₦airaland Forum

I really do not get the beef folks have with this guy.

Makes no sense

@alj harem, I didn't bother responding to that post because for one, at least a few of the points raised are not really important.

Anyway, this stuff is complicated. We can agree to disagree.

Did BAT have sex with your fiancee or something?

If not, what other great evil did he do to you?

Yola — AMERICAN University of Nigeria, (AUN) Yola Adamawa State has 11 lecturers of their appointment even as it employed 17 expatriate lecturers.

Interestingly the sacked lecturers are from Nigeria and other African countries.

Though the reason for the sack of the lecturers is scanty, one of the affected dons claimed that the decision was taken against them because of their critical stand on decisions taken by the institution's senate.

The source said "the Americans who are running this university allow democracy in their country, but most unfortunately, they refuse democracy to prevail in Africa, this is exactly what they are doing in this university".

But, a statement issued by the spokesman of the university, Mr. Abba Tahir, said the contract which six of the lecturers signed before taking responsibility in the school was not renewed, while 5 others were made redundant for reasons best known to the university.

"Dr. Margee Esign has hired two new accomplished Deans for two of the three schools, and 17 new members of the faculty. In the process, 6 previous members of the teaching faculty were not renewed-all contracts at AUN are for limited terms and these six had expired in normal course of events and five others were made redundant" The statement said.

He emphasized that the AUN engages none of its workers in a permanent and pensionable job, reaffirming that all jobs in the AUN were only on contract basis, while the institution takes responsibility to end all contracts at its mercy.

Meanwhile, the university said its decisions were borne out of strengthening the university's vision of being a world class institution.

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201106150762.html

anishe:
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. OBJ is an opportunist who has benefited where he has not sown.

Second sentence is true. But he is the main guy who demystified the North, no? This has been good for Nigeria's democracy, I think.

Probably the AD presidential candidate would have been killed in a military coup in his first term

I'm skeptical. And I say this as a guy who has every reason to want Aregbesola to succeed.

homerac7:
@ sagamite & ekt_bear,

I agree fully wt u.

But bear, u knw how slack and irresponsible d fg is at most times whereas d state govts r about d first beneficiaries of d industrialization, on dt, I wld support dt d states assist since dey will get it back somehow. Though I get your conditions as spelt out above and by sagamite too.

See, this is the whole matter. "Get it back somehow", what does that mean? What exactly do you mean by this? Is it

A) Subsidize the company now and hope that eventually they'll achieve some point where economies of scale kick in and they can stand alone w/o subsidies?

B) Or you could mean, "We don't mind paying slightly more for these cars, because we know that for every $1 we spend on subsidies it creates X jobs."

Case B, I don't have too much of a problem with, if X is big enough.

Case A. . . is this business of assembling knockdown cars/buses from Chinese kits the type where economies of scale will kick in? I don't know.

Sagamite:
That is how I want these young Nigerians to start thinking and qualifying issues, not just screaming "if it is given to a local firm, it is a good thing".

To summarise: Give it to a local firm only if they can deliver to a threshold quality and price that is not far off what a foreign firm can, and they can improve to beat/match the foreign firm in quality and price within a medium-term timeline.

Young folk all across the world think in the same exact way. Heck, young and old folk So I think you are holding Nigerians to too high a standard.

But yeah, your point is a good one. . . people need to think a bit more about the pros and cons of different policies.

kalokalo:
Why is the size of governments in Nigeria so bloated? If the revenue of a state is less than the cost of paying salaries, common sense dictates that the state RIGHTSIZE its workforce. A situation where governments borrow to pay salaries is unsustainable. Where will money for capital projects come from?

The same issue is happening at the Federal level. Nigerians don''t realize the recurrent expenditure of the FG alone is 114% of annual national revenue. Why do you think our national debt has been ballooning? A situation where FG offers bonds (thereby saddling our kids with massive debt) and thereafter fritter that money away in subsidizing petroleum products is madness ($4.5 billion in 2010 alone).

There has to be drastic downsizing in governments across the board! otherwise what is happening in Greece will be like child's play when our day of reckoning comes.

Very good questions.

Is it not clear from context that I was responding to chino11?

homerac7:
@ Sagamite & ekt_bear,

Really I don't see d wrong in making such compromise of higher cost against very high local content. The key word is currently unparalleled "local content".

Right. If you are only paying say $500 or $1K extra per bus, and each bus creates 200 or 500 hours worth of work in your state, then sure. . . probably not the worst thing to do.

Even international organizations as EU, UN, USAID, and other similar agencies run similar policies in their host countries. It's a pity I haven't seen d local content bill, but I wld naturally expect dt such provision is made. It is to reduce competitive disadvantage of d newbie local against d more advantageous foreigner. So if any serious government wishes to develop her domestic industry, it is usual practice to give some form of direct or indirect assistance. But what assistance wld ds govt claim to hav given ds fledgling company; import rebate on parts and machinery? Raw materials? Power? Other utilities? Tax holiday? What, just what?  So if it is by direct patronage is dt incentive going to come, I think they have earned dt due. I had rather suggest dt d govt while patronizing them directly and indirectly on one hand should also send quality and safety programme enforcement after them.

I'm not condemning Enugu for doing this. It is certainly their own choice. But I just think you have to be careful how you do it. State-subsidized capitalism isn't a terrible thing, but you have to make sure that you are subsidizing something that you aren't too far away from being competitive in. Otherwise it just becomes a financial burden.

Nigeria economy is not such dat can run fully on capitalism yet, there must b provision for sort of socialism until d poverty level is reduced to a much lower ratio than we have.

I'm not a dogmatic capitalist, I see the value in the government protecting local industry. I'm just wondering if this is the mandate of the state government, and not a task better left for the federal government.

As I said, for my own state, I want them to be as efficient with their resources as possible. If we as a nation decide we want to support industry X, then fine, let's come up with some coordinated strategy for supporting it, one led by the FG. Not one led by the states, which like I said imo have a different mandate.

Abuja — Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday called on the Federal Government to commit substantial funds to building more prison across the country where convicted corrupt persons especially ex government officials would be jailed.

This is even as it joined the Senate to call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to show more commitment towards securing more convictions against individuals who looted public treasury while in office rather than engage in what it called drama while arresting suspects.

President of NBA, Joseph Daudu who spoke in his goodwill message to the eighth years of establishment the EFCC and three years in office of the chairman of the commission, Mrs. Farida waziri in Abuja maintained that Nigerians need to see more conviction of persons suspected to have stolen public fund or misappropriated same.

Daudu was of the opinion that the drama which follows the mere arrest or invitation of such persons dwarfs the eventual outcome of such case. He said the citizenry is keener to seeing perpetrators of economic crimes jailed than watch EFCC act some drama with suspects on the television and everything ends there.

He also threw his weight behind the call to review the Criminal Justice system in the country, pointing out that it will help speed up the fight against corruption. The NBA President declared that corruption has held the country's developmental quest down for years.

He said "the essence of all arrest and investigation for crime is conviction, we need to see more of convictions, but we cannot achieve this without reviewing in full scale the criminal justice system, there is quite a lot to be done fundamentally, the criminal justice system has gross defect.

"I will cite an example; we still refer to prisons as prisons here in Nigeria but worldwide it is known as correctional institutions. Our prisons have decayed and therefore government needs to invest wholesale to places where you keep people who are reckless with fund of this country and therefore there is a need to build new correctional centres everywhere in this country so they may have places to keep all those who are stealing the country's money at any point in time".

On the support needed by the EFCC to ensure the fight against corruption becomes a huge success, the NBA boss who condemned what he termed the recklessness in spending public funds by public officials advocated strengthening of the commission's capacity by empowering the commission to establishes more stations across the country.

He said "So I will like to urge the EFCC just like the chairman said we should attain a structure like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and I think for the impact of the work to be adequately felt we must have the station replicated in all the state. I think for now we have just six stations across the country, and I think most places are in dire need of the anti-corruption office and i urge those in charge of funding the EFCC to enhance the funding so that its productivity and result will increase," he added.

Toeing the same line, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba in his own goodwill message urged the EFCC not to play to the gallery in its fight against corruption because most time, the drama that trails arrest of suspects are more than the prosecution and eventual conviction.

Senator Egba said "I think every accused is still presumed innocent until found guilty, we will like to see more of the drama and celebration when somebody is convicted than when arrested".

Udoma-Egba stated the readiness of the National Assembly to support the anti-graft body in the fight against corruption in the country, pointing out that there is no excuse for anybody not to join in the fight especially with the signing into law the freedom of Information (FOI) Bill.

He said, "With the Freedom of Information, we have reasons to partner with the EFCC in the fight against corruption, and for the EFCC I urge you to continue to do more of the good fight even though you are working in extremely tight and difficult environment, in a culture where corruption is celebrated, where corrupt men are honoured by traditional rulers and even elevated in churches is a very difficult for you but keep on the good fight.

"I think every accused is still presumed innocent until found guilty, we will like to see more of the dram and celebration of when somebody is convicted than when arrested but let me assure you that you have a willing partner in the Senate to strengthen the fight against corruption we will partner with you by making sure that every bill or any amendment on the fight against corruption would be passed".

For the chairman of the EFCC, the scourge of corruption in the country and mindless way public funds are embezzled with reckless abandon is the root of the decision by young Nigerians to engage in violent crimes including bomb attacks and other acts of terrorism.

Farida Waziri who noted that the fight against corruption has been tough was quick to note that within her three years in office as the boss of the Commission, the fight to clean up the banking sector remains the most challenging for her.

The EFCC boss came short of calling for a complete revolution in the country, saying, "Nigerians should come out like what happened in Egypt; there should be some form of revolution to retrieve this country from the grasp of corruption."

She stressed , "I believe these bomb blasts, kidnappings and killings we see around us are as a result of corruption in the country. The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider and people are angry and disillusioned.

"The people involved in these acts feel short-changed by the people in leadership and they are frustrated by the system; they see so much injustice in the midst of plenty."

"The various cases of militancy and terrorism that we currently experience across the country are as a result of corruption. People who perpetrate these violent acts tend to draw their motivation from the unimaginable corruption they see going on around them."

"We are talking about the dilapidated aviation sector and epileptic power supply in the country, but nothing can be done about these as long there is massive corruption. These poor services abound as a direct consequence of corruption in public and private offices.

"Billions of naira that are amassed by people in positions of authority could have gone into the development of needed infrastructure for the growth and development of this country.

"The corrupt people in our society take billions of naira that should have been used to develop infrastructure and create jobs, and they take them abroad to other countries to contribute to those already developed societies whereas our youths and elderly languish in penury and want."

Lamenting that acts of corruption such as Advanced Fee Fraud and cyber crime have cost the country a lot of goodwill in the international business arena, leading to investors shying away from the country, she pointed out that "Today, when you travel outside the country, you are looked upon as a crook, and we know that is not the case; we have a lot of hardworking, honest and reputable people doing business in our country and we aim by this publication to direct genuine business people to the right places they should if they want to do business in Nigeria or with Nigerians.

"People who are interested in doing business in the country can also contact us and we can do due diligence on the companies they are interested in and properly advise them.

"We need support and cooperation of all Nigerians in order to wrestle this country out of the clutches of endemic corruption".

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201106150694.html

Then again, if Uniport gets a N100 million gift as a result of this honorary degree, who can be mad at them for giving it to her? 

How much will it cost them to print the degree, N1500? Turning N1500 into N100 million sounds like good business to me

Both played their parts.

Sagamite:
Thank you!

I am not into foolish patroitism.

Nigerian students need to demonstrate a bit more analytical depth than rice N80 analysis.

I don't mind patriotism, but as a citizen of State X, I'd want State X to set its priority to be delivering the most value for the money. The FG can afford to do "patriotic" subsidies or whatever. But State X must stretch its cash as far as it can go.

Nothing really more to be added. Less propaganda, more actual work. Or you'll lose to the PDP in 3 years time or so

The bitterness in your heart is deep, FStranger. I am beginning to suspect you've had some sort of negative personal encounter with Tinubu, that you are now taking shots at Fashola and denigrating him too.

You can get an endorsement from Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi both. I don't give a damn. Dumb policy is dumb policy.

As if an article about "fiscally responsible" governor from 2009 is relevant today or to this topic.

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=690667.msg8522768#msg8522768 date=1308136539]Good move, i do not see why lagos and other states would prefer to import buses when innoson is there, really

we should encourage this company and not discourage them

moreover come to think of it, the over all cost of the buses brought in nigeria would be alot cheaper than imported one

cost of shipment

exchange rate

cost of spare parts since innoson is in nigeria and not abroad

cost of repair

etc

supported +10[/quote]If it turns out that:
A) it cheaper to assemble Chinese buses (IVM) rather than import them directly
B) the state governments were interested in sourcing Chinese buses

Then definitely. But I'm not sure that (A) and (B) are true in all cases.

She is from Kogi

June 15, 2011
This month, NPR is examining the many ways China is expanding its reach in the world — through investments, infrastructure, military power and more. In this installment, a tale of two Chinatowns in very different circumstances — one in Nigeria and the other in the Italian town of Prato.

The Chinatown in Lagos, Nigeria, is one-of-a-kind. It looks like a big, red medieval fortress with crenellated walls that resemble the Great Wall outside Beijing. A Nigerian flag and the Chinese flag fly together on the ramparts.

Inside is a courtyard filled with 180 shops, selling everything from blue jeans to High School Musical sketch pads. But many stores are shuttered and dusty.

Chinese clothing imports practically destroyed the Nigerian textile industry, so six years ago, the Nigerian government banned them.

"The impact is that most of them [Chinatown clothing shops] had to shut down," says Solomon Julius, a Nigerian who manages Chinatown.

Nigerian companies have also tried to crack down on Chinese businesses for selling pirated CDs and DVDs.

Ope Banwo, an entertainment attorney, accompanied police on a raid of Chinatown in 2006. Banwo says cops found bootlegs of Hollywood films. Then, Banwo says, something strange happened: Police received a phone call and let everyone go. He says it was clear to him somebody intervened to save the merchants from arrest.

"When I say as a lawyer, they're being protected by the powers that be, I don't say it lightly," Banwo says. "I saw that! And they left those guys with everything."

Today, you can't find pirated DVDs in Chinatown, but people sell them just outside the gate. Like many Nigerians, Banwo sees Chinese businessmen as an unstoppable force.

"They've taken over this economy like they're taking over the world," he says. "The next superpower is China."

Some vendors in Chinatown tell a different story. Huang Haifeng owns a tiny shop that sells doors and cheap Chinese suits. He says doing business in Nigeria is brutal.

"I want to quit trading," says Huang. "There are no profits."

"Even last year, we lost much money. In dollars, last year, [$80,000] or $90,000. Even some Chinese, they lost more," he says.

Huang moved to Nigeria in 2002, because the country has Africa's largest Chinese population and he saw a huge potential market for Chinese goods. Huang imports the suits he sells from China, but Nigeria is notoriously corrupt, and Huang says some of his suits are stolen in customs.

"Sometimes, each bag, you're short five or 10" suits, he says.

Huang says manufacturing in Nigeria isn't much easier. He imported parts and tried to build doors in a factory here to save money. But Lagos suffers blackouts several times a day, which makes operating a factory difficult and expensive.

"The cost was too high, because there's no power," says Huang. "We're always using diesel and the engineer is not as good as a Chinese engineer."

A third big problem, Huang says, is exchange rates. The Chinese currency, the renminbi, is strengthening, raising the cost of his products. Meanwhile, the Nigerian naira has weakened, reducing his purchasing power.

Some Nigerians think that the Chinese are taking over the country, but Huang shakes his head. "No, I don't think so," he says. "I don't think so."

Tony Jun agrees. He runs a Chinatown shop that sells everything from 50-cent, ceramic coffee cups to $10 Hannah Montana backpacks. But after nearly a decade in Lagos, Jun says it's no longer worth it. He figures he can make more money back home.

Jun plans to move back to China in the next year.

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/15/137045110/in-nigeria-chinatown-vendors-struggle-for-profits

Good for Enugu State if this ended up being the cheapest they could find subject to whatever quality constraints they have.

BTW, Innoson assembles knockdown kits of Chinese buses, they don't build buses from scratch.

interesting

^-- Nobody would see it if it were put in Foreign Affairs. That forum needs to be closed down.

Anyway, this Arab-worship that certain Africans do is pretty much terrible.

What of Muiz Banire?

chino11:
You are quite silly. You think Anambra is a poor rural state like your eketi Why not go and face your poverty ridden and cave yorroba states. silly yoorobas

Dumb public policy is dumb public policy. With foolish policies like this, my "cave" state will soon catch up to whatever your state is. After all, my state is under competent management. . . yours doesn't appear to be.

Writing a check to random individuals as part of poverty alleviation is a bad idea, for a variety of reasons. Now if I find out it is some sort of plan for the elderly or some other class, then I might see some sense in it.

So just blank checks, essentially? Is this really the best way to lift people out of poverty? I dunno

AWKA - Anambra State government in partnership with the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), has empowered 1,050 persons from its 177 communities with N250 million under its “Care of the People’s Programme’’.

Governor Peter Obi, who distributed cheques to the beneficiaries in Awka, said the programme was one of the initiatives taken to combat poverty in the state.

Obi recalled the beneficiaries were each paid N5,000 monthly for one year after which, they were now given a lump sum of money to start their business.

He said although the beneficiaries were not required to refund the money, as funds were set aside for the implementation of the programme, they were expected to pay “income guarantee’’.

The governor announced that his administration had initiated more economic empowerment programmes to transform the lives of the people.

He, therefore, called on farmers in the state, who had yet to repay loans given to them by the state government to do so, to enable others to benefit.

In his remarks, Mr Zubaru Abdullahi, a representative of NAPEP, said Obi was the first governor to visit NAPEP to discuss ways of addressing poverty in the state.

“Anambra is the first state to pay its counterpart funds and the highest contributor to the programme.

“NAPEP only provided the seed money, while the state government gave the bulk money to cover the many beneficiaries,” Abdullahi said.

Some of the beneficiaries, lauded the state government for the initiative.

http://nigerianobservernews.com/13062011/news/Other%20News/othernews10.html

British and French are both tremendous jackasses. Hopefully 1000 years from now, my descendants will be able to screw them over like they screwed with my ancestors. I just pray that God will one day deliver them into my hands (well, that of my children.)

@Kilode?!: Very interesting. Going to find more on Jstor.

ak47mann:
But why are you s/w people keep treating edo people like these

Are you silly? There is a ministerial slot reserved in the constitution for Edo State indigenes. One for Lagos State indigenes. Why should Edo State take the one that belongs to Lagos State? Why should Edo have both ministerial slots and Lagos have zero?

Follow the rules and let each minister chosen be an indigene of the state he is selected from.

his name is shegu aganga for me his Yoruba as someone said if yoruba blood flows in your veins that means you are a true son yoruba,why denying them?

I don't think Yoruba blood flows in his veins? I don't know the story behind these guys in Edo State with Yoruba names. A part of history I don't quite understand. This Willink Report talks about it a bit, though.