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 Travel › Re: 10 Most Naturally Beautiful States In Nigeria. by IBBG(m): 6:01pm On Jul 03, 2015 |
Nature at its best. Cross River State is truly the people's paradise. |
| Politics › Re: Buhari Will Release Ministerial List In Few Days – APC by IBBG(m): 9:17pm On Jul 02, 2015 |
I thought they said their delay In appointments was as a result of the rut in the system cause by PDP. Everyday new xcuse. These people rilly tink Nigerians are fools. |
| Politics › Re: Nigeria's First State House, Old Residency, Calabar. [picture]. by IBBG(m): 9:09pm On Jul 02, 2015 |
ROSSIKE:With all the noise u've succeeded in making, then how is southafrica who got independence in the nineties betta dan us who had independence 63 years ago. Who developed southafrica? Do you know that wen the british gave us independence, our economy then was very strong hence our strong currency comparable to britain and d US. So what monumental achievements have we rily attain since independence. Our institution can not be compared to southafrica. Rather its looting everywhere. |
| Politics › Re: Nigeria's First State House, Old Residency, Calabar. [picture]. by IBBG(m): 4:13pm On Jul 02, 2015 |
A simple and elegant building. The british gave us independence too soon. They shuld hav waited longer a little bit b4 handing over to us. Perhaps by now we wuld hav had strong institutions and technological advancements like southafrica. Because the level of development they left us with, is what we are still battling to keep up with till today. SMH |
| Business › Re: Naira Falls To 230, Dollar Supply Dries Up by IBBG(m): 3:36pm On Jul 02, 2015 |
Hehehehehe. Buharinomics at play there. While it is not necessarily bad to devalue d currency, but in a country like Nigeria that is 80percent import dependent with absolutely little to nothing basic factors of production to facilitate export other than crude oil. Then its a sure recipe for inflation. How I wish the government can fix power, then u'll see how the economy will just soar on it own. |
| Politics › Re: Ranking Of Nigerian States By Poverty Rates by IBBG(m): 1:56pm On Jul 02, 2015 |
otr1:haahahahaha. Osun dat I spent one full year there and also moving around their major towns like Osogbo, Ife, Ilesa, Ede, and even gbogun. Guy Osun no follow at all. Their roads na apology. |
| Politics › Re: Why Buhari Rejected Wali As Acting INEC Chairman - PM News by IBBG(m): 1:52pm On Jul 02, 2015 |
I hope this people will not derail the electoral gains and reforms we had under GEJ and Jega. 4 Likes 1 Share |
| Politics › Re: Why Has Fayose Yet To Appoint Commisioners, 8months After?? by IBBG(m): 10:22pm On Jul 01, 2015 |
Its ridiculous how the op is trying to compare a country as big as nigeria with all its complexities and intricacies to a very small state like ekiti. A state that is among the smallest in Nigeria. Infact the governor can work comfortably even witout d input of his commissioners. Not in a country as large and complex like nigeria that requires a federal presence in every state of the federation. So ur excuse and argument for the presidency is too shallow n superficial. |
| Politics › Re: Bloomberg - US Think Tank Calls Buhari "Baba Go Slow" by IBBG(m): 10:07pm On Jul 01, 2015 |
appini:Even tinubu wey bin shout Sai baba! Sai change! Now na Sai who send me! Him d shout now 6 Likes 1 Share |
| Politics › Re: Bloomberg - US Think Tank Calls Buhari "Baba Go Slow" by IBBG(m): 10:04pm On Jul 01, 2015 |
Kenai:Lols. Sombody say baba! Sai mai gas kia. Sai baba. 2 Likes |
| Politics › Re: Ranking Of Nigerian States By Poverty Rates by IBBG(m): 3:13pm On Jul 01, 2015 |
dokyOloye:I'm equally amazed. I know the state very well. Bad roads everywhere, their health care is a huge joke, no clean water. Infact my local government has a better infrastructure than osogbo the state capital. 4 Likes |
| Politics › Re: Ranking Of Nigerian States By Poverty Rates by IBBG(m): 3:03pm On Jul 01, 2015 |
kettykin:u're actually on point. I spent one full year serving in osun. And I've been to their major towns like osogbo, ilesa, ife n ede. Osun can never be second on that list. Its literary the poorest state in southwest region. Infact the poorest state in south south is by far richer than osun. 7 Likes 2 Shares |
| Politics › Re: Ngozi Okonjo-iweala Replies Critics With Facts & Figures (photo) by IBBG(m): 2:23pm On Jul 01, 2015 |
anonimi:Hahahahahahaha. Una no go kill person with laugh for nairaland. I so much love and enjoy this forum especially for its comic relief. Let's continue to join hands and make jest of this politician, just as they are united in looting our treasury. 2 Likes 1 Share |
| Nairaland General › Investors Table 500m Euros For Governor Ayade’s Signature Projects. by IBBG(op): 11:31pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
The promise by the Cross River State governor, Senator Ben Ayade that he will not require the state resources to finance his proposed signature projects seem to be taking shape gradually with the involvement of private investors who say they are confident that the governor has demonstrated enough clout and political will to push through with the seemingly impossible ideas. In a courtesy call today to the governor’s office in Calabar today, Mr. Mr Michael Le Havre, CEO of Broad Spectrum Industrial Services Limited, an Isreali firm with over 30 years experience in project financing, energy/ power, civil engineering/agriculture presented to the governor, a document which they say grants their firm mandate to fund the governor’s signature projects, which include a state owned Seaport, a 240km superhighway from Calabar to Obudu and cement/mining corporation, to the tune of 500 Million Euro. According to Mr. Le Havre, “Your (Cross River State) part of the financial involvement will be very minimal.” He asked the state government to issue a bank guarantee to her bank so that work can begin in earnest while legal agreements were been discussed by the legal teams. He further disclosed that 500million Euros has already been voted in favor of the projects from their account with Deutsche Bank which he is signatory to. The investors led by Michael Le Havre of Broad Spectrum Industrial Services met with the state team led by Governor Benedict Ayade in the conference room of the governor’s office in Calabar where he disclosed they were interested in the project which the governor stressed was not a loan. Governor Ayade in his response maintained that “This is not a debt, this is not a loan but project financing and the project has the capacity to pay back by itself. The state has meticulously studied the projects and concluded they will add value to the lives of Cross Riverians as the seaport and evacuation corridor will be serving not just Nigerians but landlocked countries like Niger and Chad with deep dredging to be carried out to accommodate mother vessels.” He said. crossriverwatch.com/2015/06/investors-to-finance-governor-ayades-signature-projects-with-500m-euros/ |
| Politics › Re: Aregbesola Commences Salary Payment, Cuts Pay Of Political Office Holders by IBBG(m): 11:14pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
Na only one month dat gee aregbe pay o. So political office holders decide to cut their salary are they doing us a favor? And by d way who go confirm am for their pay check say dem don cut their salary true true considering they can lie more than lie mohammed. |
| Politics › Re: War Against Okada Riders To Resume In Lagos by IBBG(m): 5:43pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
kingofdemons:hahahahahahaha. ki lode? What happen!!! 2 Likes |
| Nairaland General › Subsidy: ‘focus On Inflation, High Interest, Exchange Rates’ by IBBG(op): 4:50pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
The Federal Government has been urged to exercise caution in thecall for the removal of petroleum subsidy, and instead focus onaddressing all the economic bottlenecks sabotagingNigeria’s common wealth. An economist,Mr. Henry Boyo, argued that the direct removal of subsidy will serve as a great disincentive to the economic wellbeing of all Nigerians. He spoke on the theme: Petroleum Pricing, Economic Realities and the Future of the Petroleum Downstream Sector,at the 2015 Business Clinic organised by the Petroleum Downstream Group of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI. However, Boyo’s views contradicted sharply with the LCCI’s, which insisted on the abrupt removal of the subsidy scheme to give way for the proper and efficient function of the downstream sector to boost the economy. Boyoargued that there is a correlation between exchange rate and the pump price of petroleum product, adding that subsidy should be removed in a manner that is realisable. He also said the rate of corruption being highlighted as the crux of the subsidy programme is a function of surplus Naira. “The means of processing dollar is a cesspool of corruption which should be tackled …‘Save Naira, Save Nigeria’. Once you remove the element that encourage subsidy, the oil marketers who have benefited from the subsidy scam would be cut off from the system,” he cautioned. He warned the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefele, not to submit himself to the pressure by international investors to further devalue the Naira. According to him, if the Naira is allowed to be further devalued, pump price of petrol will be sold for N400 per liter in 12 months even after subsidy removal. He said that without subsidy the price of fuel will increase beyond what Nigerians can accommodate. “An economic process must be denominated on economic principle. Eight per cent inflation rate means 50 percent drop in the purchasing power. The fact is that the investors that are mounting pressure on CBN are not interested in the growth of the economy. They are only concerned about consumer demands which cannot be superfluous when inflation is low. “Nigerians must be aware of the collateral damage subsidy removal of PMS, would do to the economy before yanking it off. The reality is that every six month, the government will have to be increase the pump price. This is because the exchange rate is a function of excess liquidity. This is responsible for high cost of funds, which is responsible for high interest rate and inflation. “It is falsehood to believe that subsidy will solve a critical aspect of the country’s problem. To address this, Nigerians must be willing to stop CBN from making dollar available at the parallel market.” he said. According to him, it is out of place to believe that Nigerians will benefit when the price of crude oil falls, asthe pump price cannot go down if the cost of Dollar remains high. “By the time the CBN substitutes the Naira allocations issued to the three tiers of the government and the MDAs, the liquidity blot would have been so much that interest rate will be impossible to reach. We would have to accommodate a situation where interest rate would revolve around 23 and 26 per cent. “Since 2009 when the prices of Diesel and Low Pour Fuel Oil, LPFO, were deregulated, the products have not been sold at cheaper rates, due to the weakness of Naira against Dollar. “It is amazing that despite the licenses given to 20 corporate organisations, private refineries have not seen the light of the day. This is because of the issue with the foreign exchange that is weighing down on investment in the sector. There is no way that the removal of subsidy will ensure transparency in the activities of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. If the foreign exchange issue is addressed, corruption in the system would go.” www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/subsidy-focus-on-inflation-high-interest-exchange-rates/ |
| Politics › Re: I Won’t Delay Confirmation Of Buhari’s Ministerial Nominees – Saraki by IBBG(m): 4:44pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
B4 nko. Him no get option. 1 Like |
| Nairaland General › Discard PIB, Cancel Offshore Crude Processing Contract, APC Tells Buhari by IBBG(op): 4:34pm On Jun 30, 2015 |
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to discard the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, cancel ongoing offshore processing agreements and discontinue the fuel subsidy regime. The APC in its recommendation to the President, also stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is indebted to its eight joint venture (JV) partners to the tune of $3.5 billion, about N7 billion, stating that the debts have ballooned over the years. Details of the report obtained from Bloomberg, quoted the APC as saying that the NNPC paid $6.9 billion out of the $10.4 billion it owed, adding that the difference of $ 3.5 billion was covered by loans from international oil companies. The APC report said, “These debts are costly and opaque, and they erode the NNPC’s bargaining power with the oil companies. Nigeria’s inability to fund its joint-venture budgets is delaying projects, reducing production, and lowering revenue collection for the nation.” The APC further stated that the president should sell off some subsidiaries of NNPC, discard the PIB and replace it with a new Bill that’s based on discussions with international oil companies to ensure all perspectives are adequately considered. Kayode Fayemi, APC’s policy director, confirmed the authenticity of the document, noting, however, that the report is not the final position of the government. The report advised the Presidency to cancel, within its first 100 days in office two ill-suited and costly offshore processing agreements that were signed in the fourth quarter with Aiteo Eastern E&P Company Limited and Sahara Group of 90,000 barrels per day each. It called on the government to sign simpler swap agreements with highly competent trading companies through a tender process. The APC report recomm- ended a review of audits and corruption allegations against the NNPC, within the first 100 days of the administration, adding that after 18 months, the government should seek to commercialize the NNPC, possibly partially listing the entity and selling off its fuel-retailing and refining business. www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/discard-pib-cancel-offshore-crude-processing-contract-apc-tells-buhari/ |
| Politics › Re: Traders, Artisans To Shut Anambra Today As FG Relocating 40 Bokoharam by IBBG(m): 8:41am On Jun 30, 2015 |
Ephemmm:atleast he staked a claim for what he believed in rather make noise in the media with propaganda. Just as there is a saying, its better to attempt n fail than neva to attempt at all. So who are the chest beaters now. |
| Politics › Re: Traders, Artisans To Shut Anambra Today As FG Relocating 40 Bokoharam by IBBG(m): 8:32am On Jun 30, 2015 |
Johnnoah1st:Why the mockery. I'm sure if it were in state u'll be shouting foul. So they have the right to protest. |
| Politics › Re: The Need For Ministers Despite Existing Career Permanent Secretaries by IBBG(m): 5:56pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
Nice write up. I hope those giving excuse for inactions by the current administration can take note. |
| Nairaland General › Re: Kano Govt Hails Death Sentence On 9 Persons For Blasphemy by IBBG(m): 5:43pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
Where is amnesty international? Now that their services is required they are quiet. This is pure garbage, our corrupt politicians that deserve death sentence are still moving up and down and being celebrated after raping our collective common wealth. I'm sure all those sentenced are actually poor people. If they were rich they won't face such poo. I begin to wonder? Which law is the de facto law of the land? Is it sharia or constitutional laws. |
| Family › Re: When The Wrong One Loves You Right!!! by IBBG(m): 5:28pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
2sex:Meaning? |
| Nairaland General › Chibok Girls 'forced To Join Boko Nigeria's Haram' by IBBG(op): 5:25pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
Some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria have been forced to join Islamist militant group Boko Haram, the BBC has been told. Witnesses say some are now being used to terrorise other captives, and are even carrying out killings themselves. The testimony cannot be verified but Amnesty International says other girls kidnapped by Boko Haram have been forced to fight. Boko Haram has killed some 5,500 civilians in Nigeria since 2013. Two-hundred-and-nineteen schoolgirls from Chibok, are still missing, more than a year after they were kidnapped from their school in northern Nigeria. Many of those seized are Christians. Three women who claim they were held in the same camps as some of the Chibok girls have told the BBC's Panorama programme that some of them have been brainwashed and are now carrying out punishments on behalf of the militants. Seventeen-year-old Miriam (not her real name) fled Boko Haram after being held for six months. She was forced to marry a militant, and is now pregnant with his child. Recounting her first days in the camp she said: "They told to us get ready, that they were going to marry us off." She and four others refused. Human cost of Boko Haram 219 of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped from Chibok by Boko Haram in April 2014 are still missing. They are among at least 2,000 women and girls abducted by Boko Haram since the start of 2014 (Amnesty figures) Since the start of 2013 Boko Haram has killed an estimated 5,500 civilians in north-east Nigeria (Amnesty figures) Who are Boko Haram? Chibok: What we know a year on Why Boko Haram remains a threat "They came back with four men, they slit their throats in front of us. They then said that this will happen to any girl that refuses to get married," Faced with that choice, she agreed to marry, and was then repeatedly raped. "There was so much pain," she said. "I was only there in body… I couldn't do anything about it." While in captivity, Miriam described meeting some of the Chibok schoolgirls. She said they were kept in a separate house to the other captives. "They told us: 'You women should learn from your husbands because they are giving their blood for the cause. We must also go to war for Allah.'" She said the girls had been "brainwashed" and that she had witnessed some of them kill several men in her village. "They were Christian men. They [the Boko Haram fighters] forced the Christians to lie down. Then the girls cut their throats." It is not possible to independently verify Miriam's claims. But human rights group Amnesty International said their research also shows that some girls abducted by Boko Haram have been trained to fight. "The abduction and brutalisation of young women and girls seems to be part of the modus operandi of Boko Haram," said Netsanet Belay, Africa director, research and advocacy at Amnesty International. 'They had guns' The Chibok schoolgirls have not been seen since last May when Boko Haram released a video of around 130 of them gathered together reciting the Koran. They looked terrified. Amnesty International estimates more than 2,000 girls have been taken since the start of 2014. But it was the attack on the school in Chibok that sparked international outrage. Michelle Obama made a rousing speech a few weeks after their abduction, demanding the girls' return. Millions of people showed their support for the # bringbackourgirls campaign. The hashtag was shared more than five million times. Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamic State in the region, but it has recently been pushed back by a military force from Nigeria and its neighbours. Hundreds of women and girls have managed to escape during these raids. Anna, aged 60, is one of them. She fled a camp in the Sambisa forest in December where she was held for five months. She now sits beneath a tree close to the cathedral in the Adamawa state capital of Yola. Her only possessions are the clothes she ran away in. She said she saw some of the Chibok schoolgirls just before she fled the forest. "They had guns," she said. When pressed on how she could be sure that it is was the Chibok schoolgirls that she'd seen, Anna said: "They [Boko Haram] didn't hide them. They told us: 'These are your teachers from Chibok.' "They shared the girls out as teachers to teach different groups of women and girls to recite the Koran," Anna recalled. "Young girls who couldn't recite were being flogged by the Chibok girls." Like Miriam, Anna also said she had seen some of the Chibok schoolgirls commit murder. Conversion attempt "People were tied and laid down and the girls took it from there… The Chibok girls slit their throats," said Anna. Anna said she felt no malice towards the girls she had seen taking part in the violence, only pity. "It's not their fault they were forced to do it." she added. "Anyone who sees the Chibok girls has to feel sorry for them." Exposing women to extreme violence seemed to be a strategy used by Boko Haram to strip them of their identity and humanity, so they could be forced to accept the militants' ideology. Faith (not her real name) aged 16, who is Christian, described how Boko Haram fighters tried to force her to convert to their version of Islam. "Every day at dawn they would come and throw water over us and order us to wake up and start praying." "Then one day they brought in a man wearing uniform. They made us all line up and then said to me: 'Because you are always crying, you will must kill this man.' "I was given the knife and ordered to cut his neck. I said I couldn't do it. "They cut his throat in front of me. That's when I passed out." Faith said she had seen at least one Chibok schoolgirl who had been married off to a Boko Haram militant during her four months in captivity. "She was just like any of the Boko Haram wives," she explained. "We are more scared of the wives than the husbands." Long road to recovery With hundreds of women and children recently rescued from Boko Haram strongholds in the Sambisa forest, the Nigerian government has set up a programme to help escapees. Many fled captivity, only to discover that some or all of their family members had been killed by Boko Haram. Others have been cast out from their communities, who now consider them "Boko Haram wives". Dr Fatima Akilu is in charge of Nigeria's counter-violence and extremism programme. She is currently looking after around 300 of the recently rescued women and children. "We have not seen signs of radicalisation," she told us. "But if it did occur we would not be surprised." And she added: "In situations where people have been held, there have been lots of stories where they have identified with their captors." Dr Akilu said beatings, torture, rape, forced marriages and pregnancies were common in Boko Haram camps. "We have a team of imams… that are trained to look out for radical ideas and ideology. "Recovery is going to be slow, it's going to be long… It's going to be bumpy." As the hunt for the Chibok schoolgirls continues, and questions are raised about what state they will be in if they ever return home, those who have managed to escape are beginning the mammoth task of coming to terms with their experiences. "I can't get the images out of my head," said Anna, breaking down in tears. "I see people being slaughtered. I just pray that the nightmares don't return." For others, the nightmare is continuing every day. Miriam is expecting her baby any day now. "I hope that the baby is a girl," she said. "I would love her more than any boy. I'm scared of having a boy." Miriam's future is bleak. She is terrified her "husband" will find her and kill her for running away. Her community has also rejected her. "People consider me an outcast," she said. "They remind me that I have Boko Haram inside me." www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33259003?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central |
| Nairaland General › Imperatives Of Reforming The Land Use Act by IBBG(op): 4:37pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
As state governors desperately look for ways to boost their internally generated revenue base, here’s a radical idea for them: Use whatever influence you have at the federal level to push for the removal of the Land Use Act of 1979 from the constitution, then proactively support those working on getting that piece of legislation reformed, and allow their recommendations to be effectively implemented in your respective states. With the current system, it is estimated that less than five per cent of housing units have formal title registration. Reforming the land management system will open up the possibility of bringing the remaining 95 per cent of existing housing into formal title registration. There is a shortage of affordable housing in Nigeria. Some estimates say we need 14 to 17 million more units than what we currently have. Others say the figure is closer to 40 million. Either way, reforming the land management system will release the choke-hold on private sector urban housing developers who have the ingenuity and the energy to tackle the multimillion housing deficit, which the states’ housing corporations, the states’ ministries of housing and their federal counterparts, are trying valiantly to satiate. Think of what the states would gain directly in increased transaction volume through stamp duties, fees, PAYE, and indirectly through reduced unemployment, increased civic satisfaction and so on. This can be achieved if the bureaucracy is trimmed down, the response times are faster, the process is transparent and the per unit processing cost is reduced. Prior to the Land Use Act of 1979, a dichotomous system prevailed in country. In Northern Nigeria, the land was vested to the governor who then apportioned or utilised it as he deemed fit. One could say it was a form of controlled socialism, in comparison to the free market system adopted in the South. In Southern Nigeria, other than areas selected for public purposes, land was owned by individuals or clans and passed along from one generation to the next. Permission however had to be sought from the governor before land rights could be assigned to aliens. In the absence of a formal titling and registration mechanism, the system in the South threw up endemic problems of multiple sales of the same parcel of land to various buyers. The South also experienced land speculation, problems with acquiring land for public purposes, exorbitant pricing, and the social malaise resulting from the accumulation of land by those who had unjustly dispossessed others of their property. The Land Use Decree was created in 1978 ostensibly to solve these problems and to install one codified land administration system across the country. As can be imagined, the decree was not popular in the South. People accustomed to owning land were effectively turned to tenants via the wholesale transfer of land ownership rights to the governor, and compensation was only paid for developed land or agricultural land. The decree also empowered governors to issue Certificates of Occupancy which would allow the possessor to use a specific piece of land for a pre- defined period of time. And more importantly, the consent of the governor had to be given before any transfer or transaction could be done with the land, (including mortgages or assignments). This specific provision is one of the protagonists causing the current bottleneck in the mass housing industry. The potential quantum of paperwork that this must necessarily involve for a country with over 170 million citizens is mind- boggling. To expect all that paperwork to pass efficiently through the office of 36 people is unrealistic. It is a stumbling block to the proliferation of home ownership and it’s time to make a concerted effort to take the breaks off. In his essay, The Land Use Act: 11 Years After, Dr A. Nnamani, who was the Attorney-General of the Federation in 1978, said, “It seems to me that it is not healthy for the economy that the Governor’s Office should be flooded with these applications for consent.” We should not sacrifice efficiency on the altar of control. The Land Use Decree was inserted into the 1979 and 1999 constitutions, to make it difficult for it to be revised or repealed. In 2009, President Umaru Yar’Adua established the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform and gave them the task of finding a better way for the country to handle the administration and recording of land ownership, the issuance of titles and the process for registration, as well as other land-related matters. Professor Akin Mabogunje, the 2009-2011 Chairman of the Committee, described the Land Use Act as “a clog in the wheel of development”. The Mabogunje Report states that, “Although the decree has made it easy for governments to acquire land for public purposes, drastically minimised the burden of land compensation and considerably reduced court litigations over land, it has, since its inception…created a new genre of serious problems for land management in the country.” The report goes on to list at least nine of these problems and in 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan directed the committee to look into the practicalities of reforming the Land Use Act. According to the Managing Director of Crusader Sterling Pensions, Niyi Falade, “the Nigerian housing sector is currently valued at N6.5 trillion with an annual growth estimation of 10 per cent over the next few years.” Trying to benefit from the untapped potential in the real estate and construction industry without reforming the Land Use Act is like trying to drive a Ferrari with the hand brakes on. Yes, the vehicle will move but its progress will be hampered. Reforming (or some would say repealing) the Land Use Act would be a catalyst for housing development on a mass scale. However, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. There are some redeeming features of the Act. Let’s hold on to those while revising the ones that need revising. Updating the Land Use Act will certainly assist in taking us from where we are to where we want to be. It is one of several tipping points available to us as a country for moving millions of people out of poverty. Currently, close to 85 per cent of urbanites live in rented accommodation which swallows up as much as 40 per cent of their salary, if not more. The need for affordable housing is further compounded by urban migration. People, mainly young adults, are moving out from rural areas into the cities. The population in Abuja is estimated as growing by nine per cent every year. In Lagos, the estimate is three per cent each year. Where will they live? Where will they work? At a real estate forum recently, the CEO of Lead Capital, Abimbola Olashore, estimated that the production of just 75,000 homes per year would create “at least 300,000 direct jobs and 488,000 indirect jobs.” Assuming the housing deficit is 17 million units, we would need to build 850,000 units per year for the next 20 years, ceteris paribus. Overhaul the Land Use Act of 1978. Unleash the real estate sector. Let the multiplier effect go to work on the economy. www.punchng.com/opinion/imperatives-of-reforming-the-land-use-act/ |
| Family › Re: When The Wrong One Loves You Right!!! by IBBG(m): 4:28pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
ronald4lif:I just luv and admire ur apt and swaggalicious use of words in espousing ur opinion. Thumbs up. |
| Family › Re: When The Wrong One Loves You Right!!! by IBBG(m): 4:05pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
bellong:very apt analysis. Thumbs up. 1 Like |
| Family › Re: When The Wrong One Loves You Right!!! by IBBG(m): 3:56pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
aflyingbird:ur analysis are so on point. Thumbs up. 2 Likes |
| Nairaland General › Freedom Of Information: Matters Arising by IBBG(op): 3:34pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
The Freedom of Information Act 2011, according to its long title, was made as an Act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with public interest and the protection of personal privacy, protect serving public officers from adverse consequences for disclosing certain kinds of official information without authorization and establish procedures for the achievement of these purposes and for related matters. The Act establishes a right of access to public information in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described. It contains claw back clauses and general exemptions to the rule in matters such as international affairs and defence, law enforcement and investigation, personal and third party information, professional privileges, research materials and proprietary information. Thus, in these matters, information can be withheld by the public authorities and the applicant will be informed of the grounds upon which the disclosure is refused. But the Act also provides for severability of materials that are not exempted from materials containing these exemptions. The National Assembly in its wisdom provides for a quick disposal of proceedings when a definite request for information is sent to the authorities. The public institution has seven days to respond to the request either by granting it or denying the same and stating reasons for denial in a written form or transfer the same to another public agency with greater interest in the subject matter. There is also provision for extension of time to grant the request if the documents are large in number or bulky. If the applicant is dissatisfied with the denial, he can approach the courts within 30 days of the public institution stating so and the Act specifically states that the application shall be heard and determined summarily. Despite these beautiful and very clear statements of the law, the level of compliance with the FoIA among the Ministries, Departments and Agencies is low. In very clear and obvious cases, instead of granting the requested documents to applicants, many MDAs in clear violation of the law fail, refuse and neglect to do so. Pray, why would an agency that spends taxpayers’ money not make the details of the expenditure public and prefer to go to court to defend its refusal to disclose the details? Why would a minister refuse to disclose the details of persons who have defrauded the treasury and prefer a long drawn litigation? These public agencies would rather spend large sums of money hiring senior lawyers who charge very high fees to defend the indefensible. To add salt to the injury is the fact that the fat fees are also coming at the same taxpayers’ expense. At the end of the day, the public treasury bleeds while the society fails to get the benefits accruing from the proper and timely implementation of the law. This could not have been the intention of the legislature in making the law. If the MDAs are pleading ignorance of the law or they are confused about what to do with a particular request, the Attorney-General of the Federation as the chief law officer of the nation should establish a summary procedure with the requisite manpower in his office for them to get legal advice on the propriety of releasing public documents. This should give the MDAs advice on request within the statutory timeframe to revert to the applicant. And where the leadership of the MDA fails to abide by the advice, the Attorney-General of the Federation should be in a position to advise government on a surcharge of the fees payable to lawyers from the remuneration of the Accounting Officer of the MDA, when there is clear evidence that the material sought by the applicant did not come under the exemptions permitted by the law. These abuses of the judicial system would have been curtailed if the courts have leaned in favour of enforcing the clear provisions of Section 7 (  of the FoIA whichstates that: “Where a case of wrongful denial of access is established, the defaulting officer or institution commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N50,000”. On several occasions, this particular relief has been refused by the courts in applications made by an Abuja-based civil society group, the Centre for Social Justice. However, none of the judgment has offered the reasons for declining to grant this relief. Another major challenge for the enforcement of the FoIA is the tardiness of the courts. How can a matter that is stated by law to be heard and determined summarily be pending in the court for two years without commencement of hearing? One adjournment follows another and lawyers from the Ministry of Justice or defence counsel hired by the MDA take turns to frustrate the hearing of the application and presiding judges either encourage them or simply look the other way. In many instances, counsel for the applicant and respondent are in court and the judge adjourns the matter to a definite date and the date was even agreed to by lawyers on both sides. On the adjourned date, the lawyer to the respondent deliberately absents himself from the court and fails to write a letter or send a message to explain his absence from court. Instead of going on with the FoIA proceedings, the judge orders the counsel for the applicant to serve the respondent a hearing notice. And when the respondent’s counsel eventually appears at the later date, he makes no explanation and no one asks him to explain the reason for his absence. The court can now be held hostage by a counsel who is not ready to defend the case against his client! The idea that summary proceedings can go on for two to three years is antithetical to the word “summary”. The proceedings could have been anything but not summary. In this period of the change mantra, the MDAs must be made to understand that they cannot spend public resources and hold the same public in contempt. The information sought to be disclosed will in most instances facilitate good governance which will benefit the same person(s) seeking to block the disclosure. Bringing down the cost of governance includes blocking leakages such as these unnecessary litigation fees in matters which could have been disclosed without the rigour of litigation. Finally, the civil society needs to put pressure and beam searchlight on the implementation of this law through a long term strategic engagement of the judicial system and insist that it works as stated in the clear provisions of the law. www.punchng.com/opinion/freedom-of-information-matters-arising/ |
| Politics › Aregbesola: APC Demands Judge’s Resignation Over Impeachment Call by IBBG(op): 12:42pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has asked Justice Folahanmi Oloyede to resign her position as a member of the bench in the state over a petition she submitted to the Osun State House of Assembly, which seeks the impeachment of the state governor over financial recklessness.www.punchng.com/politics/aregbesola-apc-demands-judges-resignation-over-impeachment-call/ 2 Likes |
| Nairaland General › Mr. President, Beware Of The Day Of Subsidy Removal by IBBG(op): 12:32pm On Jun 29, 2015 |
According to recent media reports, almost N5tn was disbursed as subsidy payment on fuel consumption between 2006 and 2012. Thus, the annual average provision of about N1tn is probably equivalent to about one fifth of the total federal budget in the same period. In effect, subsidy payments clearly exceeded the consolidated annual allocations for health, education, transport and agriculture. Worse still, the alleged benefits of subsidy are not direct or tangible as progressive drivers of social welfare. Nevertheless, the more relevant question, however, is probably what would be the result on the economy and poverty alleviation if fuel subsidy was summarily abolished and pump price of fuel rises to about N140/ litre, when crude oil price is N62/barrel and naira exchange rate is N200 per dollar? Experience has taught Nigerians to expect prices of most goods and services to head northwards as fuel price rises to induce higher transport costs which trigger an upward spiral on the general price level. Nonetheless, some Nigerians may insist that if the subsidy free price of N140/litre would eliminate the perennial problem of fuel scarcity and the attendant social stress and economic dislocation and also minimise corrupt leakages, then, so be it. “Let subsidy be removed”, they would chorus! They would also argue that if Nigerians readily paid over N200/litre during the most recent fuel scarcity, then N140/litre should be no big deal! Instructively however, Nigerians may change from this same melody if a N50/litre rise in petrol price pushes the inflation, beyond 10 per cent within six months or so from the date of subsidy removal. The prices of foodstuffs and all earners of static income will inevitably be the hardest hit. The N18,000 minimum wage earner, for example, will struggle to keep alive, and pensioners will also groan under the yoke of inflation; consumer demand will contract and industrial capacity utilisation will also further recede, while new investments may be put on hold. Clearly, such outcomes will not improve the level of employment in the country and will certainly deepen poverty nationwide notwithstanding President Muhammadu Buhari’s best efforts. Despite such a desperate social scenario, subsidy abolitionists would again counter that at least fuel supply and price will be stable and Nigerians do not have to waste the whole day searching for petrol. Besides, it is assumed that once price control is eliminated, more investors will establish new refineries and the resultant competition will bring down prices. However, the expectation for lower prices may regrettably never materialise if the experience of diesel price deregulation is anything to go by. Despite deregulation, diesel currently sells well above petrol, and there is nothing to suggest that petrol price will fall if subsidy is also abolished from the pricing template. Furthermore, private refineries for diesel have yet to surface! Besides, it is also uncertain how long the deregulated market price of N140/litre, will hold, particularly if the naira further depreciates. Indeed, a close look at the relationship between fuel price and exchange rate, clearly suggests that over the years fuel price will rise whenever the naira depreciates, even if crude oil prices remain static or fall. This correlation between fuel price and naira exchange rate is clearly demonstrated in the recent past, when a “lowly” crude price of about $60/barrel (down from over N100/barrel) instigated a subsidy free price of about N140/barrel; the unexpected price rise was clearly the result of the fall in value of the naira from less than N160/$ to almost N200/$. Indeed, a drop in crude oil price below $60/barrel will not bring fuel price below N140/litre. For example, if in response to market pressure, the naira further depreciates over time to say N300=$1, the deregulated pump price of fuel will spiral well above N200/litre! The inevitable public resistance to such higher fuel price will temporally stall supply from marketers, scarcity will persist and long queues will surface as usual, while fuel will sell on the black market for over N400/litre, and the usual pain resulting from the attendant social and economic dislocation will prevail once again. Ultimately, as in the past, the public will succumb and accept what is clearly a more “benign” price of N200/ litre, with the expectation that adequate supply will become available to once again reduce their sufferings. Incidentally, the higher subsidy free fuel price also comes with the collateral of spiralling inflation, which will again threaten the purchasing value of the naira. Expectedly, if the systemic burden of surplus naira in the economy also subsists, and pressure on the naira remains untamed, further naira devaluation will become inevitable. In such an event, the naira could subsequently exchange for between N250 and N300=$1. Thus, even if crude price remains low, deregulated pump price will still rise if the naira exchange rate further depreciates. Sadly, this cycle of inflation, devaluation, higher fuel price and more devaluation will become endless with disastrous social and economic consequences. Clearly, efforts to alleviate poverty or jumpstart agricultural or industrial growth will fail in such a disenabling environment. This phenomenon has been replicated in several African countries, notably, Ghana and Zimbabwe. In the case of Ghana, the Cedi collapsed ultimately from less than two Cedis=$1 to over 10,000 Cedis =$1. Consequently, about seven years ago, the Ghanaian currency was redenominated by four decimal points to one new Ghana Cedi=$1.1. Regrettably however, the cause of the sliding currency was not identified and the vicious cycle of depreciation remained unbroken and today almost four new Ghana Cedis exchange for $1, or more graphically expressed as 40,000 Old Ghana Cedis=$1. Don’t let anyone tell you it cannot happen in Nigeria; indeed, no one would have believed that the naira which once exchanged for 50 kobo=$1 will today exchange on the black market for over N220/$1, yet the pressure on the naira remains unabated. The current N20 gap between official and parallel market naira exchange rate will certainly increase with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s exclusion of importers of rice and some 39 other commodities from official foreign exchange window. Ultimately, the increasing margin between official and black market rates will encourage malfeasance, as witnessed over the years in the foreign exchange market. In order to facetiously “save” the naira, the CBN would respond by raising the official exchange rate closer to the rates in the parallel market. This reaction would inadvertently induce higher fuel prices and push inflation to ultimately threaten the capacity of the CBN to achieve its prime mandate for price stability. The outcome of such failure would be reflected as double digit inflation rates, higher cost of funds to the real sector and an even weaker naira exchange rate. The combination of these indices will further contract consumer demand, stifle investment and promote a higher level of unemployment as poverty rapidly deepens nationwide. Instructively, the solution to eliminating fuel subsidy without tears will actually be found in a more sensible process of managing naira supply to induce a stronger naira exchange rate. For example, if the naira exchanged for N100=$1, the “subsidy free” price of fuel will fall below N70/litre, so that a minimum sales tax of N17/litre can be imposed on each of the 40 million litres of petrol consumed daily, if the pump price remains at N87/litre. Meanwhile, such a stronger naira exchange rate will gradually evolve if dollar denominated revenue is not substituted with fresh creations of naira values as monthly allocations to the tiers of government. www.punchng.com/opinion/viewpoint/mr-president-beware-of-the-day-of-subsidy-removal/ |
