₦airaland Forum

Kayautojun: WHat Tinubu has done is create layers of Loyalists.....

Fashola was his chief of Staff but he never mentioned his intention on using him.
Fashola was not a political friend, he was diligent worker and a loyalist who believed his responsibility was to make Tinubu look sane.
All other close allied who were lobbying for the Gov ticket felt bad and some left to labour etc and fail. Same with Aregbesola.... Loyalist but very diligent staff under Tinubu.

These moves made him look Powerful and won the trust of the people to make the right choice.

a go father of politics wants people to believe his choice is for the good of the whole community and Tinubu has done that. The likes of ASAFA, GUS, Gbajabiamila etc can't rule Lagos. Those are looters and their role is to get some federal money to ACN.

On the issue of all powerful leader will fall one day. I think Tinubu will be the first god-father to retire. If any party he he belongs to does not win the presidential election 2015, he will retire but off course will put all mechanics in place.

Paying tribute to Tinubu, Lagos State Special Duties Commissioner Dr. Wale Ahmed, described him as the gift of the Southwest to Nigeria. “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu arose out of the necessity for the progressives to get out of the PDP shackles and for this nation to move forward, so that Nigeria can begin to actually enjoy the dividends of democracy according to the will of God”, he said.
Ahmed, a former state legislator, also hailed Tinubu’s hunt for talents. He recalled that, as the governor, he had set up a cabinet of talent in Lagos State, which was second to none in the country. He also said that his administration laid the solid foundation upon which the actualiser, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has successfully built.

Tinubu has proved himself as a nationalist fighting for true federalism and entrenchment of due process. Ahmed urged him to continue in this vocation, noting that the national question cannot be resolved without social and political agitation.

For the House of representatives member from Ikorodu, Tinubu deserves applause for political mentoring. Mrs. Abike Erewa noted that the ACN leader had raised and nurtured a generation of leaders in the Southwest, who are assiduously working for the transformation of the region. She paid tribute to the leader for springing the idea of regional integration, which may return the region to its glorious days. “ I remembered when I signified my intention to go to the federal parliament, there were still opposition to my bid. But he was discreet as a leader. He observed that, if I had been able to perform well as a broadcaster, I would surely do well on the House. I am happy that I have not disappointed him and other leaders”, said the legislator, who also described Tinubu as a caring and compassionate leader.

Delta State politician Navy Commander Uche Onabu hailed Tinubu’s national outlook, saying that he is a true national leader. He observed that his vision is to ensure that the 36 states of the federation have credible leaders who can work for the happiness of the people. “I have not met him before, but when I contacted him about my federal parliamentary ambition in 2011, he lent a hand of help”, he recalled. “He is a detribalised leader who means well for Nigeria”, he added.

To Senator Joel Ikenya, the ACN leader in Taraba State, Tinubu is a great mobiliser for rational causes. He said the Asiwaju of Lagos led the battle for electoral reforms, shortly after the 2007 failed polls. He observed that, though all is not totally well with the ballot box in Nigeria, things are gradually changing.
“Many people follow Asiwaju because he has the qualities of a leader. He is forthright, sincere, dedicated and committed to the cause of the common man”, added the former governorship candidate who wished him well in the years to come.

A rights activist and chairman of Amuwo Odofin local government area of lagos State praised Tinubu for his interest in the younger generation. “Our leader and father, Tinubu, has given youths and women opportunities to participate in politics and public service. [size=18pt]He is a leader who is building other leaders for the purpose of the future”[/size], he said.

Another activist, Comrade Joe Igbokwe, described Tinubu is a political Field Marshall, stressing that[b] his battalion is loyal to his command. The Lagos State ACN Publicity Secretary described Tinubu as the most colourful Southwest politician in post-Bola Ige era.[/b] “Our great leader, national icon and political bulldozer is one man that is difficult to describe. I cannot find enough adjectives to describe Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Words will not be enough to tell the full story of this widely cherished man of the people, a Field Marshall, builder of men, friend of the poor, logistician, orator and a political colossus”, he added.

AjCityOne: I be Tinubu Loyalist, supporter, die hard fan, slave to his ideas and vision. You guys are just jealous because he is so powerful and your killler political party (PDP) can't seem to touch him. If are an individual that cherish success in all ramification, you can't help but admire this man called Tinubu. "Strong man is the one who is able to intercept at will the communication between the senses and the mind"

AjanleKoko: Growth without actual development. That's what we're experiencing in Africa.

Andre Uweh: Am primarily interested in the agricultural aspect of this economic revolution. It. May be odd coming from. Me, why can't we allow foreign investors to take over our agric sectors?. F.g has spent billions in agriculture and still spending with the required results.
I think it's high time to allow foreigners be on the lead.

Sweetlemon: @ Sincere9gerian, from your posts, it's obvious that although you are very aware that Tinubu is perhaps the most powerful force to reckon with in today's Nigerian politics, you desperately wish it weren't true.
Perhaps you wish it was GEJ exuding all that swagg right? Lol!

Katsumoto: Don't encourage him; he is trying to steer the conversation to his area of expertise - hate and victimization.

pazienza: You are so predictable and easily exposed. You go about talking about africa (like africa is anyones group) when it is obvious that your allegiance lies with your ethnic group. The awo statement there was a bait,made to expose your tribal affliation,and sure enough,it worked. Like i told you before,no one is deceived.

pazienza: Keep deceiving yourself. Same tribalists are same people masquerading as intellectuals here.
Awo was an intellectual too,and am sure he had good ideas for africa too. But he had no problem starving millions of africans.

The key to africa's economic boom is re-drawing the colonial borders. Groups should exist in the same country,based on mutual understanding and agreements and not forced unity.

The exploitation and decay of africa started with creation of artificial unstable and unworkable countries by the colonials. Our redemption will come the day we dissolve those unstable unions,and create stable ones built on the spirit of equity, justice and patroitism.

Until then,innate tribalists should continue deceiving themselves here, nobody is fooled.

*grins*

Africa’s Dutch disease: The way forward
Posted by today on Dec 3rd, 2012 // No Comment


ARTICLE: FRANCIS XAVIER TUOKUU
“The resources are there. It is for us to marshal them in the active service of our people. Unless we do this by our concerted efforts, within the framework of our combined planning, we shall not progress at the tempo demanded by today’s events and the mood of our people. The symptoms of our troubles will grow, and the troubles themselves become chronic. It will then be too late even for Pan African Unity to secure for us stability and tranquility in our labours for a continent of social justice and material well-being.” (Dr. Kwame Nkrumah -first President of Ghana).


Introduction

Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq. mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth‘s total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With 1.0 billion people (as of 2009) in 65 territories (including 54 recognised states), it accounts for about 14.72% of the world’s human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar and has 54 sovereign states and two states with limited recognition. Either by fault or design, the entire continent has for the last fifty years been suffering from a condition famously labeled as the Dutch-disease.

This disease according to the Economists is a concept that explains the apparent relationship between the increase in exploitation of natural resources and a decline in the manufacturing sector. The term was first coined in 1977 by The Economist to describe the decline of the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands after the discovery of a large natural gas field in 1959. In recent times, the term refers to countries, which have abundant resources but are in deplorable states in terms of economic development.

Expectations arising from the existence of resources

Africa is the richest continent in terms of natural endowments. Some of these resources include gold, diamond, crude oil, cocoa, and timber, in fabled quantities, vast expanse of land inter alia. Almost all African countries are endowed with natural resources but notable among them are; South Africa, Ghana, DR. Congo, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Angola, Rwanda etc. With these resources, one would have expected that Africa should have the best health care delivery systems in the world, good education for its people, better infrastructure, vibrant industrial sector, more employment avenues, an enviable per capita income, higher standards of living etc.

Elsewhere, where a quarter of these resources do not even exist, efforts are being made by the people to develop their countries and some countries have actually made the transition into developed nations. Mention can be made of Germany, Netherlands and the so-called ‘Asian Tigers’. Japan and South Korea for instance do not possess as much natural resources as Ghana and Congo but development wise is light years ahead of the latter.
In Japan, only 16% of the land is cultivable as most parts of it are mountainous, yet, she is able to produce enough to feed her people. Sadly, it cannot be said of most African countries. Japan also happens to be among the seven (7) most industrialized countries in the world despite these resource constraints. What is then the excuse for the continent’s abysmal performance in the sphere of economic development?

The reality

Before one attempts answering such a question, one needs to examine the facts on the ground. Despite all the aforementioned resources, out of 24 nations in 2009 that were identified as having “Low Human Development” according to the United Nations’ Human Development Index, 22 were actually located in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This lends credence to the fact that resource abundance does not necessarily mean development will naturally take place. Development will be stagnant if these resources are not put into effective and efficient use.

The evidence on the ground shows that in most countries with huge natural resources, these endowments have proved a curse rather than a blessing. For instance, most people in Yenagoa-a village in Nigeria’s oil rich Delta region live in mud huts without basic amenities such as potable water, schools, electricity and in-door toilets. Interestingly, these villagers reside only a few meters from the oil wells drilled by giant corporations such as Chevron, Exxon and so forth. (African Agenda, 2006, vol.9.no.4 page 5). It is needless to also pinpoint the environmental hazards and especially the frequent oil spills that wreak havoc to farmlands and properties rendering the people not only homeless but prone to diseases.

There have been violent clashes between natives of the oil regions and the companies that produce oil in Nigeria for decades now. A fortnight ago, the government of Nigeria removed oil subsidies stating that several billions of dollars will be saved in order to develop infrastructure of the country. This move by the government led to mass protests on the streets of many cities especially the national capital, Abuja. Most Nigerians are of the opinion that as the leading producer of oil in Africa, the only benefit they derive from the country’s oil is the 50% subsidies, which they enjoyed but which has now being removed.

The Nigerian case is not the only situation. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) arguably is one of the most endowed countries in the world owing to the abundance of every natural resource. You name it; from rare minerals for manufacturing computer chips to vast forest resources the DRC has it. Experts have estimated that the Congo basin alone can produce enough food crops to satisfy the nutrition requirements of nearly half the population of the whole world (Obeng, 1997, vol.5, page 34).

This potential wealth however, contrasts sharply with the extreme poverty of the people of this country. According to some statistics, an average Congolese earns an annual income of less than US$100. State revenue represents less than US$ 1billion for a country whose population is about 60million with a land area of 2, 243,000 square kilometers (African Agenda, 2006, vol.9.no.3, page 12). From this, it is clear that the natural resources of this country benefit neither the state nor the local communities. On the contrary, they seem even to become a sort of curse because of the repeated war situations they engender and the political and economic instability they create for this country (African Agenda, 2006, vol.9, no.3, page 12).

Equally mind blogging is the case of Sierra Leone. Many people especially vulnerable groups like women and children lost their lives needlessly owing to greed over the exploitation of blood diamond. Nowadays, the heavily burdened Sierra Leonean Government makes a lot of money from the diamond mines but this is yet to reflect in the lives of the people.
Ghana in a less dramatic fashion is no different. The production of cocoa has given way to mineral production. The regular blasting activities of Newmont Ahafo have resulted in cracks in a number of houses at Dormaa in Kenyasi No. 2 and Habitat in Kenyasi No. 1. It is now difficult for students to acquire scholarships from the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board (GCMB) since the cocoa farms which were evidence to acquire scholarships are no more as the land is now being used for mining activities. This has given rise to poverty in the area (African Agenda, 2006, vol.9, no.3, page 14). Furthermore, the recent discovery of oil in Ghana in commercial quantities does not excite some people judging from the examples of other countries. Others have made it clear that, if the discovery of oil in Ghana will become a curse on the people then, it should be allowed to stay on the ground.

In his address to the Parliament of Ghana in 2009, President Obama remarked “the African continent is rich in natural resources and that there is bountiful wind and solar power; geothermal energy and bio-fuels. From the Rift valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coasts to South Africa’s crops-Africa’s boundless gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad. He reminded Ghanaians in particular about the fact that oil brings great opportunities, and that, Ghanaians have been responsible in preparing for new revenue but that, oil simply cannot become the new cocoa” (Daily Graphic, 13th July, 2009). This is because, “dependence on commodities-or a single export has a tendency to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few, and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns”.

Why the current state of underdevelopment?

Most people have always blamed Africa’s problems on colonialism. The British, the Portuguese, the French, Germans, Belgians, had colonies in Africa and took away resources of their colonies which they used to develop their countries. They also introduced the slave trade in Africa, where the best brains and the labor force of Africa were sent mostly to the Americas to develop plantation farms owned by the colonial masters. This many believe till date is the main cause of the underdevelopment of Africa.
However, in the 21st century, this argument does no longer hold water when assigning reasons to Africa’s underdevelopment. This argument has been described as a staggering one and a deliberate attempt to look away from the real causes. Even though some external factors play a role of a sort such as imbalance terms of trade and the fact that African countries still depend on loans and grants from foreign countries especially their colonial masters, which dependence is accompanied by unfavorable conditions, a chunk of the problems of Africa emanate from within.

First, many have decried the attitude of African leaders beginning from the post-colonial independence to the contemporary era as reasons for Africa’s poor state. Many African leaders have reserved the national resources to themselves and cronies in the form of money mostly in foreign banks. Mention can be made of Mobutu Seseku, Gen. Saani Abacha, Iddi Amin, Murmur Gadhafi among others who were richer than their respective countries. The former Egyptian strongman, Hosni Mubarak is currently standing trial in his country not only for responsible for the recent upheavals in that country which led to loss of lives, but for allegedly stealing several millions of dollars belonging to the Egyptian tax payer. Indeed, corruption and bad leadership has become so pervasive in Africa that, an African philosopher, Prof. Kwesi Wiredu describes it as ‘a moral pollution’. It has become part of the African daily life and even more serious in government institutions. To overcome this, we need what he (Prof. Wiredu) calls ‘a conceptual moral revolution’ (Gyekye, 2004).

Poor work ethics is another factor militating against Africa’s development. People generally do not give out their best in their respective work places especially in the public sector. Therefore, the resources can be there, but once the people’ attitude to work is negative, development will remain stagnated. Also, the concept of ‘African time’ is retarding the progress of development in Africa. It is a common practice in government institutions across the continent where some workers often go to work late, go for break before time and close from work earlier than the time given. It is not uncommon for people to go for a programme scheduled for 10am at 12pm believing in the concept of ‘African Time’. How do we expect our productivity to increase when we do not respect time? Time management is very important in every sector of our economy and that explains why we have planning officers in every unit or department/agency to plan our projects and programmes according to a stipulated time period.

In Africa, there is no rule of law but reality of the law, where the reality of the law refers to the fact that all persons are equal but some are more equal than others. It is often as though the law is made for some people and this has led to the culture of impunity. We have cases where governments in power massage their constitutions to stay in power forever and examples can be found in Niger, Senegal, Zimbabwe etc. These have led to conflicts in many parts of the continent. According to President Obama, “no person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy that is tyranny” (Daily Graphic, 13th July, 2009, page 9).
The way forward for Africa

[size=18pt]Education is the secret of the developed world and Africa has regrettably only begun to realize this. Without education, regardless of a nation’s natural resources, its people will remain steeped in poverty without till the end of civilization. It is therefore imperative for our leaders to invest in the education of the youth. In most African countries, our educational systems are not only ‘confused’ but do not equip students for industry.[/size] In Ghana for example, the politicians keep on reforming the educational system year after year but end up sending their children to the best schools in Europe and elsewhere.

Additionally, generous investment into technology, industry and scientific research and development should be made if African nations are to compete in the technologically driven world of tomorrow. This will not only help to alleviate poverty and improve the economic well-being but quintessentially, provide the vital human capital which can conveniently innovate as well as utilize these technologies to withstand the imminent surprises of the next decade.

Development depends on good governance and that is the ingredient that has been missing in Africa for many years. “Each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own tradition. Governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous and successful than those that do not…. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves-or if the police can be bought off by drug traffickers” (Daily Graphic, 13th July, 2009, page 9).

The hour is upon us to put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts in Africa. African children are crying for development and Africa can only come out of poverty if we put an end to the wars and conflicts. Researchers at the International Rescue Committee, a US-based aid agency that has chartered the impact of DR. Congo’s war, say 1,000 people continue to die every day, mostly from hunger and disease, on-top of the 4million that have died since the last war began in 1998 ( BBC Focus on Africa, 2006, vol.17, no.2, page 15).

Most resource rich nations of Africa are politically volatile with several local disputes ensuing over the control or distribution of wealth which has for long remained the sole source of national revenue. Poverty and lack of visionary – cum transparent leadership has rendered these nations backward, thereby inflicting much dint in its human capital development. Urgent measures need to be put in place to reduce if not completely eradicate these conflicts. Furthermore, public fora should be organized on regular basis. At such fora, the way forward as to how to manage the resources of each country will be discussed to reduce unnecessary suspicion from the people thereby minimizing the tendency for various forms of confrontations between the government and the duty-bearers.

State institutions must also be strengthened to work so that those who break the laws will be punished severely by the appropriate bodies mandated by law. In the words of Obama, Africa needs strong institutions and not strongmen. Many argue that stiffer laws should be introduced but this might not be the remedy to the problem. The answer lies in a higher commitment to the implementation of the existing laws, which do not have teeth to bite especially the powerful in society.

All in all, as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah summarily captures it “our people supported us in our fight for independence because they believed that African Governments could cure the ills of the past in a way which could never be accomplished under colonial rule. If, therefore, now we are independent we allow the same conditions to exist that existed in the colonial days, all the resentment which overthrew colonialism will be mobilized against us.”
(Francis Xavier Tuokuu is a Freelance Journalist and a Postgraduate Student in Corporate Social Responsibility and Energy (MSc) at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland).

occam: I'm sure we are familiar with this saying: "The greatest lie the Devil ever told was convincing humanity that he didn't exist." Selling gold dust to and convincing African countries that it's diamond has now become the "flavor of the month" for development practitioners.

Some lies repeated in this video may indeed be more frightful than the devil's lie. We need to take heed lest we over imbibe the sweet words and lose focus.

Pan African-ism is simply a cool slang that serves no purpose. Africa is not a monolithic block, but countries sharing a continent. Each country must therefore fashion its own path to development based on it's unique problem.

Seminars touting GDP growth, low debt to GDP for African countries are increasingly commonn place. These seminars are deliberately quiet on the more important Human Development measurement which puts African countries at the bottom of the rankings. And according to the Global Competitiveness Report, most African countries are factor driven economy vs the innovation driven of North American & European countries. Yet some say we can catch up or surpass a country like Germany by 2055; 40 yrs time. Our goal is not to catch up with these countries. First and foremost: we have to reduce poverty to a manageable number. Too many poor in Nigeria and any year over year economic growth simply creates more poverty. This is what is going on in Nigeria today

Who are those guys? what is their agenda? Pumping out selective aggregated statistics to support the narrative of rising economic power house in Africa is delusional at best and deceitful at worst. Even more dangerous, it may encourage our leaders and policy makers to make bad decisions.

On a positive note the video has elicited, on this thread, vibrant discussions and diverse views on the path forward.

Pukkah: I repeat, the world has not yet entered a post-industrial age - contrary to what the guys at World Bank may tell us.

Certain countries that come to people's minds and appear as non-industrial are actually manufacturing success stories.

For example, look at Switzerland and Singapore. Switzerland is one of the most industrialized countries in the world although some might think it lives off the stolen money of African foolish rulers. In per capita terms, it has the highest industrial output in the world.

Singapore is also one of the 5 most industrialized economies (in terms of per capita). Finland and Sweden make up the rest of the top 5.

I repeat again, no country has so far achieved even a decent (let alone high) living standard by depending on services. The only exception is Seychelles and it has a very small population (less than 100,000 people) and exceptional resources for tourism.

Like I said earlier, what's the balance of payments surplus of knowledge-based services (I mentioned banking, consulting and engineering while you came up with Apple, Facebook and Google) as a percentage of the GDP of US or Britain? It's about 1% and 4% respectively.

In short, the world hasn't become post-industrial. Like some people have said, let's focus on the real sector. Let our government also 'enable the enablers' that would massively kick-start the real sector.

Personally, I don't think there should be (high) unemployment in our country if we get our priorities right. We are an emerging economy and should enjoy the high rates of economic growth before saturation inevitably sets in (later).

esere826: Ahhhhh
Finally ...a cerebral economics thread


1) FDI in Nigeria is not unprecidented as of today. Prior to the burst in 2007 is when we had unprecidented FDI
2) Analysts are always on the look out for themselves. Thanks to agency theory, it should invariably connect them to their investors. In orde words you can't really trust them. They were upbeat up untill the global recession.

3) Foreign investors are mainly institutional. It is therefore easy for them to invest in risky enviroments where the potential returns outweigh the risk
4) Nigeria cannot be a successful knowledge economy for now. Knowledge economies requires certain factors to drive them. Federal character which is deeply embedde in our constitution and psyche is definitely not a driver.

5) Yes Nigeria can be an industralized country despite Asia. The reason is simple: we have a market of 180 million people and an unemployed labour force that can be recruited for peanuts. Baring energy factors, what we need is to create and effect a barrier to entry of some foreign manufactured goods. With the continous production of such goods without applying much differentiation, the cost of production will soon become competitive with international prices.

6) Nigerian present political elite is not capable of taking Nigeria close to mount Saina talkless of the promised land (I am not talking about Jonah only). Nations that are in the forefront of 'power' usually have a consistent 'intellectual' core that churns and drives its policies and visions. In UK policy makers are grafted from Oxford and Cambridge universities straight into power. In the US, harvard, Chicago Business School, etc are the bedrock of the economic team. In China, the party is made of an intellectually core where its future leaders are distilled in ideology and thought the ropes before gradually ascending to power.

If Obj had veered presidential power towards his economic team -Elrufai, Soludu etc. You would have seen the impact of 'consistent' intellectual driven policies

7) Beyond knowledge is wisdom. So 'coding' or its likes does not cut it for a knowledge economy. What do I mean? Sebi Seun get Nairaland wen get more than 1,000,000 users abi? Have you seen his icon on any local or international site. Reason is simple. He's country is not wise. So if we all become coders, oyibo go make coding a commodity and something else wil become of more value.

The reigns of power and economic growth in any country rests in the hands of coalesced critical thinkers. Things dont just happen.

Maybe thats why u hear folks talking about groups like illuminati, and Masons.
Maybe thats why people become members of groups in the first place -groups like PDP and APC

omonnakoda: I think it is important to define "knowledge" and "knowledge based economy". The distinction you attempt to make between manufacturing and knowledge based economy is not only artificial it is false. Anyway the starting point is to agree on a working definition for this thread.
As far as Facebook Apple and Google are concerned,it is no coincidence that they are American Companies. I would like to believe you are not saying the US is the only country with a knowledge based economy and I am not accusing you of this. So where is the French,Japanese,German or Canadian Google or Facebook.
Packaging and tranporting vegetables more efficiently and Vaue Chain Management Logistics is "knowledge" and any General will tell you such knowledge can make a difference between who wins or loses a war. Knowledge is a complex thing and not quite as simplistic as you would make it seem. It can determine who produces the cheapest chicken,pork or tomatoes or which rifle jams first during crucial battles with as devastating outcomes as the latter scenario may suggest not just for the soldier but history.
In my view there is such a thing as the opposite of knowledge which is not merely the absence of knowledge but something worse. Things like Boko Haram and Pentecostal churches with their magical doctrines encourage our belief in miraculous solutions to human problems. So deafness,epilepsy etc are caused by spirits and we do not research other solutions but also the research and experimentation culture is stunted and moribund. This antiknowledge impacts our health and well being as well as that of our livestock with the result in high mortality. It is a cliche to say ignorance is costly but anti-knowledge is not ignorance merely. It is worse. The Nigerian Economy was more efficientt in 1950 than it is today. The colonial government kept very good records. Kolanuts,palm oil,groundnuts were being transported by the TRAINLOAD today it is not happening. That is evidence of a "knowledge deficit" we do not KNOW how to run things efficiently and productively. That is the most basic of knowledges. We cannot run a Police Force or Airports or even Universities. Those basic things are simple (not complex) but not easy as we have shown for 50 years

In todays world if we are focused of Agriculture and Value Addition to Agricultural products we can "industrialize" along that trajectory. Industrialization doe not mean Hi-Tech . It just implies "massive and more efficient" so you can industrialize the milking of cows or even moin moin making

PapaBrowne: Hehe, you make me smile with regards to the sitting 20hrs without going anywhere. I attend conferences globally where the best of the best rile on about the new african dawn! Its in those conferences I learn that the average African doesnt seem to know that his time has come and the onus is on him to take advantage. You can stay pessimistic all you like, I'm an optimist and I believe immensely that our time for advantage has come.

Sadly,because of your regular bias, you didn't read the thread and hence didnt realise that you have just corroborated my point and gone against Pukkah's point! Wish you can re-read the thread. My opinion is that it is foolhardy to try compete on Industrialization at this point. We don't have the engineers and it would take some good 20-30 years to train them by which point the world would have gone onto something else.
Our strengths are in Agriculture and the extractive industry. Knowledge on the other hand is an area we can leapfrog on given the short time required to develop skills like coding.
Building an industrial base is not a prerequisite anymore given the strength of globalisation! I stand to be corrected. The greatest cities in the world don't manufacture...

Africa is leapfrogging the Industrial revolution and bolting straight into the knowledge revolution! To employ our hordes of young people, we would use our huge fertile land resources to feed the world! Its that simple. Afterall, we currently possess 60% of the world's unutilized arable land

Katsumoto: The challenges that Africa must overcome before it can start to grow

1. Improve on election of leaders

2. Invest in infrastructure and education

3. Eliminate bureaucracy and reduce the cost of business

4. Encourage Pan-Africanism - I mean destroy the borders between African countries. This is particularly important because by keeping trade within Africa, all African countries can grow.

5. Embrace secularism - Religion, especially foreign, is used to enslave Africans

6. Take drastic steps to reduce corruption


I believe Agriculture should be the way forward. Food supplies are dwindling and the world's population is increasing. The battles of the future will be based on food and water. Europeans will sell jewelry to buy bread.

shymexx: ^^^^^Uncle Gbawe, you have continued to disappoint me with some of your posts of late... Why should we use an already peaked and declining economy such as Europe as the blueprint for Nigeria?? To be honest, Europe(West) is hanging onto economic revolution today because that's the only area it has an advantage over the rest of the world... I don't need to remind you that Europe has little or no raw-materials/mineral-resources and there are no more colonies for it to loot like it did in the past - hence why it's hanging onto its last straw(economy) before it finally collapses??...

It's a new world and if Nigeria/Africa is going to make it in the scheme of things in the world - we have to follow the Chinese and Brazilian template... We need to start with an industrial revolution and develop a manufacturing base using our natural resources... Enough of selling our raw materials to the rest of the world in return for finished goods that we can easily manufacture in our own country... Thus, creating employments for the youths - and saving overhead costs...

Everything we're witnessing right now is just an economic bubble - and we need to get our acts together before it's too late..

Pukkah: As for those who say Nigeria can leapfrog into knowledge-based services, I ask : which knowledge? Is it banking, consulting or engineering?

Britain and the US - two countries that are supposed to be the most developed in the knowledge-based services - are unlikely to meet their balance of payments needs in the long run through the exports of these services. If they can't, it's unlikely that any developing country can.

In the US, supposedly another model post-industrial economy, the trade surplus in knowledge-based services is less than 1% of GDP. That of Britain is less than 4% of GDP.

Papabrowne and Rossike, you may continue to delude yourselves but stop deceiving gullible minds.

wesley80: Ogbeni Gbawe Aregbesola who was the General quoting when he made the above bolded statement? I know people like you cant stomach progress but do you have to make your affinity to evil and backwardness this obvious? Why make a lengthy post of an old report that has since been overtaken by current events just to cast aspersions on a govt's modest achievement? Are you really this wicked?
BTW where's your GarriX7 handle? Are you tired of fooling around like a child? Agbaya!

The head of Shell’s Nigerian oil unit has warned that Africa’s largest oil producing country is in crisis as a result of a “significant upsurge” in oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
Making the comments on Sunday following an aerial survey of its operations, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria’s managing director Mutiu Sunmonu said the company was losing 60,000 barrels of oil a day as a result of theft, the heaviest losses in three years.

otokx: lies and more lies, why has AGIP suspended all operations in Bayelsa state? until we stop deceiving ourselves in this country we shall not move forward.

Shell warns of Nigeria crisis with oil theft at three-year high
Mar 4, 2013 4:18pm by Andrew Bowman
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The head of Shell’s Nigerian oil unit has warned that Africa’s largest oil producing country is in crisis as a result of a “significant upsurge” in oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
Making the comments on Sunday following an aerial survey of its operations, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria’s managing director Mutiu Sunmonu said the company was losing 60,000 barrels of oil a day as a result of theft, the heaviest losses in three years.


Sunmonu warned Shell would consider shutting its Nembe Creek trunkline in the Niger Delta, which carries oil to Shell’s Bonny export terminal near Port Harcourt.
Calling recent theft levels [size=18pt]“unprecedented”[/size], he said criminals were becoming increasingly sophisticated. “The perpetrators are now setting up barge building yards, they are setting up storage facilities, they are setting up tank farms for storing the crude, prior to shipping out.
“So, if you look at all of these, it is very clear to me that this is not just an act by desperate individuals trying to make a living. This certainly is a well funded criminal activity, probably involving international syndicates,” Sunmonu told reporters in Nigeria.


The 97km Nembe creek trunkline, which connects to a 6,000km pipeline network, was rebuilt by Shell in 2010 to replace ageing facilities in the Delta at a cost of $1.1bn. However, the investment has been beset by problems, with Shell shutting it down in May 2012 and December 2011 as a result of damage caused by thieves.

The complaints from Shell come at a difficult time for the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Damage to pipelines have already caused both Shell and Exxon Mobil to declare force majeure this year. Uncertainty around the government’s Petroleum Industry Bill – currently stalled in parliament – is holding back further international investment, while increased shale oil production in the US is denting demand for Nigerian crude in its third biggest market.
Oil accounts for around 80 per cent of Nigerian government revenues, and the government’s 2013 budget, signed off by president Goodluck Jonathan last week, is based on expected production of 2.5m barrels per day. However, analysts have suggested the target is overly optimistic. The political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, for example, estimates that 2013 production will be 2m to 2.1m bpd.
Last year minister of finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the Nigerian state and oil companies were losing up to 400,000 bpd to the illegal oil trade.
There are a number of government programmes underway to address the problem. An amnesty between the Nigerian government and militias in the Delta was agreed in 2009, giving former militants access to government subsidised employment and bursaries at an estimated cost of $400m in 2012. In addition, a joint military taskforce mission called ‘Operation Pulo Shield’ works to combat theft in the delta. However, its effectiveness has been questioned, with Sunmonu saying the military needed “to step up their game”.
James Clinton Francis, a researcher at Eurasia Group, told beyondbrics: “The statement from Shell doesn’t come as a surprise. We have noticed an uptick in pipeline theft. A lot of people are focused on Boko Haram now, but Nigeria still has major security problems in the Delta.”
These problems were, he said, closely tied to the declining popularity of president Goodluck Jonathan in the Delta – a traditional pro-Jonathan stronghold – and internal disagreements over leadership in the ruling People’s Democratic Party.
Francis said: “From a practical military standpoint, one of the most effective ways to curb theft has been to destroy illegal refineries, but it comes at high political cost as they are the backbone of economy in the Delta states. Jonathan doesn’t want to take a measure like this right now.”

Sincere 9gerian: Ok. I have closed my mouth. Hope you'r happy?

ballabriggs: Yes O my brother, Kick Out Siddon Look 2015.

Bottom line is, it is still mediocrity, however, I never thought mediocrity will be taken to the level Jona has taken it to.

Kick Out Siddon Look 2015!

Bliss4Lyfe: If dis is true den i have a serious problem with Tonto Dike and Jym Iyke.

emiye: Sincerely, you do a very bad job trying to defend PDP. All you do is whip up emotions, and run away from facts.

anonimi: Does the bold portion not describe you and the other ACN propaganda lap-dogs who "are forever to complaining and focusing on the negatives of the GEJ administration.
What is good for the goose is no longer good for the gander
[size=14pt]Bunch of shameless HYPOCRITES playing the bully card, are you?[/size]


________________________________________________
2015 - Next Level Democracy
Join a political party in your LG ward with folks & friends NOW!

olabukola: Thats Nigerians for you. If this project is done by PDP gov ACN/APC supporters including you will still ask the same question.

jmaine: This got me laughing hard . . .Permit me to add lacing school lockers and benches with "devil beans" and observing his evil from afar . . .