₦airaland Forum

17 | by S.P. The Economist explains WHEN French voters head to the polls on Sunday April 23rd, for the first round of their two-stage presidential election, it will be the most closely fought race in their country’s modern history. In total 11 candidates—not even a record—are chasing just two places in the second-round final, to be held on May 7th. Almost every past French presidential election has featured a run- off between candidates from the two mainstream parties: the Socialists and the Republicans. This time, polls suggest that any one of four candidates might make it into the second round, and two of those are from the Eurosceptic, protectionist extremes: Marine Le Pen, on the far right, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, on the far left. The polls are tight, voters are unusually undecided, and the stakes uncomfortably high: this is an election that could remake Europe, or destroy it. Tensions were heightened on Thursday night by a shooting on the Champs-Élysées, a terrorist attack claimed by Islamic State, which killed one policeman. Some of the candidates’ events for Friday, the last day for campaigning, were called off. Other presidential elections have also been volatile in the final stages. In 1995, two months before voting, Edouard Balladur, a centre-right candidate, was ahead of Jacques Chirac, a Gaullist, in first-round polling; but in the end it was Mr Chirac who made it to the run-off, where he beat Lionel Jospin, a Socialist. A far greater shock was the 2002 election, which polls suggested would once again feature Mr Chirac against Mr Jospin. Instead it was Jean-Marie Le Pen, of the far-right National Front (FN), who stunned France and qualified, only to lose to Mr Chirac. The difference this time is that only four to five points separate the four front-running candidates: Emmanuel Macron, a centrist independent, Ms Le Pen, daughter of the FN’s founder; François Fillon, of the conservative Republicans; and Mr Mélenchon. This makes the outcome particularly uncertain, for two reasons. One is turn-out, which is historically high at French presidential votes, at about 80%. Polls suggest that this time it might be closer to 70%, with high abstention possible in the formerly Socialist-voting banlieues , or outer-city housing estates. This could favour the candidates with the most solid and determined voter base, notably Ms Le Pen (84% of whose voters say they are sure of their vote) and Mr Fillon (81%). The other is the number of undecided voters. Fully 28% say that they could yet change their mind. Last-minute decision-making is not unusual, but pollsters say that this time it may not reflect the general trends. Some voters may do so for tactical reasons to keep out the extremes. Mr Mélenchon and Mr Macron look the most vulnerable, with only 70% and 74% of their voters saying they are sure of their choice. So what to expect on Sunday? The possibility that Ms Le Pen reaches the run-off remains high, although that of her winning in the second round is not, because voters tend to gang up at the ballot box to keep her out. No poll has suggested that she could beat any of the other three candidates. The chances that she might meet Mr Mélenchon, in a run- off between two extremes, have spooked markets, and would be dire for France, but are unlikely. Mr Fillon could yet benefit from a return of shy voters, put off by the scandals clinging to him but even more so by the alternatives on offer. Perhaps the most radical thought is this: that polls in the closing days are simply right, and that the 39-year old Mr Macron, a candidate with no electoral experience, is indeed the most likely to go through to the second round, at which point he would become the favourite for the presidency.

Hmmmmm.
This is not new. Nothing is new under the sun.

At least he is doing something with his loots

. The Husband of PMB

Hello NAIRALANDERS !

I am an ardent reader of diverse books across subject. I involved myself in Research work across so many fields.

I have a very powerful question to ask from intellects and gurus.
Was it ever mentioned in the Bible that Jesus Christ during his time that he for once sleep while carrying out his father's work?
Did he sleep while doing the father's work ?


I need your candid opinions.


I am a Moralist

Hmmmmmmm. Waiting for the gullible to make their stand known.

Un Na well do oooooooooo

COLONEL HAMEED ALI AND THE NIGERIAN SENATE Retired Colonel Hameed Ali, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, is a proud and stubborn man. His disdain for others and insufferable arrogance is not only vexatious to the spirit but also downright nauseating. Someone should remind him that the Holy Bible says "the Lord resists the proud and exalts the humble". Another should tell him that, according to Greek mythology, nemesis always follows hubris. If he doubts that he should find out what happened to a character called Icarus. Clearly this obnoxious and canterkerous little man needs to be brought down a peg or two and pulled off his high horse. I say this because I cannot but wonder how any reasonable, right-thinking and responsible person can refuse to wear the uniform of an agency that he heads and leads. This is especially so when the Nigerian Senate has, for the second time, asked him to do so when appearing before them. The first time he apologised and promised to do so and the second time he stubbornly refused and was consequently and appropiately thrown out of the Senate Chamber. There may be no law in our statute books that constrains or compels him to wear his uniform but humility, good manners, morality, wisdom, custom and decency most certainly do. How does he and those that support him expect those working under him in the Nigerian Customs Service to feel when he refuses to wear their uniform? Is he not indirectly telling them that he is superior to them and that he is too good for them? This is a sevice that they have dedicated their lives and careers to. I wonder how that affects their morale? And in any case what signal is he sending to the Nigerian people and to the rest of the world? Such a thing has never happened before and the truth is that such open and obvious contempt being displayed by a senior government official and the head of a paramilitary organisation and government parastatal towards his underlings and the agency that he heads is rarely seen. Ali has contempt for his Minister who he is meant to report to. He has contempt for the government agency that he purportedly leads. He has contempt for the people that work under him in that agency. He has contempt for the Nigerian Senate. He has contempt for the government that he serves and finally he has contempt for the Nigerian people. By his open defiance what he is really saying is the following: "You people just don't get it. I belong to the small circle of those who OWN Nigeria and you people and your customs, rules, regulations, practices, conventions and norms do not matter". He is saying, "You are nothing before us and you can shout and scream as much as you like. At the end of the day, whether you like it or not, we are in power, we were born to rule and we OWN you all so just shut up and sit down!" That is his mindset and it is simply appauling. And with him this has always been the case. If anyone doubts that they should find out a little more about his antecedents and what he stands for. They should find out about his history and record in and outside of the military. They should do the research and find out what he did as Military Governor of Kaduna state during the regime of General Sani Abacha and later Sec. Gen. of the Arewa Consultative Forum. They should read the derogatory and incendiary statements he made about the south, the Middle Belt and all those that opposed the agenda of the ACF at the time. To say that he was arrogant, overbearing, racist and tribalist and that he is a bigot would be an understatement. And worst still he is a total and complete creation of President Muhammadu Buhari. He was his Chief of Staff during numerous presidential campaigns and the President loves him as if he were his own son. That, together with a streak of sadism, explains Ali's sheer impudence and supreme confidence on this and so many other issue. He is reported to have said that he will not wear the customs uniform because he is a retired officer of the Nigerian Army and the only uniform he will ever wear again is the military one. Does this man have a brain? One wonders what infantile nonsense this is? What misplaced arrogance and childish verbiage? What absurd and good old fashioned gobbledygook? I really don't know whether to laugh or cry. If Ali was not prepared to honor and respect the conventions and norms of the Nigerian Customs Service why did he accept the job? Since when did things degenerate to this level in our country? Has Nigeria turned into a land of misfits, comedians and Tolkien-like orcs and goblins or are we still a nation of serious-minded and sensible human beings and precious souls? Are we a giant army barracks where only senior military officers and commanders are respected or a sovereign and independent nation-state where the will of the people holds sway at all times and in all matters. Are we a zoo that is populated by wild animals and ravenous beasts or a land of honorable men and respected mortals? Does Ali not know that military rule ended in Nigeria 18 years ago in 1999 and that the Nigerian people are not interested in it EVER coming back or of being reminded about its traumatising and barbaric excesses? Does he, like a small handful of other hard-line, ultra-conservative, core northern retired army officers, see Nigeria as nothing but a vassal state and subjugated colony that was conquered by his forefathers, elders, leaders, mentors and seniors in the military after the "northern officers revenge coup" of January 29th 1966? If this is the case then he is still living in the distant past and he is certainly in urgent need of psychiatric attention. He also needs a series of powerful all-night prayer sessions for deliverance from the malevolent demons that control him. His attitude and disposition certainly throws up a lot of questions? Amongst them are as follows: Firstly does Nigeria live for the military or does the military live for Nigeria? Secondly if he had come from the southern or Middle Belt zone of the country would he have dared to pull this stunt and, if so, would he have got away with it? If he had not been from the core north and a member of the President's inner circle of untouchables would Buhari have tolerated his irresponsible behaviour and his sheer indiscipline. If he had not been Buhari's soul-mate and kinsman would the President have endorsed his not so subtle refusal to bow before civilian institutions and to submit to civilian authority. In any case who the hell does Ali really think he is? Does he believe that he is the reincarnation of Usman Dan Fodio of the Fulani Caliphate or the living manifestation of Salahudeen Yusuf of Egypt and Syria? He was retired as a colonel in the military many years ago and there was nothing that was particularly distinguished about his career. He was certainly not a blue-blooded, swashbuckling, gallant, courageous, good-looking, principled and polo-playing Col. Abubakar 'Dangiwa' Umar. And neither can he compare himself to the great Major-General Hananiya who retired as a Major- General in the Nigerian Army and yet who proudly wore the uniform of the Federal Road Safety Commision after being appointed as the head of that agency? Whatever misplaced, vain and inconceivable notions that he has ought to be kept to himself and if I had been his Minister I would have insisted that he not only wore his uniform to all official functions and meetings but also during office hours. . The man is really very strange. He has what I would describe as the "Cassius look". Like the character Cassius in Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' he is lean, mean, spartan, silent, hungry and dangerous. This is a cold man with a dark soul: a man that is as hard as nails and who finds it difficult to smile. He is what the British refer to as a "strange fish". He is reticent, reclusive, nocturnal, limited in knowledge, stunted in intelligence, very thuggish and, worst of all, he sees and says "AREWA" before anything else. My friend and brother, Oloye Yinka Odumakin, the spokesman of Afenifere and a leading columnist and writer in Nigeria, wrote the following as part of his contribution to the debate. He said, "Ali answers to the Comptroller General of Customs title. He lives in the official residence. He takes the pay. He uses the official cars and takes ALL the privileges of the office. But he rejects ONLY the uniform!" This is a pertinent observation. Odumakin has hit the nail on the head. In his own contribution Bashorun Akin Osuntokun, one of the most respected and courageous columnists in the country and a formidable historian and veteran politician, said: "One problem of our people is exasperating political naivety and lack of strategic thinking. This Ali man was the most truculent secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum. His recent behavior is a typical manifestation of the northern hegemony syndrome hence a strategic enemy of our vision of an egalitarian Nigeria. And here is an opportunity to advance this objective - and what do we do with it?" How right Osuntokun is. And for the benefit of those that are defending Ali on the specious grounds that the law does not compel him to wear the uniform he went on to ask: "Is there any law that says we must rise when the President enters a gathering? Or is there any law that says we must play the National Anthem at official functions?" Osuntokun's point is well served and well taken. These are pertinent questions that he has asked. Both he and Odumakin have done justice to the matter. Their words appropiately and adequately reflect the sheer arrogance and impunity of Hameed Ali and the ignorance and naivety of those that are encouraging, defending and supporting him. Osuntokun's earlier point particularly reflects the fact that there is a terrible weakness and a lack of fortitude and courage coupled with a deep and grave affliction buried deep in the souls of those that truly crave for a just and egalitarian society in Nigeria yet who, when they see a man like Ali beating his chest like an alpha male gorilla, either openly support him in his scandalous tomfoolery or they remain silent in awe and trepidation of him. Nothing is more shocking and disappointing than the disposition and behaviour of such people, many of whom ought to know better. Essentially the problem here is that many that have been turned into slaves in our country do not even know that they are slaves anymore because they have gotten used to it and they see it as the norm. This, surely, is the worse form of bondage and servitude. Permit me to share an example of such a twisted and warped mindset and disposition with you here. During the American civil war you actually had some black slaves fighting for the southern Confederate forces of Dixie despite the fact that those same forces were fighting to perpetuate the institution of slavery. That is how I view those that constantly support and encourage the arrogant hegemonist monsters that live amongst us and those who cannot comprehend the damage that they are doing to our collective cause and pysche by doing so. That is how I see those that are quick to endorse and applaud the shameful challenge and affront of Hameed Ali to the Senate and to the Nigerian people. They are the tragedy of Nigeria and without their support conflicted personalities like Ali would not get away with the kind of things that they are getting away with. May the Lord deliver us from power-mad and arrogant men who attempt to play God, whose time is short and whose clock is ticking fast. Shalom. 19 hrs · Public More

Martins301:
Unfortunately, a lot of blockheads will just read the topic and quickly hit the reply button to type horseshit. The senate is a disgrace and should be scrapped. Soon, they will want to compel the President to wear his uniform when he wants to appear before them. Useless thieves

. . Sharap

ProudlyAfonja:
When will he help a Guy

.Demented

CeeJay9ja:
We often use these words without knowing how it was discovered. Sit down and learn where it was first used.


According to Prof. Gideon Buffet, the word "Bae" was culled from the sound of a Sheep(baeeee), which means Sheep was called "Bae" as at 1874. "Boo" on the other hand was culled from the sound of a Cow(mooooo), which means Cow was called "Boo".

They started calling Foolish people "Bae" for female and "Boo" for male until it was stopped by the then President of America. This started in Los Angeles, in a small village.


Well, our generation can learn any stupid thing faster than ABC, so they decided to choose these names for their partners..smh.

Guys, if you are called "Boo", it means she is indirectly calling you a freaking COW! If you are called "Bae", o boy na confirm Sheep(Aturu) you be o.

So happy Baeing and Booing....

. lie from the pit of hell

Be firm. Don't talk too much. smile the more. listen before you talk. Avoid interruption while talking. be factual. Don't argue. Answer every questions one after the other. Ask questions when not understand a pointy. In Al be sincere.

He even alleged the serving lawmaker was his
partner in the anti-corruption until his exit to
assume the legislative role of Senator.





The legislative role of Saraki Mouth piece

Alhaji White Bearded Amajuy Picknick

Your mind, Your Thoughts Your mind, Your Life

Your Mind, Your Person

Toks2008:
Many ladies will remain single for long cos of this mindset.

You can't know a man until you live with him and it will be foolish to live with a man you are not married to

Sarcastically sarcastic

tellwisdom:
hehe...ayilala

Omo ayelala

sarrki:
He's a scammer

Hmmmmm. Childishness

Jtmanager:
Ah tire o Check well brossss sef go de smoke the roots too

You bahdt gan oooo

opethom:
I no get time for things like this BIKO, if you like eat this for 1 year, If you go die at the age of 30 you go die, my cousin way dey drink Eva water died of typhoid , and me with well water still dey alive. Eat normal food and forget all this shit

Haaaaaaaaaaa!!!! You wicked them no mention your name now

joinnow:
Also boiling the leaf and giving two-three drop to new baby with jaundice will clear the jaundice like magic.

Dr Babalawo. Dr Abalaka

Oshoko:
pawpaw seeds. wen i knw b goat.

You be Butuke !!!

dominique:
I remember my folks forcing me and my siblings to chew the seeds when we were younger. Not that bad though it stings the tongue a bit.


You are eating the fruit abi ?

Every part of pawpaw is very healthy even the dried leaves. My dad eats the fruit without peeling the skin.
I don't agree that the seeds can 'magically' cure cancer though.

Dad eating the leaves


Un Na wan kill the plant ?

That is corruption

Masculity:
Attention! Attention!! Attention!!!
One wa***spotted. Please take note.

Get well soon.

11:00 am What nonsense is this.
Later Comers.


Dino Melaye should pick late comers.

Heeee !!!
I love ladies with big boobs. Anytime I see well pointed or moderate boobs. The signal is faster than the speed of light down the lane.

BREAKING NEWS! NEW APPOINTMENTS The Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN has approved the appointment of Mr. Oluwasegun Ajiboye as Chief Press Secretary to Governor. An Assistant Editor with The Nation newspaper, Ajiboye studied Language and Linguistics from the University of Lagos. A native of Irun Akoko in Akoko North West Local Government of Ondo State, he started his journalism career as a reporter with The News magazine in 2000 and moved to The Sun newspaper in 2003. Between 2007 and 2009, he served as Press Secretary to the Governor of Ondo State. Ajiboye worked as the Group News Editor of the defunct National Life newspaper until 2012 when he joined The Nation as Assistant Editor of the Saturday title. Other appointments in the Press Unit include Mr. Dapo Aruwajoye as Press Secretary (Electronic Media). Aruwajoye, who hails from Owo, Ondo State, is a Reporter -Presenter with Television Continental, TVC, Lagos. A graduate of English from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife, Aruwajoye also holds a Master's Degree in Media and Globalization from Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham. U.K. He started his career as a reporter with Channels Television, Lagos, before moving to TVC where he has carved a niche for himself as a highly resourceful journalist. Mr. Fisayo Falodi as Press Secretary (Print Media). A graduate of Philosophy from University of Ado Ekiti, Falodi served as the Sub Editor of The Nation newspaper between December 2006 and November 2010. He moved to National Mirror as Senior Sub Editor where he held sway for four years before joining Saturday Punch in 2014 as a Senior Correspondent. He is a native of Ijare, in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State.

It's not funny. I not surprised too. We are in Nigeria.
In this part of the world Anything Goes.


The President has been out of the country yet everyone is just observing.

The Observing People's Republic of Nigeria.




I smell front page.

emi14:
You're looking for P's abi? His also parent.

Can't understand you

sarrki:
My I am not a party person

I love and believe in my president

I cannot believe you. If it's an assertion drop it. You are an APC member it flows in your veins and capillaries.
Though . it's your right.

sarrki:
Morning

Be a patriotic Nigeria

Join hands with the president to move our country forward

Morning Bross !
Happy Sunday !



I know you are driven by the party interest. Though , It's possible I belong to a political set up but in my own mind I am not sure.

I believe in a more united Nigeria. I am not driven by party sentiment but strongly believe in the development of Nigeria.
I not on the same page with Buhari. Party Wise !

I am strongly behind some of his policies and programmes. Yet I disagree to a very large extent with some of his policies.

.