₦airaland Forum

^-- I'm mostly trying to be diplomatic; I think that this is a terrible idea (unless I see data suggesting otherwise.) I hashed out why a few months ago, but was accused of tribalism/bigotry/etc.

Honestly, I don't care too much anymore. Let me open up my own inefficient factory too and come chop gov't money 

Very nice advert, I must say

The work of Joe Trippi, maybe?

Whoever it was, smart move.

:]

Maple:
South Africa is desperately seeking for attention as a " new power player" in Africa.  However, if it comes down to real action, it does not have the balls to involve itself in a confrontation with a regional power like Nigeria, talk less of the whole region.

This is probably not realistic. SA could certainly defeat Nigeria, and probably all of West Africa minus the Arab states.

Anyway, it wouldn't come to that.

By Oluwaseyi Bangudu
March 30, 2011 11:16PM

Operators in the oil and gas sector have listed steps that must be taken for the ‘gas revolution' project launched by the federal government to make any meaningful impact. They said the atmosphere for the smooth sail of the project cannot be laid in the little time the government has left.

President Goodluck Jonathan had last week launched the project which he said will result in foreign direct investment of about N410 billion over the next three years.

According to him, the full implementation of the entire gas master-plan agenda will result in about $25 billion worth of investments in gas processing, transmission, and downstream gas utilisation projects.

Following the launch, some local companies like Oando have been selected to build central gas-processing facilities at an estimated cost of beteween $2 - $3 billion.

However, Dragan Trajkov, oil and gas sector specialist at Renaissance Capital, an investment bank, said "While we think it is almost impossible for anyone to build a $3 billion project by the end of 2012, we understand that the numbers might be presented optimistically in the light of the ongoing presidential campaign," he said in a report published this week.

A few observers dismissed the launch of the project at the middle of electioneering campaigns as just another political stunt by the government.

Not so bleak

Despite the illusions of the revolution, some industry watchers say the ‘revolution', if well executed, would help stop gas flaring and develop the nation's domestic gas market.

"The gas revolution launched by President Goodluck Jonathan holds the promise of inducing further development and growth of Nigeria's domestic gas market," Fola Onasanya, oil and gas expert at Ciuci, a consultancy firm, said.

"With the $3 billion Central Gas Processing Facility (CPF) by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and Oando Nigeria Plc, a huge sink will be created for storing and utilising natural gas resources which otherwise could have been flared, thus providing a boost to the economy both in terms of value generation and job creation," Mr. Onasanya said.

According to him, so also will the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia's Xenel Industries Limited to construct a proposed 1.3 million tonnes/p.a Petrochemical Plant in Warri, Delta State, along with five fertiliser blending factories by Nagarjuna and Chevron.

"However, for these moves to deliver their optimal gains and attract foreign investments, key areas articulated in the Gas Master Plan need to be addressed by strategic decisions and actions of the government," Mr. Onasanya further said.

Mr. Onasanya said these include the issues relating to the gas pricing policy - which provides a framework for the minimum price that any purchaser of gas can be charged.

"This needs to be tackled in the fair interest of all stakeholders (including the IOCs), the Domestic Reserves Obligation - which aims to ensure the availability of gas for domestic consumption in order to stimulate economic growth - needs to be actualised and the Gas Infrastructure Blueprint - which provides for the establishment of a network of gas hubs which would ultimately reduce the cost of supplying gas - should be implemented in full gear," he said.

"Overall, the ‘Gas revolution' is not over-ambitious, provided the government follows through with strategic actions," he added.

However, a top official of one of the major oil companies operating in the country, who would not want to be quoted because he was not authorised to speak, described the project as rather "ambitious", adding, "It is a huge project that would require huge foreign investment because it is obvious that the government would not be able to do this alone."

According to him, there would be need for billions of dollars to cater for professionals and the investment would be required for the plants that would be required to carry out the processing and transmission of the gas. This, he observed, cannot be done in a short term.

Nigeria's oil assets have been exploited for more than 50 years. However, while oil companies have profited from the resource, local communities in the oil rich but conflict struck areas live with the daily pollution caused by non-stop gas flaring.

The country has lost billions of naira on gas flaring, a process of burning off into the atmosphere, surplus combustible vapours from an oil well, either as a means of disposal or as a security measure to relieve well pressure.

Inability to solve the lingering problem has been increasingly recognised as a huge environmental problem in the Niger Delta region of the nation.

I wasn't even aware of this Zuma stuff. Damn.

What is his problem? He can do what he likes in his own backyard (Southern Africa), but not in ours.

mbatuku1:
What is this supposed to mean? Didn't the yorubas follow Awo like Aturus at some point?

Heh, touche.

I like the man, but I think he made a lot of mistakes. Then again, I'm speaking with the benefit of hindsight.

fstranger3:
This is no Ralph Nader I tell ya.

He never held a public Job/work in the Public arena, never fought for the ordinary masses like Nader did fighting GM over car safety, and not as idealistic like Nader for sure.

Man, I forgot how much Nader did for the US worker. Thanks for reminding me! You can actually do a lot w/o being a public office holder.

^-- Just seems like an inefficient use of resources. We spend billions of $ subsidizing natural gas, petrol. . .  now cars too? What next, pounded yam?

Is this truly the best use of finite resources? I'd prefer if rather than just GEJ making seemingly orders, there was a feasibility study attached with it. Even something as simple as, "For ever $100 million we spend on auto subsidies, we create X jobs."

If X=5, 5, or 1000, a terrible use of resources. If X is 100,000, not a terrible idea. For values in between, then more nuanced.

Dunno why anyone is dissing Okonjo-Iweala, she is amazing

So he is basically ralph nader. . . but minus the persistence?

Trying to think of the american political analogy

This quote killed me:

When cautioned she said, [size=15pt]"Offica him gi mi di money fi enlargen mi b.r.east."[/size]

Probably better to attack the problem from the other side, reducing the cost of Nigerian made products.

Lol

Justcash:
Enough with the civil war stuff. I and majority of my Igbo brothers care less about oil and more about commerce. I'd prefer that we discover purposeful and pro-developmental leadership than oil in Igboland. Without oil and with purposeful leadership, a country that doesn't have oil can control the oil resources of other countries e.g. Singapore refines oil even though they don't have a single natural resource.[/b]

Well said. I don't think you can build a society on oil alone. But it certainly helps if you have it AND good leadership, planning, investment, etc

fstranger3:
Why do we always get euphoric when White people acknowledge us for one thing or the other,


Colonial mentality seems to have done a lotta damage to our psyche, unfortunately. SMH



Why is this news?

Why do you hate the white man?
[quote author=aloy/emeka link=topic=634231.msg8021382#msg8021382 date=1301529947]How did you determine that?. many Ijaws in UK too, why only Igbo and Yoruba?. I smell tribalism from black YoruIgbo Britons.[/quote]I didn't determine it. . . the British did. Otherwise they'd have included the language on the census forms. . .

Justcash:
[b]The military men in the West were not supposed to be big enough to stop the West if you guys really wanted to go. If the capital was in the East, those Northern military officers would have been made to leave bare handed.

Northern military officers 

Wtf do they have to do with anything? I'm talking about large #s of rank-and-file soldiers, and you are talking about military officers? 

Anyway, we can leave the war stuff be if you like. . . but it seems a bit silly to expect another group of people to be slaughtered wholesale to aid your whim. Your boy Ojukwu should have tried delaying his war efforts, built a proper army rather than hoping that we'd catch a bullet for you.

2 years would have been enough time to build an army that wouldn't lose one third of its territory within the first two months of fighting, for example. . .

@sbeezy8: Trying to secede with no army, enemy soldiers already in large #s in your land leads to getting made into this:

https://www.buttermilkpress.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ground-beef.jpg

While I enjoy eating beef, I'm not too keen on getting me and my people turned into it

@Nchara: That is wonderful news. If every region has oil, then we can peacefully split up.

Justcash:
So If the west had decided to go too, you think the north would have had any chance? You were scared because the North could have defeated both the East and West? I don't think so. Nigeria would have split gently if the west had kept to their words to leave too. After all the capital was Lagos State at that time.

Neither you or I had armies at that time (watch those videos on the Biafra war that EzeUche posted, where you guys had only 200 guns in the entire East   )

Moreover, you didn't have lots of Northern troops at that time in your region. . . we did. Pretty hard to secede with an army of occupation already in your land, and no army.

Or how would you have suggest it be done? I'm all ears.

udezue:
Then what is stopping u dimwits from leaving Nigeria? Can't run your own affairs?

Good question. We watched our neighbor rush into secession unprepared and get made into suya meat. Probably best to avoid the same fate by planning things out a bit better.

"Measure twice, cut once", as they say.

jason123:
Everything is not OIL! What about human resources?? If we keep feeding off oil after the country splits (theoretically speaking), won't we have Nigeria part 2??

You are right. But the cash can be used to develop other things. Norway's model is a pretty good one, imo. Dubai and some of those other UAE countries aren't bad either.

Beaf:
Old news. Lagos also has rich tar sand deposits (you can see an outcrop at oke tapas near Jankara market).
. . .Can you guys now leave our Itsekiri peeps alone?

Itsekiri will decide for themselves what they want.

If naija scatters, everyone will remember who his father/ancestor is.

EzeUche:
Igboland is blessed with large deposits of oil. Anambra, Imo and Abia state has oil. What does that tell you?

We don't even need the South-South for oil, because Chineke has blessed our land.

The only parasite are you people in the North. What oil do you all have? Nothing. I dey laugh o! 

Hopefully they find oil in the North so we can partition the country.

Port money too:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201103250396.html

NPA Will Generate N133 Billion Revenue in 2011 - Suleiman

I read/heard somewhere that 50% of this comes from Lagos. That is $440 million/year.

I'm sure we could get Lagos Port to 1 billion/year with better management.

The possibilities truly are endless.

That is a LOT of oil and gas.

Damn. Very useful post! Keep the info coming, my brother.

[quote author=aloy/emeka link=topic=635226.msg8020531#msg8020531 date=1301518797]His wife, Onyinye, who is heavy with pregnancy and looking visibly worried, said the kidnappers established contact with the family in the early hours of yesterday and demanded for N200 million.[/quote]Maybe I should go into the kidnapping business myself

[quote author=aloy/emeka link=topic=634231.msg8020576#msg8020576 date=1301519250]Why didn't they include Hausa and Fulfulde since Hausa is more widely spoken in West Africa?[/quote]Not enough of 'em in the uk

Regarding fiscal federalism. . . if left to the senate/house, it will never happen.

They'll never vote for smaller government

Also, why does he always say "Gods willing"

Is he a polytheist  

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

lol @ GEJ on the women question

Loans to manufacturers is not a bad idea, but fixing power is more important