₦airaland Forum

Poverty is a curse.

FreeGlobe sheh you don hear?

However, the noise about the
2006 census results seemed to
have died down, until last week
when another controversy was
stirred from an unexpected
quarter. The chairman of the
National Population
Commission (NPC), Chief
Festus Odimegwu, was quoted
recently as saying that the
country has not had any
credible census since 1816 and
blamed the irregularity on the
distortion and falsification of
figures for selfish and political
reasons.
He said: “No census has been
credible in Nigeria since 1816.
Even the one conducted in
2006 is not credible. I have the
records and evidence produced
by scholars and professors of
repute. This is not my report. If
the current laws are not
amended, the planned 2016
census will not succeed.
“Population forgery was done in every state, every locality and every region because politicians want to manipulate it so that they can use it during the electioneering season,” he
reportedly said, noting that the
2006 census figures were
cooked up to favour the North.
He also made reference to
Tinubu who conducted his own
census in Lagos and got 17.2
million people instead of NPC’s
9 million.
Expectedly, Odimegwu’s
statements woke up a sleeping
dog as reactions from all over
the country greeted his
statement. First,
commissioners in NPC
disowned his statements and
warned him over what they
described as “unhealthy and
image-denting comments” that
are capable of causing a crisis
and forcing NPC to derail from
delivering on its mandate.
Also, Odimegwu was accused of levelling allegations of fraud,
corruption and marginalisation
against his predecessor and
some serving members of the
commission. 

Nigeria is a failed country

Unfortunate Nigeria can not keep their best. GEJ, many reason even your brothers can not trust you.
I believe this is the same case with Nnaji

gratiaeo: The more citizens pay their taxes and discharge their own civic responsibility, we will give better service”

I hope not when they pay their taxes you turn back and call them foreigners?

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Thursday announced 83 per cent second quarter performance for the State’s 2013 Budget, even as he assured Lagosians of high quality service delivery in the coming months.

The performance represents an increase of 22 per cent above the first quarter performance which stands at 61 percent.

The two quarter results, however, represents a cumulative performance of 72 per cent.

Fielding questions from newsmen after presiding over the Year 2013 Budget Second Quarter/Half-Year Performance Appraisal at the Lagos House, Ikeja, Fashola said the second quarter result was consistent with the promise he made to Lagosians at the first quarter budget review meeting that there would be an improved performance in the second quarter.


“Our review covers from April to June this year and the result shows an isolated performance of 83 per cent for the second quarter which is consistent with the promise I made at the first quarter, when we announced a 61 percent result, that we would improve on our performance and work harder”, the governor said.

He added, “So what you have, 61 per cent for the first quarter and 83 percent for the second quarter, is a cumulative of 72 percent, slightly behind our result of 75 percent at this time last year, 2012”.

Explaining the slight shortfall in cumulative performance this year as against the same period last year, Fashola said: “You will also understand that we are working a larger budget this year against last year’s budget”. The Governor, however, added that, given the right circumstances, Lagosians should expect continued improvement in the quality of both service and service delivery.

“All told, Lagosians should expect that we will do better. If we came out with 61 percent in the first quarter and 83 percent in the second quarter, they can only expect a better result in the third quarter”, the Governor said.

Pointing out that the signs of better performance in the third quarter were already there, the Governor declared, “Many of our road projects, Agege, Iju, Ikeja, Lekki, Isolo, Ago Palace, Mile 12, Ikorodu are making progress. We are completing many school projects and also a lot of drainage projects that are already assisting in mitigating the impact of the heavy rains that we have seen so far”.

The governor, however, explained that the major challenge that the Government faces has to do with fund availability pointing out that there are many projects which have been completed but not yet paid for. He said such projects could not be added to the budget performance because they have not been paid for.

“We have done quite a lot, road projects, drainages and all that. Our main challenge remains funding so we continue to ask Lagosians to voluntarily declare their assets and pay their taxes. There are a lot of projects we have not paid for so we cannot add them as part of the review. But work is going on, our contractors are working, we are heading North”, the governor said.

Assuring of continued delivery of quality service to the people, Fashola declared, “The more people that voluntarily declare their assets and pay their taxes, the more we improve the quality of service delivery. We have over 160 roads awarded last year and about 70 this year and many of them are likely to finish this year. That can only translate to improved travel time and more savings. The more citizens pay their taxes and discharge their own civic responsibility, we will give better service”.

Also fielding questions on the outcome of the budget review, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ben Akabueze, reiterated that the only challenge facing improved performance was fund availability adding that Government was ready to discharge its obligation of giving quality service to the people.

“Our main challenge remains funding. As you know, it is the raw material for our performance. Once it is available, what it remains is for us to do our job and fulfill our obligations to the people”, the commissioner said adding, however, that the heavy rains of this year affected project completion.
http://freedomonline.com.ng/fashola-happy-with-second-quarter-83-performance-of-lagos-budget/

he is not the best president, but he is also not the worst, he has not achieved all his goals,

Elliotwiz1: but he has achieved something, i can speak of the power sector
.

[quote author=Elliotwiz1]but he has achieved something, i can speak of the power sector. everyone finds fault in [/quot
e]
Somebody should pls hold this man and take him back to
Psychiatric hospital, he's not yet fully recovered.
I only see GEJ power sector reform in my dream

Give GEJ more time to finally destroy Nigeria

gunners160: honestly since i hv being on nl u hardly see a yoruba insult oda tribes.

You must be new on Nairaland

gunners160: honestly it is becomin 2 mch sha i am sorry if my post annoyned anybody i jst did dat out of anger.haba mst we tarnish d image of anoda tribe jst 2 mk a point.sorry 1ce more

Welcome

Tonylyte: nwokem, ibu ezigbote adaka...if to say i dey near u nw, i 4 scrach ya mouth for floor...thank God say emenike no d reason lyk u..

Don't mind the 'ofeke'
"Ofeke amaghi mgbe ekele nku ukwa" Nairaland Igbos has shunned tribalism for life

gunners160: honestly i am beginin 2 hv dis feelings dat igbos r tribalistic.mst we involve all dis again in d game of sport?1 idiot openned a thread and started inslutin yoruba damsel again sha no wonder dat same blood ojukuwu runs in ur veins.dnt make me angry 2day or else i wuld wash u down.dis is gettin 2much

You exhibit the same attitude by involve Ojukwu.
You both are tribalist

I pray yoruba and igbo will unite political for the betterment of this country
Long live southern Nigeria

Its unfortunate that Yorubas don't have plan for retirement
1)Benjamin Adekunle (Black Scorpion)s illness: family call for govt’s intervention
2)King Sunny Ade's ex-guitarist, Fatoke Abiodun, caught with cocaine

[quote author=~Bluetooth]If Ngige happens to be the first governor to be kidnapped in Nigeria, how then did he introduce kidnapping to Anambra state as alleged by Obi ? I wonder how this mo'R'on ended up as a state governor.[/quote]I hope you wouldn't mind buy voters card to vote for Ngige. Will you?
Ngige was the father of thugly politics in Anambra state

plssssss let there be peace!
IGBO and YORUBA must unite politically if this country must move ahead
Though Ngige we all know is not the best choice for now let us try a technocrat (Obiano)

Hmmm. Ndi Igbo?

arcis: Ozoka explained that the establishment of AIB required National Assembly
legislation for the establishment Act, which took at least one year and a
public hearing before it was signed into law, stating that it was not Fani-
Kayode that established AIB.
“AIB was established by an Act of parliament and to pass a law takes one to
two years, so the former minister cannot say that he was the one who
established AIB, although it was signed into law by the then president
(Obasanjo) on November 14, while the minister was appointed on
November 7, 2006, so how did he establish AIB?” he asked.

Can Femi establish a body like AIB in just 7 days in office?

Nawaoo. Naija get talent

Nawao how we go take no?
Cup of rice still the same amount.....
garri de add money even....
Tomatoes.......
Meat? Poor man still de chop meat?

@op you are lucky to see rechargeable lantern @ federal teaching hospital, at Ojo health center in Lagos, they are using candles for delivery at night

yashau: Dat is yoruba woman for you, if na all dis yamirin mother they go even dey giv am applause!

Hypocrisy! She was sleeping when Soyinka was bad mouthing Mrs president abi?

el bin manny: And the hypocritical deputy governor never spoke against underage marriage

No she went to antenatal when Soyinka and Femi Kayode is firing to Mrs president

Eyaa! Thank you Mrs deputy gov.
Pls can somebody tell Mr soyinka to stop degrading womanhood

It is getting worse by the day here

By Amaka Abayomi & Gbenga Olarinoye
Following the educational reforms in Osun State, which led to the reclassification and mergers of schools, introduction of one school uniform and the alleged introduction of ‘Ifa’ as a school subject, concerned educationist have questioned the workability of such reforms, especially as it has caused an uproar among students, teachers and parents.
Osun State government had claimed that these reforms are the results of an earlier organised education summit, chaired by Professor Wole Soyinka, which recommended that the reclassification of schools and the other components of the reforms were the best ways to reposition the educational sector of the state.
According to the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, stakeholders at the summit agreed on having three structures of basic education that is elementary, middle and high rather than the existing primary, junior and secondary levels, and a comprehensive overhaul of physical and human component of the education system.
Implementation
Implementation of the O’School initiative commenced with  the  inauguration of the Salvation Army Middle School in Osogbo, the state capital, by Governor Aregbesola, which is one of the 100 elementary,   middle and 20 high school being built under the   initiative.
“The Elementary Level, comprising pupils aged 6 to 9 corresponds with primary 1 to 4 in the existing system. The Middle Level is from primary 4 to Junior Secondary School (JSS III) for pupils aged 10 to 14, now classified as Grades 5 to 9. The High School Level covers ages 15 to 17 and corresponds with the Senior Secondary School III (SS III), known as Grades 10-12”, government said.
  New uniforms & introduction of Ifa as a subject
The reclassification and merging of schools comes with the burden of parents buying new school uniforms for their wards as the old uniforms have been rendered unwearable. To this end, all categories of schools now have unique school uniforms which differentiates each school.  Though government is bearing the cost of the first set of uniforms to all the students, but parents would have to bear any additional cost should their ward(s) uniforms need changing.
Also, the merging of same sex and faith based schools have continued to generate controversies as some students, old boys associations and proprietors of these schools have protested the merging. Notable are the protests by the  students of Baptist Girls High School who kicked against being merged with an islamic school, and   Fakunle Comprehensive High School,  founded in 1965, merged with Osogbo Grammar Schoool, while the junior students were moved to different schools.

Probably considered the biggest controversy is the alleged introduction of Ifa (which is about the Yoruba divination and belief about Olodumare (God))as a new school subject. The controversy is heightened as the Opon Imo (tablet of knowledge) that was recently given to the students came pre-loaded with learning materials, textbooks, the Bible, Quran and Ifa.
Scrapping of pre-school
On September 5, Aregbesola announced the cancellation of ‘pre-school’ education in all public schools in the state because, according to him, it was wrong for mothers to dump their babies in the name of building careers.
What he has failed to realize is that  Pre-Schooling such as crèche, kindergarten and nursery education, are so fundamental to Early Educational Development because this is when they learn  the art of socializing which is so important to normal development, activate their gross and motor skills, begin to gain numerical recognition and also develop other associated skills.
Educationists react
Describing the reforms as another example of the failure of the policy, the Education Rights Campaign, ECR, has called on the state government to immediately reverse the counter-productive policy.
“We must quickly point out that as a group involved in education campaigns over the last 10 years, the ERC is very much aware that to revamp Nigeria’s collapsed and degenerate public education system, radical, painful and perhaps inconvenient changes and alterations might be necessary. However this has to be done by democratically involving people in the debates leading to such decisions.
“This is missing in the Osun State school reclassification policy which is why the ERC considers the policy as undemocratic. We  are also concerned about the untold hardship this merger will mean for parents, students and teachers as there would be increase in  drop in school attendance and truancy rate among students due to the placement of the new schools at long distance from the residence of the students and transfer of students schooling at schools close to their neigbourhoods to schools which are very far from their residence.”
The ERC tasked the government to rather,  concentrate its efforts into renovating and expanding the existing schools and furnishing them with libraries and laboratories so as not to reverse the little gains made in the sector.
Pointing out that it wasn’t consulted before the policies were made public, the  Osun State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, OSCAN, said it is against any educational programme that will obliterate the mission schools and affect its tenets of faith.
“OSCAN is not against any new educational policy being put in place by either the federal or the state governments but we vehemently kick against any educational programme that will obliterate the mission schools and affect our tenets of faith particularly in the state.
“We have maintained this stand from inception and we will continue to defend lawfully what belong to us as Christians in the state.  As a major stakeholder in the state, the leadership of CAN expects the state government to invite us to discuss this issue and other related one without delay.”
Also, retired Directors of Education, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Awoyinfa and Mrs. Amosu,   both called on the state government to rather renovate the existing schools and get qualified teachers to improve the standard of education in the state.
“For schools to be functional, the classrooms must be well built, have qualified teachers that are well trained and paid, quality materials and conducive environment to boost learning and improve students’ performance”, they said.
Government’s stand
When contacted, the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, All Progressive Congress, APC, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, said the governor has thought it wise to give the students a better future with these reforms.
“When he assumed office, what he met were appalling as the school buildings were collapsed, low students performance and poor teacher orientation. He immediately called for a summit and the outcome is what we are seeing today.
The reclassification is not different from the 6-3-3-4 system of education. What we have done isn’t different from what is obtainable in developed climes. Government has committed a lot of resources in toe sector and we are sure to reap the benefits soon.”
Describing the alleged introduction of Ifa as a subject as the handiwork of mischief makers, Oyatomi said one quarter of Osun indigenes ore traditionalists, thus the Opon Imo came pre-loaded with the Bible, Quran and Ifa,
“Instead of carrying book about, the tablets come loaded with reading and learning materials and also has the holy books of the various religions in it. The Ifa on the tablet is just for information purpose and doesn’t mean those that are not traditionalists must read or meditate on it.
Despite the believed advantages of the educational reforms, many questions, such as: when would primary school pupils write the common entrance examinations? At what stage would students write their junior WAEC? What happens to NECO, UTME and WAEC exams for the senior secondary students? These questions, among others, are still begging to be answered.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/osun-school-reforms-eyes-storm/

BY ENYIM ENYIM
Speculation about the alleged
double voter registration by the
APGA candidate, Willie Obiano
is increasingly becoming an
issue.
While APGA state chairman
Chief Mike Kwentoh has
dismissed the insinuation, it has become a major campaign issue for the Ifeanyi Ubah campaign which has raised assertions of
impropriety against Obiano
saying the APGA candidate is
unfit to rule the state.
Kwentoh in dismissing the
assertion that has been on
cyberspace since last weekend
said that what Obiano did was
to transfer his registration from Lagos to Anambra
”The allegation of double
registration is not true. Obiano
only transferred his registration from Lagos to Anambra state.
People should disregard such
stories,” he said.
Reacting to the development,
Prince Chukwuemeka, head of
the Ifeanyi Ubah Media team
said the issue went a long way
to show why Obiano should not be governor.
Obiano “For him to have registered in Lagos shows that he does not come home to see his people in Anambra.
It means that he does not attend town union, kindred and family meetings. Now that he has been made candidate he chose to come home and register.
Anambra people should be
wise,” he said.
Reacting to the issue of double
registration, the state Resident
Electoral Commission (REC)
Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukaogu
warned that such action would
attract severe sanction as
provided in the constitution. He explained that in event of a
voter that has relocated to
another town, he or she can
only apply for transfer of
registration at his new location
and that if it is discovered the
law will take its course. Now,
the ball is in Obiano’s court.
Anambra North threatens to
sanction Ngige’s running mate
Some groups within Anambra
North are threatening sanctions against Chief Ralph Okeke, running mate to the APC candidate Senator Chris Ngige for allegedly betraying the collective drive of the people of the area to produce the next governor of the state.
The threat is coming from the
Omabala Solidarity Union
which comprises four council
areas of Anambra North zone
and Awka North council area.
The group has one of its leaders,
APGA national leader and
former Minister of Health, Dr.
Tim Minekaya.
Okeke is not an inconsequential
political factor in the area
having been a former local
government chairman of
Anambra West council Area
and two term member of the
House of Representatives for
Anambra East and Anambra
West Federal Constituency.
Speaking at the end of a meeting weekend, Sen Emma Anosike said the people were yet to endorse any of the four
candidates from Anambra
North vying for the
governorship.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/obianos-voters-card/