproven allegations is not helpful to you Mr Ikimi. More embarrassingly, the main target of your vituperations has not bothered to respond to you.

You win some you lose some. I think it is best to let this go.

MisMeiya, you are working hand in hand with the Op or you are one and the same person.

Tell people exactly what you guys want. If you need people to give you trucks, then why not be open about it so people know what they are getting into.


It's up to people to decide if they want to go into business with people who use underhand means to entice them into a business relationship.

MissMeiya: Love this. ThaiAlNigeria, my father and I experienced many of the same problems you did. I'm learning a lot from this. Thank you for taking the time to detail your experiences. I'm emailing this to my dad.

When I get a chance later, will be back with questions.

Well, above is your exact post Madam.

And why would you be so unnecessarily aggressive if you did not have a stake in the Op's scheme?


Oh, I just saw that you've removed the part of the post where you claimed to be an expat!

Lobatan!

The Op has been coming in and out 'viewing' the thread for the past 30 mins, yet he refuses to comment.

Hmmm...I wonder why

MissMeiya: Wake up call, based on what? If you want someone to take you seriously, use cold, hard FACTS. And use proper spelling and punctuation.

As an expat, my father and I experienced almost all of the problems the OP described. Even if you decide not to patronize his business, this thread is educational. Don't be a dunce.

__________

Interesting. So, like the op, you are also an expat who was also involved in haulage business, and also faced the same challenges, and also happened to be on nairaland shortly after this thread opened, and also commenting.

I see, the Op was to give the appearance of a gentle, considerate, and helpful contributor, while you were to be the aggressive one who bashed any commenter who dared to ask any question into submission abi?

Got it...

Please Op,

1. how did you go from wanting to import rice, a business that requires hundreds of millions of naira, to wanting to import clothes of "$2000 -
$3,000?

2. I've always understood that only people with a special license (waiver?) from the Federal government could import rice through the ports,
though it is possible that this is no longer the case. If a waiver is required, why did this key requirement not feature in your list of
'challenges'

3. Per 1 above, if you had hundreds of millions of Naira to dabble in rice importation, how come you could not afford more than a couple or so 'used' trucks to start your trucking business and fell into the hands of so-called Jibbs

4. What's in it for you to reveal your 'business secrets' - what exactly is your ultimate goal.

Nigerians are fond of putting and often losing their life savings chasing the latest 'hot' business - so please do our people a favour and address the above questions so people can make clear-headed decisions.

Pls no need to name names.

But I agree, we must kick that party out!