₦airaland Forum

It was a hasty and poorly-judged intervention by Mr Lai Mohammed. Nothing more than that and I hope they learn to be cleverer.

I personally support the Emergency orders, but ACN are entitled to their own conviction on the matter. But, whatever that conviction is, in public at least, they ought to have edged their bets by lending muted support, while at the same time urging caution particularly in the treatment of innocent locals.


Saying they should apologise to the nation is utter nonsense.

Finally, why are the merging parties not coordinating their responses on urgent and critical matters such as these. So, nobody from ACN or CPC thought it necessary to contact the other to say look - what's you guys take on this and should we agree on a common response. It's all so amateurish. Like much else in the country.

Akson man: Dear Nairlanders,
My aunty retired as a level 17 staff with lagos civil service in sept 2011. She is ibo-as i type this in March 2013 she is yet to collect her gratuity. In january 2013,she and some non-yoruba friends in same plight (out of frustration),went to Alausa and were made to part with 20k in order to hasten their gratuity processing...three months later,no gratuity or pension. According to my aunty,last february she discovered a shocking revelation-most of her Yoruba colleagues that retired during her tenure and even after have gotten their gratuity and pentions.

Moderator,special request- front page please.

The 1st bolded suggests there are also Yoruba pensioners in the same situation. How then did you conclude that your auntie's situation has anything to do with tribalism?

Also - Most of her friends that are yet to receive their benefits since 2011 are non-yorubas. Meaning, some Igbo pensioners have received their pension. Where's the tribalism then?

It's ridiculous shouting tribalism each time things don't go your way and this detracts from the real question, which is - why are pensioners treated so badly generally in this country.

Also, what with you starting a thread and begging moderators to put it on front page? What's that about.

Ofcourse it is a scam.

Otherwise, why does anyone need an army of over 100 officials in order to check whether a road construction is progressing. And remember, these officials/thieves/bandits will expect to lodge in the best hotels in the various State capitals. Massive waste of resources if you ask me. I commend the Governor who said 'No! not on my watch.'

I hope other ACN Governors refuse to be co-opted into this PDP fraud.

"APGA-APGA" and "APGA-PDP"

Things don fall apart

Rubbish. Why cut fees for foreign investors, while only last week or so, the same government increased the cost of registering a limited liability company at the CAC . You reduce for foreigners who don't need the reduction only to increase for long suffering locals?

At the end of the day, it is small businesses established by ordinary Mr Chinedu and Mummy Junior that will create the jobs that we need, not mostly fake foreign 'investors' who come with empty pockets but are able to obtain big loans from local banks 'cos they are Oyinbo.

Surely, a genuine foreign investor with millions of dollars (supposedly) in his 'back pocket' will care less about a reduction in fees equivalent to just USD 250.

As things stand today, it will cost me less than £20 (N5000) to register a company in the UK, but registering an equivalent company in Nigeria will cost at least 6 times that amount due to GEJ government's latest increase.

To encourage entrepreneurship, Government must get out of people's way and cut down on needless barriers and costs. The cost of registering a company should be cut down to N10K or less.

Confused Government.

Afam4eva: Nobody is arguing about the status of Lagos. It's the finaancial and commercial capital of Nigeria and the west African sub region but unlike a lot of cities like the ones you cited(New York, London etc), Lagos did not build itself. Lagos has always been given a special treatment by the British, the federal government and this was the root of what Lagos has become. if the same treatment had been given to Akwa Ibom for instance, the same results would have been achieved over there.

Now, my point is, one cannot separate Lagos from Nigeria because the resources of Nigeria is the lifeline of Lagos. You think because Lagos is booming, that it will continue like that should oil dry up. Most things you see in Lagos are directly or indirectly as a result of Nigeria's commonwealth which stemmed from the colonial days. Since oil is currently our mainstay, the demise of oil will also lead to the demise of Lagos and some other cities in Nigeria. Lagos will definitely decline but maybe not like Port-Hacourt, Akwa Ibom or Yenagoa because unlike these places where oil is the beginning and the end for them, Lagos has managed to some little extent to shift a little bit from total dependence on oil. But that's not enough to keep Lagos at the same level it is now should oil dry up. That's why Lagos should start seeking other forms of generating revenue and stop bragging about tax that's an ofshoot of the national resources.

I don't believe I suggested that if oil runs out Lagos will remain at the same level! I made clear it would sudder, but that it would survive. Now let's move on.

I still don't get the differentiation you are trying to make between Lagos and say London. You made a rather curious remark about 'Lagos did not build itself.' What does that mean exactly? How did London build itself? Many would argue that London is what it is because of the wealth/resources repatriated from the great colonies of Australia, India, the Caribbean, and Africa centuries ago. Yet, when during the Olympics, the Mayor of London said London was the greatest city on planet earth, no one stopped to say erm,,, hold on, but London was build on the back of slave trade and resource repatriation, as such you can't claim it is the greatest.

Lagos is what it is. People should quit being over sensitive to statements alluding to its greatness/success and constantly reminding us of how it got special attention as a result of being the Federal capital, more than 20 years ago.

It's like saying, Hussain Bolt should not proclaim itself as the fastest man in the world, because had God not given him those long legs and super human lungs, Mr Lakashegbe from Ogbomosho will have run faster. It just doesn't make sense.

[quote author=DaLover]Edo.girl
For instance a boys father dies and leaves him a fortune,
His uncles take the money and use for their their family and give him want they feel is best for his upkeep...after many years
the uncles chldren start boasting that they are in a wealthy position because they are smart, educated etc...

Giving to maintain a balance is right but it should be done on your own terms, there should be a mutual agrement...
A lot of ldiots have come to this forum to say that the huge population in lagos is because the yoruba are the most accomodating...imagin that rubbish?
This are people who haven't gone to cities like enugu, benin, PH and warri..

We expect people who benifitted imensely for oil to just STFU instead of rubbing it into peoples faces that they are the most intelligent, or most accomodating or
the best state etc..[/quote]

I see how that can be annoying, but I would like to think that only a minority of internet nonentities say that. But please don't let these minorities influence your dispositions to the great many ordinary people of this country who come from different backgrounds and are working hard just to survive in this desperate times.

I agree also that the cities you mentioned and many more in this country are great metropolitan areas with diverse population - I agree with you no one people can lay claim to being most accommodating.

Afam4eva: If Fashola has said that Lagos state makes bulk of it's money from Agriculture, i would have believed him if indeed it's true. But saying you develop using money made from resources will suggest that when oil dries up the taxes will equally dry up. Taxation is not a resource but an offshoot of a resource. What Lagos needs to start doing is creating other sources of revenue and not depend on taxes because these taxes have ancestors.

Sorry, I don't get you.

What resource does New York, London, Geneva, Hong Kong etc have. You get my drift? Please avoid the usual retort of 'how can you compare Lagos to those places?' I lived in London, and I believe in this contest, and in the contest of where Lagos is heading, it is a legitimate comparison.

Just to give you an example, I was part of a team that travelled to a not well-known but resource-rich West African country sometime last year. During one of our meetings, I got chatting with a Minister from far away Sierra Leone, who swears that Lagos is the capital of Africa (his opinion). I threw in Jo'burg, suggesting it was probably a better proposition than Lagos. The guy laughed, saying Lagos night life and business vibe is on a different level. He says he spends most weekends in Lagos and that he would rather be in Lagos than anywhere else in the world. The other lady from another neighbouring country jumps in, saying Lagos is her second city, due to the amount of dealings he has with Nigerian businesses and that she absolutely loves the city. These people were dropping names of places in Lagos that I, a Lagos resident, didn't know about. This is the Magnetic Power of Lagos, and I believe it's got more to do with the irrepressible'can do spirit'of the residents than with oil allocation.

The picture I got was that Lagos is the de facto financial, business, and entertainment capital of West Africa, and was fast becoming the financial capital of Sub sahara Africa.

This is what I meant when I said in my previous post that turning off the oil tap will deflate the economy of Lagos but the city/state will survive, because there is so much else going for it other than oil money.

There's so much happening in oil rich Akwa Ibom, meaning there should be good job prospects there, yet people are not in a hurry to relocate there from Lagos. Wonder why?

Fashola's statement is not entirely wrong, though Lagos economy will be badly affected if the oil tap is turned off. But what is certain is that the Lagos economy has evolved beyond a total dependence on oil - there are just too many things going for Lagos, that not even Akwa Ibom will be able to compete.

The other thing is, why are people from oil producing states so prickly and sensitive about others championing the prospects of non-dependence on oil allocations. Why must folks from non oil producing states keep apologising or feel bad about receiving oil allocations?

As long as Nigeria exists as a country, then we need accept that there will be some form of revenue transfer (subsidy)from rich oil producing states to our countrymen from poorer states. After all, it is only by accident of birth that we happen to be from oil producing states. We can take pride in being our brother's keepers, whether they come from Gombe, Kogi, Osun etc, but rubbing it in their faces all the time and demanding their never-ending grovelling appreciation is unnecessary.

The only argument I will support is one for a fairer share of the proceeds that recognises and addresses a legacy of environmental, social, and economic devastation of our environments, and I believe most reasonable Nigerians will support such quest.

Finally, I admit that Fashola appears to say too much these days, and some of his recent utterances can come across as exhibiting arrogance, though I doubt that is his intention.

Though I expect you to deny it, you are on record in many of your previous posts as a great lover of PDP. As usual, you will try to deceive those new to nairaland that you are neutral, by pretending that Labour party/Accord party etc are also better propositions for Lagos. But we know the truth - you want PDP in power in Lagos. The same PDP that only last week selected Bode George (of the dubious fame)into the 16 or 17 man panel on electing the party's new BOT Chairman.

Your constant yapping about Tinubu and ACN in Lagos is amusing. You guys have tried this since 1999, and your efforts have come to nothing to date, and I suspect same will happen in 2015.

Putting Lagos in the hands of your party (PDP)will be a grave mistake, and I know Lagos voters are not stupid to make that mistake.

The people can vote ACN out if they wish (though I doubt they will in 2015), but the beneficiary will not be PDP.

Bliss4Lyfe: Fashola should ans dat question? Afterall, he is the one choppin the tax money from the business. As long as the imports are not drugs or ammunition or dangerous to liv, then they are legitimate business for a Nigerian.

We want to encourage people to seek an honest living not kidnappers, drug dealers or armed robbery. Perhaps Fashola is tryin to encourage the alternative to a honest living or create poverty and desperation.

Fires happen all over the world and as such his comments are off track. Improve the fire services Fashola...

This your 'honest living' analysis leaves a lot to be desired. In my book, any business/human activity that exposes the public (persons and property)to disproportionate risk of loss of life and property ceases to be a 'honest' endeavour and must be regulated by the government. Unfortunately, we live in a society where people are naturally inclined to resist any serious attempt to regulate their public activities.

Stockpiling/storing bangers or whatever they are called in a built up area is grossly irresponsible. No 'honest living' (to quote you) can come from such level of irresponsibility.

GenBuhari: what Fashola said was a statement that you would expect from government that working and that has health and safety laws in place that is implemented
Clearly this is not the case in Nigeria.

So whilst it is correct for Fashola ask businesses to be responsible he should also acknowledge the failings of his state govt and federal govt to make and implement sufficient Health and Safety laws.

Yet, when the government tries to introduce some public safety regulations, e.g ban on Okada (one of the most hazardous human engagements in Lagos)you guys fiercely criticise the government. You can't have it both ways. We are either going to recognise as a people that some activities pose such disproportionate threat to civilised living that they need to be regulated/prohibited, or we continue to exist and live like barbarians on the simplistic basis that we need to make a living at all cost.

Fantastic. I always hoped there were some dedicated people helping to document our unique history and traditions so they are not lost on us and future generations. We need to value genuine historians.

My thanks to the Scholar for this wonderful work.

Btw, I think you can be a good Christian and still appreciate history and tradition.

The idea that one man can enthrone and dethrone at will in a complex political machinery as we have in Nigeria is an exaggeration.

However, it is also infantile to suggest that Jonathan is unbeatable come 2015. I think he miscalculated in getting into a public squabble with Obj. He has come out of it looking even weaker.

As per 2015, his problems will come in the primaries. To have Obasanjo, Babangida, and a lot of the Northern governors lined up against you is a big headache. Governors in particular have a lot of influence on how their state representatives vote at the primaries, and believe it or not, Obasanjo has a large number of the Northern governors in his pocket.

Money also plays a big role in primaries. The PDP 'rebels' of Obj, Babangida,some Northern Governors etc might just be able to throw as much dirty money at the primary voters as Jonathan would. I suspect it would be nothing like the Atiku 'lone ranger' debacle of last primaries.

The voters at the 2015 primaries will certainly be big winners, going home with busloads of Dollars and Euros. Apparently Naira doesn't make the grade at PDP primaries. Says much about Nigerian democracy.

That said, who knows if these characters will still be around come 2015.

Whether you ply the trade under a tree, in a shanty room, or swanky hotel room, it's 100% same.

Any difference, assuming there's one, is in the detail, and too insignificant to be material.

I agreed to buy a car on Friday (on the spur of a moment) and I am expecting delivery by Monday. But sitting at home now, I don't know where to start to get it registered with registration number, plate, tax (?) etc.

Can someone please outline to me in logical steps what I need to do from the moment I receive the car? If possible, please include location of the relevant gov't agencies and cost.

Thanks

At the end of the day, Tinubu's achievement in orchestrating the chasing away of Akala, Gbenga Daniel, Igbinedion and their likes, and standing up single handedly to wrestle the South-west from mighty PDP (with their massive federal slush funds) makes him the greatest political achiever in Yoruba land since Awolowo.

I get cold sweat when I think of Lagos in the hands of another PDP Akala or Mr Daniel.

That said, I believe the sheer might, persistence, and overwhelming financial advantage of the PDP, combined with the almost passive, easily-manipulated disposition of some Yorubas, particularly some of the nairaland types (who easily fall for all kinds of PDP and nairaland propaganda) will bring him down eventually. You can only fight alone for so long.

It is arguable that a Yorubaland without a strong, almost indefatigable political leader like Tinubu, will stumble into irrelevance very quickly. A bunch of seventy something year olds in Afenifere issuing press releases from their retirement abodes in Ondo state will be easy breakfast for the PDP juggernaut. In today's Nigeria, to be heard, you have to shout loud and if necessary fight and better still, fight dirty. Yorubas are generally not known to be as strong headed as the other groups (sorry I dislike that word 'tribe') and I fear, in the Nigerian context, they will fall by the way side quickly without strong leadership.

Mr Tinubu is an imperfect, yet, unique man for these times. But he needs to change some of his overbearing leadership ways fast, and democratise (to a good extent) the internal workings of the party. To ignore all the warning signs and plod along arrogantly will be a big mistake.

When he finally falls (as he eventually will), PDP will be the biggest winner, and I imagine they will hoist their flags up high in celebration and in anticipation of a new colonisation of Yorubaland. Then, important decisions about development in Yorubaland will be taken not in Abeokuta, Lagos or Oshogbo, but by men from other parts of the country who are foreign to this great land and culture, and who will promote and protect their own ethnic agenda before yours. Then, you are on your own - weak, mocked, and left feeling inconsolable.

Rather than succumbing to the temptation of joining the mob in lynching Mr Tinubu, what the Southwest should do is to find a way to rally round and build on the ACN value proposition - which I believe serves your collective interest better than anything the PDP offers. This will require remodelling the party into a genuine people's party, with a new leadership structure, in which young dynamic minds are brought into the leadership, and Mr Tinubu becomes a less visible, almost ceremonial leader. He is a proven political warrior, so it will be necessary for him to continue in a leadership position, but no longer a super dominant one. When all is said and done, the overwhelming majority of the politicians in this country are of shady character, and it requires a certain type to prosper amongst them. That is one of the reasons I am not convinced that someone like Fashola can successfully lead a big party like the ACN.

Mr Tinubu plays dirty, but the PDP plays even dirtier. The South west needed him and he delivered.


When Yoruba's political history is told in years to come, his legendary defeat of the mighty PDP in the South west will register as one of the greatest political achievements of any Yoruba man.

The Chancellorship of a University is the least he deserves, though if I were in his position, I would have declined the gesture. It just smirks of unnecessary partisanship. This is another example where he does something that makes you wonder if he has good advisers around him.

Mr Tinubu is a flawed man, I know. But he remains my super hero for banishing PDP from this great land of hope and glory.

Just stumbled on this thread few minutes ago.

Although I only visit nairaland occasionally these days, I'm surprised I didn't see this debate earlier, and also missed the opportunity to be a judge.

Well done to both guys, Jarus, and the others.

shocking...so sad for the people who live there.

It would probably require the Federal gov't to work with the state to reverse this level of stomach - turning neglect. Whoever the governor is has probably given up, or never genuinely tried to fix some of the problems in the first place.

Well done girl!

hustla: She does..I don't ..mi o raye iranu

I like real, no nonsense men.

Someone said Edo people feel they 'own' Lagos. Well I've never heard any Edo person claiming they 'own' Lagos. I feel I 'own' Lagos as much as I I own Katsina.

Lagos is Yoruba land. Full stop!

That said, provided you have lived in the place for a while and feel a part of it, then nothing wrong with seeing yourself as a Lagosian in a 'corporate identity' sense, but if the question is about natives/indigenes, then you know to step back for the real indigenes - it's about respecting other people. Why the sensitivities on both sides of the argument.

Aww...lovely. If roads and security in the country were in better shape, I would prefer to spend a couple of days holidaying at a festival like this than wasting money going to Oyinbo land.

In spite of the infrastructure challenge in Oke-Ila, Hon. Abtan said Oke –ila remains one of the few places in Nigeria where the crime rate is low. This is not unconnected to the institutional practice in Oke-Ila where, at the turn of every year, people are reminded of their civic duty to keep the town safe. Two days after Isinro festival is Ofin Odun. The custom requires people of Oke-Ila to converge in the frontage of Orangun’s palace where the laws are reviewed. It is also at this occasion that the monarch is reminded of his social contract with the people. On no account should the king abuse his power.

Sounds like this indigenous democracy is simpler and more elegant than the Oyinbo democracy that befuddles our miseducated politicians.

O bad gan. Poor girls.

People of Europian, or Asian origin aren't going to lose a minute's sleep over the desire of a blundering African President for black domination. The truth is Nigeria and its President are not respected abroad, so unless what this man said would affect the price of crude, it's of little relevance to Americans and Europeans. Sad, but true.

However, what Jonathan's comment shows, once again, is the man's lack of sophistication and self - restraint . We saw that with his infamous 'I don't care' comment in the much-publicised TV interview. As the leader of a country, and if you want to be respected as having an ounce of intelligence, you cannot make carefre e statements, especially when abroad, about wanting your race to dominate.

Also, if the President is so keen on race domination, tribe domination(Ijaw) must also be dear to his heart - any wonder some Nigerians already complain about a strong tribal bias in his administration.

If he wants Nigeria to become a leading nation in the world, and for him to be respected, he should talk less and use the opportunity he has as its leader to:

- genuinely fight corruption
- shun gangster electioneering politics, and
- bring about genuine economic reform to liberate the masses from the chains of poverty.

Reading this brought a tear to my eye. A humble gentleman

Actually, I disagree with you, like Igbos, Yorubas are great achievers and to say they have inferiority complex! Oh Please.

Also, how many times have we seen Igbo chest-beaters on nairaland telling us if it wasn't for the 'industrious' and 'brave' Igbos the rest of us would still be living on trees since we are too daft to workout how to import from China, Brazil, USA, Europe and possibbly Timbuktu.

Some have even told us that if Igbos secede from Nigeria, the country's economy would collapse and people wld go begging on the streets. Aww---Igbos, lovely people, but rarely able to acknowledge other peoples' achievements and contributions.

If you disagree with Mr Dudu, you might want to address the point s, rather than telling us his tribe is lazy. Who believes that?

Will the name change devalue the brand, probably
Is it a sacrifice worth making for Abiola's immortalisation, yes

One question that remains is why is Mr Jonathan such a weak man? Why did he not go for the <June 12 public holiday option. What a master stroke that will have been for his PR? Oh...I forgot, he's afraid of the northerners. Shame

I am sure these guys are scratching their heads, and rightly so, to see how a 4th mainland bridge can come to reality, but I fear the expense of this thing will be too much.

As with the Niger bridge, genuine rehabilitation of Kainji Dam etc, the PDP Federal govt should see a 4th Mainland bridge as a matter of national priority and work with the Lagos Govt to make it happen. But the current PDP govt is too clueless to see these things.

Marginalisation ke?

The only ones feeling marginalised are thieving PDP politicians from that zone. The Southwest and its people more or less operate as a semi autonomous region within Nigeria. The PDP Federal government barely registers in the consciousness of majority of Southwest people, except when it sends its army to the region without cause, and blocks meaningful initiatives to move the region forward.

Can the PDP Federal government please go away ... Southwest people do no need you! You are a bloody hindrance to the success of the Southwest. Please concentrate your thieving minds on the other five zones where you are guaranteed 99.97% of the votes!!

That said, PDP have a chance in Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti (if Fayoso is their flagbearer - I understand he may be back in Pdp). Ofcourse having a chance & actually winning are two different things. Not sure what the situation will be in Osun. As for Lagos & Ondo, pdp has absolutely no chance in the next governorship elections. No chance. My opinion

That said, PDP have a chance in Oyo,Ogun, Ekiti (if Fayoso is their flagbearer - I understand he may be back in Pdp). Having a chance & actually winning are two different things. Not sure what the situation is in Osun. As for Lagos & Ondo, pdp has absolutely no chance in the next governorship elections. No chance.