₦airaland Forum

Sammy107_d:
Oh I'm well aware of how newly acquired trains should look, cargo or otherwise. What one should expect of the security situation and the surrounding environment does not require too much deep thought either. Kindly point me to a decent passenger train in Nigeria to validate your weak point.

These are freight trains found in the U.S. I don't see much of difference between these trains and the ones found in Nigeria. Stop complaining and look in the good that this will provide for Nigeria.

https://lostworld.pair.com/blog/images/pics/mar13-train.jpg

https://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/E245AE38-6648-4DE2-AB14-7B4381F7910B/LP001711.jpg

https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/2348857002_3b1bff23a2.jpg

Sky Blue:
?? Did you just go on google and pull out the first pics you saw? That last "locomotive" is obviously from an amusement park of something of the sort.

But you should get the point he is trying to make. Cargo trains are not suppose to look aesthetically pleasing.

Sammy107_d:
What dimension of third-world piece of junk is this? Why do we celebrate sub-mediocre projects? Simple aesthetics and security cannot be achieved, and you expect long-term efficiency in the rail-system? This entire charade was activated to delude your minds and wrongly skew your votes. It'll all be deservingly retired on May 30. Vote Buhari/Bakare's CPC at the federal level for true change. Examine your candidates thoroughly at the state and legislative levels and vote whatever party wisely.

What are you talking about? This is how a cargo train is suppose to look like. That is how cargo trains look like in the United States, UK and France. Maybe you should learn the difference in looks between a passenger train and a cargo train before you comment.

Jen33:
Is Buhari even aware of the potential benefits from natural gas, never mind formulating a coherent policy framework on it?

Buhari only knows one thing and that is imprisoning people. It is much more to governance, than being tyrannical.

I guess the Natural Gas found in the South-West will finally be tapped into.

One Naija!

Nigeria sets sights on natural gas

ABUJA, Nigeria, March 25 (UPI) -- Foreign investments of around $25 billion in Nigeria will boost the country's natural gas sector under plans outlined by the country's president.

A cornerstone of the investment plans is a $3 billion deal between Italian energy company Eni and Nigeria's Oando to process gas from the Niger Delta, said Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Nigeria, to increase domestic supplies, aims to end the practice of flaring off gas from oil fields. The gas processing plant in the Niger Delta could be online as early as 2012, though foreign oil companies working in Nigeria said 2013 is a more realistic date for the halt to gas flaring.

Nevertheless, Jonathan said his country was positioning itself as a major gas state.

"It is our expectation that by 2013, we would have positioned Nigeria as the regional hub for gas-based industries of fertilizers, petrochemicals and methanol," he was quoted by the Platts news service as saying.

British energy company BP estimates Nigeria as of 2009 held around 185 trillion cubic feet of gas. Jonathon said there is an undiscovered potential of nearly 600 tcf.

Nigeria is set for presidential elections April 9.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2011/03/25/Nigeria-sets-sights-on-natural-gas/UPI-54701301055894/#ixzz1Hcm7lOEr

Goodluck is bringing goodluck to this country. It is sad many Nairalanders have not realized this.

https://pmnewsnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/jonathan_addressing1.jpg

Abagworo:
Most supporters of GEJ on NL are Igbos and have no concrete reason other than ethnicity and region.

Can you please keep quiet? Your post anger me each time I read it. I can't believe I used to respect you. Most Igbos do have a concrete reason for supporting GEJ. He is moving the nation forward and correcting past wrongs. Why would we support a man who wants to mix religion with politics? A man who supports Sharia. That is quite foolish.

I will say the majority of Igbo clans practice exogamy. From Abia to Enugu, I often hear that you cannot marry someone from your village.

The GDP has grown astronomically under the stewardship of PDP. No one can deny that. Much still needs to be done, but it could have been done a lot worse.

Very nice write-up Emeka!

Let us just say the Beaf is the most famous/infamous person in the Politics section. I admire his tenacious spirit. Trust me, I should know, we were once bitter enemies.

oyb:
https://www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/1701.gif

this says it all

this is gej's target market as far as the youth are concerned

riley freemans, celebrity worshipping empty headed thugnificent groupies

I see you are using Boondocks references. 

You remind me of Uncle Ruckus Mr. Self-hating Easterner.

Liar! Liar!

South-East are in full support of Jonathan.

Try again.

egift:
I am Igbo, Christian and a Nigerian youth - I support Buhari/Bakare for 2011. Lets stop corruption and build a greater Nigeria.

Areosapien:
I'm Igbo from Ideato in Imo state, Nigeria. And my friends, family and I support Buhari.

Blasphemy!

I shall never recognize you all as Igbo. You all are Igbo efulefu.

Sometimes those people only respect/understand force. It is their choice.

The Practice Of Exogamy And The Igbo People Of Nigeria


by Godwill A. Paul

Exogamy is the term used to denote the body of laws and customs prohibiting marriage between members of the same tribe, clan, village or family. The term ‘exogamy’ is the antonym of endogamy (marriage within a social unit), but the two sets of customs are not mutually exclusive and sometimes supplement each other. Many groups and customs prescribe marriage outside their social units because they believe that endogamy produces and encourages a variety of ill effects and creates tensions between sexual rivalries. An almost universal exogamic prohibition is the ban on incestuous marriages between parents and children or between brothers and sisters.

The practice of exogamy is not, however, limited to marriages between near blood relations; it extends to instances where relationship by blood may be conjectural. In most societies such as the Igbo people of the East and South Eastern parts of Nigeria, people belonging to the same village, whether related by blood or conjectural are not permeated to marry themselves. People must not marry from the same village. It’s an abomination. In some cases, villages that have bloodline linkages are not supposed to marry each other even when they are sparsely dispersed. Endogamy is an abomination among the Igbos and it constitutes incest. In a traditional Igbo community, endogamy is an abomination not only to the people but also to the gods of the land. In the ancient times, couple who commits endogamy is ostracized from the community even when it is committed ignorantly. But in recent times, civilization has bent the rule of the age-long practice.

In recent times, if people are married outside their community unknowingly and later discovers that they belong to the same village; such marriages are dissolved after several rituals of cleansing has been carried out on the offenders. This kind of mistaken marriage often take place among the Igbos living in the urban areas; who may not actually know the history of their roots and origins. It becomes more difficult to handle when the couples in question have had children before discovering. In the ancient times such children were to be sacrificed to the gods but today, different spiritual ways are devised to broker agreement between the children from this abominable marriage and the gods. With the advent of Christianity in Igbo land, things have really changed. The Christian confessions and the perceived forgiveness from God have set the culprits free from the cruel rituals and sacrifices to the gods.

One of the important duties of a typical Igbo family is to educate the members of their family about their lineage and roots. Those living in urban areas or far locations usually organize their village meetings where they get familiarized with their kinsmen. Through these regular gatherings, the risk of getting married to a village relation is drastically reduced if not eliminated. It is also part of the marriage rites among the Igbo people for the parents of both the bride and the groom to conduct searches about each other before the marriage is approved.

If those people in the North go on a rampage, the Igbo and other Eastern groups will definitely suffer. However, the lines will be drawn again and everyone shall answer their father's name.

They go on a rampage, there will be secession. It is either choose GEJ or no allocation in oil. The choice is theirs.

^^^

What the hell are you talking about? No one mentioned the U.S. The man said "us," not the U.S. Learn to comprehend before you comment.

I can tell you probably got your education from one of those low achieving inner city schools.

fstranger3:
To Ojukwu.

The BBC also provided him with a journalist to help keep his propaganda machine working? Not to talk about other European countries using/disguising red cross planes and equipments to transport arms to the Biafrans.

Who do you think warned Gowon about the ramifications of secession by the East? Who do you think provided the technical no-how for Nigeria's weapons? Who do you  actually think provided weapons for Nigeria?

It was the British. If it wasn't for British support, Biafra would have overran Lagos.

This is clearly documented the West involvement in Nigeria. Not to help a rebel movement like they are doing in Libya, but to suppress a self-determination movement. However, as we see, the West has different POV now, since the 60s.

Nigeria is no longer the hope for Africa, and many Westerners predict the nation is going to break up.

At least she is worried about female representatives. I say good move on her part.

As a Pro-Biafran as well, I still think it would be wrong for the West to intervene in any sovereign nation. They should watch on the sidelines instead of tipping the balance in the favor of any group.

People already know that the West intervened in the Nigerian Civil War. Especially the British who provided the bulk of the support through arms and covert actions.

Kenny_G:
who cares yar adua initiated the project? The fact is neither GEJ nor Yar adua spent 1kobo of their personal money on the scheme, it was all done with Nigerian money, so all this petty tattles about who should take the glory is kind of bland

Gbam!

And he seen it to completion. People need to start giving him credit.

sbeezy8:
i agree but thats the same thing that was said about OBJ.

Stop comparing Jonathan with that buffoon OBJ.

Why Nigeria Will Not Need "A Tahrir Moment"
Joe Trippi
Democratic Strategist
Posted: March 23, 2011

FULL DISCLOSURE: As someone who has been active in both advising on and overseeing elections in Africa and Nigeria, I have worked for several pro-democracy candidates in Nigeria, including President Goodluck Jonathan.

With revolution unfolding in Egypt, civil war erupting in Libya, and citizens fleeing Cote D'Ivoire, it would not seem that the region is ripe for a successful democratic transition. But then there is Nigeria,

Despite a history of corruption and electoral fraud, Nigeria is on the cusp of solidifying its young democracy and becoming a beacon of hope for the region. President Goodluck Jonathan and INEC, Nigeria's electoral body, have been widely applauded for the investment and planning that will ensure a free and fair election for Nigerian president on April 9.

This is especially impressive, because it comes on the heels of one of Nigeria's most disastrous and fraud-ridden elections in 2007. Then, less than one year ago, a young and unlikely President, Goodluck Jonathan, assumed power following the illness of the late President Umaru Yar'Adua.

It has been a remarkable year for the President. Largely unknown, he became interim President shortly after Yar'Adua left the country. Jonathan calmed fears of unrest and then quickly embarked on a series of reforms, including sacking Yar'Adua's entire cabinet.

The one promise Goodluck Jonathan made to his people after taking office, however, was not one of peace or prosperity - "these issues will take longer than a year to resolve," he said. Instead, he pledged to ensure free and fair elections of a kind that have been the exception, and not the rule, in recent Nigerian history. The Nigerian people are taking him at his word and holding him to his pledge. So far, the signs are promising.

Jonathan has reaffirmed his belief that the government cannot be effective if there is no constitutional and robust process for selecting the leaders who will govern the country. When the first by-election was scheduled in Edo Central (a crucially important election district), Jonathan called it one of the first tests of free and fair elections in Nigeria. He told INEC and other security agencies that he wanted "one man, one vote; one woman, one vote; one youth, one vote."

Ironically, Jonathan became a victim of his own electoral pledge. In Edo Central, the ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) outpolled Jonathan's PDP (People's Democratic Party). Jonathan gamely accepted the result, setting a standard unusual for Nigerian electoral politics. After the elections, Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole Professor Attahiru Jega as the new Chairman of INEC. Although Jega is known for his activism and integrity, his selection was met with some skepticism by opposing parties, simply because Jonathan had appointed him. But the council selection meeting was the first in twelve years to have all former Nigerian leaders in attendance - an almost breathtaking precedent in a nation riveted by electoral ambitions. Attendees included Muhammadu Buhari, one of the President's opponents in the elections this April.

This type of reform has defined Jonathan's short term in office. He shed much of the patronage politics that has plagued Nigeria's young democracy. Instead of listening to the traditional Nigerian political "godfathers," the President started a Facebook page - and asked ordinary Nigerians for their ideas and concerns.

The idea took off. More than 500,000 citizens now follow his page and interact. Among world leaders, only President Obama has more Facebook followers.

What's amazing is that this is not just a gimmick. The President actually listens to citizen input and adjusts public policy based on what he hears. Public input led to decisions to open a consulate in San Francisco to spur technology investment, rescind the suspension of the Nigerian soccer team from international play, and modify policies to improve the power grid.

Without the direction of aides or consultants and in a country just breaking through on the Internet and social media, the young President "got it." From his first Facebook post, shortly after taking over power:

, there is an unchallengeable power of good in the Nigerian nation and her youth and through this medium I want Nigerians to give me the privilege of relating with them without the trappings of office. GEJ
It's clear there is a new generation of leadership - a fresh approach after the years of Obasanjo and Yar'Adua, a series of disputed elections, and widespread corruption. Goodluck Jonathan has high hopes for his country, and they seem to extend beyond his term or his personal power. He has pledged to run for only one term (to help alleviate the concerns of northern Muslims who feel this is their time for power based on a zoning arrangement). He has developed a comprehensive economic agenda and is proposing a massive increase in education spending.

The news is not all good for Nigeria - poverty remains rampant, corruption still exists, and violence continues, particularly in the Plateau state (though less so in the Delta, partly due to Jonathan's work on Yar'Adua's amnesty program). But Jonathan is making progress, and he has one thing very right: he is listening to his people. From his aggressive steps to ensuring free and fair elections to having conversations with Nigerians on Facebook, he understands that he holds his office to serve the will of the people.

In a belt of African unrest, that is a welcome sight.

This man is destined for greatness!
[img]http://1.bp..com/_O90Xgmx1TzM/TInTJEdpY1I/AAAAAAAAA7I/e3mBMpL8js8/s1600/Goodluck_Jonathan_Officialvisit_to_Rivers_State_165_176418519.jpg[/img]

^^^

Shame on you for using a racial picture against a fellow African.