₦airaland Forum

Beaf:
^
The problems Nigeria has are very far divorced from those of the "US, China, and so many other big economies". There is no basis for comparison, those countries all have responsible govts that acted to save their economies; over here, it is our govt that is causing problems for our economy, either out of ineptness or because they are creating avenues to filch.

Everywhere government cause more problems than they solve. Ineptitude is not just a government thing, it goes down to the individual. My point actually is that every government activity/action is not about"creating avenues to filch.' Some are genuine attempt to fix problems. I rather government spend money 'stimulating' the economy that for them to leave it in the 'treasury' because the former is active engagement, the latter is ineptitude!

Interesting thread. And as usual filled again with ignorant outburst from some ill informed, but passionate people. Anyway I have lived in the two worlds - Nigeria and Ghana. And I like to give my opinion is this matter.

Let me start with Shesi
I live nd work in Accra Ghana, and I have followed this debate for a while now. I know quite well that inter-ministerial discussion is going on at various levels of government of both countries to resolve this impasse. Though Ghana claim $300,000 is the minimum required for 'foreigners' to start business in ghana. They claim that such amount is necessary to prevent 'foreigner' from 'competing' with local in petty trading. Paint it anyway you like Shesi, you and I know it is protectionism. But then I would do same (and more) if I were in Ghana's shoes. Protecting your economy is not a bad idea.

The point you mentioned about Nigeria 'banning' some many good from 'Ghana' is not entirely wrong. Nigeria has a 'very good reason' to reject some of those good- minimal local content. According to Nigeria, goods from neighbouring countries with less than 60% local content are not deem to have been made in that country. Nigeria is not unawares of the hasty (and perhaps ill-informed) interim EPA agreement Ghana and Ivory Coast signed with EU. This essentially make those countries 'dumping' sites for their finished goods. Dumping site we wont mind, but transit point to Nigeria - a bigger (and target) market? No way! There is no way Nigeria will allow EU to ship product through Ghana, and repackage them, and ship to Nigeria in the name of ECOWAS. That would not be fair.

At those creating rumours about chasing out Nigerians,
That is not the case. Ghana is simply trying to regulate their business environment. And it's a buyers market like Shesi said. If the cost of doing business in Ghana becomes 'untainable' for any reason, business men (women) with make necessary decision. I don't have yet the $300,000 (or $1m) required do business in Ghana, but I know I can start a $10,000 (or less) chicken/fish farm business in Nigeria or Benin/Togo. Why do I need to bother about Ghana's conditionality? Lets quit this unnecessary noise about Ghana, it's simply not worth it!

Every action of government is not for the purpose of 'stealing'. Some of us here open our mouth to say what others will agree with instead of constructive opinions. The nation's economy needs to be stimulated. The US, China, and so many other big economy did similar, why not here.

All these talks about stealing are probabilities, not concrete fact. There are people in government who are genuine and have good intentions, and there are many people here who are ignorant and have no idea about how government business is conducted.

Here is my take on Men of God:

Courtesy of Extra Mantra

http://extramantra..com/2009/09/man-of-god.html

Lol. Tribal war indeed. I believe some people enjoy having fun at at the expense of the truth. Anyway, why some argue about which tribes go for education or not, one organisation (in nigeria) is keeping a record of Applications and Admission by states.

Check your state and check your score for both male and female for the past 6-7 year. Go to JAMB website

http://www.jambng.com/app_ume.php


If you look at the 2008/2009 Application statistics

http://www.jambng.com/ume/umeapp08.pdf

you will notice that there is very little difference in term of number of UME application for both the South- East, South West, and South-South. Differences might just be due to population difference.

Cheers

Where is Obama? Infact forget about him?
Someone need to write a book (or poem on this)

Audacity of an HIV+

lol. This is hilarious.
Anyway, the point is that this negative traits we are all hammering against
one tribe or the other, is not actually a thing of tribe. It's an individual thing.

Different people from different tribes (indeed worldwide) have the flaws we have mentioned.

Cheers!

@ poster
This may be a classic case of dilemma of love

Dillemma of love

http://extramantra..com/2009/08/poem-dilemma-of-love.html

when love is not enough

@poster

Forget that girl. She is a gold digger, pure and simple!

Now that's what I'm talking about. Come on you BLUES!!

Where is the gooooooooooal! Thats what counts!

That is my Chelsea! 3 - 0 Spurs.
The harder they come, the harder they fall!

Who next?

ezeagu:
First of all do we even have a map of road's in Nigeria, like an A-Z?

https://www.wizann.co.uk/images/Maps/Premier%20Wall.jpg

Answer: No, so we don't even know where we are. . . . .

If your answer is NO, then it's an opportunity for to make some cool money. Or do you expect government to do everything for you? And if government propose to do one, you will shout sleaze, fraud, embezzlement, corruption, etc.

Are we Nigerians getting lazy or what? This is not the Nigerians I grow up know.

My friend get up, and do that road map. I'll buy a copy when you are done!

This is one of the best posts I have read in Nairaland in recent time. The bulk of the post here are basically whining, and hating by those who are bereft of ideas on the way forward, and are hell bent of shipping their pessimism.

The idea of the OP is good. But I will just want to say that:

1. The 'phone centers are not needed. Rather the mobile phone company can grant a dedicated/emergency channel (line) for the purpose. Such emergency can be made free and they can use their normal call centers to handle them.

2. As for the relaxation spot, well, I know that alot of enterprising nigerians will be interested in setting up private spot along important highways. It goes with saying. Besides, road builders may not have experience in hospitality industries.

3. Same goes for the adverts. They can sell space, but advertising companies abound in Nigeria to take advantage of any such strategic space.

And finally
4. I think the 50 years is way too long. A good road network with strategically located toll gates should be able to pay for itself in 10 to 20 years. Our bid to build infrastructures should not be an avenue to mortgage our country. We have made similarly mistake in the Oil industries, which we are still trying to correct. We need not make same mistake in the transport/public infrastructure sectors.

One thing I know for sure, is that we shall continue to move forward, lets not take decision on the basis of current frustration, on day, soon, Nigeria will be the toast of all those big multinational currently snubbing us. They will beg like Vodadom to have a slice of the action (remember the GSM era)

Cheers

illusion2:
Emeka,you have spoken well. . . I'm every bit a patriotic Nigerian & I believe in tolerance & mutual respect. Imagine just imagine,you were a citizen of Republic of Biafra& on your Biafran pounds you have Yourunba or hausa written on your currency,

I understand the hausa in Arabic characters bit,but why didn't they put Yoruba & Igbo in the currency from the onset? Then we would have said. . .okay the hausas can't read english alphabets so Yoruba & Igbo will be in 'English/latin characters),but all these years its been there ,now an intelligent man (Soludo) came in & said no . . . this is not right. . . this is ONE NIGERIA ,why would anybody insist on having Arabic after that?

The initial argument put forward by the progenitor of Arabic symbol on the Naira was that Northern Nigeria has for long used Arabic as the language of instruction at the same time the South embraced English. While the south 'mastered' the english language, the north also excel in the study of arabic. It's not Nigeria's fault that the colonial masters amalgamated north and south. But the process created the need to for the Arabic symbol to be included in the 'original' naira.

I believe that sort of compensated for not changing the official language to Arabic or Hausa after independence. Going forward, if it is established that the majority in the North cannot read the english language then why not give them what they can read - Arabic. Does a little arabic inscription hurt anyone? I think not.

Let me twist my argument in another perspective. If the majority of the South are not literate enough to understand the Arabic language, then maybe the North should be kindhearted and tolerant enough to allow us (southerner) have english language 'inscribed' on the naira.

And I think I have answered the Biafrian question. If there is a large and significant population of a futuristic Biafran country whose primarily language of tutelage is Yoruba or Hausa, why should we disenfranchise them in our currency? Let them have the language inscription therein.

As an upcoming poet myself, I think those police poems are nice. Some are very real and quite touching. Some are also comical. Re-branding by being  creative is a good one. Poems helps your appreciate a situation (and sometimes say sometime about you).

Big ups to the cops.

And courtesy of my blog,

http://extramantra..com

Enjoy  DEADLY CHATTER  (a police poem)



GORY TALE (I): DEADLY CHATTER

The men in black, cops they are
Nabbed him
An innocent bystander
Bloodshot eyes,
Of the ganja mongers,
Peek
From slits, and keyholes
The innocent squeaked, chattered,
Gesticulated
In futile protestation
The men in black pushed, dragged, hassled
The innocent

Blood shot eyes,
Peeked,
Ominously

Then he clattered
The innocent
Bright red blood, oozed
Kissing the red earth
From his head wound
The men in black, five in all
All awed, all froze

Bloodshot eyes,
Reddened
By the red sight
Emerged from
Nooks and crannies
With cudgel, and all
Deadly chatters, shrieks, and groans
Rend the air
Shattered by gunshots
By the men in black
Two in all
Fleeing to tell
The gory tale


http://extramantra..com/2009/08/gory-tale-i-deadly-chatter_03.html

illusion2:
gado, your profile says ‘intelligensia’ but you need to proffer intelligent  points. I LIVE in the middle east & what u have said isn’t entirely correct- In Saudi weekend is Thursday &Friday. . .in other Gulf states its Friday& Saturday. . . in Lebanon its Friday & Sunday. . . in Egypt its Sat&Sunday(like Nigeria tho’ 70% muslim). . . so dnt make this a religious issue. Labour laws ,depending on the country determine how many hours people work in a week. . .if we go by your arguments, then we can follow the Lebanese example & work on Sat.
If u ask people what would they rather have Arabic on NIGERIAN currency or exchange Friday for Saturday work,they’ll choose the later. We are Nigerians not Arabs. . .like I posted earlier ,Arabs don’t have HAUSA on their currency, so why Nigeria?. . .we always pretend we are holy,yet we’re d most corrupt !!!
Please stop all these Muslim majority in Nigeria . . . . . Nigeria is 50-50 Muslim-christian or maybe a 5% differential. . . that isn’t a majority !

& stop talking about . . .people ‘converting’ your southern brothers. . .we all know how Usman Dan Fodio spread Islam. .  .I would prefer to be preached to than forced by the sword to convert anyway.
Do we need mutual understanding & respect among Nigeria’s tribes & religion. . . yes, but not by putting something not related to our country on OUR currency. . .

Gado has a point in what he wrote. And the labour law you refer to is as you call it 'law'. Law is made by the people for the people. If the people decides the want weekends on Friday and Sunday to reflect any religion reality who are we to stop them.

My point really is that we should dwell more on the things that unite us, rather than what divides us? What implication does the arabic symbols has on the the naira, other than show diversity?

For me, what is more important is that the Niara is durable, and taxpayers monies are saved. If they like let them add Japanese, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, etc. It does not stop anyone from spending it! Besides those who feel strongly about the symbolism can seek redress in the court or law.

The Arabs are people too! I'm sick of these Arabic symbolism argument.

I have stopped caring about the arabic inscriptions on the note. what is important now is that the notes be durable. That will safe tax-payer's money like mine!

The Nigeria bashing by Nigerians is so bad here (in Nairaland). The other day, I posted a topic (see link below)

CPI 2008: Nigeria Is Not As Corrupt As Most Of You Think
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-309162.0.html

To show that we are not even is the 1st 100 list of corrupt nations, what did I get?
Shouting down by pessimists who even suggested that Nigeria has bribed Transparency International!

Those who run down their country are often the first beneficiary of it wherever they are. People will see you in the same eyes/ways you see you country. Self/country esteem is important, very important.

Nigeria: Great Nation, good people!

ROSSIKE:
emeka, thanks for that official data you posted above. It shows that Indians, Pakistanis, Kenyans, Ghanaians, Banglageshis etc have it much worse than Nigerians, but you'll rarely find any of those people dismissing their country the way some idiots who call themselves Nigerians do.

And I'm really getting sick of people going on about ''how well Ghana is doing''. Look, if you visit Ghana, all they have is Accra. Finish. Drive out of Accra the capital and you'll be wondering just what it is that people are talking about. It's like stopping off in Abuja and returning to say Nigeria is now eldorado.

Please please please, there is no basis for comparing Ghana to Nigeria. The Annual GDP of Lagos State alone is $33 billion.

The annual GDP of Ghana is $22 billion.

Says it all right there.

No basis for comparison.

You are welcome ROSSIKE,
You see most of the bad image and publicity we get is because of some of those here who run off their mouths with misinformation about Nigeria(ns). They seem happy to celebrate pessimism, and lies, and dismiss optimism and truth. It sad, what many have turn into.

Nigeria is not as bad as we paint it sometimes, and even in government, there are genuine people there too, trying to do the right things. But the problems are many, and efforts may not be so noticeable because of our penchant for impatience, and understanding.

Nigeria is a great nation, with good people. We shall get there!

omonozozo:
I think Nigeria is the poorest country in the whole of Africa in terms of GDP per capita

Frustration is never a good reason to spread misinformation or misconception. Nigeria has her problems, and our spread of misinformation is one of the greatest problem.

No matter how bad the situation is, let's stick to the truth. Giving ourselves bad names to justify our biases is a bad thing on is own. It exacerbates the issues. Let not be as inept as the the government we criticize daily.

Here are the facts about GNI as at 2008. It doesn't take too much effort to get:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GNIPC.pdf