₦airaland Forum

Only a revolution can solve our problem

Good suggestion for youth cooperation - but to what end?!

Our nation is (unofficially) in recession - will politics improve our economic condition?

Why cant youth start coming together; pulling resources together to form small firms. Why wasting your small savings competing with Billionaires (Sarakis/Dino/Dasuki/Methu/ and co.) while you can spend quality time multiplying your fund.

This nation needs youth to produce our tooth-picks, shampoo, biro, diary, year-planner, table/wall-clock, poultry, books, cutting-bud, cash-crops, mobile phone, blender, water-dispensers, perfume, furniture...

Great nations are not built on politics only but continual quest for social-welfare and economic advancement.

For those who say and do everything to destroy Nigeria - We are all in this together!

Prof. Soludo, Emir. Sanusi and now Prof. Pat Utomi and many other concerned Nigerians have been making recommendations on how to come out of the current economic crisis. These people are demonstrating their patriotism as individuals but we need a coordinated discuss.

This problem needs a conference of best Nigerian minds to tackle - we do not need Prof. W.S to goad us. The economically advanced USA will be holding a world entrepreneur conference in California close to Silicon-Valley where they believe is the heart of American entrepreneurial renaissance. This is just one of many gatherings they use in gathering information, encouraging debates and ultimately coming-up with policies to improve their economy. If it has been working for them why cant we (let down our pride) and try the same method.

This is good news for concerned and patriotic Nigerians.

I have a number of recommendations to ensure this effort does not end-up in futility as similar efforts in the time past.

N Please no live coverage of discussion session – cameras are big distractions in meaningful meetings.

N Please no high tables – this is a serious discuss and should not be diluted with political arrangements.

N Budget for this gathering should be very tight to remind invitees this is a call to save the nation and not an opportunity to confabulate, dine and wine with the dehydrated resources.

N Please keep the invitees in 100s of unoccupied Government lodges in Abuja – please don’t take them to Nicon-Nuga or Sheraton again. Convey them with all those unused government cars and buses. This is an opportunity for all those drivers, cook, and protocol officers on government pay-role to work for the salaries they have been collecting with little functions.

N Please use all available online technologies to receive contributions and encourage discussions among other concerned Nigerians that have useful contributions.

N The Finance, Budget and National Planning, Trade and Investment Ministers should be part of this plan, embrace this effort and allow it to work. This is not be seen as a competition but a united defense against famine.

N Our overpaid law-makers should please enjoy their N115 Billion in peace and stay out of this effort. Our NASS has never been known to support reforms.

N On a lighter note Babaringa or Agbada should be banned – imagine the time and energy it takes to wash, iron, wear and carry the thing around. We are going to need all the time and energy of the invitees.

God bless Nigeria.

were you guys tagged special guest of honor?

i dont get the rant!

you want Ben Bruce to serve you personally? spoon feed you guys and hand you guys his book because you guys are guest and from Unilag?

will you say you havent been to a party and service was not carried out properly?
say you havent and you clean your mouth for lying.

event management is one problem , no matter the organizer.
those that managed the events mismanaged it , so holding it against Ben is crass stupidity.

must he be everywhere?

and you using this to cast aspersion on him because he didnt spoon feed you guys? very laughable..

and imagine the hate, you are taking pictures and snapped the food he served you guys?
his own money?

aint you an ingrates..
quite pathetic.

and if he didnt invite you, you would say he despise the student.

they sent you guys up for you to see all that happened.

instead to aspire to do greater things as a masscomm student you are casting aspersion and painting him on the bad light..


knowing fully well that your rant will dent his image as an opposition ..

you also forgot it was live program, so am yet to hear people confirm the humiliation at his birthday..

how many boook lunch have you attended and you got the book free , even to the point it reached everyone!?

probably they ran out of copies!
SO DOES THAT make him bad?


how much do people pay to attend shows by your favorite musicians?
you saw them free of charge and you dey complain?

are you okay?

I used common sense to derive the question i asked you.
not everyone will agree with me but you know they are true.

enjoy your teem drink man....

As at the time I got here 98 people liked this post; another reason Donald Trump is winning. We keep having education yet have refused to be free of primordial mentality.

Your points are totally off what the students are trying to project. You have appointed yourself the spokeman for the man in question. Tomorrow the same Ben Murray Bruce will take a truck load of his book to these aggrieved students, treat them nicely and take selfies with them - nobody will care about your body-guard role.

Ben Murray Bruce since becoming a house-hold name has always appeared to be an elitist until he won election as a Senator. He is outspoken and people are matching his actions with his volume of rhetoric - this is exactly what the students are demanding of him and trust him he will get back to them because he is up to something.

Special thanks to SR. This is one powerful endorsement for common people stand on the direction of this govt.

In summary Nigeria should:

* Delete the N120 billion/annum sucking NASS
* Stop pretending to be America
* Make it official/legal we can no longer sustain an active local government system
* Stop enlarging the already over-bloated governments
* Appeal to Baba to stop leaving us in confusion - we know how much $$$ we expend on his travels; we also need him to read and sign those papers on his table on time; some of our livelihood/welfare depend on his time.
* Public officers are too flamboyant and wasteful in the midst of stack poverty.
* Stop Govs from coming to Abuja everyweek

dulaman:
Marafa had in the interview, expressed support for Former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the issues he raised in his recent letter to both chambers of the National Assembly, especially on the need to make the annual budget of the federal parliament, transparent and accessible to Nigerians...

This Senator is only saying the minds of millions who have been watching the unchallenged corruption in the NASS. Even the more powerful and relevant executive arm of government have details of their spending plans available to all Nigerians - why has this vestigial NASS remained unscrupulously corrupt.

Public assignment is about service - no be by force. These overpaid layabouts should stop telling us how they have been contesting for decades!

One day the oppressed will have our day...and Senator Marafa and his likes will become heroes.

Anyone who has worked, regularly, in teams will know these appointments are not results-oriented. Too many big-names are being forced to work together without clear-cut responsibilities, coordination and reporting structure. It will take months for people to get used to this amorphous arrangement.

Someone on NL once drew our attention to the fact that Budget planning and Implementation ministry has been separated from the Federal ministry of finance while everyone kept calling out Kemi Adeosun for the budget mistakes. We are having further division which may result in duty overlap and personality clashes.

My advice is that OBJ's economy team model should be adopted. These top-dogs should be forced to form a unit and meet regularly - while PMP allows them to handle things.

A friend in Lagos was looking for NGOs or other government bodies that probably collect re-usable items to IDPs. Good people should not be discouraged about the monstrous nature of few Nigerians.

Polymath56:
d story 2 some extent is a contrived/fictitious or make belief one...coz I knew[b] a lecturer of mine had distinctn in d course in 2010 n he's 9gerian...[/b]
Anyways, congrat 2 her coz itz not easy hvn dat due 2 d plethora n enormity of stress u hv 2 undergo n efforts u hv 2 put in, in d skl

For the records this news is false! From a reliable source 2 Nigerians bagged Distinction from this program 2010 Advanced Chem.Engr MSc class. They had "Nigeria Distinction" previous years and they are still recording "Nigeria Distinction" to date. A good number of Nigerians bagged Distinction/First class from other programs same year. Authoritatively speaking there is nothing like the title "Best Nigerian Student" in that Department or any other department in the College.

But this is Nigeria where we hardly have any cheering news. Congratulations to the lady but she has just joined a league of many Nigerians who have bagged Distinctions/First class from top universities in Nigeria and abroad. Distinction or First class grade is now reasonably common among Nigerians even in Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Imperial College, UCL and other top schools.

A good number of Nigerians

Yeyegist:
Today, Governor Udom Emmanuel celebrate Miss Christiana Udoh, a distinctive graduate of Advanced Chemical Engineering at the prestigious Imperial College, South kensington, London - United Kingdom, for distinguishing herself in educational pursuit as the first Nigerian to earn a Distinction in Post Graduate studies in Advanced Chemical Engineering.
http://www.metropillar.com/2016/01/gov-udom-celebrates-best-nigerian.html

Are you absolutely sure of this?

Geothermal energy:

Kenya has embraced geothermal energy in a big way,aiming to serve one-quarter of its energy needs through this source.

Konza Tech cty:

(Is already under construction) Several delays have marred the project and discouraged some investors but the government maintains the site will be operation April 2017...is hoped to be a world-class hub of entrepreneurship.

Resort cities:

The LAPSSET will also see three resort cities constructed...

Resort cities:

The LAPSSET projects will also see three resort cities constructed...

Highways:

Highways are major components...with hundred kilometers of pristine, new road laid to facilitate transport of goods and people.

LAPSSET Pipeline:
One of the most lucrative commodities to travel the route is crude-oil, through a new pipeline that connects Kenya's oil field in Turkana Basin to Uganda and Southern Sudanese sites. A new refinery will also be constructed!

Lamu port

...The city of Lamu...It will be transformed into a trade hub through construction of a new 32-berth port, which will be used to supply locations along the line.

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - is to receive multiple upgrade...CNN

Voi Railway Station

The SGR project also includes the construction of state-of-the-art new passenger stations in Nairobi, Voi and Mombasa

Standard Gauge Railway

SGR has been described as the most ambitious project in Kenya's independent history--replacing the antiquated tracks left by the British regime.

Source - http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/18/africa/gallery/kenya-megaprojects/index.html

Kenya's megaprojects: What can $50 billion do for a country?


By Kieron Monks, for CNN

Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT) January 18, 2016

Mombasa rail-station: Kenya is already an infrastructure power-house of East-Africa--leading the region for investment.But the next few years will see a quantum leap forward, with tens of billions of dollars to be spent on some of world most spectacular transport, energy and technology projects- such as the new Mombasa
railstation.

Kenya's ambitious infrastructure projects - with a total projected cost of roughly $50 billion - have the potential to transform the country over the next few years...

(Note: $50 Billion is roughly 12.5 Trillion Nigerian naira. Nigeria budget for 2016 is 6.? Trillion Nigerian naira)

http://www.punchng.com/unpaid-salary-workers-sell-land-household-items-to-pay-childrens-tuition/

Fisayo Falodi and Gbenro Adeoye

Civil servants have been struggling to raise money to pay their children’s tuition, as primary and secondary schools pupils resume for the second term academic activities in many states of the federation on Monday, January 11, 2016.

Some civil servants across the country are now putting their goods and properties up for sale to pay their children’s tuition and fund their return to school amid cash crunch, Saturday PUNCH findings have revealed.

Workers are increasingly finding it difficult to cope because of the economic downturn occasioned by falling oil prices in the country as many state governments owe workers’ salaries while some have slashed salaries by up to 50 per cent.

Our correspondents learnt that because of the situation, some civil servants have resorted to selling some of their goods to support their children who are returning to school after the Yuletide break.

Some of the goods and properties being put up for sale by the workers include land, livestock and home appliances like refrigerators, television and radio sets.

For instance, the last salary that was paid to civil servants in Oyo State was for October 2015.

A school teacher in the state, who identified himself as Mr. Adebola, said he had to sell a plot of land he had on the outskirts of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, to get the N80, 000 needed by his daughter who had got admission at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

He said, “We have not been paid salaries for November and December and my first daughter, who has been given admission at FUNAAB, will resume on Monday.

“She needs to pay N31, 000 as Acceptance fee; N25, 000 as tuition; N20, 000 for accommodation and N5, 000 for computer fee. When my wife and I could not get the money, we had to sell a piece of land that we have been unable to develop for a long time so that our daughter can resume in the university with her mates.”

Also in Plateau State, where the state government owes workers three months salaries, some civil servants have been struggling to fund their children’s education ahead of schools’ resumption.

Governor Simon Lalong inherited a burden of nine months’ salary arrears when he assumed office in May 2015 and he has not been paying workers at the same time but one ministry after the other.

A civil servant, Mr. Aliyu Mana, whose wife is also a local government worker, described their financial situation as poor, adding that he had put some of his properties like livestock and household items up for sale to interested buyers.

Mana said he has a child in the Plateau State University and two others in private secondary school, who need money to return to their schools and that he had already informed some friends and relatives about some animals and items he was willing to sell.

He said, “My children are returning to school after the Christmas holiday but the situation has been tough because we are being owed salaries by the state government. The situation is such that we cannot ordinarily afford the education expenses of our children if we don’t sell some of our properties.

“I have told friends and relatives that I have some animals and a deep freezer to sell if they are interested in buying or know someone who is. I’m positive that I will be able to sell those things by the time they start disturbing my children in their schools.”

Since July 2015, civil servants in Osun State have been paid half salaries and even at that, the salary that was paid to them for November.

A widow working in the Ministry of Health, Mrs. Felicia Oyenuga, said with the move, her salary had been slashed to N25,000, which has made it more difficult to settle her financial obligations.

Oyenuga said she has decided to sell some jewellery, and empty crates and bottles of soft drinks to raise some money for her child, who needs N75,000 in school- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.

She said, “I have only been able to raise N10,000 out of the money and it was given to me by a friend.

“I have some jewellery, crates and bottles at home that I want to sell to raise the rest of the money. Í’m desperate to raise the money by any lawful means.”

In Imo State, some civil servants are being owed two months’ salaries while others are being owed more.

Similarly, some workers in the state have also resorted to selling their goods and properties to pay their children’s school fees and other education-related requirements.

Mrs. Blessing Okereke, a civil servant, said her children may not resume to school on Monday with their colleagues following the Christmas break.

She said that her children had not paid their tuition and that they would need clearance slips issued to pupils who have paid before being permitted to enter their school.

She said, “So I have been trying to sell some of my jewellery and other stuff to get some money for my children’s school fees. The school they attend does not accept stories; they will not let your child in if you don’t pay the fees to the last kobo.

“I will do anything it takes for my children because I understand how embarrassing it will be for them not to join their colleagues in school. We could not even celebrate Christmas because there was no money. Things are really bad for government workers in Imo State.”

Although private and public schools resumed for the second term academic work in Ondo State on Monday, January 4, 2016, civil servants in the state have also attempted to raise money through the sale of their properties to pay their children’s tuition.

Ondo State workers were paid their October salaries a few days before last Christmas and many of them said they had spent the money on the celebration of the Yuletide for their children.

A worker with the Ondo State Development and Property Corporation, who identified himself as Olubunmi Ademisoga, confirmed to one of our correspondents that many people, majority of who are civil servants, had contacted him to help them sell their landed properties which are in various locations in Akure, the state capital, and the environs.

According to him, the intended sellers complain that they want to use the proceeds from the sale to pay their children’s tuition, especially those in private schools.

Ademisoga added that more civil servants had been contacting him to help them sell their properties, despite the fact that few buyers, businessmen, were showing interests.

He said two civil servants – one from Akure South Local Government Area and the other from the Ondo State Teaching Service Commission – whose names he refused to mention, were among those who spoke to him early in the week about their intention to sell their properties for the purpose of raising money to pay their children’s tuition.

According to Saturday PUNCH’s investigation, the situation appears more critical in Ekiti State where workers have been offering their electronic gadgets and home appliances such as televisions, fridges and radios, among others, for sale.

A senior official in the Ekiti State Ministry of Education, who simply gave his name as Abimbola Oninurere, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that he saw the need to sell one of his cars as the last option because he could not afford to stop the education of his children halfway.

He said of his four female children, two are already in the university, while the last two are in private school in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

“I never expected that the situation could become worse to the extent of selling my personal properties to pay my children’s school fees, which I should ordinarily not find difficult to do,” Oninurere said, adding, “My first daughter is studying Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, while her immediate younger one is a student of Mass Communication at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. So, asking them to withdraw from schooling because of lack of money, especially feeding allowance caused by irregular or non-payment of salary, will be a great mistake.”

Asked whether his wife was not contributing to the funding of the children’s education, he said, “Before, she was the one buying provisions and food stuff for the children while I paid the school fees, but the story changed immediately the state government demolished the Erekesan market in Ado-Ekiti where she was selling clothes.”

A 51-year-old public servant in the state, Mrs. Idowu Anipupo, who said she sold her giant furniture wardrobe last year and used the proceeds realised there to pay for the registration of her daughter’s West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, claimed that she might be forced to sell more of the properties left behind by her late husband to pay her children’s school fees during the current academic term.

She explained that what made the matter worse was that her tenants, who are equally civil servants, have not paid their rents for the past one year.

“Anytime I ask them to pay their rents, they usually tell me to wait till the payment of salaries are regular,” she said.

An educationist and Professor of Psychology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Oluwatoba Elegbeleye, commended the concerned workers for doing something out of the ordinary to fund their children’s education, but warned them to always plan their spending according to the size of their salaries.

He condemned a situation in which some civil servants will overreach themselves in terms of planning to acquire what their monthly pay cannot support.

Elegbeleye said, “There is no crime in selling one’s property to pay the children’s tuition, but what is not advisable is to lay hands in what the person’s salary cannot support.

“Schools are in categories; parents can choose for their children the ones they have the capacities to pay. The wise thing for them to do is to plan in accordance with their financial capacities, which they derive mostly from their monthly salaries.”

Also, the Head of Economics Department, OAU, Prof. Abayomi Adebayo, said the situation might become worse unless the government took drastic measures to reduce its dependence on oil.

While confirming to one of our correspondents that many civil servants have been living on support from churches and other faith-based groups, Adebayo said the situation would affect service delivery.

He said, “I have many civil servants, especially teachers, around me who were paid half of their salaries last month. They were not even sure if their salaries have technically been reduced. Their condition would have become critical than what they are currently passing through but for the generosity of some churches and others that have been contributing to their welfare.

“This is what happens in a country that determines workers’ salaries based on oil prices. This will actually affect service delivery because I cannot expect workers doing their best when they are owed salaries for months.”

Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Obijulius:
Final warning to all Nigerian youths:
1. That country has no future. Just join APC steal the much you can. Just pledge allegiance to Buhari and APC. The humiliation is temporary but you will have the last laugh - Ask Fashola, Audu Ogbe and Amaechi.
2. Move all members of your immediate and extended family to a forward looking country. Canada USA. Anywhere outside Africa and a non-muslim nation.
3. Dump your Nigerian passport and start a new life.
4. Home is anywhere you feel at home. Anywhere but Nigeria.Your children will be forever grateful to you for your foresightedness. Thank me later.

May be its too early to condemn the nation to failure. Nigerians have children and grand-children in US/UK but they still complain of discrimination from the aborigines.
There are two documents being used as reference for the 2016 Appropriation Bill : One is an abridged version while the other is a break-down of all proposed spending.

The abridge version is a 7-page document http://www.budgetoffice.gov.ng/pdfs/2016/2016AppropriationBill.pdf

The breakdown version is a 1800-page document. It has been in circulation for a while (not on budget office website). http://www.post-nigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Appropriation_Bill__Details_.pdf

If you navigate to page 917 - it shows the break-down for the FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WORKS POWER & HOUSING. Identifying this alleged N20 Billion appropriation on this document will show if this news is reliable or not.

This country belongs to all of us, we have no other home. We should all endeavor to study this document thoroughly and bring-up all bizarre figures for our information and possible actions.

coolzeal:
Ngozi Iweala commands respect because of her higher level of education and her experience as a profound Economist. She single handed the Paris Club debt, which will write off 18 billion dollars of Nigeria's external debt for payment of 12 billion dollars. She is the finance woman investors can trust. Kemi is good but not for finance.

Single handed? There was an economy team she led comprising Soludo, El-Rufai, Ezekwesile and others. The team had the ex-President Obasanjo as as the "CEO". If you asked me I will say the President's global image and acceptance at that time was more instrumental to the regime success than NOI dexterity.

NOI single hand performance (was as a Prime minister under GEJ). The score-card is what we have been witnessing in Dasuki-gate, Anenih-gate, depleted reserve pre-handover, pwced-NNPC frauds, Diezaini-gate and others.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/periodic-tables-seventh-row-finally-filled-as-four-new-elements-are-added/ar-AAgjM5R?ocid=SK2DDHP

Four new elements have been added to the periodic table, finally completing the table’s seventh row and rendering science textbooks around the world instantly out of date.

The elements, discovered by scientists in Japan, Russia and America, are the first to be added to the table since 2011, when elements 114 and 116 were added.

The four were verified on 30 December by the US-based International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the global organisation that governs chemical nomenclature, terminology and measurement.

IUPAC announced that a Russian-American team of scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California had produced sufficient evidence to claim the discovery of elements 115, 117 and 118.

The body awarded credit for the discovery of element 113, which had also been claimed by the Russians and Americans, to a team of scientists from the Riken institute in Japan.

Kosuke Morita, who was leading the research at Riken, said his team now planned to “look to the unchartered territory of element 119 and beyond.”

Ryoji Noyori, former Riken president and Nobel laureate in chemistry said: “To scientists, this is of greater value than an Olympic gold medal”.

The elements, which currently bear placeholder names, will be officially named by the teams that discovered them in the coming months. Element 113 will be the first element to be named in Asia.

“The chemistry community is eager to see its most cherished table finally being completed down to the seventh row,” said Professor Jan Reedijk, president of the Inorganic Chemistry Division of IUPAC.

“IUPAC has now initiated the process of formalising names and symbols for these elements temporarily named as ununtrium, (Uut or element 113), ununpentium (Uup, element 115), ununseptium (Uus, element 117), and ununoctium (Uuo, element 118).”

New elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist.

The four new elements, all of which are man-made, were discovered by slamming lighter ­nuclei into each other and tracking the following decay of the radioactive superheavy elements.

Like other superheavy elements that populate the end of the periodic table, they only exist for fractions of a second before decaying into other elements.

© AFP/Getty Images Kosuke Morita, the leader of Japanese team at the Riken institute, smiles as he points to a board displaying the new atomic element 113.

Super1Star:
The BMW story is a big fat lie.
PMB just told us how he refused the approval of 400m for purchase of cars for presidency.

Its been over 24 hours since this document was released to the public and government has not denied the break-down. While one can argue the President does not appear to know the budget break-down in detail it will be naive to see the President & APC as Saints.

Thank you SR. At least many of us now realized we have been having a totally wrong impression of our "heroes".

People are dying from violence and hunger, jobs are being lost, nation revenue drying off, businesses shutting down yet the leaders are living large.

Again I foresee a chaotic 2016.

People are dying from violence and hunger, jobs are being lost, businesses are shutting down but the leaders are living large.

Again I foresee a chaotic 2016.