₦airaland Forum

^-- Hrm, very sad. Alumni need to raise money to fix it. So many good things from the 60s and 70s are now dilapidated 

Aganga must be very well off. The alumni organization should hit everyone up for cash (targeting him specifically) to rehabilitate the school.

^-- Nothing wrong with that. Technically speaking, he is not an indigene of anywhere in the SW. So why should he take a slot that is reserved in the constitution for indigenes?

Practically speaking of course, he is essentially Yoruba. He even went to this somewhat famous secondary school in Ado-Ekiti that has also produced lots of great Nigerians 

But that doesn't mean he should take a slot reserved constitutionally for someone else.

OT: The Borgu Kingdom has a website, it seems:

http://www.borgukingdomng.com/faqs.html

Always interesting to learn about the the neighbors of Yorubaland  

Lmao, how did Tinubu get this Borgu title?

Awesome.

It rolls off the tongue so nicely. . . "Jagaban Borgu"

^-- I feel you man. It seems like it is such a struggle to get good leadership in Nigeria. At times I wonder how the country has progressed to the level it has over the past decade or so with so many questionable governors.

Pure democracy is nice, but often it means the majority benefits at the expense of the minority. There is nothing wrong with in certain limited cases having something set aside for minority groups.

I'm not a fan of imposition BTW, but this to me seems a little different. It isn't like it is Ganiyu Solomon versus some random Tinubu lackey.

This is Ganiyu Solomon (A Yoruba from the SW) versus Akume, a guy from a minority tribe and from Benue State. If there is no hope for a non-Yoruba to gain leadership positions in the ACN, then it is a tribal party, is it not?

Don't get me wrong, I understand your concern about imposition. But if you don't give prominent positions to certain folk outside the SW, then how do you grow the party?

There has to be a balance here, no?

[quote author=Omo_Tier1 link=topic=689750.msg8517713#msg8517713 date=1308066792]Was is not the same politics of imposition that breeds exclusion and create elitist politicians that killed PDP in South West?

So why is Tinubu taking the same killer pill, and expecting a different result?[/quote]Eh, the two major contenders are Ganiyu Solomon and Akume, right?

Compensate Solomon with something else later down the line if you like. But I think there is value in giving this particular leadership position (which doesn't really hold much power anyways) to a minority and someone from outside the SW.

Party members need to be strategic and see what the bigger picture is.

Hehe

Amala politics

I can understand why it works though, amala is delicious. Almost as tasty as pounded yam

Part of the problem is Nigerians ourselves. There is this mentality that dumping trash anyhow and anywhere is ok.

Ever since the military regime which led to systemic collapse, decay in infrastructure and dwindling moral fibre of the people, the challenge to keep our environment clean has become a Herculean task.

In Onitsha, the Anambra State commercial hub, arguably regarded as the "dirtiest city" in the country, successive administrations especially since the return of democracy in 1999, have made efforts, some serious, some half-hearted and some uncoordinated to address the Onitsha environmental challenge all to no avail. Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju's administration, seen by many Anambra people as "monumental" failure, could not tackle the issue of Onitsha dirty environment, although he made some half-hearted efforts. The appointment of Dr. Chukwuka and Dr. Alex Obiogbolu at different periods of his four-year tenure as the helmsmen of the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA) did not yield much result. Dr. Chris Ngige equally appointed his kinsman, Dr. Eddy Anyakora ,who claimed to be an expert in waste disposal management, yet not much was achieved.

But the major set-backs of these people were lack of political will and failure to appreciate the enormity of environmental situation in Onitsha by the respective governors. Consequently, no money was appropriated for the Agency in these periods. ANSEPA was seen as agency its staff and contractors can use and extort money for services not rendered. So, anybody appointed as ANSEPA Chief Executive is not funded but sent there as a settlement.

So, by the time Governor Peter Obi came on board, the situation has become so deplorable that epidemic was almost in the offing. In fact, the dirty environment of Onitsha and its suburbs have become a campaign issue even up till today. Obi had in his manifesto promised to lift Onitsha to its state of squalor to clean and attractive city. First, it appeared that Governor Obi was himself confused or he was in a hurry to please the people as he ordered for weekly environmental sanitation every Saturday, where people were told to clean their surroundings and keep the refuse at a designated place.

This did not only become monotonous and time consuming, there was also no enough lorry tippers to carry the refuse that was generated, thereby causing the refuse to be thrown back to the drainage system and other places they were generated from. At this period, ANSEPA has collapsed with workers already owed more than 20 months' salaries. Although Governor Obi appointed Mr. Emma Ude-Akpe as the managing director, he was handicapped by lack of funding, dilapidated equipment, demoralized staff who were owed several months of arrears of salary, among many other factors. Why the governor refused to fund ANSEPA till date is still not clear.

However, respite came when the LAGA, a body said to be tripartite initiative by Federal Government, Anambra State Government and a private concern, was brought by the state government to evacuate refuse in Onitsha . LAGA's main function was to clear refuse in Onitsha and environs, while ANSEPA is now to collect the environmental levies from the residents of the commercial city. The body has brought some breather with new equipment including vehicles and personnel. At least at intervals, the residents now see the refuse they generated evacuated. There are areas LAGA staff sweep major streets in Onitsha especially from Bridgehead to Upper Iweka .

However , many believe that this is a far cry from their expectation. According to Mr. Collins Okolo, an environmental activist based in Onitsha , the people expect more commitment by way of funding and effective monitoring. The LAGA people do not come regularly, the equipment and operational vehicles are not enough. The receptacle, which is where residents dump refuse are not enough. People still go far away to dump their refuse.

Sometimes, Okolo said, these receptacles will be full and they will not carry them for days. The people will now be compelled to pour their refuse on the ground, posing a serious health hazard to the people.

When Sunday Champion sought the views of the Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Mike Egbobike, he was said to have travelled abroad. But Ude-Akpe blamed the people for not paying their sanitation levies as when due. He said the agency loses almost N100million every month from the defaulters of environmental levy. Ude-Akpe also said without the people paying their levies regularly, government will not have enough to fund the clearing of refuse in Onitsha .

He frowned at the attitude of residents towards environmental sanitation. For instance, most residents have turned drainage system into receptacles and this has blocked the system, causing flooding during rainy season. A visit to Onitsha immediately after rainy season can be an eye sore as flood throws out refuse on the roads, "These refuse were dumped by people", he said. Ude-Akpe, however , said LAGA has been doing serious job in the clearing refuse in Onitsha , although he said they are not directly on his control.

The issue of levy collection has become a source of controversy. Apart from the fact that ANSEPA is alleged to be collecting levies without visible services offered, many people and organizations have hijacked ANSEPA levy. Among them are landlords, especially the Awada landlords, who Ude-Akpe said have no expertise on refuse management but want to get involved in it because of money.

Leadership of markets are also involved in scrambling for refuse money as well as ANSEPA contractors. "If all these people are interested in disposing refuse as they are in collecting money, Onitsha would have been improved significantly", a concerned resident said.

Many however said both the Ministry of Environment and ANSEPA have not been able to carry out their job effectively, questioning why even ANSEPA will also be interested in collecting money when they have not rendered services effectively.

Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi, chairman, Board of Trustees, International Society for Civil Liberties Organization (Intersociety), said it is wrong for ANSEPA to rush to collect money without providing quality services to the people. He also blamed the existence of multiplicity of revenue collection bodies on the Ministry and ANSEPA, saying: "Anambra has not arrived in environmental management". According to him, environmental management does not only mean refuse disposal, it includes but not limited to town planning, comply to building plans, provision of recreation facilities, open spaces, burial ground. "What happened to cemeteries in the town which already have been taken over by land speculators; what of dump sites, indiscriminate dumping of refuse dumps in the city?", he queried.

The activist blamed lack of effectiveness on part of the Ministry and ANSEPA, saying that there is no strict compliance to sanitation rules and regulations as people dump refuse into drainage system, indiscriminate dropping of sachet water and empty cans apparently due to lack of trash cans along major streets in town. He challenged the Commissioner for Environment and ANSEPA to "resist the arm-chair syndrome and work hard to confront frontally the seemingly intractable waste management in Onitsha before engaging in collecting sanitation levies."

The Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industries Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA) said waste disposal management in Onitsha and its environs has remained one of the major problems facing the business community. The Director of the Organized private Sector (OPS), Mr. Dominic Ajibo, lamented that the problem has really become intractably endemic that all the efforts of the government to address it has been superficial.

"The situation calls for a greater commitment on the part of the state government in order to save our environment and reduce the spread of disease caused by our terribly dirty surroundings" he said. Ajibo called for the strengthening of ANSEPA and its staff better motivated to do their job better, saying that private sector should be engaged to help out, while there should be enough refuse collection centres for people to have easy access

"Indeed the issue of refuse in Onitsha is a critical problem that should be medically addressed by the state government without politicizing it" said ONICCIMA director further said.

http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/201106130720.html

Carry go, Tinubu.

When Steven Ugbah has the governorship election overturned in his favor, and the Senate Minority leader also comes from the same state, what do you think the people of Benue will feel about the ACN?

Part of the reason why Tinubu is able to dance so easily past his enemies is because he seems to be less of a short-term thinker than they.

on JUNE 14, 2011 · in HOMES & PROPERTY

By Jude Njoku

Dangote Cement Plc has begun the test run of its six million metric tonnes per annum cement plant at Ibese, near the Polytechnic town of Ilaro in Ogun State, preparatory to the commencement of cement production in August. The 620 million US dollar plant (about 99.200 billion) is said to have attained over 80 percent completion level.

These facts were disclosed by the Deputy Director, Sinoma International Engineering Co. Ltd, the Chinese construction firm handling the project, Dr. Ved Prakash Sarkari and a Manger in the Projects department, Engr Bolu Aladeniyi when they conducted newsmen round the expansive complex last week. Dr Sarkari stated that when the plant rolls out the first batch of ordinary Portland cement OPC, in August, it will reduce the price of the product by at least 15 percent in the open market.

He however decried the high cost of energy in the country, noting that the increase in the price of diesel from N155 per litre to N180 is being borne by manufacturers.

Engr Aladeniyi disclosed that all the raw materials required to flag off the production of cement -limestone, shale and red soil, barring gypsum, are readily available at the company’s Ibese Mines. The mines has an estimated reserve of 760 million tonnes of limestone which is expected to last for the next 105 years.

The conveyors which are currently being test-run without loads will transport materials from the crusher location to the cement plant located about two kilometres away.

Ibese cement plant which has two production lines, will be powered by three turbines being built by the company. Each of the turbines being installed by Messrs Siemens of Germany, will generate 37 megawatts of electricity.

Engr Aladeniyi explained that the Ibese plant can also operate with coal, natural gas and HFO. The kiln, two storage houses for limestone, six silos each with a capacity of 10,000 metric tonnes as well as mine fields and other local raw materials needed for cement production are also ready, awaiting the take-off of actual production in the next two months.

The gas powered plant which is serviced from Itori Gas Plant, 24 kilometres from Ibese (to supply power to the cement plant) is equally ready.

Flaunting the uniqueness of the plant, Aladeniyi declared: “The equipment we are using at Ibese Cement plant is the latest in cement production anywhere in the world, in terms of modern technology. The equipments were bought from the best manufacturers in the world”.

He outlined other special features of the new plant which will use the dry process method of cement production. “The gamma matrix on-line analyser (an equipment) is used to control the quality of incoming raw materials from mines automatically and corrects the mix-up to 99 percent at crusher itself.

Also, the Robo lab ensures that there is no manual intervention. It guarantees auto sampling and testing. By using the latest proven technologies, we can achieve a pollution free environment,” he said.

Continuing, Engr Aladeniyi said “we have 18 loading bays and 15 parkers (parking machines). You can position 18 trucks at the same time to load. Our auto bag placer is a proven design to achieve a better, faster way of stacking accurate quantity and faster 18 automatic bag placers,” he said.

Also bemoaning the high cost of energy, Engr Aladeniyi explained that the company uses about 56,000 litres of diesel a day to test run the plant. “If we are using the turbines, one of them can consume three tanker loads of diesel a day,” he said. He urged the government to crash the price of energy as this will reduce the cost of cement in the country.

According to him, the company didn’t build independent power plants in other countries where it has invested in cement production because power is readily available.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/dangote-cement-test-runs-620-million-ibese-plant/

Tribune? Useless

Desola is quickly becoming one of my favorite posters

Eko Ile:
Look at the guy in the back. I bed dude was saying to himself " Make Oga Rochas no dey fall for this mgbati mgbati man o.


lol

lmao

^-- very sad

Well done, Mr. Violent.

Anyways, if your state is selling/leasing public lands, then make sure they don't sell/lease too cheaply.

Let every man/state decide how they want to run their own affairs. If you don't want to sell/lease to foreigners in State X, that is your prerogative.

Very unfortunate

Minster of Petroleum and Minister of the FCT sounds good to me

Carry go, GEJ

I doubt that all ACN governors will be excellent.

Fashola is doing well. Oshiomole is doing well, from what I know. Fayemi is doing well.

Aregbe needs to step it up though

lol, if internet access is a human right, then so is TV or a newspaper

lmao @ Uniport. Sounds like a joke of a school

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has disclosed that the reason the water main at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, collapsed last week, causing water taps to run dry at the country’s gateway, is because it was built in 1978 and was not serviced or changed for 33 years.
FAAN was reacting to a story published in P.M.NEWS on Friday 10 June which described the agony air travellers went through at the country’s busiest airport on 8 and 9 June after the water main collapsed in the evening of 7 June.
FAAN in a statement signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Akin Olukunle, while extending the management’s apologies to Nigerians, explained that a burst in the 200mm water main was traced to fatigue and pressure of the slumping pipe.
“The existing copper-cast water main and network were installed in 1978. At over 32 years old, they have outlived their life-cycle.
“Being the only vehicle for water transportation to the international terminal and with a delivery rate of 200m3/hr under a pressure of six bars, it would have been impossible to carry out any maintenance/repair without having to shut the pumps.
“While the repair/replacement lasted, a number of water tankers were deployed at strategic locations of the terminal to minimise the temporary hardship experienced by passengers and other airport users. The Authority regrets any inconveniences caused by the unfortunate incident,” Olukunle said.
He said that the Water Sewage Department has fixed the problem, thereby restoring normalcy to water supply at the terminal.
Olukunle said that the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, who has headed the agency since November 2008, is working on infrastructure development of many of the 21 airports under its management.
P.M.NEWS investigations had revealed that since Tuesday 7 June when the central water supply system broke down at Nigeria’s busiest airport, convenience rooms in the facility were filled with human waste and the entire terminal building covered with awful stench.
While most passengers avoided the airport’s toilets, those who were pressed by the call of nature, made use of table water and came along with their tissue paper.
A female traveller and wife of a Nigerian serving Senator almost collapsed in the toilets when she came face to face with a heap of excreta and assailed by heavy stench.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/06/13/lagos-airport-water-main-not-serviced-for-33-years/

Indeed. I'm a bit concerned about Aregbesola though. Hopefully he steps his game up.

Anyway, hopefully we shall have a FOI law in all states in Nigeria.

The man has had quite a productive 7 months, has he not?

I think he is gunning for Fashola's crown as the best governor in Nigeria

Amaka, how are you watching the show from the US?

^-- Yeah I have no clue about the food security/etc aspects of it. The guys I asked were profit-seeking investors, not companies secretly owned by India/China/etc to provide additional food. And iirc they targeted the food for the local market (at least the rice guy. There was some guy who grew some other high-end crop for export), and leased the land rather than buying it outright.

I'm not necessarily super concerned about selling of land. If you are able to sell it for a good price, then why not. But if you are like the:

1) Native Americans, who supposedly sold Manhattan to the white folk for the equivalent of $24
2) The French, who sold off the land from the Louisiana Purchase for $15 million at that time
3) Russians, who sold off Alaska for about $7 million (at that time)

then wahala dey 

So if you don't think you are good at estimating the value of your land (which seems to be the major issue here), then imo do short term leases.

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=654205.msg8509450#msg8509450 date=1307960927]Is there any place to download/watch old episodes?[/quote]

Ibime:
25 - 30% ROI is a brilliant return for anyone whether Nigerian or Martian.

Inflation will lift Nigerian dude's ROI also, and give him an ROI (less inflation) similar to the foreigners.

As I alluded to, I think your typical Nigerian guy with large amounts of capital can find far more lucrative opportunities within Nigeria. That really is what it boils down to.

I've listened to a few talks from companies that invest in agric in Africa, and their ROI is usually around 25-30%. Good, but not rockstar (by African standards, at least.)

Think about it a bit. . . if agric was so profitable (relative to other opportunities available), then Nigerians and Africans would be doing it in large #s.

If you are some pension fund in say the US, 25 or 30% ROI is amazing.

But if you are some Nigerian dude who for example must pay 20%+ interest to borrow from a Nigerian bank? Then that ROI is less sexy.

Is there any place to download/watch old episodes?