₦airaland Forum

Why are you advocating the creation of states based on ethnic origins? This is a slippery slope that shows no end in sight. Will you create a state for the 300 or so linguistic areas of Nigeria?

Most of the current states in Nigeria are not economically viable and Nigeria does not need any more new states.

I wonder how people put up with your tribalism in Ontario.

It boils down to a lack of creativity and herd mentality where every house looks like the one next door. Most of the color schemes are also chosen by the home owners and not by designers.

There is also an absolute lack of landscapping in Nigerian house designs. Contrast that with jurisdictions where home owners are required to plant a tree as part of the new home approval process.

Those florida style palm trees will look nice in most Nigerian homes.

asha 80:
It will soon approach it becausde as usual we collectively as nigerians will do nothing but hope on God to come down from heaven and perform miracle and wonders to make nigeria better.

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That is exactly my sentiment. We do not want to let it get to the stage of Somalia or Zaire before we arrest the situation. I strongly believe in the potential of Nigeria but this will not yield positive results if not harnessed.

Kobojunkie:
No offense, but what does that have to do with concern for Nigeria and the people then ?
Post the exact line where you got the above from.

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What does what have to do with the concern for Nigeria? You asked what problem there was to solve in Nigeria. I assume you do not see any.
Do you know how many innocent victims loose their lives to armed robbers in Nigeria daily. One needs an armed escort to travel around the country
because of the break down of security.

Do you believe that Nigeria can reach its true potential with the existing level of corruption? I do not need to elucidate the problems in Nigeria to you if they are not readily apparent.

Kobojunkie:
You are concerned, or, like most of us, feigning concern? Which one?
Solve what problem exactly? Do you really think that one more thread on here on this silly question shows concern for Nigeria? Seriously, are you convinced that all we do here counts for much when we continue to sit back while the door to the shed remains open to the thieves to continue pillaging? Or do you expect the same thieves to close the door to save your pressure resources from being stolen?

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Mr Kobojunkie, I wish you would speak for yourself. I am concerned about the state of Nigeria. My mother was murdered by armed robbers in Nigeria 8 years ago. I do feel the pain of insecurity of life and property daily.

Since there is no problem in Nigeria as far as you know, then you should not be interested in this thread.

Mr Dranoel, there are about 50 countries and territories in Africa. Why should Nigeria settle for the bottom 30? I do no advocate the break up of Nigeria but rather I want to raise the consciousness of Nigerians to achieve the heights that we are capable of collectively.

DRANOEL:
all that you listed is not enough to call nigeria a failed state

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Relative to the size and resources we have, I submit that Nigeria is a failed state. Let me see your parameters for a failed state. I hope you are not waiting for a full blown civil unrest before you acknowledge the severity of today.

Kobojunkie:
What squandered resources? The ones you are fighting to restore, or the squandered resources, the loss of which, you are more willing to blame on the minority so you can feel good with yourself claiming to care for the majority?

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Yar adua just mentioned that a group of 4 had stolen 6 billion naira from petroleum subsidy. Does that count for something? I do not care about wasted resources. I am concerned about the continued pilaging of the resources to the detriment of all. Does Nigeria work for you too in its present form? If not, then how do you propose we solve some of the problems?

I am not interested in the politics of Nigeria but I am concerned about the welfare of all Nigerians.

Kobojunkie:
Does this really matter at this point? We have a population of 140 million to deal with. What matters more to you?

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It does matter. Nigeria needs the squandered resources to meet the needs of the 140 million people. How else do you intend to accomplish this?

1luvkipsus:
The past weeks have been occupied with activities of massive decamping of Nigerians from their parties to the PDP. This must be a very happy moment for the party. With all these decamping and massive cross carpeting of big time politicians to the ruling party, do we expect anything less than a clean sweep of all the LGs, States, the National Assembly and Presidential elections come 2011? Please, we should start congratulating the largest party in Africa for a yet - be- victory at the polls. We should as well expect a clean victory for the party at the weekend rerun in Ekiti state. PDP, power to the people!!!!

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You are happy to live in a one party state. Why is Nigeria wasting money then to have elections? Invite the army to come back and rule and you will have your permanent one party country. The army cannot be worse thieves than the current robbers in power.

Nigeria has been independent for almost 50 years, and the social, economic, legal and political structures that define a vibrant state are in decay or non existent. I want us to have a vigorous debate based on facts about the condition of Nigeria without resorting to insults. Let us put aside our retrogressive ethnocentrism in examining the issues that affects us all.

Nigeria has been a top oil producer for the past few decades, but this abundance of resources is not reflected in the lives of the people.

*Unreliable electricity supply
*Life expectancy that is under 50 years
*Educational system that is under stress
*Insecurity of life and property
*Abject poverty for the majority juxtaposed with obscene wealth for the priviledged few
*Health care system that is not good enough for the elected officials and the rich
*Rag tag police force that is underpaid and has become a scourge to those they were supposed to serve and protect
*Redundant army, navy and air force that is not contributing to economic development
*Corruption that has permeated every facet of life
*A population that has been so victimzed that they are content to wait for handouts from their oppressors

Let us be civil in expressing our views. Do not shout by writing in capital letters.

Ojukwu is yesterday's man and Orji Kalu is a loudmouth clown.

Nigerians are too divided and cowardly to rise up against the clowns who are stealing their money and destroying the country. Nigerians will rather settle for handouts from the politicians that are killing them.

lucabrasi:
i dont think you get the context of an average nigerian,an average nigerian cant afford 3 square meals talk less of buying shares worth about260 or so naira while at its best before crashing,their feud will favour the average nigerian because the price of dangote's monopoly will be forced down namely cement,sugar,rice,macarony,flour e.t.c and otedola's stranglehold on diesel,kerosene e.t.c
the fact of the matter is that a country where one of the major businessmen who has monopolised and taken advantage of the financial market,is made the vice president of its stock exchange isnt ready to enter the world market,as for destroying the integrity of the stock market,we they didnt have any to start with,i was all a smoke screen,i lost faith the day i heard that the woman onyiuke with the collusion of obasanjo were using the nse funds to run pdp campaigns

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I do get the fact about most average Nigerians living in misery in a land of so much. That is the crux of my saddness. Why would so many people allow a few clowns in government to usurp what belongs to all? It appears that majority of Nigerians have resigned themselves to a life of misery.

I just read on this forum that the House Speaker has 4 bullet proof jeeps awaiting clearance at the port for his official duties. Does a public servant in the same position in England have those types of luxury at the expense of the citizens? I know this is not the case where I live in North America.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange is a sham and should be abolished.

Becomrrich:
Under whose watch is the naira nearly N200 to a $1, soludo.

Worst economy in nigeria. Even while people may lay blame on yar adua, is it not soludo that is suppose to fine turn the economy. what sowore and others are saying. that a mafia lead by soludo and other. what is see as igbo mafia are the give yar adua problem. To disprove them, let remove all of them and see if the system would not work.

the problem with the stock exchange would not happen if Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke of the stock exchange was from a different background. sowore and others are saying the igbo mafia are blackmailing the nation. Just like they ar doing for the constitution review.

Soludo [igbo], iweala[igbo] and Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke[igbo] , nigerian need to be mix.
Look I can tell you this. If soludo leaves office tomorrow. He would be pick up by the EFCC that same day. He should not even be thinking about reappointment, is may concern should be with the EFCC a day after office.

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Mr. Becommrrich, the CBN Governor serves at the pleasure of the President and if he is such a bad CEO then the President should have fired him. You write like a functional illiterate. You state that the best person should get the CBN post but at the same time you talk about the need to balance federal and geographic variables.

I see you live in Ontario and I will like to meet you to discuss some of your silly ideas about Nigerian politics. I like you to tell me the part of Canadian federal character influenced the appointment of David Dodge, Mark Carney, John Crow and Gordon Thiessen as Governors of Bank of Canada.

I read some of your views about the power problems in Nigeria and there were some merit in your recommended solutions. Stick to power related issues as you will do more good in that direction. Clean up your writing, it is very infantile.

lucabrasi:
why should an average nigerian support any of them both?they r both thieves who have been raping the nigerian economy for ages so the more they fight,the better for us

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Every average Nigerian should be concerned by the illegal actions of Dangote. A vibrant economy requires a thriving stock market. Dangote's manipulation of the stock market will destroy the integrity of the market and adversely affect the economy.

I have stopped investing in the Nigerian equity market because of the lack of integrity and transparency. We continually allow the priviledged few to steal the resources of Nigeria because the average Nigerian does not feel that the wealth of this nation belongs to us all.

Where will the residents of this complex park their cars? I have observed that parking garages are an after thought for most Nigerian home designs. The lands tend to be just big enough for the building without regard for adequate parking or landscapping.

Odometer Rollback: Salvaged Cars: And Ridiculous Budgets
« on: Today at 12:20:55 AM »

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Ok so over the while now we've been having so many VIN officers on here which i'm very appreciative of; But i want tos say something:

POTENTIAL BUYERS!, Please stop calling dealers to get you cars almost 10years old, and expecting these cars to still have mileages below 50-70000KM.
Or calling dealers to get you cars for ridiculous prices. We already are doing our best on here to beat the prices out there in the market by a good margin, so stop pushing us to the limit. we don't steal these vehicles for crying out loud.
For example, someone calls you asking for a 2004-2005 Honda accord EX full option with all the works.I then get one for this client as soon as possble, only for him to say his budget is 1.6M and that my price is too much at 1.9M( At this current exchange rate with the dollar!!!). This is not just one nairalander calling with this same attitude ,
I don't know, but i think there needs to be an attitude change both from dealers and buyers. If you want a car at a ridiculous rate don't complain if you're given a salvaged vehicle as that's the best you can get with such WONDERFUL BUDGETS!
You can't kill godzilla with a pebble, yes david killed goliath with a stone, but goliath wasn't godzilla.
If you want the best, be prepared to spend for it.
Stop calling dealers asking that you want, for exampli: a 2008 honda accord and you've got 2M for it, for goodness sakes we don't manufacture these cars.
Now on the issue of salvaged titles e.t.c I think soemthing has to be made clear here:
Some dealers here sell for people who import, some others import and sell themselves, some others just sell for people who aren't internet savvy, but need to display their cars on here. So when a dealer posts a car with the VIN, and one of our VIN-police on here checks it out and discovers it's been salvaged, just don't go about insulting the dealer/poster. You either buy or you ignore that car until you see one posted that you want to buy.
Some dealers have the time to check the VINs before posting(sometimes i personally do that, sometimes i don't depending on how busy i am) others don't.

In addendum, we all need to understand that there are different degrees of salvaged titles.
Some are total write offs, some are serious damages, while others are minors.
Inspired and co might be able to explain this further as i've said my two cents and anyone willing to have a say on this should, CONTRUCTIVELY I MUST ADD.

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Viperman, odometer rollback is a crime no matter how you attempt to rationalize it. You seem to imply that since customers are unrealistic in expecting 10 year old cars to have low miles, that is why dealers resort to odometer rollbacks. Why should your customers unrealistic expextattions lead you to commit a crime for which you will be sent to prison if you were in North America?
This is all about truth in advertising. Tell potential customers the true mileage, year and condition of your cars and set your price accordingly.

There is nothing wrong with a salvage title as long as the car has been repaired by a competent mechanic and certified road worthy by a competent jurisdiction. Insurance companies in America usually declare a car a total loss(salvage) based on a business case. That is, the cost to fix the car is more than it is worth. This does not mean that the car cannot be repaired by an independent and put back on the road after the required procedure.

It is not an excuse that you do not know the product you are selling because you are not the original importer. If you are a middleman, you have a responsibility to find out the truth about a car you are selling since you stand to make a commission on the sale. The potential buyer does not the owner and your name and reputation are on the line.

Quote from: HR.hotness on January 16, 2009, 06:36 PM
you'll need to modify them for nigerian climate, materials most especially. . . it sickens me when pple import designs that were specificaly designed for other regions, materials and all, with no regard for wether they work, are actually livable or not.


Funny thing that you would say that. I have noticed that most Nigerian homes are not fully built to suit Nigerian climate. There are many rules that are broken or not adhered to but generally accepted. An example is damp proofing of the homes. Many houses here in Nigeria seem to be built to cultivate fungi. In the United States, there are many climate zones as well as earth-quake zones. Building codes for each zone are tailored to the particular zone. In California, you have to consider seismic activities, while Tropical Florida shares the same climatic properties as Tropical Nigeria. Florida is however advancing in building technology and progress is being reflected in the quality of their products. But in Nigeria generally, we still seem to embrace the system that the colonials introduced without looking at methods for improvement.

Projects that I will get involved in will definitely explore new and emerging Technologies that allow more flexibility in design and creativity. This does not mean that I do not realize the issues of costing related to affordable homes, but even with them as well, there are better and more efficient ways.

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Larez, you are right on the money. Nigerian builders are caught up in a cookie cutter mentality where every house is essentially a square box with 3/4 bdrm flats. When look at houses is Florida, I often wonder why we cannot build such mediterranean style houses since we have the same tropical weather almost year round.
Why are there rarely indoor garages in most multi million Naira houses in Lagos? I want my house to have at least a three car attached garage. Why buy $100,000 car without a garage at home for it?
I have also noticed that most nigerian homes are very poorly ventilated. I guess this is a result of poor HVAC practices. Most of the mediteranean home designs in Florida or California can be built in Nigeria with blocks and the requiste adaptions.
Nigerian builders need more than a paradigm shift in building designs, they need a seismic shift from the square box. For those who advocate prison like fences, do you think that any fence can stop a group of armed thugs with AK47 and Uzzi sub machine guns?

Get a camera and post some pictures. It will enhance the interest in your ad.

@Siparaporo

Thanks for the information. information like this comes in very handy for us "Andrews" (nigerians wey don check out) who are looking at building homes in naija. I hold a degree in residential construction from a tech school in Georgia and just trying to do research on construction practices here and in Naija. Usually over here, along with a set of plans comes what they call a "materials take off list." This list basically is used by estimators to show all materials needed and their quantities. It is from this list that the cost of materials is estimated. Labor is a whole seperate estimation method.

Cheers

I have noticed that most of the designs on this thread do not have attached garages. I will want to have at least a three car garage attached to my house with direct access into the house. What is the total square footage of design 4?
I have been looking at mediterranean style designs from Florida built with blocks and will like to build someting similar on a plot of land I have in Lagos.
I am looking to buy an extra plot for adequate space.

@ poster,
if you are clearing it through cotonou, i would help you run the custom duties.

Larryshow4, you either have the answer to my question or you do not. I still want to know if the 10-year age limit applies to trucks imported to Nigeria?
You can include your phone number and I will call you to talk about clearing when it arrives Lagos.

@poster, what year is your bus

I am looking at a couple of trucks and need to know if the 10 year limit on cars applies to trucks(tractors). I am not interested in buses.

Does anyone know if the 10 years age limit applies to the importation of commercial trucks? Will appreciate any info about the relevant Customs gazette.

I do not think the congestion is costing the government $millions because of what I heard from my agent that Dangote has occupied a substantial part of the terminal for the discharge of his goods and other shipping lines lke Grilmadi that control their port operations. The government is still making its money while the shipping lines that cannot berth or discharge its goods are the loosers. The businessmen are counting their losses while the immigration and customs men are smilling to the banks.

My brother, it is a terrible situation for international trade.
[quote][/quote]I have to disagree with you Jafour. The port congestion is definitely a negative cost to the government and all business people. What is happening to business concerns that are not as priviledged as Dangote to handle their own port activities. The government has spent huge sums to alleviate port congestion but incompetence , corruprion and nepotism has rendered those efforts meaningless. May be it will get to a stage where commercial vessels will start to avoid Nigerian ports because of the cost disadvantage.

Larryshow4, your points are well taken. There are always two sides to every coin. When cars are exported from the U.S. or Canada, the exporter does not pay duties at the point of origin. I am not in Nigeria at the moment but I see your number from the forum and I will call you sometime.

Larryshow4, you seem to have presented your Cotonu buying trips in only positive terms. The cost of living in Cotonu is less than Lagos so the price of cars must be lower in Cotonu. Do your customers pay import duties on those cars that are smuggled in by you or are they subject to seizure at some point in Lagos?
Since you can buy these cars at such cut rate prices, then I wonder why you do not have a showroom in Lagos where you can always sell these at reasonable profit. You seem to be content to take away business from car dealers that have overheads such as showrooms that need to be covered.
There are just as many salvaged and stolen vehicles in Cotonu as there are in Lagos. I know this from first hand information. It is a question of buyers doing their due diligence. I pay my duties when I import vehicles to Lagos.

Ladoma, you seem to have missed the ladies' point in telling her ordeal at the hands of corrupt policemen. Tinted windows do not prevent police from apprehending criminals. The police still have the right to stop and search motorists for legitimate reasons whether windows are tinted or not.
The sole purpose of this law is to enable the police extort to money from motorists and has nothing to with security.
Do you think that your busy IG of police actually sits in his office to sign tinted window permits? They are mechanically signed and issued by a secretary in his office at Abuja. How does the IG measure the thickness of my tinted car from his office in Abuja while my car is in Lagos?
The IG should mandate all state vehicle registration offices to inspect and collect tint fees where necessary at the point of initial registration. These funds should be kept by the states where cars are registered to be applied to areas such as road maintainance.
We should stop making excuses for a corrupt and ineffective police force.

Brauneyes, it is not proper for you label the lady's ad as a 419 scam when you have no such facts. A request for more detailed pictures and Vin will be fine to enable buyers make their own determination.

I beg to differ Inspired m. This car is an American vehicle and the windshield clearly says 09/07. It stands for month and year. This means it was built in September 2007 and this makes it a 2008 model. You can check the driver's side door jamb and you will also see the month and year of manufacture. There are still lots of 2008 model year cars at American dealerships that have zero miles on them. It is still a beauty.