₦airaland Forum

Goodvibes007:
On Nairaland, you will think America loves Trump.
But in the USA which is real life, alot actually hate him lol.

If Nigerians could vote in US elections, Trump would have won before noon on election day.

Even Trump's only one victory to become president was via electoral votes, and not popular vote. Clinton won the popular vote by around 2,000,000.

Tell them. The 22 year-old could be a republican as well, who knows? Like I said a few days ago, there could be several likes of Mr Crooks out there, who are still hibernating for Trump

CorrectionFLuid:
No I don't understand Yoruba. Kudos if all you've said is true. Let's be watching. But remember that the evil in power now is worse than what was before him. And he has evil supporters ready to call black white.

Like I said, na to dey observe.

I won't dig the archives like you suggested. You've done your part, and your good deeds are between you and your God and conscience if true.

Once again kudos

The yoruba words literally mean, if you do good, you don't have to entertain guilty conscience.

That said, I'm going to likely become a human rights activist like Bar Femi Falana. The givernment is suppressing the masses. It's too much. You get anything and everything you want without engaging the masses who put you there and anytime you try to talk about anything that favours you, you only want the masses to know, you've already concluded on getting it. Meanwhile they put you there and you're suffering them.

For instance they said they're considering getting a new jet meanwhile, they just wanted us to know, they've already paid for it. The VP building, the presidential yacht, salary increase for the judges, etc. Once they say we want to...just know it's already been concluded, not that they just wanted to get them. Which reasonable administration does that?

I'm a staunch supporter of Obi. If God places him there tomorrow, and he misbehaves, I will criticise him. I'm on the side of the masses.

CorrectionFLuid:
Eriokanmi again I ask you... Will you catch these hoodlums and hand them over to security agencies if they come out from black SUV vehicles?

We're not joining in the protest like I've reiterated, before they say it's Obidients again, even though there was nothing like Obidients during endsars. Obidients are their problems..and hope you're exempted from those with such crude mentality. Let only those who contributed to the ongoing failire protest nationwide. If we want to protest, its always for a just cause and peaceful.

I once posted my picture here where I was engaging the police in ojota last year, after we caught a thug who was trying to hijack the peaceful protest. I told the police to ensure he doesn't escape. He stepped out of an SUV with his cohorts. One of them was hit in the head and he dropped on the brt lane by angry protesters who caught him with a sharp weapon mobbed him. Others escaped. The one we caught was on Cuffs as at the time I was with the police who were monitoring the process. If you can dig the archives, it's in the news and my picture was there.

Last year at my ward in alimosho, 2 thugs came on a bike to disrupt the peaceful voting process despite movement restrictions . I approached them, even when the police were just looking. One of them wanted to attack me and I dared him, then he pulled back and jumped on the bike and left.

So, back to your question, even if they drop from the plane, im not afraid. Its only a coward who will be afraid of his fellow human being. As part of the para military training I received, I can disarm anyone who aims to attack me. I participated in endsars protest fully. It's my right, so far I conduct myself peacefully. We're always afraid in this country and that's why they keep sending threats and scary news to us to discourage us.

Bi iwo ba she rere, ara ki yoo ha ya o bi? Hope you understand it.

CorrectionFLuid:
What if those hoodlums come in black SUVs like they did in endsars? Even if you catch them, will you hand them to the police that was just watching them and not doing anything because of orders from above?

They're not more than the majority. Hope you know. I pray it's truly peaceful and not hijacked

Goodvibes007:
Which whole Nigeria is United in protest?

Ohaeneze, Arewa CF, Miyetti Allah, SW youth, NANs Lagos e.t.c have all said they are not protesting.

Nobody sbould be afraid of protest. They should conduct it peacefully with police protection, in case hoodlums may want to hijack it. It's the right of the citizens in democracy. I don't know why some people are distracting and scaring people who want to protest away from it, which wont still work. Is there hardship in the land?, oh yes! Are people happy? No! Are they dying of hunger? Yes! Let them protest. It's a means if telling the government to sit up, make things work, reverse polices, etc.

lolu2019:
forget it.let's be realistic.financial difficulties is not enough reason for someone to commit suicide.i believe there is an underlying health problem.maybe HIV.

People don't commit suicide anymore over hiv cos they now live healthy with treatments. I doubt you can even recognise a hiv patient these days when you see one. That's why infection rate is so high nowadays cos when you see a clean guy or girl, you'd think the person is hiv or infection free. Anyone who sleeps with that person could contract it. That's why abstinence is key or you run a test to know your status, even b4 marriage, b4 u sleep with your spouse. Trust is very scarce nowadays. Don't fall for I love you tori torun. Both of you should get tested b4 you do anything together.


Today, no food, no money, tomorrow same, you...have family and dependants who always look up to you for help but your salary can't even take you to your family from your duty post and back, if you fall sick or you have a manageable sickness like diabetes, hbp, there's no money to get drugs while the condition gets deteriorated....suicide won't tell you before it wld come. Depression will first set in.

However, in any situation, suicide isn't the option as things can always get better. Our govt is a failure

Chinkoalhaji34:
Threats or no threats, progress is still being made.

The government is focused on delivering results, and those who truly want change should engage positively rather than protest negatively.

Let's support constructive dialogue instead!

Hope you've collected your own kongo of rice out of the truckload that the FG shipped to your state to ease your burden for 2 days. Mtcheew

lolu2019:
it may be an health problem bro.And not necessarily financial issues.dont just conclude.

So, those police complaining of hardship with stinking uniform also have health problems? Smh!

chopnaira:
Lol. There have been economic hardship before him and there will be hardship after. Not everybody will be financially buoyant even in America.

Rip to the dead.

Just pray for forgiveness or you delete this nonsense. I wish he was your close relation. Maybe you'd have realised how it hurts.

DMerciful:
The police needs to stay neutral in the 10 days of rage because they're also victims.

Look at their barracks like where pigs stay!

This is one small naw. Come to police college in ikeja. You'd close your mouth when passing through the barracks. It stinks more than septic a tank. Thank God they rehabilitated a few blocks near the main road that year, because channels tv made a documentary about it.

Terrible. I met a police man by Ikeja shopping mall recently, he was just lamenting. I asked him...but officer, each time we protest, it's still you people who would come and disperse us with kondo. He now said, it's not their fault, that they had to obey order from the above.

I travelled to ekiti to see grandma late last year. Somewhere along Itawurę, for those who are familiar with that region, where there's a mining site, a group of officers stopped me. They said they're not looking for papers, that they know a criminal when they see one and we now burst into laughter and we got talking. They asked if I were a lover of oduduwa republic and I said I'm Nigerian, cos you never can tell, the question could be a bait to catch you. They said we wish we could break up because the suffering is much. That they had children in the universities and the salary couldn't take care of one, not to talk of the rest, anymore.

The 70k wage is a step forward but it's nothing, compared to what's obtainable in many mushroom countries in africa. The inflation figure posted by the FG recently was fake and i don't blame them. They're corrupt. They see free money up there too. They don't care about you and I. See the way lawmakers are now defecting from one party to another after using your vote to win elections. They're not your friends.

Police would genuinely love Nigerians to protest because they're parents too. They have families. But they'd not want to say it out openly that they're in support of it. Nigeria is bleeding. This is just one, out of many suicide cases that go on in our country everyday. This case became known because he was a notable Nigerian. This isn't a time to go the tribal route because you can't get a discount in the food market because you belong to a particular tribe. Northerners didn't enjoy buhari, only their elite did. Muslim-muslim ticket is a bait used by Tinubu to catch Muslims, especially in the north, wondering if Muslims are spared from the ongoing hardship. He used tribalism to get some, down south. The ruling class know how to get us during elections, after which they'd abandon us. We keep falling for their tricks each time and we're always at the receiving end.

Those who wish to protest can do that but please, without violence. It's in line with our constitution. When you sight hoodlums, I mean those who would die poor, grab them and hand them over to the police before they hijack the protest as they did during endsars. Our politicians are desperate and wicked. They can sponsor them to dabaru things. August 1st they say is the date, but we don't know when it would end. Govt should do something. Ebi npawon araalu

Goodvibes007:
You na go just dey throw words that you don't understand the meaning around social media..The guy below is what you will call a miscreant and not a UK trained lawyer plus adviser to a past Nigerian president.

I'm only concerned about my state and LG in alimosho. Let Anambra people deal with that

Better. Judiciary has become instrument of the ruling class

Reno don turn miscreant finish
I always liked him during gej days

Okoroawusa:
You are right. Like the way Peter Obi betrayed the loyalty of those that voted him on the APGA platform and again those that voted him on the PDP platform in 2019 to defect to LP in 2023

Not really. I was actually referring to the likes of Tinubu, who left SDP for AD and from there to AC/ACN and later APC. On obi, APGA is a junior brother of the PDP and they've endorsed the PDP presidential candidates in the past. Obi moving to the pdp was quite justifiable in this case. Then, when the party's constitution of zoning presidency to the south was jettisoned by atiku and he bribed his way through, Obi left the pdp for Labour and he wasn't the only one. Wike whom you guys are now seeing as Mr magic too was technically in the APC due to the atiku's action.

This also gave birth to the G-5 Governors who supported the apc during presidential election instead of atiku. Obi didn't leave as a political officer holder and abandoned his party who voted him into that office, unlike what we see today. Umahi and Co wouldn't have been making noise today, had he contested under the apc in that era. He'd have lost to the pdp candidate

Obi,.oko iyaawon

fatherjesse:
This government will as usual, as was done with EndSars, proliferate the protest with those that would give support to why they had to use armed men to waste lives of innocent Nigerians. It is so sad that Nigerians are hungry, angry and may soon lose their lives to the worst set of people to govern us. 😭😭😭😭😭

Let them kill just one almajjiri on that day, that protest will be loud cos they'd tuch and torch everywhere. They're not peaceful and quiet like we are

abba09:
honestly i feel for this man he is trying his best but the country is fvcked up. tinubu is not cruel like buhari he is just harvesting the cruelty sown by buhari.

Who sponsored Buhari's election and brought buhari to power?

helinues:
Na so

Let those who want to hit their heads should do so jejeli without dragging others oo

There's no way that would happen under a peaceful protest.

2Radii:
Abeg wetin "t" dey find inside Adeshina??

Abi a no be yoruba again ni??

Maybe she's got an itshekiri blood. I remember Omatseye

XOGBADO:
Good one! I hope our government and politicians learn from this.

Their followers will shower praises on them instead. Nigeria isn't ready to progress

Fineman2:
This is getting more interesting, go Harris


I the way she smiles when talking

Madam is our inlaw in Nigeria. Her niece married a Nigerian from Anambra. God bless Nigeria. I know this has nothing to do in the election but I like her more on that note

Voters must profile every candidate henceforth before voting them into offices. Betraying the loyalty of voters by all these political businessmen needs to be stopped. Most of them still end up running back when the pasture isn't greener anymore.

The majority of defectors only use the voters and loyalty to win.

chiiraq802:
I thought A Town Hall Different From Bala Blu, Blu, Bulaba openly stopped subsidy
Anybody that tells you Nigeria will be great, cari hand slap that person.

And even in church and mosque, when ur pastors and imam tells you to pray Nigeria, lay curse on that ur pastor and imam cuz dey're deceiving and misleading you.

Una goodmorning.

All these news will further anger the protesting youths. I don't see how they can stop them

GoodGovernance:
Just ignore the quack.

Why should even the fear of monopoly be more important than the fear of killing a refinery that would contribute to Nigeria's higher productivity, employment and economic development, but resorting back to the dark ages of fuel importation?

How can a normal person match fuel IMPORTATION to fuel PRODUCTION, as a way of checkmating monopoly, instead of production to production?

It sounds weird. The masses are beginning to see their real enemies, the reason our able youths are running away and leaving opportunities behind. The rogues are the cause and I hope they wouldn't begin looking for them one after the other soon. Nigeria can't work with them still holding sway.

malali:
I took my time to explain monopoly to you, hoping you would comprehend, i have attached diagrams to help, when you own 60-70% market share in a company it is called monopoly all over the world. There are laws against these in USA, and other countries, they prevent even big companies from from buying each other not to control the market. Dangote controls the cement market in Nigeria 100%. The remaining business cannot compete with him due to his large market share.

I disagree. You can't be said to be operating under a monopoly by having the largest share of the market, in which there are other players and a level playing field. Don't misconstrue market share as monopoly. They're 2 different things. For instance,Indomie has the largest share of the noodles market in nigeria so, can you say the market is being monopolised when the likes of mimi and honey well are there and still producing? In a literal term, a monopoly exists where there's no competition.

malali:
Sure, let me break it down in simple terms:

What is a Monopoly?

A monopoly happens when one company has so much control over a market that they are the only or the dominant player. This means they can set prices and terms almost any way they want because there's little or no competition.

Dangote Cement's Situation

1. Market Share: Dangote Cement is the largest cement producer in Nigeria. They produce so much cement that other companies can't really compete on the same level. They control a huge chunk of the market.

2. Pricing Power: Because Dangote Cement dominates the market, they can set prices higher than they might be in a more competitive market. Other companies can't lower their prices too much to attract customers because they don't produce as much and can't afford to.

3. Barriers to Entry: Starting a new cement company or growing an existing one to compete with Dangote Cement is very hard. This is because of the high costs involved in setting up factories, buying machinery, and getting the necessary permits and resources. Dangote Cement has already overcome these barriers, making it difficult for new competitors to enter the market.

4. Government Support: Over the years, Dangote Cement has received various forms of support from the Nigerian government, like tax breaks and import waivers. This support has made it even harder for new companies to compete because they don't get the same benefits.

Why is This a Problem?

- Higher Prices: With less competition, Dangote Cement can charge higher prices. Consumers and builders end up paying more for cement than they would if there were more competition.
- Less Innovation: In a competitive market, companies try to improve their products and services to attract more customers. But in a monopoly, there's less incentive to innovate or improve because the company doesn't have to worry about losing customers to competitors.
- Dependence on One Company: If anything happens to Dangote Cement (like financial troubles or production issues), the whole country's supply of cement could be affected because there's no strong competitor to step in.



Dangote Cement is considered a monopoly in Nigeria because they control most of the cement market, can set high prices, and have received government support that makes it hard for others to compete. This situation leads to higher prices, less innovation, and a risky dependence on one company for an essential building material.

You tried but dangote isn't operating in a monopolistic market. Bua group, Ibeto, Lafarge/WAPCO are still in active operation in same market. Dangote only has a edge over them because he has the financial muscle as an individual to operate. He also has cement plants outside Nigeria esrning him stable fx,hope you know.

On the oil and gas investment, before Dangote came we had 4 solid refineries which they rendered moribund due to corruption in the system. Only nnpc was importing petrol, the Monopoly which Dangote refinery has now broken. Rather, nnpc was the one operating as a Monopoly in the oil and gas market, not dangote who came just yesterday.

Bua group is also coming up with their refineries. It would soon be completed. We have modular ones too which have been in operation before dangote came. If you have the capacity today, you too can build one. Dangote had reiterated that he enjoyed no benefit from the FG. The money they contributed was a loan, which hes been paying back already. He also said he paid 100m usd for the land he built the refinery on.

So, in this case, Monopoly is out of place.

malali:
Akinwunmi Adesina,

Your passionate defense of Dangote’s monopolistic tendencies is misplaced and ultimately detrimental to Nigeria's long-term economic health. Let’s be clear: the open free market should determine winners and losers, not subjugation or forced patronage.

Monopoly and Market Distortion

You argue that monopoly exists due to high barriers to entry or high capital costs. While this may hold some truth, it does not justify the creation or maintenance of monopolies, especially not through governmental favoritism. Dangote has benefitted immensely from the Nigerian state: free limestone, free land for cement factories, some of the cheapest non-unionized labor in the world, unlimited tax concessions, and numerous import waivers. Despite these advantages, what has been the result? The cement business remains a monopolistic cartel. Do Nigerians enjoy cheap cement today? The answer is a resounding no. Dangote was one of the first to hike cement prices, exercising his market dominance at the expense of Nigerian consumers.

Dangote Refineries and Energy Sector Monopoly

Now, you suggest we should hand over the energy sector, crucial for 300 million people, to a single man. This is both dangerous and short-sighted. Dangote’s decision to build a $19.5 billion refinery was his own business choice, and with any business venture comes inherent risks. He should have anticipated the possibility of buying crude at market rates and selling refined products in an open market. Expecting the NNPC to capitulate to his demands reeks of entitlement and undermines the very principles of fair competition and market dynamics.

Misplaced Sympathy and Entitlement

Your attempt to elicit sympathy by emphasizing Dangote’s massive investment ignores the fundamental fact that he should have considered market contingencies. Dangote should compete on equal footing with other businesses, not seek special treatment. Throwing a tantrum and trying to manipulate crude sales and petrol procurement from the NNPC signals a disturbing sense of entitlement.

Economic Independence and Fair Competition

Nigeria’s energy sector, like any other, must remain open to fair competition. Your call for protectionist measures to favor Dangote is a call to undermine the very fabric of a free market economy. The energy sector should be driven by innovation, efficiency, and competition, not by monopolistic practices.

A Call for Economic Justice

The days of allowing a few individuals to dominate critical sectors of our economy must end. We have seen what happens when monopolies are allowed to flourish – prices soar, quality suffers, and innovation stagnates. It’s time for Nigeria to embrace a truly competitive market, where every player has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Adesina, you call for support and protection of local industries, but true support lies in fostering a competitive environment where no single entity can dictate terms. We must not surrender our economic future to a few individuals. The Nigerian people deserve better – they deserve fair competition, better prices, and improved quality of goods and services.

Nigeria's economic landscape should be determined by open competition and market forces, not by entitlements and monopolistic control. It’s time for a new era of economic justice and fairness, where the interests of the many are prioritized over the privileges of the few.

Sincerely,
Malali.

Define monopoly. That's an assignment for you today