₦airaland Forum

Nigeria Nigeria, I cry for you.
Every Dick and Harry rejected from being ward councillor wants to be President

Could you believe that the man spoke hausa and is being interpreted

on going on nta, frcn! ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d

[b]Jakande, Abacha and history Saturday, 06 November 2010 00:00 Adesola Muyiwa Abdul-Kareem Opinion
When history is written from the perspective of prejudice, fed by ignorance, facts are bound to be brutally suppressed. This seems to be the reality surrounding the assessment of the late General Sani Abacha, especially from the perspective of South-West analysts and commentators. In fact, they virtually see nothing good about the late military ruler. Criticism arising purely from prejudice and animosity is the laziest intellectual efforts. But prejudice apart, are all the attacks on the late General Abacha justified or fair?
One man, however, who has consistently made frank efforts to assess the late General Abacha with an open mind is the former civilian governor of Lagos State during the Second Republic, Alhaji Lateef Jakande. Speaking during a recent interview with the Vanguard newspaper, Alhaji Jakande admitted that the late General Abacha had more accolades to his record than his enemies are courageous enough to admit.
According to the veteran Journalist, Gen. Abacha meant well for Nigeria and was on the course of executing and completing major development projects before fate struck in June 1998. Chief Jakande recalled that as a former Minister of Housing and Urban Development under Abacha, their administration had started major housing projects, witnessing the execution of 125,000 houses across the country. These projects, he said, had already got off the ground across the country.
Even without Jakande going into copious details, Nigerians can see the evidence of Abacha’s achievements on the ground twelve years after his demise. For example, the Gwarinpa Housing Estate, which is the largest single housing project in Africa, remains an enduring tribute to the memory of the late General Abacha. Former President Obasanjo is the harshest critic of General Abacha and, despite earning more billion dollars of oil revenues than the late military ruler, his performance record after eight years in office was an outstanding failure.
Therefore, as far as most fair-minded Nigerians are concerned, Alhaji Jakande was preaching to the converted. Nigerians can see Abacha’s achievements on the ground. During the eight-year-rule of former President Obasanjo, national infrastructure started a major decline, despite billions of dollars received by his administration as oil revenues. In fact, even the 18 billion dollars debt relief granted Nigeria under his administration didn’t have any impact on social and physical development.
Other Nigerians didn’t envy the South-West under Obasanjo. Today bad road network is one of the sorry legacies left by the former Obasanjo administration in the South-West. In fact, Obasanjo himself admitted at one point that he was ashamed of the conditions of federal roads! The bigger shame however, is that he couldn’t justify the billions of dollars that came into the coffers of his administration as oil revenues. His failure obscured the bright promises which Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 was supposed to have brought about.
In contrast, however, the late General Abacha was able to make a significant impact within five years at a time the total oil revenues that came to his administration was put at 10 billion dollars. With the establishment of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), Nigerians had for the first time saw the concrete benefits of petroleum subsidy withdrawal. Our hospitals, schools, roads, water supply systems, transport sector and electricity began to show remarkable signs of improvements with PTF intervention.
Unfortunately, former President Obasanjo impulsively scrapped the PTF and reversed the achievements without offering alternatives. Despite spending an estimated sum of 10 billion dollars to achieve regular power supply by the Obasanjo administration, the money went down the drain. Testimonies before the House of Representatives Power Probe Committee were devastating as it opened the eyes of Nigerians to the hypocrisy of the former Obasanjo administration.
It is on record that the late General Abacha started a major railway rehabilitation and modernization projects. He invited the Chinese Civil Engineering and Construction Company and within a few months, our railway system was taking an impressive new shape. Sadly, Obasanjo frustrated the railway projects out of personal animosity against Abacha, thereby sacrificing the larger public interest to serve a private motive. Shamelessly, however, towards the end of his tenure, he re-awarded the rail contracts at a more staggering cost to Nigeria. Because it was done out of malicious motives, the railway modernization projects are today bogged down, thanks to Obasanjo’s insincerity.
It is also to Abacha’s credit that he didn’t collect any foreign loan but he was still able to deliver. Former FCT Minister, General Jerry Useini and Former Chairman of National Economic Intelligence Committee, Professor Sam Aluko have testified to this fact in several media interviews. Nigerians don’t need a reminder from Alhaji Lateef Jakande to appreciate General Abacha’s impressive record within a relatively short space of time he was destined to be in government. Since 1999, Nigerians oil revenues have risen to unbelievable extent but the so-called democratic rulers have only managed to increase the scale of corruption and accelerating poverty in the country.
A former U. S. President, Bill Clinton, said in the year 2000, during a visit to Nigeria that his country would not oppose debt relief for Nigeria, provided the benefits would go to ordinary Nigerians. Unfortunately, Clinton’s fears were eventually confirmed. A few years after the debt relief, the so-called national budgets didn’t bring any significant improvement in the quality of life for ordinary Nigerians. One of the arguments for debt relief made by the former Obasanjo administration was that Nigeria was committing almost 50 percent of its budget to servicing foreign debts to the detriment of key social service sectors.
Persuaded by these superficially genuine arguments, the Western creditors finally granted Nigeria a debt relief of 18billion dollars in 2003. However, even the Western nations are themselves disappointed with the quality of life of Nigerians today, despite granting the country the 18 billion dollars debt relief. With this disgraceful record of failure, what moral justification should former President Obasanjo have to condemn the Abacha administration?
One commends Alhaji Jakande’s courage to speak up honestly about Abacha’s achievements in the political environment of the South-West, which is hostile to Abacha’s memory. However, prejudice cannot crush the truth because it will always resurge.
Abdul-Kareem wrote in from No. 29, Panama Street, Minister’s Hill Maitama, Abuja[/b]

[size=20pt]This man is so free. The way he mixes with the ordinary masses makes me see that he is the man to beat come 2 weeks time.[/size]

Please Aisha2, Mukina2 (the worst), please don't ban me o.
I'm trying 2 make NL better.
I have a young daughter who I can't drive away when surfing Nairaland

You see what I said: 'unclothed' was an automatically corrected version of what I wrote. So if you can correct that word that is spelt n.a.k.e.d, why do u show it here and there?

[size=20pt]I WAS AT WORK THIS AFTERNOON BETWEEN 4PM AND 5PM WHEN I DECIDED TO OPEN MY FAVOURITE NAIRALAND TO GET MORE GISTS ABOUT THE YOUTH-CENTRED PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AND ALSO TO READ BEAF'S NEW JOKES ABOUT BUHARI.


ALL OF A SUDDEN, A NAKED NYASH AS SOME-ONE CALLED IT POPPED UP.

MY CO-WORKERS HAPPEN TO BE AT A SIGHTING DISTANCE.

ALAS, IT SEEMED AS IF I CHECK EVIL SITES. I HAD TO EXPLAIN AND EXPLAIN.

IT IS NOT THAT THEY ARE MY SUPERIORS. I'M HIGHER IN POSITION, HOWEVER I NEEDED TO PROTECT MY INTEGRITY WHICH I GUIDE JEALOUSLY BEFORE ALL (THEM INCLUSIVE).

SO NAIRALAND FOUNDERS AND MODERATORS, YOU OWE US AN EXPLANATIONS. YOUR WEB MACHINE AUTOMATICALLY EDIT ANY GUILE AND FOUL WORD. YOU HAVE SHOWN GREAT DIGNITY, HOW COME THIS PIX IS OUT-WITTING YOU? IS IT AN UNDELETABLE VIRUS? JARUS ANSWER. IS IT ABOVE U? [/size]

I like that suggestion.
Whoever thought of this arrangement MUST have a great brain


FASHOLA AND LAMIDO
Nigeria can never be more better

[size=50pts]NAIRALAND, REMOVE THIS RUBBISSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PICTURE U CALL ADVERT.
unclothed WOMAN??!!!! HOW MUCH THEY PAY UNA? PROFESSIONAL PRINCIPLES PAY MORE THAN MONEY!![/size]

IVORY2009:
Pdp must capture Lagos State this time around!

'
From your choice of 'must capture', it show that PDP can never win Lagos this year and in 2015.

In democracy, you dont capture, you WIN!
BUT WINNING IS VERY FAR FROM PDP (1) FOR NOT FIELDING THEIR BEST CANDIDATE BUT RATHER CHOSE THE POLITICAL GODSON OF BODE GEORGE (2) FOR OPENLY CELEBRATING BODE'S RELEASE FROM PRISON SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.
(3) FOR THE FAILURE OF THEIR PARTY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL (4) FOR THE EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE OF FASHOLA.

[size=40pt]AT PRESS TIME, GEJ HASN'T RESPONDED THAT HE WILL PART TAKE IN THE DEBATE[/size]

Kobojunkie:
I know it is possible, and it is not rare occurrence in the developed world. What I don't get is why Nigerians, even those who are abroad still make excuses for the situation in the country.

Thanks dear Kobo, the value we place on life here is so appalling.
Small time, they will say its because of hundreds of years of slavery. Was it slavery that made Anenih to loot the money allocated for Benin-Ore his own state when a Minister of Works? Was it slavery that made him to be recently made Board Chair for NPA instead of being behind bars?

[b]If I did not watch, I would have believed this LIESSSSSSSSSS you guys put up here.
At your old age, could you have done better than any of those women?


There was none of them who did not speak with passion and love for Lagos state.

They were EXCELLENT.
However, the ACN woman used her experince in Govt since 1991 to dust the rest. She seems to have every data on her finger tips. I couldn't believe she was always correcting the world renown Bismark Rewane the financial Guru!

The NCP hit the points but her hatred for the elitist Fashola administration blurred her points.

The PDP woman a medical doctor did fantastic but she didnt hit the nail in many cases because she was too frontal in her attacks. But she dusted the acclaimed achievements of Fashola. Her quite posture was also lovely. Someone beside me said 'them don poison her mind from im party'. She hates Fashola with passion that she was blaming him for the Nationwide problems!

The Igbo woman of ANPP seemed great. As a Barrister who is even an exco in her professional body, she was supporting the present Govt against the doctors. 'Even Lawyers are not paid properly, but they did not go on strike'. She might secure a post in Fashola's administration.

Tinubu's wife and daughter were sitting with Ben Bruce and the husbands of these women were showed from time to time. The best woman for the job is clearly the ACN Deputy Governor. She is more mature, more exposed and even older than the rest. On an ordinary day, she could have won Sarah Sosan in a free and fair debate. [/b]

MOST WRITERS SEEM TO FORGET THAT PROF UTOMI, REV OKOTIE, DELE MAMODU AND A HOST OF OTHER ELOQUENT CANDIDATES WILL BE THERE TO TAKE GEJ TO THE CLEANERS AND DUST HIM THEREAFTER.


THE MOST NOBLE THING THE 3 TOP DID WAS TO REFUSE TO SIT FOR A LEAKED EXAM.
LET THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SPOKEN NOW SPEAK

THE TRUTH IS THAT FEW PER CENT OF NIGERIANS WILL WATCH IT SINCE PDP HAS KILLED OUT POWER SECTOR BY THEIR STYLES OF MAKING THE SITTING PRESIDENTS TO BE POWER MINISTERS WITH THEIR INEFFICIENCIES AND CLUELESSNESS

[b]ThisDay publisher Nduka Obaigbena, under heat for his paper's publication of a questionable opinion poll on the April 2011 elections, has directed Thisday's lawyers to sue officials of opposing parties for libel. In a report received today by SaharaReporters, Mr. Obaigbena's paper announced that it was suing three spokespersons of ACN, Team Ribadu and CPC, for accusing his news organization of concocting a discredited opinion poll.

A few days ago, ThisDay published an ostensible opinion poll in which the paper claimed that more than 60 percent of voters favor Goodluck Jonathan, the presidential candidate of the ruling PDP to win the the April 9 presidential poll. Mr. Obaigbena is also reportedly suing a PDP spokesman for questioning aspects of the alleged poll.

Mr. Obaigbena, who has a long history of putting his publications at the propaganda service of Nigeria's military and civilian governments, has faced pointed censure since his paper's publication of the bizarre poll results.

Mr. Obaigbena's lawsuit, which will commence tomorrow at the Federal High Court, Abuja, targets Joe Igbokwe of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Ibrahim Modibbo of the Ribadu Campaign Organization (also known as "Team Ribadu", Yinka Odumakin of Congress for Progressive Change, and Cletus Akwaya of the Peoples Democratic Party.



Mr. Akwaya is a former reporter with Mr. Obaigbena's Thisday but currently serves as Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to the Governor of Benue State. Mr. Akwaya had criticized the "poll" for stating that Governor Suswam of Benue, a PDP candidate, would lose his bid for reelection.

One Abuja-based lawyer said it was highly unlikely that Mr. Obaigbena's lawsuits are going to succeed. "I think the likely outcome is that the judge hearing this libel case will conclude that Thisday is guilty of gross abuse of the court process," said the lawyer, adding that the paper brought justified criticism on itself by selling bogus polls to its readers. [/b]

3. Easter Island
Ponder the handiwork of one of the most mysterious civilizations in history. With the nearest major landmass, Chile, lying 2,200 miles away, Easter Island is as remote as it is mysterious. No one knows exactly why nearly 900 gargantuan stone monoliths are sprinkled across this isolated, 60-square-mile scrap of land in the middle of the South Pacific—and those long, stone faces aren't talking. For several hundred years, the moai that are unique to this island have maintained their silent sentinel even as the civilization that created them collapsed and a trickle of tourists appeared in its wake. Intended to stand atop cut-stone altars (called ahu), the moai average 13 feet high and weigh nearly 14 tons each; most lie prone, toppled by civil wars in the 17th and 18th centuries. A particularly compelling spot is Rano Raraku, the collapsed volcano where many moai were quarried and where nearly 400 figures remain, all frozen in various states of completion. The island counts only one town, Hanga Roa, where you'll want to check in to Vai Moana, a low-key hotel with 18 rooms set in bungalows (from $102, including breakfast and transport to and from the airport). You can then wander from the volcanic coastline across grassy hills without bumping into another human being who might break Easter Island's spell.

2. Vieques
Experience the world's clearest bioluminescent bay. When the U.S. Navy packed up and left Vieques in 2003, after more than 60 years, it left something behind: unspoiled nature. Land once used for bombing practice is now designated as a national wildlife refuge. So far there are only a few mega-resorts like those found on the Puerto Rican mainland—instead, you'll find homey inns like the aptly named Great Escape B&B, where breakfast is served poolside (from $115). There are only two notable towns (the population is less than 10,000): Isabel Segunda on the northern side of the island, and the far smaller Esperanza on the south. The effect is that when you reach a beach at the end of a dirt road here, your reward is having the sand largely to yourself. Playa de la Chiva (Blue Beach) attracts daytime snorkelers and divers, but the real reason Vieques belongs on your bucket list is Puerto Mosquito. Of the seven bioluminescent bays on the planet, Puerto Mosquito is the most impressive, thanks to the clarity and brightness of its waters. Schedule a moonless night for a swim or kayak tour and you'll be greeted by billions of micro-organisms called dinoflagellates that ignite the water with a magical blue-green glow (Aqua Frenzy Kayaks, from $30 per person). It's like swimming in a watercolor painting.

1. Bali
Find your center on an island so spiritual it's become known as "Island of the Gods." The warm, spiritual essence that writer Elizabeth Gilbert discovered here and celebrated in Eat, Pray, Love has been native to Bali for centuries. It's one of 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago—and the only one on which Hindus form the majority (93 percent). Even more striking is the fact that there is a spiritual celebration here nearly every day. Three Hindu temples at the Besakih (the Mother Temple of Bali) survived a 1963 eruption that destroyed nearby villages while missing by mere yards this terraced complex atop volcanic Mount Agung. The event is still considered a miracle by locals, who arrive in regular procession; they balance offerings on their head and climb the steps to the sound of mantras, jingling bells, and the sharp flutter of umbul-umbuls (ceremonial Balinese flags). Anyone interested in exploring the inner self might like the Nirarta Centre, an 11-room hotel set amid rice terraces and gardens that holds daily meditation sessions. After finding your center here, channel your energy into jungle treks, scuba diving, and big-break surfing along beaches of fine white and volcanic black sand. Exhale against a backdrop of rice paddies and Impressionist sunsets that illuminate the Indian Ocean.

PRESIDENT-IN-WAITING

SECURITY RECORDS:
1. NO BOMBING IN LAGOS
2. STATE INITIATED POLICE TRUST FUND
3. CCTV CAMERAS
4. RAPID RESPONSE TO CRISIS E.G AGBOWA CAMP (THE BEST CAMP DURING FLOODING NATIONWIDE)
4. AND MANY MORE!

From PDP to ANPP to ACN to CPC to FIRE?

AMOSUN REPENT BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
VAL DAY IS THE DEADLINE. RETRACE YOUR STEPS OR REGRET IT

I weep for Ogun people because either Olurin the 'devil' that wrecked Ekiti state within 6 months or Isiaka the gateway hotel looter will become Governor.
I weep