₦airaland Forum

^-- Yeah, I'd prefer to just clean up the ACN. But who knows, perhaps they are unwilling to be democrats 

Kobojunkie:
Why are we comparing the two?

Why are we comparing one set of failures to another? What do we gain by doing that? a Perspective on failure?

Well said. The ACN should not get a free pass just because they are not the PDP. If they are willing to put down their current anti-democracy practices, I'll embrace them with open arms. But while they remain the Tinubu Congress of Nigeria, then we need to explore the alternatives. Heck, If we need a new party in the SW, then perhaps that should be explored too.

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=586261.msg7546609#msg7546609 date=1295242337]Hahahahahaha. Maybe you are gay. Hehehehehehe. I'm kidding I'm joking. Wuss! [/quote]

fstranger1:
Alhaji why didnt you include me, Alhaji Chukwuemeka, in your list of Igbos that know the truth!

@alj harem: Are the Abuja-> Kaduna and Abuja->Kano roads any good?

Akhenaten:
We need to focus on South to South travel. It would make more economic sense to have a Lagos to Enugu or Lagos to Port Harcourt railway than Abuja to be honest. Especially when the nation's economic wealth can be found in the East.

If it is profitable for investors, then it can be done. Someone needs to talk with the involved states, get them to give up land (perhaps in exchange for equity?) and provide any loans necessary. Then pitch it to investors.

However, as the guy interviewed in that article sort of alludes to, fast transportation from Lagos -> Abuja is a pretty big opportunity and might be more of immediate interest. For somewhat selfish reasons I'd be very happy to see this done. . .  shortest distance from Lagos to Abuja runs smack dab through Ekiti State 

[quote author=Kilode?! link=topic=586261.msg7546171#msg7546171 date=1295229281]^^ It's that liberal American thingy you seem to champion everywhere, the live and let live, protect the women mentality is seen as "gay" around these parts [/quote]Heh, fair enough. Ain't changing for nobody.

The confusing part though is that when it comes to fashion, most Nigerian guys are more metrosexual than regular US Males. They might look like a Black version of Sacha Baron Cohen until they express their conservative worldviews.

Lol, yep! Nigerian dudes dress too well. Me, I'm like 2-5 years behind on fashion trends. Fortunately though, my lack of interest in fashion hasn't hurt my competitiveness too much (at least, so i hope.)

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=586261.msg7546200#msg7546200 date=1295230351]You don't give off a gay vibe.  Broda Becomrich is out of his mind!  He's talking about 5 wives in the same house and everyone sharing their money and crap.  They'll kill each other!  If you're gonna do that, have the sense to buy them their own homes/flats.  Didn't you read "Things Fall Apart"?  Didn't each wife have her own hut?   [/quote]Five women in the same house is the fastest way to wake up one morning missing your balls. Or with a knife in your throat. . . these polygamists are a lot braver than I am, I guess Or Naija women are a lot more beaten down/meek than I thought.

Akhenaten:
A Lagos-Port Harcourt railway wold be better I must say.

However, you just have to worry about the militants that operate in Delta and Bayelsa state.

If we can attract venture capitalists/private equity/foreign banks/etc, then we can have both! That is the beauty of the Lagos PPP model. No need to wait for the FG.

[quote author=Mrs.Chima link=topic=586446.msg7546107#msg7546107 date=1295227170]Was she born in 1930's?[/quote]I don't think she was that old. Probably early 60s/late 50s when I took history from her. So I'd guess 1940-1945 or so?

In any case, being a history buff, I think she'd have told us if this was something prevalent in that era.

Kobojunkie:
^^^ No probs. Just that I doubt he would have gotten the same contract in Nigerian since our government has continued to refuse to spend much of our money on anything that will directly benefit the Nigerian people. Can Nigeria afford $500 million for a monorail project, after cancelling an $8 billion project that was meant to propel our rail system(nationwide) into the 21st century?

So long as the FG doesn't frustrate innovative states like Lagos building their infrastructure with foreign help rather than federal government help, I'll be more or less content. Maybe I'm asking too little or I'm too pessimistic, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for the FG to clean up its act.

^--- 

I am starting to wonder if I give off a gayish internet vibe. Becomerich is not even the first nairalander to call me gay!

Obiagu1:
I don't know what happened and why Tinubu allowed it to fail. As far as I know, that's the only chance ACN has to win the presidency. Buhari has always finished 2nd in the elections with millions of vote mainly from the North, now had SW total vote, it will be a good challenge for the PDP.

Indeed. The alliance could have defeated even GEJ. This is sometimes why I wonder about this "child of destiny" stuff they say about GEJ. Dude is the luckiest b@stard on earth. Very likely unqualified to be president. Yet every threat to him has mysteriously fallen apart. His opponents, rather than uniting have scattered themselves.

I dunno, I just find it somewhat weird.

Beaf:
Rolling over and giving in to those who employ minors to carry out ethnically bigoted protest will never be an option in my books. It could be in yours though, its a big World.

Dude, personally I don't give a damn about the threat of almajiris. What I'm concerned about is coup. Now, is my concern regarding this risk completely unwarranted? If so, why?

The simple fact is, it is the bold that change the World and cowards die several times; there is nothing to consider in Gbawe's stance. It is simply a plea for the status quo to carry on because the whole nation should be scared of hired kids on rampage.

Easy for you and I to say, since we don't live in any affected areas like Jos. And I suspect that you (like me) can easily escape from Nigeria if Nigeria falls apart into chaos. But what about those who don't have an exit plan?

Perhaps, you have a brand new definition for the term, "rational," which includes appeasing almajiri hirers, rather than tackling the roots of the almajiri problem.

Well, those education programs you suggest will take 5 or 10 years to have an impact. And how do you know that education will even help things? You can only lead a horse to water, cannot force the horse to drink.

Your analysis is correct, @Obiagu1. But I think that between Tinubu's greed and the failure of the CPC/ACN alliance, that door is now closed, not only in 2011, but also 2015.

Still, there will be future opportunities if we (Yoruba+allies) get our act together. In the short term, I would like to see Tinubu's influence drastically reduced in the ACN and SW, and for us to make inroads in the Middle Belt and the SS.

Heck, there might be possibilities even in 2015 if the PDP implodes. But I view this as a low probability event.

oyb:
gej of course

just as he reneged on the gentleman zoning agreement, he will renege on this one

abi he signed it, and even if he did, so what?

This aspect is very funny to me.

Obiagu1:
Exactly. Can the north crumble like a pack of cards with their muslim vs them mentality? Just laughing.

It isn't impossible. But I just think it very, very unlikely. We shall see though. I like how GEJ is playing one Northern group against the other. Can he do this long enough to block them from taking the presidency after him? I do not know. I'm skeptical.

With that said, if he succeeds at this, I would not be unhappy. Nigeria would be better off (at least, in theory, ignoring civil unrest, threat of coup, etc) if no core Northerners ever taste the presidency again. I know this might sound bigoted, but this is my firm belief  

^-- You are now characterizing @Gbawe as a sympathizer of these dudes?  Did you even read what he wrote? Show some class, man. His concerns are worth considering, not blindly discarded.

How long until you regain your senses and are able to talk as a rational person, rather than a GEJ sycophant?

Obiagu1:
PDP constitution didn't explicitly state that it must be north and south, it just about zoning and in your mind you think that the North will sit idly by and watch the south produce the presidency for 16 consecutive yrs? I wonder how people reason.

For this to happen, it means that the North has been thoroughly and utterly defeated, as far as political relevance goes. Can GEJ accomplish this by 2015 or 2019? I dunno. But if he does, then he will easily be the most powerful president and leader Nigeria has ever had.

Onlytruth:
eku_bear
No, you haven't thought of my points well.
Which would a Nigerian consider first in all sanity and fairness? A possible LIFE PRESIDENCY for Obasanjo, or Igbo presidency that will end the civil war?   C'mon!
Unless Nigerians truly want the country divided, the answer is clear. Mind you that those that will make this decision are not pedestrians like fstranger. They are leaders who want the country to stay one.  

We shall see if your perspective is correct. I don't think that is how the elites reason, but I could easily be wrong.

@dem_people: Whether any of those Northern governors will be good candidates in 2015 or 2019 is not what I'm discussing. All I am saying is why they supported GEJ. Their interests and GEJs interests aligned the very second Atiku was chosen as the consensus Northern candidate, imo.

Onlytruth:
Posted by: eku_bear
Firstly, because it is unconstitutional. He needed the constitution amended first and that is a no -no.

Secondly, he was too unpopular after second term. Almost all Nigerians wanted him gone!

But these two comments of yours suggest that the powers of the presidency are in fact more constrained than you think. Subject to (A) the will of the house of reps/senate and (B) the will of the populace.

Thirdly, Igbo presidency is one that all Nigerians know within their hearts that it is the right thing. So, it is an easier sell.

Err . . .   This is what you are banking on for an Igbo presidency? Not concrete strategies to bring in other groups, but fluffy stuff like this?   When did Nigerian politics become an episode of Oprah or Dr Phil?

[quote author=dem_people link=topic=586897.msg7545522#msg7545522 date=1295217815]Atiku also purchased delegates. Maybe he was the lowest bidder -by a thousand or a little more dollars but at the end of the day, its a matter of choice - and the delegates knew this and used it. It was mainly their choice to make despite threats from their respective state govs.[/quote]I think they chose GEJ because the Northern governors supported him. Those governors to a large extent control their state PDP structures.

If you're saying most of the Northern Govs do not want to see Atiku as president, could you point to a single individual who enjoys a general consensus among Northerners and Northern Govs. as favourite for the Presidency? (Don't tell me about Buhari).

It doesn't matter. If I'm a Northern governor, I'll support GEJ. Supporting GEJ means there is some probability you can contest for presidency in 2015 or 2019. Supporting Atiku and zoning means that you won't get the chance to be president until 2027. . . Who would you support, as an ambitious Northern governor?  

I also have never heard it called the Great Deal. And my 10th grade History teacher was an older AA woman.

@dem_people: I do not think that GEJ's purchase of the Northern PDP delegates and his coercion of the Northern Governors (most of whom do NOT want to see Atiku become president, as this means that they'll not get the chance to run in 2015 or 2019) suggests anything about what the people of the core North feel about him.

@Onlytruth: If the powers of the president are unlimited, why no 3rd term for OBJ?  

This thread made me laugh, a lot

@dem_people: Three points I agree with to some extent. However, this doesn't necessarily suggest a SE presidency. The North will want the presidency after GEJs tenure ends too. Which allies will the SE get to support their quest? And what concretely will they offer those allies in return?

@Gbawe: Hrm, I thought I understood your point. You and I differ I think in what costs we think are acceptable. I'm willing to accept unrest short of a coup;  you are not willing to accept anywhere near that much. Is that a fair characterization of your position?

Anyway. . . so if I don't support zoning the Northerners will cause "serious chaos"? I must support zoning to appease some imam?

Are we in a democracy, or not?  Why must I be held hostage in my own country?

It isn't even Sambo specifically I mean so much as the region he represents.

What about the North and Middle Belt? You think they'd be keen on being shut out of political power?

Who are the allies the SE will line up to support their quest for presidency in 2015 or 2019?

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=586446.msg7545280#msg7545280 date=1295214665]Hey, Bear.  It irks me.  I am working on it.  Maybe I'll just get a Ed.D and teach American History or Comparative Politics or something in Nigeria. [/quote]Money in that proly ain't right

Leverage poli sci into law degree?

I thought I wanted to be a professor too, but realized I'd rather be rich instead. . .

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=586446.msg7545242#msg7545242 date=1295214220]But I have to highlight some things that really conflicted with everything I know.  I'm not AA, but pursuing Pol Sci in the US means, to my utter consternation, I know more about American History and Politics than that of my own.   [/quote]Me and you both But I'm trying to fix the situation by paying more attention to Nigerian politics and history.

^--- Sambo will just allow himself to be shoved aside for an Igbo? Why?

@Gbawe: Rampaging almajiris, sharia aren't enough for me to support zoning. And I suspect if this was all there was to it, you'd not give a damn about zoning either. So what do you fear? Coup?

If it is coup, then I'll agree that there is some cause for concern. But almost anything less than that, and I'm inclined to support GEJs (probably selfish) effort to destroy zoning.