Okija_juju:

so the question i asked was it wrong or bad?!

stop talking about the us in a conversation such as these because we do not even begin to compare, all these international flights i listed are barely even full on some occassions, i have been on an airfrance flight that was barely up to 50% of its capacity, you just cant redirect the traffic of an airline purely out on ethnis or sentimental reasons, it would be more profitable if the clamour was for the dredging of the river niger and establishment of a port in anambra because from my brief stay working with the nigerian ports authority, i can tell you that alot of business men would greatly appreciate one,

if humann traffic where so plenty on international routes, most airlines would be running two flights daily out of here or you would have multiple airlines flying the same route.

lets be logical in our discussion please, according to ezeagu, easterners make up the bulk of passengers on certain routes and I find that quite interesting to note, I had no idea, Yet there are no daily local flights out of these eastern airports, That's rather hard to swallow, Just sayin

According to 2009 FAAN statistics, the busiest domestic airports in terms of aircraft movements are

MMA: 55,876, Abj: 48506, PHC: 21163, Warri:12,936, Cal: 7622, Ben: 7330, Enugu:6286: Owerri:4362, Kano: 4135, : Kad: 3431,

Busiest in terms of passenger traffic:[/b]MMA 3.3 million, Abj: 2.87 million, PHC: 1.03 Million, Warri: 417,000, Enugu, 367000, Cal: 316000, Benin: 308,000, Owerri: 277000, Kano: 187000, Kad: 146000

[b]Airports with passenger traffic below 100,000 Maiduguri: 81000, Yola: 58000, Jos: 50000, Sokoto: 45000, Ilorin: 25000, Minna: 12000, Akure: 11000, Katsina: 9000, Ibadan 8200 and Markurdi 4800.

Good job Spyder. Excellent and thanks for sharing. Building is like farming . You plant a seed and see it grow while caring for it. Planting it right in the first place means a lot.

In future projects, you must give good palmy to the first person to strike a shovel to ground in all your sites. God bless.

ekt_bear:

My own take on the matter is that the SW is the best zone, aside from the oil-rich SS.

Either #1 or #2 in each of the following statistics:
Higher GDP, GDP per capita, life expectancy, IGR, literacy rates, JAMB pass rates, JAMB take rates

The authenticity of those stats were challenged at the time you posted them and rightly so. The IGR stats was a farce and the true picture has since been revealed. In that stats, Osun state had an IGR of N5.2 Billion, but the commissioner for finance for Osun has revealed that their IGR was about N300 million, but has now been increased to N600 million and they were hoping to increase to N1 billion.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/27811-why-we-can%E2%80%99t-tax-osun-people%2C-by-aregbesola.html

Ogun was said to have generated about 11.2 Billion, but the finance commissioner revealed that they had a monthly generation of N150 Million which was improved to N1 Billion per month through improved payment system that they introduced, which means that at the time of the dubious data with no credible source, they didn't generate more than N1.8 billion the previous year.

http://www.financialtechnologyafrica.com/Ogun_State_Increase_IGR_From_N150m.htm?reload=true

The JAMB pass rate stats you posted was also dubious and the source could not be verified, while JAMB enrollment stats have been verified from JAMB site. The literacy rate stats have also been verified from reputable sources like national stat bureau.

Dubious stats don't count.

But I refuse to accept that our back were against the wall. For us to say that we didnt expect a backlash of that nature after the Nzegwu coup must mean that our people under-estimated the North, Islam and the mentality of their people.

That is to assume that the federal government was right in not stopping the pogrom that followed the counter coup. That is also to lend credence to the assumption that Jan 15 coup was planned by easterners and executed on their behalf by the 5 majors. That also presumes that there was nothing wrong in military men joining hands to lynch civilians while the CIC looked the other way.

Now on to the Pogrom! poo had definitely hit the fan. Our people were being slaughtered in their numbers, I still recall vivid and graphic tales of trains pulling in stations in the east with headless bodies, decapitated corpses, slain Pregnant women with their feotuses hanging out of their cut open tummy, aircrafts being stopped on the tarmac and Easterners being pulled out and shot point blank by the military and other such tales. Now a sight like that is bound to aggravate anybody and testostorone would start flowing. Was a cessation our only avaliable option?! NO!! But Ojukwu, hungry for power, filled with anger and his blood pumping jumped to the conclusion of pulling out of Nigeria

You need to count 1 before counting 2. Ojukwu did not just pull Eastern region out of Nigeria at the sight of headless bodies.

There was a stalemate that that lasted several months before Biafra was declared. Following the counter coup, Ironsi was not declared dead or in captivity and that was an issue.

Ojukwu insisted that the 2ic should take command in the absence of Ironsi as his whereabouts were unknown. That was not a new side to Ojukwu as he had helped foil the Jan15 coup when he was the commander of 5th Battalion in Kano, so he had already established himself as someone who would not take insubordination.

He asked Gowon several times to stop the Killing and nothing happened. It was simply bad news being from Eastern region and living in the north.

Before Biafra was declared, he went several times to Aburi with Gowon and an accord was finally reached only for Gowon to renege on the accord, which promised loose federation as we had.

When Gowon reneged on the accord and insisted on total control, Biafra was declared after a meeting with representatives of the former region.

There were series of events that led to declaration of Biafra so it is unfair to say that he declared Biafra to satisfy his whims , caprices and megalomania. This was the son of a multi millionaire, whose dad was recognised and knighted by the Queen of England, yet he chose to lead his people when they needed a leader.

To say those that were involved in the war dont regret it is rather unfair. Instead say those that you have met and know personally dont regret it. I have heard alot of people talk about that war and none of them speak well of it. If they had a choice, they would never have fought.

Go back to my post, I said that all those that I know only regret losing the war but not the fight.

THe Igbos lost so much after that war. We lost jobs, we lost alot of influence in government, we were highly distrusted by the Government (the North), the Federal government had very heavy military presence in the East and post-war vitimization continued for a very long period

Igbo were already distrusted a long time before the war. The mass killings started in the 40s, continued in the 50s and 60s and January 15th was only an excuse to unleash mayhem of immense proportions.

If they were not loathed before the war, how come Jan 15th was called an Igbo coup and not Nzeogwu coup?

The Nigerian army and many Nigerians view Nzeogwu as a hero and he was taken to Kaduna and buried in a military cemetery when he fell in battle.

If he was a hero to the Nigerian army, why then did they participate in and encouraged the killing of innocent civilians who were thought to be Nzeogwu’s kinsmen (Easterners) in pretext of a recompense? What recompense exactly ?

When Ojukwu ran, that was the final blow. Even his deputy had to surrender. There was no reason to fight anymore. Their spirits had been broken.

When Ojukwu left, he gave hope to combatants and concern to Nigerian army that he might start another uprising if more humiliation was inflicted on Easterners. He was the proverbial over-hanging shadow.

The Feds triumphed. Gown only declared "no victor, no vanquish" so as to quickly re-integrate the East back into the general scheme of things. The IGBOS lost that war. We know it, Nigeria knows it and the Biafran apologists are living in denial.

Of course, we all know that we lost the war, but we did not do so in shame. We gave a good account of ourselves and emerged with our dignity.

He never once apologized to the grieving widows, widowers, parents and children which he led into battle! He never once thought it prudent for him to tell us why he ran!! I guess coming home and being celebrated by psychophants must have given him the complex of a god.

You should look up to Gowon to apologise to the grieving widows and to your grandmother, for he threw the bombs that killed her children in their home and I know not to blame Ojukwu for the artillery barrage and carpet bombing that took out my relatives. If Gowon had respected Aburi accord, the war would not have happened.

I want someone to tell me what the war achieved. Show me were the east were before the war and how much better off we are now.

Show me were Nigeria were before the war and how much better off we are now.

Look at the OGONI 10, Ken-Saro Wiwa and the 9 other MOSSOP leaders. They fought the Government and Shell Petroleum against the injustice and inhumane way they were being treated. Incase you do not understand their plight, Ogoni is 0.001 of the size of the Eastern region Ojukwu controlled. The government massacred them in their numbers. Any Ogoni man caught near an Oil installation was shot. A dusk till dawn curfew was in place, they had every reason to militate, but they never once took up arms. He was arrested in 1992, spent months in prison without trial, was warned and released, upon his release, he stepped up his activism. In 1993, he was arrested again and after a month was released and he went back at it. Now the Ogoni people were motivated. They were ready to go to war, they were so gullible that they felt that their local charms and gods would see them through a battle with the Nigerian Army, Ken knew this, yet never spurred them to fight. 1994, he was arrested yet again along with others and this time he was executed and his body taken away by the government. Today the Ogoni cause has gotten a bigger audience than that of Biafra. SHell agreed to pay the families of the Ogoni 10 a sum a 15.5 million US Dollars in an out of court settlement and also Shell has been asked to pay Ogoni a massively insane amount in compensation and also clean up the spillage in Ogoni. The Ken Saro Wiwa fight gave voice to the Niger Delta struggle. Even with the Amnesty, the Federal governmant cant still contain the aftermath effect of Ken Saro-wiwas death (after over 15 years). If s'hit goes down tomorrow, Ken Saro-Wiwa would be a rallying point for an uprising . Many will see the Ogoni cause as worth laying down their lives to protect like their leaders did. Those who lost their loved would take succor in knowing that they fought a fight worth dying for.

Comparing Biafra and Ogoni is like comparing apples and oranges. To start with, Saro Wiwa did not die in battle. He was arrested several times and released, but he over estimated the influence of western press on Abacha who executed him.

Secondly, you are wrong to assume that OMPADEC and 13% were his achievements, when there are several states benefiting from those policies and rightly so as members of those states also agitated for those concessions.

Is it not double speak, when you say that Ogoni people rightly laid down there lives for what you concede that they achieved through courts ? Who were Biafrans going to take to court? The court equivalent of Biafran quest was Aburi and Gowon reneged on the agreement.

What did Ojukwus' war give us, what did our sons, daughters, mothers, Fathers, Sisters and brother die for?! What are the gains of over two years of loss?!

You can also flip the coin to the other side. He who dares; wins. Not all investments pay off, but you need to invest to gain. The fight was worthy and we have no regrets.

Gowon did what he had to do and fortune was in his favour. Ojukwu also answered a call, when we needed him to answer. Regardless of what you think, he shall remain a legend.

Now I feel like Physics HQ (I respect him though) after this energy sapping thesis. Let’s just agree to disagree, unless you keep it short and simple.

I also have relatives that fell in battle and those that fought from the beginning to the end. My home town, Umuahia was a major war zone and you can imagine the level of destruction, carpet bombing and blind artillery barrage that we suffered, which led to the death of many. All people that I know that were involved in the war do not regret fighting the war, they only regret losing the war. If we were to face the same circumstances leading to the war, we would fight again with no regrets.

Now about General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu (translated:am I surprised/afraid ? or fierce lion) Ojukwu. The best thing that happened to NdiIgbo and Nigeria was that he did not fall in battle. That would have been the ultimate humiliation and would have led to several factions, who would have carried on the battle. It would have given the feds a sense of triumph and I am glad that it did not happen.

The fact that he left the scene, was like a hovering spirit which prevented Federal troops from causing further punishment to Ndi Igbo. Following the surrender of Biafra, the feds declared "No Victor no Vanquished" situation for a good reason. The Biafran soldiers were not disarmed when the war came to an end. The federal govt had to at least pretend to be acting in good faith, lest Ojukwu reinforced and launched another uprising from exile. His departure ensured that the feds walked on an egg shell while dealing with NdiIgbo as he was like a time bomb waiting to happen.

Ojukwu was only human and he made some strategic and tactical mistakes during the war, but which General doesn't make mistakes ? The war was foisted on us and Ojukwu did well to answer the call of duty at that age.

Odumegwu, may you rest in peace and find rest in the bosom of our Lord.

Rest in peace all Biafran soldiers that fell in battle.

Rest in Peace all Biafran vets that have departed in peace time Nigeria.

Rest in peace all civilian casualties that died of starvation, artillery and bomb shells in markets, hospitals, their homes and those that were executed by federal troops.

My tribute to my uncle Martin, who passed away not too long ago. He fought in many sectors of the war. He saw war and war saw him.

My tribute to living vets like Dee Eziachi.

Tribute to all those who believe that we had to fight to survive. Those that understand that our backs were to the wall and the only way was forward.

We lost the war but not in shame. We did not achieve our goal but we kept our dignity. We earned our respect, wrote it in blood and set it in stone.

To Nigeria, Ojukwu was an elusive trophy, but to Biafrans, he was a fence between the devil and the sea and we are glad that the fence did not fall.

volasunkan:

ok,those that died on biafran side are guinea pigs to you.

ojukwu is not better than any dead person on either side of the war.

this madness must stop,why mortalise a murderer!

we will soon raise the debate to the national level.

ojukwu was indicted by the pogrom that led to the first military coup and still the lives lost still dont matter?

ojukwu may deserve anything from the igbos since you think their dead dont matter.
Nigerians must speak against immortalising a murderer.What If Effiong did not handover?imagine the number of ibos killed within jan 8th ,1970 when Ojukwu fled and jan 12th,1970 that Effiong surrendered!

The part in bold sums up how clueless you are about Nigeria history or maybe your intention to twist events out of form.

From what I understand, a good german floor is necessary in Nigeria as it also serves as a damp proof course (DPC).

In US and UK, they use damp proof felts at the base level of brick works above ground level, which makes german floor unnecessary. Also, they provide aeration/ventilation systems to protect the floorboards.

We don't use floor boards and damp proof felts in Nigeria, so I think german floor is necessary, otherwise you will find your blockworks ruined by dampness through capillary action.

Those people are already paying taxes to Ogun state one way or the other and they pay their bills for hospital and other amenities. The tax on traders is passed to them through the goods they purchase. Their income from Lagos also help businesses in Ogun to continue to grow.

Many people are unemployed in Lagos, so Lagos actually provides a means of livelihood for residents of Ogun at their own expence. This means that the GDP of Ogun grows due to the financial empowerment of Ogun resident-Lagos employees, who are able to buy from businesses in Ogun state.

Lagos is not about to cede their income to any state, especially when it has contributed to the reduction of the unemployment figure of that state.

Lagos can actually turn around and say that Ogun residents working in Lagos should start paying capital flight tax in addition to their normal tax.

Ogun should look towards introducing residence/community taxes rather than targeting Lagos workers.

I agree, he has "talked a good game" but the figures don't add up, especially the IGR of N63 billion. According to the finance commissioner, the monthly IGR has only just being increased from N150 million to N1 billion and that's a very long way from N63 billion p.a , but maybe they have other plans for revenue generation.

Calabar, Nigeria: The Commissioner of Finance, Ogun State, Nigeria Mr. Kehinde Sogunle says the state government through technology deployment could enhance Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) process. He says through the deployment of Interswitch PAYDirect Payment System, Ogun State had increased its IGR from N150 million to N1billion monthly, adding that more effects in terms of revenue generation were being expected in a few months.

Mr. Sogunle spoke at the annual Techno-Interactive Conference & Awards in Calabar organised by Interswitch, which was attended by representatives of the all the banks under the theme, ‘Leveraging e-Payment Channels in a Downturn.”

According to Sogunle, technology has given room to good forecasting, planning and budgeting while curbing various anomalies that had over the years characterised the revenue generation process of government.

“There are many gaps and leakages in the system. In addition, a good database which technology provides is important. This will stimulate economic activities, and facilitate the entire development process as far as governance is concerned,” he says.

http://www.financialtechnologyafrica.com/Ogun_State_Increase_IGR_From_N150m.htm?reload=true

Nchara:

Why we can’t tax Osun people, by Aregbesola
By Adesoji Adeniyi 21 hours 46 minutes ago
Font size: Decrease font Enlarge font
Rauf Aregbesola Rauf Aregbesola



Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the weekend explained why his administration has refused to tax the people.

Aregbesola said his people are very poor and tax would be an unnecessary burden on them.

He spoke at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Osogbo, the state capital, during a dinner with representatives of various financial institutions.

The dinner was part of activities marking the one year anniversary of the Aregbesola administration in office.

The governor urged the institutions to assist in eradicating poverty in the state, assuring them of security and a business friendly environment.

He solicited for funds to finance capital projects and programmes that would improve the state’s economy.

Aregbesola said: “I am in Osun State to eradicate poverty. If you are talking about Unclad poverty, it is here in the state. We can not tax anybody here because we do not want them to die.

“Are we going to tax people waiting to die? We were able to save 13 million in the last year, not through tax, but by blocking leakages in the system. So you bankers have no choice than to help us deliver good governance to the people. We need your support to eradicate poverty.

“I am amused about the uninformed comments of our predecessor in office about the finances of the state. They are confused and cannot comprehend what we are doing because they are not financially literate.

“We have the vision, passion and action. I am here to change the fate of the black man through the various programmes and projects of our unusual and unconventional government.

“My predecessor left the state’s account in a bad state. We met a suffocating loan of N18.3 billion, which the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration secured in an unprofessional manner.

“But within a year in office, my administration was able to increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state from N300 million to N600 million and pay the loan through the access of N25 million bond from the bank, with the monthly servicing of less than N100 million, instead of the N800 million used to service the former loan.”

The governor said his administration does not wait for the federal allocation before it pays its workers, adding that any state waiting for it is doomed.

He said states rejected the October allocation because of President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to deduct some amount from it for the creation of Sovereign Wealth.

Aregbesola said nobody has the right to deduct from any state’s allocation without the governor’s consent.

He advised state governments to exploit other avenues for generating revenue.

Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budgeting, Dr. wale Bolorunduro said the government plans to increase the IGR to N1 billion next year.
On incessant bank robberies in the state, Bolorunduro said the government has collaborated with security agencies to forestall a recurrence. He said the governor has ordered for five Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and established a security trust fund to combat the menace.

Many of the bank executives acknowledged the governor’s passion for development and promised to support his administration.

They include: Ayo Abina, Skye Bank; Elias Akenzua, Zenith Bank; Akinleye Ogunleye, Diamond Bank; and Boyin Oladokun, Unity Bank.


http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/27811-why-we-can%E2%80%99t-tax-osun-people%2C-by-aregbesola.html

Hmmm, is this not the same Osun with an IGR in excess of N5 Billion according to the stats posted by someone a couple of weeks ago ? It's good to let the "horse" talk in order to hear directly from him.

In any case, the governor is right. You don't tax people just because they are in existence. Tax should be reserved for people at work, businesses and commodities.

Nchara, O kwa i ma na i na achokwanu okwu ?

pasthedutc:

Just read the entire blog. You’re the only one defending the injustice perpetrated against your people. Everything about your post suggests that you’re nothing but a damn praise singer! Accept the fact that you and your whatever are nothing but failures; Africa and Nigeria need to flush people like you down the abyss to move forward! With all the resources surrounding your State, that’s all you can prove to the world? You must be a Joystick head arschloch!
Gott helfe Mama Africa aus den Händen der blutrünstigen, visionslosen Vampire!

Sie denken, dass das Schreiben auf Deutsch für dieses Thema relevant ist. Sie sind solch ein nutzloser Dummkopf.

Ewu German-Nigerian descent ,10% contribution Dan duru uwa shege dan iska. mai kai kwa kwa.

pasthedutc:

By so speaking, your education is worthless. Your opinion doesn’t represent thousands of Abians desperately in need of a job! If I was lying, how come I know much about your state better than you do? Do you know how many German's of Nigerians descents living and working on big projects in Europe? I'm not here to fight you, rather to voice out the need for change in Africa. Your children pictures are been portrayed on mega billboards as poor, destitutes and hungry! If you love your country and Abia, please do me a favour: Go to the street and protest for change! You need it and unless people like you stood up for change, and challenge bad governance in Africa, Nigeria will never move forward! Your continent will forever remain a punching bag for the West, Chinese and Arabs! Can we be friends now and join together for change in Abia and Nigeria?

OK, you are now a German of Nigerian descent. Funny that !

I said, take your phantom project and flush it down the drain. I will advise you to take your project elsewhere, if not you would wait for that 10% commitment from Abia state for eternity.

When I put my money down in Abia, I did not look for 10% commitment from Abia state. Other investors have not looked for 10% contribution from Abia, so what makes a pseudo German-Nigerian like you different ?

Do you know how many ideas exist in Abia and you want the government to commit 10% each time any Arrow comes up with a phantom project ? I hardly go hard on anybody and I never take it personal here on this forum, but you are a pathetic liar and I have no sympathy for a person with multi personality disorder.

We Abians know that our governor is slowing us down in Aba especially and making us punch below our weight, but we are not going to deny the little he has done and we are certainly not going to condone rubbish from liars like you and confused people like Kobojunkie.

You can offer constructive criticism but don't try to knock us down in the process.

pasthedutc:

We need change in Africa. Every year thousands of your young men and women are being murdered trying to reach the western shores in search of a better life. Your young women and children are been violated tortured and forced into slavery and prostitution all over the world and you are telling me to leave your Abia alone? I advised that you get your Bottom off that comfortable office and get creative! Because we won't leave your Abia, Nigeria or Africa alone until we liberate our people from the hands of thugs, selfish and blood sucking institutions that you have there!
You mentioned many companies in Aba? How many of them are still functioning? Why would you concentrate in Umuahia, and left the economic nerve of your state in an awful mess? How many intellectual leaders in this planet would do that? I don't know how much you get from fantasizing things that aren’t real: the evidence of bad leadership in your state is vivid and staring at you on every level! Truth Hurts! And you may continue to deny the through nature of your shattered State, anyone who visited there will tell the tale!

NB: About my username, I lost my first account pword and couldn't retrieve it after moving back to Germany, that’s the fact believe it or not.

So you are no longer German ? You now want to liberate "our people". Which people do you refer to as your people ? How can you begin to liberate anyone when you are full of lies ? You need self liberation so leave Abia out of it. I say it again, take your "German" investment and many user Ids and flush it down the drain as we don't need it.

Abians have hammered time after time how Orji has failed in Aba and how he doesn't deserve to be governor of Abia because of his inability to maximise the potential of Aba and Abia, but that is not the issue here. It would be dishonest to deny his achievements.


The issue is that there is a documentary evidence that he has upgraded some hospitals in Abia and also built new ones and you guys can't even give that to him, while some rascals have said that those equipment do no exist.

Fair is fair and if you want to be seen as fair, you have to acknowledge the good in others regardless of how bad you think they are. There is no need to be bitter.

As for getting my butt off my office; I am an investor in Abia, can you say the same about yourself in Abia or your "Germany"? We Abians take flak after flak from 1diots everyday and you would think they were better off, so go to hell !

As for Kobojunkie, you are the one derailing the topic. You think you know, but the wisdom of a fo ol will lead to nothing but disaster. For someone who is around 57 years, you are past redemption. For someone who needs a helpdesk in a state to advise her of the presence of an airport in that state, you are dumbness typified.

rolchi:

Okay, they will be producing only Diesel because the Diesel Market is fully deregulated otherwise, if they venture into PMS, it is impossible for them to sustain their business under the current fuel regime in Nigeria!

However, I wonder how they will only produce Diesel without distilling PMS!!!

I wonder as well. Maybe there is now an inverse fractionating process. Even at that, PMS would still be a by product.

Deregulation is the way to go and removal of subsidy is necessary to drive private investments in refineries.

pasthedutc:

It’s up to the Imo government to decide who benefits from the projects. However, we saw greater potentials in Aba, due to its tremendous untapped expertise and would definitely keep our eyes open!

You are an incorrigible liar. How many other user names do you have ? What projects are you talking about that we haven't seen in Abia ? Take your phantom project and shove it through your throat. Do you know how many private and multinational investors we have in Abia ?

As for Kobojunkie, you can keep arguing about the existence of a specialist hospital in Abia prior to Orji. Alaoma was a top hospital in Umuahia before Orji's administration, but it was a private hospital before his administration bought and upgraded it. By the way Mrs I too Know, a name does not make a specialist hospital so it's all BS if any place went by a specialist name but did not have the equipment to back up the name. Orji upgraded some hospitals in Abia (his responsibility by the way) and you are so bitter that you can't even give him credit for that ?

I will say it again, Orji is doing a poor job with respect to roads and sanitation in Aba, but he has done well in Umuahia and in some other areas. Under his watch, the ceramic industry Umuahia has roared back to life under private partnership.

Golden Guinea breweries Umuahia is back on the blocks through private partnership. He has developed/developing some housing estates in Umuahia and has built some good roads in Umuahia. He has his ills but must also take credit for his goods. Abia state is also developing a refinery in Owaza through private partnership initiated by his administration.

For those that derive pleasure in deriding Abia, you can talk ill of Abia because of the poor state of Aba, but if you are not from Lagos state, Abia state is more industrialised than your state and if push came to shove, we could increase our IGR as we like.

Apart from the industries scattered within the metropolis, Aba has four major industrial estates : Factory road industrial - (Fully subscribed by PZ , NB PLC and others) Ogbor Hill industrial layout (7up, Glass Industry and others): Osisioma Industrial Layout (GuinnessTonimas lubricating and Chemical plant and others) and Alaoji industrial cluster, not to mention tens of thousands small and medium scale leather, shoe and bag industries in Bakasi Area of Aba.

The Bakasi market and Ariaria are patronised by thousands of people from other west African countries and for many Nigerians, "Aba made" is a blessing. The entire metropolis is a market, but the main markets are Ariaria, Ngwa Road textile market, Eziukwu/Cemetery Road market and Pound road Electronics market.

There are other markets in Aba, which would qualify as main markets in some states.

There are gas pipelines in Aba serving some of the industries in Aba and Nigergas has a flow/metering station in Aba.

There are three power stations either in operation or nearing completion in Aba or near Aba (Owaza, Alaoji and Geometric Power stations). While Owaza and Alaoji will feed into the national grid under NIPP, geometric will serve only Aba and would be independent of the national grid so go figure. Aba metropolis is forever expanding and has nearly connected with Owerrinta, a mini industrial area by Imo River in Abia.

Even Umuahia has a few industries (breweries, ceramics, plastics, palm oil refining, research institute and a few others). B4 the war companies like John Holt, PZ, UAC were all in Umuahia. Umuahia is still a major exporter of palm oil and the palm oil export market (Beach) is still functional.

Please leave our Abia state like that for us, let us continue to develop at our pace. You are welcome to offer constructive criticism, but don't act like your state is better. Thank you.

chino11:

Umuahia is not any better than Aba ngwa

One would have thought that you would have crawled back to your hole after the humiliation from Nolongtin.

chino11:

Ezeuche abia state

silly chino actually posts onitsha picture to spite Abia. Talk about dumb and dumber.

The truth is that it doesn't matter whether any state govt sacked Abians in the past. A wicked act has no justification at all. The sacking of people from other states was ill advised, wicked and wrong.

If Orji felt that the civil service was too large and unproductive, he should have downsized the civil service without discriminating anyone. I would not mind other states retaliating to teach him a lesson, but that would create more innocent victims.

Although my home state is Abia, I regard my self as having equal stake as anyone in Abia, Imo and Enugu and no one can tell me otherwise.

OK, we have agreed, those centers don't exist in Abia. The straw beds we call specialist equipment were donated by foreigners. Just leave our Abia like that for us.

Quite easy to pay Peter with money stolen from Paul.

Only incorrigible and worthless dust-for-brain heads keep arguing about things they know nothing about. Abia is my home state and I know where Amaokwe estate is located and I am not going to do any manliness measurements with you or to prove anything to you.

My primary concern is how my home state and adopted states progress, so I have got nothing to prove to anyone, but can share with those who are genuinely interested and you do not fit that bill. This is where I end this chat with you; just rest assured that I have wasted valuable time on you.

Eko Ile:

Your picture looks bogus too,

Anyways, many of these estates are for the elites and government officials and never for civil servants, these are just business schemes designed to line pockets.




http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/abia-workers-lament-lack-affordable-housing

I take it that you are impressed by the picture but do not believe of its existence. It doesn't matter what you think, as I am not here to PR for Orji like you do for Fashola. As a matter of fact, I think that Orji should be flogged in turns by all Abians, but will not deny some of his meagre/unimpressive achievements. The question is ; are you able to accept any level criticism on Lagos and Fashola ?  That's the difference between us and I hope we keep to our different levels.

No worries tho, I accept that some Eko Iles and Chinos happen along from time to time with bitterness.

spyder880:

^^^ sorry friend, let me explain further,

By chalking blocks, I mean the cement qty that will be needed to lay the blocks on top of each other when building, like raising walls. It is the qty of cement needed to mix with sand and water to get motar and then use same mixture to chalk the blocks, that is on one side and if we are talking about that one, I still think it will take only 20-25 bags to chalk 3000 blocks as he mentioned.

The other side of the coin is making fresh blocks, in this one, you buy cement, sand and water with the intention of producing blocks, and if this is the intent of the question, it will take many more bags of cement to make 3000 blocks, I answered to the former when the question was asked.

Hmm Spyder, some of us are going to bag PHD ( I was happy with only diploma ) by the time we graduate from your school ooo. I hope say you no go introduce tuition fees before our set graduate.

Excellent, keep it up.

thejurist:

WHY WOULD PEOPLE POST FAKE PICTURES HERE TO DAMAGE THE IMAGE OF THE STATE, THE ORIGINAL WRITE UP STATED THAT " ABIA TO BUILD" NOT BUILT. THESE PICTURES I RECKON WERE GENERATED IN BAD SPIRIT. THE GOVERNOR AND THE HIS GOVERNMENT HAS MADE SOME WONDERFUL PLEDGE TO BUILD LOW COST HOUSES AND I FEEL IT NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THIS POLICY WHILE WE BECKON ON THEM TO DELIVER.

I agree with the above, although I am still skeptical about Orji, especially with his disgraceful performance in Aba, the engine room of Abia. He hasn't done badly in Umuahia and some of his programmes for Abia are laudable if he could deliver.

Who are Hermes Juno Consortium ? The answer is a key to his seriousness.

Eventhough, 8500 housing unit is a good idea, I am not very keen on the planning and execution. We need to look into the future in any project we embark on. I mean that we need to start conserving our lands now, in order to save space in the future.

Individuals could build on large expance of land, but our govt should maximise the use of lands they grab from people by building multi occupancy buildings with communal facilities (parks and play grounds) for housing estates. The same applies to other eastern states, because the truth is that we would soon run out of land if we insist on "one man one land and air space" planning.

The picture below is one of the housing estate constructions going on in Umuahia.

thejurist, do you know anything about Hermes Juno Consortium ? I think it is a money conduit but I would be glad to be told otherwise. Nothing to do with the topic but Abia state in general.

spyder880:

^^ 20 - 25 bags

Spyder, I thought you said that a bag of cement would give about 35 9-inch hollow blocks, so I am guessing that you would need just under 90 bags for 3000 blocks not so ?

Excellent stuff Spyder. Make you know say a lot of us are silent watchers and have saved some cash from tips from you, Brabus and co. Good job, keep it up.

Dawgpound:

In the 1960s over 80,000 Easterners and Mid-westerners (Igbos, Efiks, Ijo) were slaughtered across Northern and parts of Western Nigeria. Pregnant women had their womb cut open. Old men and women were forced into tanks and blown up. Many fled back to the East.

Biafran war ensued after that and 3 million more were either massacred or starved to death by the soldiers representing the Federal Government of Nigeria. The injustice continued with the Federal government's sponsored mass robbery of Easterners leaving them with only 20 pounds. In all essence the Federal Government wanted to further kill them off and yes many died of hunger or committed suicide.

During that war over 2000 Igbos were murdered in Asaba.

Hundreds more were slaughtered in other parts of the Mid-west.
In the 90s the Ogoni in particular were massacred in their thousands by the army and many fled as refugees to the US and other countries. Ken-Saro Wiwa the leader of the peaceful movement against oil exploration and environmental destruction of Ogoni land and 3 others were killed.

During OBJ's regime 200 Ijaw civilians were massacred in Odi.

Why haven't we made a concrete effort as a people to hunt down these criminals and have them charged and prosecuted? Why haven't we even tried to take matters in our own hands and seek justice for our people?

I believe that its our responsibility as a people to say to those who have caused us so much harm and pain and to the world that enough is enough. If these criminals grow old, die and get away without facing justice for their crimes we risk creating a society where more people will be emboldened to commit similar crimes.

Its our moral responsibility to seek justice for our dead.

You cannot hunt down anybody as long as people play the ostrich. People from a particular section derive pleasure in gloating about the defeat of Biafra and the starvation and massacre of innocent Biafran children. Those people do not share your views about any wrong doing.

More civilians died in the war than the fighting units due to deliberate targeting of civilian areas. My mum escaped death more than twice when our market square was bombed several times. My kindred would have be wiped out if not for God's grace as He did not allow the bomb that was dropped in our compound to explode. My dad was in Aba general hospital when it was bombed and many were killed. More sordid tales abound.

People think that they can gloat and laugh at our misfortune, but "although young men throw stones at frogs in sports, the frogs do not die in sports, but in earnest". The gloating will only serve to keep the war wounds fresh and bleeding.

I watched the remembrance day service (UK) and I felt huge pride and big emotions for the fallen. The fact that some people ask us to wish away the war as if it never happened shows that we have different values for the life and dignity of man.

The wounds begin to heal when Nigeria look at fallen Biafra in the face and say:

" we thought it was best to bring us together as a country and we had to fight to do so. However, we were wrong to target innocent civilians to unite the country. We are sorry for the war crimes against you and shouldn't have robbed you of your possessions after the war"

Those that died will forever remain our "Glorious Dead". It is our duty to remember them and to continue to pass down the war stories from generation to generation until they are recognised and honoured.

Maybe some people should go and find out what a missile is. A minor knowledge of ballistics and explosive projectiles would give them an idea.

A missile could be guided or ballistic and nobody ever said that ogbunigwe was a "guided" missile.

At that time in Markudi, the town was essentially made up of Igbos because the Tivs were predominately farmers. Lt. Col. Adeniran gave us  non-natives a platoon of soldiers that escorted us from Markudi to Lafia, then Suleija and to Jebba.

At Jebba, it was a terrible and horrible experience at the River Niger Bridge. People were asked to identify themselves. When I told them I was a Benin man, an army sergeant from Zuru who had lived in Benin came and spoke to me in Benin language

"It was a horrible experience at the Niger bridge, People were asked to identify themselves".

His life was saved at the hands of Nigerian Army because he was able to speak Bini and prove tha he was not Igbo.

The unspoken bit was that "horrible things" (cold blooded murder by the Nigerian army as confirmed by Igbo returnees) were done to those who could not prove their non-Igboness.

The Lt Col knew he was sending them to their graves, otherwise, he would have sent them southwards towards Enugu. Jesus was also kissed by Judas !

On the boundary adjustment, how were they able to determine that a portion of the oil lands in Imo was in Rivers when there was no physical/natural boundary to establish a demarcation ? How did he decide that the same community (Egbema) should be split between two states because of the need to let Rivers state have some of the oil revenue from the oil wells in the community?  

The same thing happened to Abia state where the adjusted boundary went deep into Abia state (past Imo river boundary)  to cede oil to Rivers state. Abia has since recovered more than 60 oil wells from Rivers, but the bulk of the revenue still goes to Rivers.

Relax101:

How is Giwa an hausa word?

Giwa is Hausa word for elephant

Kedu ihe kpatara na ufodu agaghi a hapu ikwutosi ndi ozo , ebe ha na ama aka mgbe obula ? Kedu ihe unu n'azo mgbe nile ? Omenala di iche iche, n'ese kwa okwu. O ya mere omenala ndi nile jiri diri be ha. Onye obula kwado omenala ha , ma kwanyekwara omenala ndi ozo ugwu. Gee egwu Pericoma gbasara omenala:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJPTBcJneMY

Nde ofe anyi na ashi na ugwu bu nkwayi nkwayi. Onye shi na nke we ka mma, o gaghariala ofe obula ga hu ife nde odo na eme na nga we ? I gaghi ino na uhu mata ife n'eme na ama. Ndughu oke nde okeyi shi na akpa agwa mana umirima ?