₦airaland Forum

Madam speaker is an orator oh! Find below excerpts from her powerful use of language.


1) On the day the National Assembly was inaugurated, Mrs Etteh reminded House of Representatives members of the need to register their names, warning that any person who failed to do so would have their name “striking out”. Slip of tongue?

Perish the thought. The following day she repeated the phrase “striking out” several times.

2) When a motion was tabled, she asked the member who was speaking, “are you in support of favour?”

3) Any time the ayes have carried the day on the floor, she wastes no time in announcing, “the hayes has it”.

4) Giving her defence before the David Idoko panel, Etteh informed the nation that she spoke to the management of the national assembly if due process was followed and each person “answered in the affirmation action”.

5) When the German ambassador in Abuja visited her, the speaker enthusiastically announced that the first place “I visited as a young parliamentarian was a German”

6) When the Spanish ambassador paid her a courtesy visit with a fairly large delegation, an impressed Etteh spared no effort to “welcome the strangers”.

7) When officials of FERMA visited the House, speaker Etteh urged them to urgently “make our roads habitable”.

To demonstrate the urgency of fixing major roads nationwide, she did not fail to make the point of the “deploration state of our roads”

9) When a House member tabled a motion on the unenviable condition of Kaduna Airport , Etteh called attention to the “two run-aways of our airport”.

10) Concerned about the increasing wave of vices, such as occultism on university campuses, excessive drinking, smoking and womanising by our youth, she has set for herself the task of reducing, if not, eradicating these social vices, which she colourfully calls “social devices”.

11) In far-away South Africa , at a meeting of the African Parliamentary Union, speaker Etteh stated that Nigeria has vast land where agriculture could thrive so much, that it could serve as an alternative source of foreign exchange, or in her own words, “ Nigeria has fast land where agriculture is alternate”

12) To Etteh, the comity of nations can sometimes be referred to as “international countries”.

13) The office of the speaker has regained its aura as, not just an exalted place, but an “exotic office”.

14) The House has become respected as “a hollow chamber”, rather than just a hallowed chamber.



Gaffes by other Nigerian politicians in the past

1) Chief (Alhaji) Adegoke Adelabu: Penkelemes (Peculiar mess)

2) First Republic minister was asked a question in New York on his stand on a controversial international issue and feeling that the Nigerian government had an open mind on this matter, he replied, “I have an empty mind as far as this issue is concerned”.

3) Anambra moneybag politician, Okechukwu Odunze, who contested the SDP primaries for the post of Governor of Anambra state boasted that, “if Arthur Nzeribe has money, I also has money”. When a reporter asked for his view on a hot national issue, he replied “no commentary”.

4) Alhaji Barkin Zuwo, who stated that Kano “has surplus minerals like Fanta, Coca cola, Sprite, Mirinda and even Tango” while voting for massive use of derivation as a means of sharing national revenue, whereas Kano state, which he was representing in the senate, did not produce mineral resources. Legend has it that Barkin Zuwo once saw a number of car marts and concluded they all belonged to one person known as Saleh, because they all had the inscription, “for sale”.

Visafone is former Cellcom plus ITN also acquired by Jim Ovia,

Find below the office address of Visafone and their contact phone numbers

12, Ologun Agbaje Street, Victoria Island,
P.O.Box 75484, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Tel: (234)-1-2624288, 2622720, 2624590-1, 2700285-9
Fax: (234)-1-2624287
Email: enquiry@visafone.com.ng

@Daracool

ur options are:

1. PEFTI (Pencil Film & Television Institute) owned by Wale Adenuga, creator of the Papa Ajasco/Super Story. It is located at Oshodi, opposite BOC Gases.

2. ITPAN Training School (Independent Producers Training School). Can remember that it is located somewhere in Gbagada.

3. National Film Institute Jos

There are a slew of other training schools in Lagos where you can horn ur skills. I will source for details and post them here later.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article04


ExxonMobil and safety first: An irony
By Olabisi Talabi

I LOOKED up to see about six policemen shouting and ranting at me. "Are you blind? Can't you see we were in a convoy", one shouted - I wonder when driving in convoy meant blatant and reckless disregard for safety, property and life! Another said, "you are lucky, we could have shot you" - I guess it's now fashionable to shoot unarmed accident victims. Still trying to catch my breath and thoughts, another said "na woman, he no get sense, may we dey go" (she's a lady, she's daft, let's go) and in a flash, they jumped back into their vehicles and attempted to flee the scene of the accident.

Bewildered, I quickly ran after them and was able to cling on the passenger door of one of the police trucks before the door could be shut. I edged forward into the car with half my body still hanging out and the driver began operating the truck. The policeman seated next to me tried loosening my grip on the door rather than help me get fully on board. The driver put the truck in motion with half my body in the truck and the door still ajar. He stopped only when horror-struck motorists barricaded the road with their vehicles forcing a standstill for close to 10 minutes.

Five weeks ago, all this happened on Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi at about noon. The said incident occurred when my car was sandwiched between a passenger bus and a police truck as a result of the vehicles trying to re-align themselves in a convoy with a second police truck. The convoy belonged to ExxonMobil and my offence seems to be being an unfortunate road user.

It is one thing to be involved in an accident, it is another to act the fugitive escaping from an accident scene. In the Western world and I dare say in Nigeria too, it's a criminal offence. But it's more appalling when the "fugitives" are law enforcement officers and seconded to a multinational company which it seems they are mandated to protect at the expense of the average citizen of their host country. Or otherwise, how does one justify the events of July 28?

Wednesday after the incident, two officials of ExxonMobil paid me a visit in response to a petition I wrote to the company the day before. The gentlemen said they were shocked when they saw my letter as it contradicted the report of the policemen. According to them, the police men said "a lady hit their truck and she promised to come to the office on Monday to make arrangements for the repair." In my mind, I am thinking: a lady hit their vehicle and they let the lady go without collecting her contact information? What if she doesn't come as promised? Is the Nigeria police that "considerate"? Sounds like a tale for the birds if you ask me and it is very questionable that a large corporation such as ExxonMobil will be taken for a bird, so easily, by its own employees. Who is fooling who?

Every time, everyday, we hear of and see the injustice done by multinational oil companies in our community. Every time, everyday, we hear and see the residents of the community taking laws into their own hands as they try to create awareness and fight their cause. A debate is consequently generated - who's right and who's wrong? The locals or the multinationals? Who and what is to blame - the polluted rivers or the kidnappers? The local chief or the CEO? It is always a sensitive issue but I have always been of the opinion that lots of wrongs have been done to the host community but if only the perpetrators will be more sensitive and fair, over time wrongs will be made right and amicable coexistence will resume.

But how can it? If in an affluent residential area my car is hit and I am consequently threatened and victimised, one can only then imagine what goes on in the local oil producing communities? In my case, the perpetrators were stopped and crowded upon but in the local areas, who will blame them if they had burned the truck or even the police men themselves? Will we then call it a riot? Will we call them militants? Aren't they aggrieved and tired of being aggrieved ever so often?

The most ironic thing about my experience is the Safety First policy of ExxonMobil and most of the other oil companies in the country. I dare to ask if they are not aware of the reckless driving of their security vehicles. It is done everyday and everywhere and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that it's done so blatantly simply because the companies choose to close an eye to it. Afterall, I guess Safety First applies to them first and foremost, and maybe it could trickle down to the rest of us. How could a driver of a safety first culture set a car in motion while I was hanging on to the door? How could he set the car in motion while the door was still ajar? Would he have done the same if I were an employee of the company? Psychologically, he has been made to believe (for whatever reason) that his employer (and their own) are the golden calf; we could be the sacrificial lambs.

More irony. My talks with the two gentlemen that paid me a visit broke down as I insisted on being provided with an alternative means of transportation for the two weeks my car will be in their company's custody for repair. They thought I should "sacrifice" and make do without a car for the two weeks. I also insisted that I get an apology letter for the misdeeds, which will also state the precautions taken to prevent a reoccurrence of such callous and unethical behaviour - the request was conveniently ignored.

A few days later I wrote again to the company and got a reply, this time from the Senior Attorney saying "we wish to inform you that the matter is under review and we will revert back to you as soon as possible." It has been five weeks since, not a new word.

In my letters, I had clearly stated that my matter needed to be urgently resolved as the detachment of my car's side mirror is a driving hazard. I would have expected that they would have a dedicated staff member(s) to address issues such as this, but then again, I guess why should they care that they have left me with a car that's a driving hazard - remember, Safety first is a selective term. They'll get back to me as soon as possible, at their convenience, if at all - it's been over a month since the accident.

I was elevated to read about the recent judgment of the US District Court in California rejecting Chevron's bid to avoid prosecution over alleged involvement in the brutal attacks on Nigerian villagers in 1998 and 1999. I bet Chevron was trying to shift the responsibility on the Nigeria police and military. But like the Judge deduced, who paid the Nigeria Police? Whose helicopters were they using?

It's sad and it's a shame. I hope in the light of the negative coverage the media gives to the citizens of exploited communities in Nigeria, the other side is now showing. We were not kidnappers and militants years ago. We only ask that the foreign companies stop exploiting us, stop using us against each other (as they have made the policemen do in my case.) That they stop acting unethically and show consideration for their host communities.


Miss Talabi lives in Lagos



http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/editorial_opinion/article04

Obasanjo worth N180 billion, says Daboh
•He is now a student, he should concentrate on his studies and enjoy the billions he has acquired in the past 8 years. He should leave PDP and Nigeria alone

By ROSE EJEMBI, Makurdi
Thursday, July 12, 2007

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2007/july/12/national-12-07-2007-001.htm

Yar’Adua’s declaration of assets
When I told people in November last year that Yar’Adua is the president that this country deserves and is going to get, people thought it was a joke. Look at how the man has declared his assets openly. Everybody knows what Yar’Adua is. You can see a man who had been a governor for eight years worth less than one billion, himself and his wife. I know of some governors whose wives are worth more than N5 billion. For the first time in my life, I am proud to be a Nigerian.

This singular act of the president deserves commendation and emulation. And by this, all the governors, the vice president and every public officer must declare his assets and it must be done this month. When I knew the night before that the president was going to declare his assets, I sat down that day and took a full bottle of red wine even though I have not been drinking for a long time. I knew that something great was about to happen. Since our independence in 1960 this is the first time that we got a president, a realistic leader.

For example, my own intelligence sources have told me that Obasanjo is worth over N180 billion assets, in shares and other things. How much did he have when he was going to stand election? When Babangida went to meet him then, he said he had N20,000 in his account in 1998. Today Obasanjo is worth more than N180 billion in terms of assets, fixed and immovable assets, almost N200 billion.

Kai, cool stuff, LMAO The Pope must hear this

Cos they won't leer or get bulgy between d legs LMAO

This is crazy

It is sure lighthearted in here

someone trying to stupidly re-invent d wheel, stupid stupidly

I disagree with Oge

I read the Dangote interview where he said he is "much much richer than Oprah Winfrey by the grace of God". We should stop d beefing. Lots of us are screaming blue murder (Dangote does not pay tax, he crushes competition etc.)

What if he is guilty? Any big deal? He is just one out of the several corporate organizations that enjoy tax holidays by either evasion, creative accounting, manipulation, or via ploitical patronage. At least he is not repatriating funds anywhere.

He is our own Ford or Rockefeller, And these are not nice guys. Cos there is no morality in business. Lots of us sleep with The 48 Laws of Power, Art of War, 33 Strategies of War, Art of Seduction, Mafia Manager etc under our pillows, yet we expect a Dangote to soft under the belly.

This is a man who has just economic capital via his investments in politics. Do you compare him to thieving governors and public officials who stole our country silly.

Anyway in the interview he told his own side of the story, that is, how he came to acquire some prime national assets and u can blame , excerpts


Why i am proud of Dangote
"We didn’t buy the whole refineries. The government still owns 49 percent. We only bought 51 percent. And 51 percent of $1.1billion is only $561million. That’s how we arrived $561million. In the case of the Kaduna Refinery, the Chinese which Nigerians don’t mind, if it goes to a foreigner, the Chinese were given juicy oil blocks. The day that they signed the production sharing agreement, that was the day that they said: "We are not bidding, unless we sign and collect the oil blocks." These guys signed and collected the oil blocks and they still priced the refinery at $102million. And they vowed they would not pay more than $102million. Then we said, fine, rather than allowing this thing to decay like that, we wrote to say we were interested also in bidding. The price that they gave was far below the reserved price. And now, we gave 60 percent more than the Chinese. And the Chinese said they were not going to put a dime more than $102million. We bought at $160million with all the challenges. But I thought this same refinery was given to Shell, to Chevron, to Texaco and they rejected them, saying they don’t want to even run them for nothing. And we have now paid over N100billion and people are shouting. I believe people should focus more on shouting about Eleme Petrochemical. Government spent almost $1.5billion and it was sold for $200million. And we bid. And we lost. And people didn’t see that. We bid for the same Eleme Petrochemical with a company that has never ever visited Nigeria. But because they are foreigners, they bought not even 51 percent, they bought 75 percent. And they were hailed. And they paid. And they got it. We lost as Dangote. And we spent more than $5 to 7million doing things like bringing experts to come and check and do diligence and all that. We lost our money and time. But Nigerians didn’t say anything because these are foreigners. That is by the side.

Those who benefitted from government more than Dangote
The third point is that people bought Ajaokuta. Ajaokuta almost made Nigeria bankrupt. The government of Nigeria spent $4.4billion on Ajaokuta. And all these foreigners don’t bring their money in here. Majority of the money they borrowed locally. They didn’t bring fresh cash. And these same people paid a paltry $300million for 60 percent of a plant that government spent $4.4billion. Nigerians are not complaining about that. Instead they are complaining about our own. Because people don’t have interest in the steel industry. Delta Steel, government spent $1.45billion, then renovated it with 45billion and they sold it for 30million to be paid over three years. This one was also sold to an Indian company. They don’t have anything in Nigeria, but people now are not complaining. I am not complaining about the price these things were sold. What I am complaining about is that if you have to complain, then complain about foreigners taking our assets.

Why we should stop beefing Dangote
At ALSCON the smelting company, government spent $3.4billion. The Russians that have never ever visited Nigeria bought the company at $200million, with the condition that it is after the government dredges the river they would pay the $200million. And the cost of dredging the river is $260million. So you can see that government had to give out $60million out of their pocket to get rid of ALSCON. Because if not, the place would continue to go down, people would go and start cannibalizing the place. So government now said, "We don’t have any more money to sink in. Rather than continuously have this assets go under, it is better we even give them out for peanuts."

I am happy to be a Dangote apologist

yeepa, please post an Obasanjo version

Egbe

;d ;d

;d ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d

lucky guy, he can now make out more than ever

lucky bloke

it is true yes, under d water under the 3rd mainland bridge, that was where they also manufactured hair-comb. I am serious,  i heard d testimony in that regard at Beer Parlour

Seun:
Flirting is a form of communication. If a guy is flirting and you don't know it, then he's not flirting properly.

@boladonas: Your list is not appropriate for this topic. It's more like "how to know when a guy is Hot".

i don die oh

sweetjoy is right

, i know more than 4 people that got into ARM Investment Managers via SOLNIGERIA. d pay is not fantastic though.


moreover, i thot the interview was last saturday, my girl was invited, but she did not honour it cos she has a job

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