₦airaland Forum

Are Afe Babalola is a very proud, arrogant and philanthropic man, I have listened to his life story and it is an interesting one. On the issue of not prostrating before Kings, he might be right. In authentic yoruba tradition, a high ranking Chief in Oyo is far superior to any King including the Ooni. The Bashorun of Yorubaland was superior to everybody except the Alaafin, even his lieutenants ( his Osi, Otun and Balogun etc) were superior to most Kings. We know that that is now a thing of the past but in those days, woe betide a King that takes the idobale of the Oyo Mesi or any high ranking Chief in Oyo. (Normally the Ibadans would be asked to make short work of such a King). The rankings in traditional yoruba kingdom then was based on your linkage to the progenitor of the yoruba tribe. For instance, when say the Ibadans or any other town make conquests, they send a big percentage of the booty goes to the Alaafin who shares it with his Chiefs, so if you send me booty ( na by force o), will I prostrate to you? If we remember the story of Basorun Gaa, he killed many Alaafins, do you think anybody will take his idobale, even Oba Abiodun used to prostrate to the guy ( the guy na Abacha x 10000000)

Bros post picture make people see now

Kobo and David make una stop am now, we can pick out the salient points from what the guy experienced and see how we can turn things around. I have been to benin several times and have plied that road once in the last 8 months, they were upgrading it then sha, hopefully it is better now, the driving on that road sha no get part two.

@Kobo and David,

Please make una no hijack this thread now, I really enjoyed the guy's story, we should take it as it is, a guy describing what he saw, funnily enough, I will be travelling to Benin tomorrow, please wish me safe journey on that road o.

There is an Abba Gumel who was made a Full Professor of Mathematics at the University of Manitoba, Canada in 2008, Professor Obiora was made a full Professor in 2009, seems Becomrich was right afterall.

http://www.umanitoba.ca/institutes/iims/gumel.shtml

@All

Let us try to confirm what Becomrich is saying, it is possible he is right, we do not need to make fun of him because of what he has said in the past.

They should extradite the guy one time

PapaBrowne:
So the CIA came to conduct elections in Nigeria abi It doesn't matter to me sha, which one has more. Afterall, the larger the population the more the problems. The meagre resources have to be shared amongst that large population.

The bolded part is the exact same reason I said a secular Government should not engage in these kinds of organisations. That is the best way to look beyond religion in the things we do as a nation. This is a religious organisation and should be left for religious bodies.

Bros why the sarcastic question na, information on the net points to the fact that we have more muslims? Nigerians are a religious bunch, for me let us join all the associations, even the ones for buddhists, we need all the help we can get.

I was flogged well as a kid and I have had cause to wield the stick once or twice on my kids though I have moved on to facing naughty corners and so on, I have seen the look of terror on the face of my kids when they are about to be beaten and do not like it. I will support this bill, we as parents should look for a better way to discipline our children without physical abuse.

@poster

I get the impression from the article that he was talking about the state of the banks and stock market in the past and I am basing my comment on his quotes.

PapaBrowne:
Point of correction.
It isn't Jonathan that brought these guys to Nigeria. The plan to host had already been on ground since Yar Adua. It would have been very undiplomatic for Jonathan to turn down the meeting that was already scheduled long before he came to power.
Nigeria joined the D8 in 1997.
I am totally against Nigeria belonging to these kinds of organisations on a state level. It is just soo wrong in a country where religious intolerance is high on the cards. Asides, while the other countries have majority Islamic populations, Nigeria doesn't.

Bros according to the CIA world fact book we have more muslims than Christians, Jonathan can even join the Devil's association I do not care as long as there are benefits to be derived from it. We need to look beyond religion for everything that we do, if this D8 can add something tangible to the nation, I see no reason for opposition, Christians within his administration can look for organisations set up by Christian countries for us to join as well, the bottom line is that joining such an organisation should add benefit to the total populace.

@paddy_lo

Bros, the post was too long so I can not respond to everything, but let me respond small. Your first response had no relation to what I was talking about, what I know is that the government should try to get the best deal for its citizens and giving total control to private companies is not a good deal.

On the efficiency thing, little drops of water make a might ocean, processing residency gives you an idea that at least they are a little bit organised compared to naija (common epassport na wahala to get in naija).

Please read my posts again, I am not against private participation, I am against private participation without regulation ( this is the norm, abi who is controlling MTN and others), your Jonathan is not focussed enough to carry this through, he is indecisive and easily swayed, do you think he will have the backbone to deal with these private companies when they mess up?

Everything you are advocating will work in a structured environment where things work as normal, our privatization in Nigeria is not what is practised worldwide, this present Government as it is constituted can not achieve proper privatization.

The bottom line is that the government needs to be serious and committed, when they are, we can privatise some and leave some in the hands of the government.

You say he has been there for just 6 months, Ezekwesili shook the Mining Industry within a month, Okonjo Iweala hit the ground running, your Jonathan is busy banning and unbanning Super Eagles.

You do not have to fight oil companies but telling them to clean up their mess in the Niger delta is not fighting o, it is their duty.

I apologise for the disorganised way of the post, I do not know how to quote properly, I am sure you will be able to figure out the points I am responding to.

Canuck thanks a lot, did the filter change c-u-m to come? Do they not mean the same thing?

@canuck

What is the IT market like in Toronto, I am a Network cum System Administrator and will be landing in August.

@Kobo

I am not actually condemning all capitalists, just paddy_lo, I see sense in some of what he says, but, we need to make sure that those guys do not rip us off. The thing about this power supply issue is that there are over 40 million households and companies waiting for efficient power supply, why do we have to incur liabilities, if Jonathan puts his house in order and government is ready and willing to regulate, then investors will come. Prevarication is not good, all this June 2011 is just empty promises, he should tell us that in 30 days, the blueprint will be out, in 60 days we would have done xyz, give us milestones so that we measure how effective you and your policies are, instead we get house for all by the year 2020, food for all by year 2030, heaven for all by year eternity, awon oloshi.

Kennyblues:
Did Fashola pay those money to private school, think guy

Bros make I no fight you o, what I am saying is if the public schools were okay, the money being paid to the private schools will be used more productively, I am ready and willing to pay a % of what I pay private schools to Lagos State Government in form of say education tax or whatever. Primary and Secondary school education should be "free", qualitative and compulsory. The two levelers in this world are education and the internet(not yahoo yahoo o). People speak about graduates being dumb, the problems started before they got in to higher institutions.

My problem with the Lagos State Government is the state of primary education in the state, it is nothing to write home about, a lot of money is paid to private schools, these monies could have been used for other things in the State's economy, the Government of Fashola should make Education its number one priority.

@paddy_lo

I get the figure from what I pay for electricity, as you can see in my post, I have already reduced my consumption, that is why I calculated for 8 Hours instead of 24 hours reducing my consumption by 66.6 percent, I am also using an inverter so I have got energy efficient bulbs as well. You say there is no efficient government anywhere, how come some countries provide their citizens good infrastructure, I have applied for and got Canadian Residency and the processing was efficient. You have said Government does not have enough money abi, but they know how to spend 10 billion naira on a 1 week activitiy, they know how to borrow billions of dollars from IMF for unnecessary expenses, countries that are poorer than Nigeria but Generate more than us got the money from the moon abi? Nigeria might not be as rich as we think it is, but, if the "little" resources we have are allocated properly and used even more efficiently, we will be able to take care of the basic needs of our people (the job of any serious government).
All these 40,000MW na story, give us 6,000MW and Nigerians will heave a sigh of relief, you dont have 6,000MW you are talking of 40,000MW by 2020 (useless vision 2020). It is capitalists like you that think of themselves without thinking of the majority that will not be able to afford this new power regime, you say it costs a certain amount to generate 1MW, is the amount the same for thermal and hydro, is it the same for Nuclear as well? You have people earning 7,500 and you are expecting them to pay over 10K a month to enjoy power, where do they get money to feed. Power will allow Industries to mushroom yes, will the Industries not be selling to people who reside in the country? People who can not afford their products because they have used all they have to pay for power?
We need the private sector in the power industry no doubt, we need them in distribution, transmission and generation, but, before they come in, we need to get a good government who will look out for the interests of the people not for the interest of their cronies as we see going on. Jonathan and his government are heavily compromised, the oil spill in the Niger Delta is worse than that of the Gulf of Mexico, yet, the Government is not doing anything about it (it is the courts granting relief to the people there), he is colluding with the Oil companies, his Minister worked with Shell (and probably still takes instructions from there). He is using people who have personal interests to act as umpire in the Energy and Power sectors (Rilwanu Lukman too should not have been our Petroleum Minister).
I did not even see the part where he said it will be done in June 2011 meaning he expects us to vote him in, he is sadly deluded, he is indecisive, corrupt and was a product of zoning so, should go with the zoning. I will rather vote IBB ( I detest him with all of my soul) than Jonathan who clearly has no idea.

Tmoni:
@Hercules07

Lemme give you 2 senarios here

1. Things maintain status quo i.e NEPA plays with electricity as often as there are, you have to queue for (Fuel or Diesel) regularly, you also have to "sort" at the pump station and most often do not buy at the advertised rate, you store a highly inflamable liquids at home, your neighbour has the noisest generator on your street, you cannot effectively make plans without a second recourse to a generator

2. Most likely you pay a high tariff for constant electricity, no queues, theres a card which you top up for your power supply, when u travel to village for easter, almost be rest assured of low risk of electrical fire

I knw what me and 149,999,999 Nigerians will prefer (its up to u to make that number 150m)

I do not want us to maintain status quo, I am more interested in Government being more efficient, if we have a strong president who can reform these utilities, NEPA can perform, the default route of outsourcing everything to private sector is sickening.
At present, I pay about 3K a month for power, now that is minimal power, say about 4 hours per day, now with the private sector, I will be paying about 15 to 20K for about 8 hours per day, given that I produce my own water, pay for my children's school fees and sundry other things, 20K from my pocket is damn too much, imagine those that are on 7.5K per month and have a bill of 5K to pay monthly, how will they survive. I am all for getting electricity but at an affordable rate, the job of the Government is to do what is right by the citizens, selling assets and not liabilities is nonsensical in an industry like power ( ready made customers) and with a government that has no idea of regulation.
The special adviser to Jonathan on power has an interest in the sector being privatized, he is more interested with his private enterprise.
I have used the card thing before and my brother it is more expensive to use, the reason people feel it is cheaper is because we do not have constant electricity, when you have constant power and you use appliances, that thing reads like hell.

I am against the manner the privatisation is going to be done, I have always been against giving full control to the private sector, now I am even more against it seeing how the plan is evolving. The government should sell everything (assets and liabilities) if they want to privatise. I am sure there are over 40 Million households and companies that will need the power from these power companies, why is Nigeria absorbing the liabilities when we are giving them over 40 Million ready made clients. How much will the private guys charge per KWH giving that Government is about to jack the prices up NOW? Where will the government get the #200 Billion Naira from, what are they going to privatise next; air? Why cant the government be efficient in at least the basic areas of our lives.
In a country where the minimum wage is #7,500 how much will those stuck at the minimum wage pay for electricity?

@Medlabgirl

I am planning on going to Ottawa as I have family friends there, I will be going for some Cisco Bootcamp in Toronto as well to get me up to speed as I will be getting some Cisco Certifications

[quote author=paddy_lo link=topic=472304.msg6326013#msg6326013 date=1278169195]
What was your GDP in the 80s and what is it now?

What was your population in the 80s and what is it now?

Sometimes u guys baffle me. . . . .It is expected that we need a minimum of 40,000MW by 2020 just to keep up with population growth

It cost an average of $1million to produce 1mw

so we are talking close to $40billion - $50billion just on generation

u need to spend money on transmission, and distribution infrastructure

where will that money come from since no bank(anywhere in the world) whose management is not insane will lend i cent to PHCN [/quote]That should have read government should provide part of the electricity now and that statement referred to their ability to get their acts together to provide the electricity, if they can generate 4000MW consistently and other IPPs generate say 6000MW, we will be on the way there, our population has grown yes and so has our GDP (economists bear me out). Private investors bringing in the whole of the $40 - $50 billion dollars will be interested in milking us the same way the telecoms companies were milking us. I do not have a problem with private companies distributing but I want government to take part in generation and to own the national grid (private companies can build local grids that will connect to the national one). We need to demand greater efficiency from our governments, they have done it in the past, they can do it again.

Government's role in power industry should be to regulate and as a producer and transmitter with other players, we can not hand over power fully to the private sector (imagine MTN times infinity), what we need to understand is that we need the government to carry out some duties, we can not outsource all the functions of the government, telecoms is child's play compared to power, your typical MTN is a giant PBX, power is too damned capital intensive to leave in the hands of people whose first thought is how to milk the general populace. We need the government to be efficient in certain areas such as provision of water, road and other infrastructure. A government that does not carry out its function and gives the power sector to private people will balkanise the country, the people in cities (due to higher purchasing power) will have light, the ones living villages and towns eking out a living will not, causing rural urban shift, congesting the urban areas and leading to more issues, we actually need our rural areas to retain the people. The Federal Government was able to provide electricity during the late eighties, why cant they do it now?

Goodluck Jonathan is incompetent full stop. What did he do when he was the Governor of Bayelsa State, Yenagoa is a small town, what infrastructure did he put on ground? As Kobojunkie said, Southerners are biased, we have been condemning the PDP all along, now that Jonathan is there we should give him time, what time are we giving him, is he meant to LEARN ON THE JOB? I find it annoying that people peddle all these give him time line, he is meant to hit the ground running, he is meant to have his own ideas on how to move the nation forward, if he does not have the "aya" to confront the military, what of issues like FOI bill (he can make the house pass that bill if he has the will power), what of rail system, what of infrastructure, abeg the man is one of them jare and he is interested in coming back next year and that is what he is working towards. India with its cut throat politics was able to put up a sound educational system can he not work on education ( at least give us your blueprint). He banned the national teams from international football fine I have no problems with that (no more estacodes for some people) but what is his plan on moving sports forward, what model is he going to use, how do we get proper academies, will there be scholarships for talented athletes, is he going to site a proper coaching school in Nigeria, will there be more outdoor places for kids to practise, will he insist that coaches get International certifications, do we attach some of our coaches to the English, Spanish and Italian teams, what is our philosophy on sports? No, his plan is to build a befitting house for the NFF, kai, the guy is a proper malu.

@medlabgirl

I will be landing in August, got the Permanent Residency approved, what is the job prospect like for a Network cum System Administrator (IT)

[quote author=paddy_lo link=topic=472304.msg6320538#msg6320538 date=1278080379]Telecomms Infrastructure has to be continuosly upgraded even in the USA

ATT,Verizon and co have to keep spending billions every yr to improve service

I suspect it is the same for Nigeria

The upshoot is that telecomms equipment providers like cisco are rolling out new equipment to deal with the problem of data/broadband congestion

New technology will eventually win[/quote]I agree they should upgrade their infrastructure but they are only concentrating on wireless access technology, Glo has been rolling out DSL for almost 3 years, MTN bought VGC communications and have not done much on wired access, Nitel is dead. Imagine the US subsisting on wireless access alone.

AjanleKoko:
Sure. See below


UMTS HSxPA (which MTN, Glo and Zain have currently) - 14.4Mbps downlink, 5.76Mbps uplink. With HSPA+, you get something like 56Mbps downlink and 22Mbps uplink.
That's not bad for consumer Internet access, on a network that still have to support circuit-switched services.  Of course, wireless is not copper or fiber, but . . . come on. The same oyinbo don come up with LTE already.

Bros, how many people dey share the 14.4Mbps and the 56Mbps.  Imagine lagosians adopting internet access the way they adopted gsm lines, all ths HSPA will get choked one time and you will be lucky if you can get a 56Kbps connection. Frequency spectrum limits what can be achieved on wireless in Nigeria, when iphone users hit networks in the US, the network operators raised alarm about link congestions. The desire for broadband internet access can only be met by having tier1 connection to the internet, wired distribution medium and proper peering arrangement, till then, prices might come down, but not as low as envisaged.

[quote author=paddy_lo link=topic=472304.msg6320134#msg6320134 date=1278076188]@hercules

why do u keep talking of wireless. . when this is all about cable and i am guessing  DSL. . . .
wireless is not the best for mass broad band rollout imo[/quote]When I talk about wireless, I am talking about the distribution medium, the transmission medium is Fiber, but last mile access still is wireless (evdo, 1x and other variants). We do not have adequate DSL penetration in Lagos (Lagos Island, VI and just a few areas have DSL). Your link is as fast as the slowest point, imagine 300 people sharing a 1.5Mhz spectrum, if the providers like let them have 20Gb/s of bandwidth at their NOC, if the distribution medium is slow, the internet link is slow.

AjanleKoko:
Bros,
No vex o, but you dey yarn major dust

Bros I no vex, but you suppose correct my dust now instead of just saying so, also please highlight the portion that is dust so that we can look at it together. If we are to put our internet access on wireless, then we have to grow at the rate that wireless technology is growing, meanwhile, cable technology is light years ahead of wireless.

AjanleKoko:
Most of the Tier 1 carriers have already signed up and bought capacity.
The real problem is with the wholesale pricing from Main One. Who are those talking about last-mile? With all the fiber all over Lagos, Abuja and PH?
The whole of Lagos have been repeatedly dug and re-dug by MTN, 21st Century, and Glo.
We may not have FTTX and last-mile fiber circuits yet, but with all the wireless access around (HSPA, EVDO, WIMAX), you can get decent connections in the major cities already.

I think the cost of funds for the project were probably high already.

EVDO is not broadband, infact the only broadband connection you have there is WIMAX and I do not see it being widely deployed (Wimax bundled laptops are just coming out). We do not actually need last mile fiber circuit, what we need is last mile copper (xDSL) and we are there. We need to find a way to carry most of our internet traffic on our local capacity, it does not make sense for Glo and MTN to have fiber all over Nigeria without peering. If Glo and MTN should peer and can get the corporate organisations on their network, they will determine the cost of internet bandwidth in Nigeria, not Main One, we need to keep local traffic, local since we have the infrastructure in place.

The problem with MTN's 3.5G is that it is not really adequate, if our internet access is dependent on wireless access, then we need wimax or higher to satisfy the needs, unfortunately, the oyinbo man that is developing these technologies is not moving at a pace that we need, we are bound by technologies that are developed overseas. Frequency spectrum for rollout of these services too is another issue, the frequencies are expensive and not adequate, there is so much you can do with 5MHz of spectrum (if you like multiplex until you die). Peering among operators is another issue, why should my mail go all the way to south africa before it lands in the yahoo mail box of my colleague sitting down the hall (it is assumed we do not have a mail server at work), the government needs to do something about this, internet services will boom with proper peering arrangements.

This is not going to crash any price, the problem we have with internet access is distribution and none peering of the existing providers.Our distribution system is based on wireless system, frequency spectrum is not cheap and not readily available, until we have a wired system, broadband internet access might be a mirage