₦airaland Forum

I don't think the idea of 6 year terms is a bad one. But I think that GEJ should be unable to benefit from it. Let the law kick in in 2017, or something.

I think he is right. If you provide 20k MW today to the SE zone, I'm sure more than 1/2 of it would be used within 6 months.

Electricity => industrialization

Dunno why he brought up Las Vegas. Most of the southwest US is comparatively cheap, as far as residential property goes.

Lagos should be compared to NYC, DC, LA, SF as far as property prices go. A city like NYC is a better analogue. Highest population density in Nigeria => sky high property prices

^-- Na lie. Cameron, the US Ambassador from earlier who singled out Fashola have both been brainwashed by the Yoruba media

KoboJ, to be clear I wasn't trying to pick on you. One of my best friends (a guy from India) has zero interest in dealing with his native country ever again. He views himself as Indian, but doesn't feel any obligation to go back. He and his fiancee don't have any kids yet, but his kids will end up basically being raised as white Americans.

Personally I think this stuff is really sad. It is the insidious aspect of immigration. Immigration robs countries like India and Nigeria of some of their most talented people, and makes them American/Brits/etc. Huge win for America/UK/Canada, big loss for the immigrant's land of origin.

This is part of the reason I feel the way I do. If Nigeria were a rich, prosperous country and my hometown were some rich paradise, I'd not feel any debt at all. I'd just face my life here and fully enjoy it. But since Nigeria and my town are not where they should be, I feel the need to help out.

Anyway, long story short, I'm not judging you in any way.

9jaganja:
The private sector of our country seems to be moving forward at high speed

The public sector is bleeping up, The public sector is suppose to be like people's bargaining power i.e If conoil wants to sell gas @ $4/ltr and nnpc sells for just $2/ltr, conoil will be forced to drop the price if they wanna sell in Nigeria!!

Nigerians have no bargaining power as it is!!!

Nigeria is like 2 friends with their legs tied together running a 3 legged race. Yet despite this disadvantage, we are growing at 7%+/year. One wonders how quickly the country could grow if it were properly managed.

[quote author=okada_man link=topic=721616.msg8797800#msg8797800 date=1311748491]That is the issue, It appears only Afenifere people are ready and bold enough to face the real issue in Nigeria. They've not changed their message since 1993, even when their son OBJ was in power.


BTW, why is the Sultan of Sokoto the permanent supreme muslim leader in Nigeria? why not rotate it to reflect federal character like everything else? bunch of ethnocentric hypocrites!

Who made Fulani the eternal leader of an Arabic religion? are they not the same as every other muslim in Nigeria? nonsense arrangement![/quote]Good observations/questions. If anyone wants to answer, kindly do so. I'm as puzzled as you are.

When he said population=1 million, I think he was referring to Bayelsa. Not Delta. . . which is like 6 million+, I thought

I wasn't really talking about that alone. It was more than that. But even on that topic, don't Nigerians in Nigeria bleach? Let us not pretend as if this is not an issue there. The evidence suggests otherwise, I think

Obiagu1:
Light skin is natural in Igboland. In my family, there's just one dark skinned person. Every other person is fair to very fair (almost oyibo). We didn't go looking for it, it's just there.
It's not about security or insecurity but choice. My cousin has nothing to do with fair skinned girls.

I understand your point. But it is natural everywhere. The issue is that some glorify it. There was a trailer for some movie which was circulating on facebook a few months ago in which black women talk about appearance. If I find it again I'll link you to it.

[quote author=tpia@ link=topic=721357.msg8797300#msg8797300 date=1311737196]^^the insecurities you noticed are more prevalent in the diasporan nigerians.[/quote]Err, I don't think so. Notice how Nigerians turn every thread involving foreign investment into colonization or whatever? Deep insecurity again. Anyway, I don't want to derail this thread, we can talk about this in another thread.

[quote author=tpia@ link=topic=721357.msg8797276#msg8797276 date=1311736882]^^effects of schooling overseas.[/quote]That is too simple an answer. I've noticed the same insecurities here on NL. Hell, in this very thread. . . has nothing to do with being abroad specifically.

To be clear, not "better" than me specifically or personally. Even as a kid I always thought I was a badass.

But I thought as peoples (white vs black), they were better.

It didn't help that I attended some schools with some pretty idiotic, violent and animal-like AA kids. So I had a bad opinion of AAs, not too high opinion of Africans, and thought white folk were the best thing since sliced bread

Definitely. Especially from age 4-10 I used to think whites and everything associated with them was better. And it took some time to go away.

Hehe

Deep, deep insecurity is what it is. I don't blame them though, black man hasn't particularly had it very good these past 400 years or so.

Most people go through these feelings at some point in their life. Some overcome, others fall to the wayside.

I should post pictures of Kidd and Farmar for those who don't follow hoops:

Kidd:
https://www.nndb.com/people/924/000107603/jason-kidd-2.jpg

Farmar:
https://media.scout.com/Media/College_Mens_Basketball/94_JordanFarmar.JPG

It will be funny if one day Igbos all look like this

Just read vicenzo's post. Imo a faster way to do this is just to marry a white chick. Do that for two generations and your grandkids will be 75% white, and thus super light. Kids will look like Jason Kidd or Jordan Farmar

Some of these ND states have great potential, but are just heavily mismanaged.

Bayelsa is one of the least populated states in the country, yet has one of the highest revenues. Yet not much to show for it.

Farming is something that doesn't seem to appeal to rich Nigerians. The guys who are most likely to pull it off in a successful manner (that can compete internationally) are instead involved in real estate, oil and gas, or importing.

Obasanjo Farms is nice. But we probably need 1000 or 10,000 such farms, not just a handful.

Basically, the free market isn't perfect. If Lagos State wants to step in and fix a problem that raw capitalism doesn't appear to be able to solve, this might not be a bad idea.

The problem is that if we leave it to the free market/private industry alone, Nigeria will probably never be self-sufficient in rice.

Imagine:
[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=721598.msg8796809#msg8796809 date=1311727338]The country is forecast to import about 1.9 million metric tons of the grain this year, or about 41 percent of its 4.65 million ton forecast consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which also forecast production at 2.7 million tons.[/quote]Do you think the private sector will ever realistically grow that 1.9 million tons just to satisfy today's demand? Keep in mind that the rice consumed by Nigeria will increase over time due to natural population growth and increased prosperity.

Would it really be so bad if Lagos State provided a bit of assistance (low-interest loans, perhaps?) to private investors to set up farms say in Ogun or Oyo, with the rice then intended for the Lagos market? It needs to be done carefully to avoid corruption, but at least in theory it should be possible.

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=721598.msg8796887#msg8796887 date=1311728908]Seun, I heard that you're worth a few billion. With the engineering project you're working on (or that I assume you're working on), a few of those nairas could go a long way with this project.
Ekt bear is still a brokeazz student living on a $7.25/hr paycheck. He cant do much for now.[/quote]Lol. I make close to double or 3X per year. . . but yeah, relatively poor right now.

jason123:
Dapo, people are scared of investing in Nigeria especially for a commodity such as rice where Nigeria has NEVER showed the potential of making it big in that industry. You really should not expect the private sector to invest in things that involve high risk such as this.

I'm not blaming the private sector; not really interested in making it a blame game.

You can support an idea (eradication of polio, freedom of religion, Nigeria harnessing its agricultural potential, etc) w/o putting your money up. One doesn't require the other.

Anyway, it would be foolhardy for my to invest personally in the sector, since the only way I know of to do it is to buy my own land and start my own farm. And I don't have the cash/time/interest at this point to do this at the scale of the big, profitable farmers.

9jaganja:
I'm going back to 9ja and I'm taking kobojunkie with me by force

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=721570.msg8796861#msg8796861 date=1311728367]My own is, waiting for December to come, seeing if Fayemi will keep to his own deal by enforcing the completion of our roads (or the beginning of it). Ekiti state, just expect me eh [/quote]Hehe. I want to go in december too, but haven't yet bought my ticket.

Seun:
How many Nigerian rice farms do you own?  How much money have you invested in Nigerian rice farms?

zero, zilch. But I'm not sure how that is relevant

Seun:
The private sector is providing enough rice. Where they get it from (importation) is no one's business.

Hehe. Your brand of free market capitalism is too extreme for me. Are you happy with the status quo, in which a country like Nigeria with huge agricultural potential relies on imports to feed itself? Why not invest some effort into harnessing the potential of the land?

I'm not advocating that we reduce imports of cars, tvs and other tech-heavy products. I'm talking about simple rice.

Fashola, bringing hope to Africa.

Last week, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron was at the Pan African University, Ajah, Lagos State to deliver a lecture on “Aid, Trade and Democracy.” His focus was basically on accountable governance as it affected the average citizenry in which he singled out Lagos as a reference point.
Observers have continued to canvass for those at the helm of affairs of governance to formulate policies that improve the lives of the people.
[b]Cameron maintained that his assessment of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration was borne out of the transformation that has taken place in Lagos in the last four years.
“Governor Fashola has shown what strong and accountable governance can achieve,” he says, adding that the governor had shown the immense possibilities of a strong and accountable administration.
According to him, Fashola had demonstrated that true democracy and accountable leadership was possible in the African continent, adding that his visit had made it possible to give a personal testimony about Lagos.
“What I have seen in London, I have seen a hundred fold here today. From Eko Atlantic City and Balogun Street Market to the biggest part in the most populous country in Africa, you are transforming your state. From the civil activism of the churches of South London to the contribution of Nigerians to British business, law, medicine, sport and music, I have seen the passion and enterprise of Nigerians changing my country for the better. But what I have seen in London I have seen a hundred-fold here today,” he stated. [/b]
He disclosed that Britain would keep its promise of increasing aids to poorest countries of the world to 0.7 percent of Gross National Income from 2013, adding, however, that such aids would be attached to concrete projects such as those focused on saving lives, investment project which would provide roads, infrastructure and such other catalytic.
“Other areas which could catalyse economic growth in Africa include private enterprise and trade. It has lifted hundreds of thousands out of poverty in Brazil, China and Indonesia. It can do the same in Africa including Nigeria,” he stated stressed.
He added: “You can stand up and say, in this generation my child should be vaccinated and go to school. And you can demand more participation in the economy – or simply a job.  These are the demands the people have made in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. These are the demands that have propelled the Arab Spring.
“These are the demands, which supported by a revolution in trade and enterprise mean Africa can seize its own moment of opportunity. At stake is quite simply the chance to change millions of lives across the continent. The future of Africa is yours. But you have to seize it.”
Fashola asserted that Africa would play a most critical role in the future of the planet, adding that the world had become a global village so that what happened in one part could almost have the same effect on the other parts of the world.
“It is no understatement to assert that Africa will play a most critical role in the future of our planet. So much can happen in this decade. Our current reality vividly demonstrates that prosperity or adversity on one side of our planet has almost instantaneous consequences of prosperity or adversity on the other end,” he said.
He praised the British Prime Minister for the visit saying, “the trans-Atlantic visit such as undertaken by the Right Honourable Prime Minister is proof of the salutary leadership and very clear understanding of his role to transform these challenges to opportunities by stimulating mutual cooperation between our countries for economic growth; improved public health, promote global security, democracy and the defense of citizens’ rights to mention but a few.”   
He disclosed that efforts were being put in place to ensure all Nigerians contributed to the development of their country.
“We particularly seek collaboration towards encouraging and recruiting Nigerian professionals based in the Diaspora to look towards returning home to lend a hand to the efforts of nation building and so that we can bridge the gap in the remuneration package that the global economy provides and give them a sense of belonging.”
According to the governor, such ties would only help to transform the state and Nigeria.
His words: “We are looking forward to a collaborative follow-up of limitless possibilities. Nigeria as a nation and Lagos in particular have a long political and economic relation with Britain. I hope that this visit will become a most symbolic reference point of the escalation of a revival of those relationships for mutual benefits which support the growth of both countries’ economies in a way that issues of poverty and human development can be remedied by the creation of economic opportunities.”
The governor commended the motive behind the visit and assured of the state’s desire on cooperation. “I must acknowledge the business development and partnership orientation of the representatives of the British High Commission in Nigeria and the support that we have enjoyed from the Department for International Development (DFID) which, I dare say needs to be expanded”, the governor said.

http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=37843

I have mixed feelings about this. This type of thing should be private-sector driven. However, for some reason the private sector isn't supplying enough rice. So maybe the government needs to take a direct hand?

Perhaps this is not a bad move by Lagos. I'm not sure.

By Niki Moore - Jul 26, 2011 7:43 AM PT

Nigeria’s Lagos state, home to the country’s biggest city, may buy land elsewhere in the nation to grow rice to meet the city’s needs.
The state is already introducing irrigation and encouraging mechanization to boost rice production, Rotimi Fashola, a consultant at the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Co- operatives, told the Rice Africa Outlook conference in Durban, South Africa, today.
“We cannot rely on imports,” he said. “We are looking to acquire land in neighboring states as Lagos is land poor.”
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is the biggest consumer and importer of rice on the continent. The country is forecast to import about 1.9 million metric tons of the grain this year, or about 41 percent of its 4.65 million ton forecast consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which also forecast production at 2.7 million tons.
“Lagos is a microcosm of greater Nigeria,” Fashola said. “Its 18 million inhabitants consume the most par-boiled rice in the world, with an average of 34 kilograms per person per annum.”
Fashola estimates of production and imports are higher than those of the USDA. Legal imports into Nigeria are about 1.6 million tons a year and another 450,000 tons are smuggled from neighboring Benin, he said. Production is 3.4 million tons, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/nigeria-s-lagos-state-may-acquire-land-to-grow-rice-consultant-says.html

afam4eva:
Lagos economy is larger than that of Ghana? I never knew. I guess we learn everyday.

Yep.