₦airaland Forum

Ileke-IdI:
I dont wish death on anyone o, but if that's what it takes to get rid of some greedy ppl who wont give power to their younger generation, then so be it!

ALL THOSE THAT SAY THAT NIGERIA WILL NOT HAVE PEACE OR ACT TOWARDS SUCH GOAL, MAY THEY ALL DIE PREMATURELY!!!




In Jesus' Name. Amen!!

Miss EZ:
I honestly think that Pat Utomi Running for president is a welcome development, however the man has failed to do ground work. Unfortunately Nigerians need to be aware of u and your achievements for you to get ahead in the game (this is not to say PAt U hasnt achieved anything, but how many people know him). Most of the Nigerian Citizenry are in the rural areas, poor and concerned with their daily bread (sad but true), they only know those who feed them. Pat Utomi is a very smart man intellectually, it takes alot more than intellect to win an election. I wish he had played his card right, this man will be good for Nigeria as far as his intention goes and maybe what he can do.

For those who are thinking grassroot doesnt matter, you are wrong in thinking that, even in the united states of America, they recognize grassroot politics, thats why Obama and Mccain visited small towns, factories and their workers and such, You need the goodwill and trust of the people to win.

I really wish this man stood a chance though, he would definitely be good for us, especially the youths at this time.

That being said, The problem with Nigeria is not just the leaders, its the people as well. How we let a few people hijack our country and hold us hostage beats me.  Sometimes i wonder if the masses realize that we are way more than these politicians combined. Lets begin to rise up (esp YOUTHS) adn speak out against the injustice being done to us, WE deserve better.

One more thing, GEJ is clueless, the sooner Nigerians realize this, the more possible it will be to avert another 4 year disaster. That man is ill equipped to rule the country and is a time bomb waiting to happen. I know alot of people do not share this sentiment, but it is true

Miss EZ:
When i say known, i call it as it is. HE NEEDS TO BE KNOWN. Its not too late, but for that to happen, he needs to be aggressive about it.

Aspa your statement of handing out bags of rice, my position on that is "if need be". We do not live in an ideal society. As long as he is not rigging elections,bribing officials and such, i think its an okay price to pay. Am i encouraging corruption? No, but in order to gain the support of the people in the villages, he needs to earn their trusts, and that includes showing that he cares about their welfare. My dear this is not america where u can promise to improve standard of living and health care and they will believe u.

A good example is my village. Its small, and most people are not educated. Would u believe that when we went home and gave money to some of our old family members for xmas, we gave the old man 1000 naira note adn gave his grandchild 2 50 naira notes (N100), the old man wey no go sch thought that the kid had more money than him cos his money came in two notes. this was in early 2000. People in rural areas dont understand big language, what they understand is your ability to provide for them.

Its sad, but thats the truth. You and i can sit and reason with Uncle Pat and understand that he means well, not everyone can, and like someone rightly said, to be apeople person, you need to communicate at their level of understanding. If he needs to give rice to become a good president for Nigeria, if that gives him the chance he needs to get there, i think he should go ahead,  AS LONG as he is not rigging elections or stealing ballot boxes, or bribing INEC officials and such, i think that is a small price to pay. I am all for doing things by the book, but isnt that why good men never lead us? You cannot be a sucessful politician in Nigeria and not make atleast some small concessions or play the game abit.  SAD but true. Me i have moved past those days when i said, no giving of rice, men if that will get the awareness he needs from the rural areas (since thats what  they understand) make him give them rice and become our president.

I wholeheartedly agree with both of the above statements.

Irrespective of who you are, politics involves some games. Once you go into it, you have to be willing to play ball even if to a limited extent. DON'T RIG AND DON'T BRIBE, but don't think politics is like regular life (where as the bible says, you do good things in secret and the Lord will reward you in the open). In most places, you are only as good as what people see you doing as a politician. Things you do in secret may be good for the people but unless they see what you have done, then in a lot of cases, you may as well not have done anything.

That is why you see politicians on the cover of newspaper over every single project they commission or complete. While this is often abused, you cannot overlook the importance of playing this game and making use of those photo opportunities. Likewise, you have to reach people on a level they can understand. The University lectures someone said Pat Utomi has been giving around Nigeria are good; but those are for people in Universities. How can the common man relate to Pat Utomi?? The conductor on the street, Iya selling Akara, and so man others. I believe there are only 2 ways.

1. Either by him going to them and showing he cares (in the eyes of a lot of our people that means "dropping something." Be it rice or recharge card.
or
2. Showing them an example of what he has to offer in terms of achievements in governance just like everyone is shouting "Fashola" now around the country. I know experience doesn't count for much here in Nigeria as most of those who claim experience have failed us.

Don't get me wrong. Pat Utomi is trying hard, and my vote will go to Ribadu or him irrespective of whether I believe they will win or not. But we need to see that as Miss EZ stated, Nigeria is not an ideal study.

Even the people on the street will tell you that your grammar is too much and that you should tell them what you brought for them. It's really sad but that is the truth on ground as of right now.

I'm tired of this my state ooo

Ayo Fayose is still answering his case of what happened to poultry worth 1.2 billion Naira.

Now, Segun Oni will begin answering for case on Beef.

I wonder what is next now, Kangaroos??

Not everyone who owns several hundred million Naira obtained it by fraudulent means. Not saying I know about this particular case.

1. Many men who are in the service of the nation as public servants register companies under their wives names'. And then proceed to get contracts and other work through these companies. So, you can have a public servant who gets N20 million, N50 million, N100 or even N300million contracts from the government and executes them. This can also apply to Doctors and University Professors.

2. Please note that real estate in Nigeria has appreciated in a lot of areas in Nigeria over the past 10 to 15 years. I know a person who is now in politics who got allocated some land in various parts of Abuja back in the 1990s. I mean land he got back then for paltry sums like N1million, or N2 million when the FCDA was still handing them out like candy. One of such parcels of land is 6 plots in an area near Apo District. Going rate there as of early this year when I was in Abuja was N40 million per plot. That means excluding current development he has on the land right now, the minimum amount he would declare on that land will be N240 million.

It's easy to say that anybody with money is a thief, proving it is the problem. Let us not forget that there is plenty of money to be made legitimately in Nigeria. It's just not as easy for some as it is for others.

You can find a lot of people who are in public service who have hundreds of millions in property even though they receive relatively small amounts as salaries. These people have companies despite the fact that public servants aren't allowed to. You just bypass that by having it registered in your spouse's name.

mrperfect:
This is really an interesting story.

Very True Mr. Perfect. Let me make it more interesting for you by giving you the backdrop as I heard from people who were present in that cafe in Ado-Ekiti on that fateful day.


April 2007 - Festus Olabode contests for the seat of Ekiti Central Senator under the platform of AC. As we all know, victory is awarded by INEC to Femi Kila of the PDP.


May 2007 - Festus Olabode goes to the Election tribunal to seek declaration as rightful winner of the election


March 2008 - As the election tribunal is in full swing and fingerprint analysis of ballots is taking place by Adrian forty and other forensic analysts, EFCC somehow turn up at Friendly's Hotel in Ado-Ekiti. They commandeer the premises and shut down the cafe and hotel. They proceed to fire rounds within the cafe despite the presence of over 30 people inside the cafe. They make all customers kneel down and then proceed to check everyone's computers. They arrest 3 or 4 "yahoo boys" and then proceed to locate Festus Olabode Ola and place him in custody also. All of this done with the EFCC agents providing minimal identification of themselves as EFCC Agents

March 2008 - Upon release, Festus Olabode Ola claims that the attack is political and an attempt by the PDP to intimidate him into dropping his election petition against INEC and PDP candidate Femi Kila. Festus Olabode proceeds to file suit for N100 million in damages for violation of his human rights and disruption of his business.

August 2008 - Election tribunal rules in favor of Femi Kila of the PDP. Festus Olabode proceeds to court of appeal

June 2009 - Court of Appeal invalidates 20,000 votes for the PDP candidate Femi Kila because all 20,000 ballots possessed the same finger print and Proceeds to Declare Festus Olabode Ola rightful winner of the 2007 election for Ekiti Central Senatorial District.

July 2009 - Festus Olabode Ola is sworn in as Senator representing Ekiti Central. Festus Olabode Ola ends up on EFCC committee.

Present day - Senator Festus Olabode Ola awarded N50.8 million ruling against the EFCC.



Now,  I ask myself. What is the moral of this story?? I guess it is whatever you make of it.

Court orders EFCC to pay N50.8m to senator

By Ezra Ijioma, with agency report
Thursday, 16 Dec 2010



A Federal High Court in Jos has ordered the EFCC to pay N50.8m to Senator Festus Olabode as damages for the violation of his human rights.


The court awarded the damages to Olabode in a judgment it delivered in a case the Ekiti senator filed against the anti-graft body for allegedly infringing on his privacy and disrupting his business.


The senator had alleged that the EFCC on March 31, 2008, invaded his hotel, Friendly Hotel Limited, on Iworoko road in Ado Ekiti and carted away 27 computers from its cyber cafe.


The commission, Olabode further alleged, arrested him without any search warrant, adding that he was detained for some days.


In defence of its action, the EFCC had claimed that a swindler had used the cafe to dupe some unsuspecting persons; hence it raided the business centre and arrested the senator, being the owner of both the hotel and the café.


Angered by the EFCC action, Olabode had, through his Counsel, Mr. Gyang Zi, dragged the commission to the Federal High Court to seek redress.


Justice A.L. Allagoa, while delivering judgment in the case in Jos, said that the “EFCC acted in violation of the plaintiff’s fundamental human rights as contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.


“It is unlawful for the police to arrest, let alone detain a person before looking for evidence or without a court warrant; no law gives the police such powers.


“For the violation of the fundamental human rights of the plaintiff and disrupting his business for 369 days, I hereby award N50.8m as special and general damages against the commission.”


The damages awarded to the senator include N36.9m for the 369 days closure of the café estimated at N100,000 per day and N3.2m for the 27 computers at N120,000 each.


Also, N5m was awarded for unlawful arrest and violation of the senator’s fundamental human rights, N2m as general damages while N500,000 was to cover the plaintiff’s legal cost.


Meanwhile, the Italian government has indicated interest in broadening its ties with Nigeria especially in the area of sustainable partnership in the war against graft.


The indication was given in Abuja on Wednesday by the Ambassador of Italy to Nigeria, Dr. Robert Colamine, and Italy’s Chief Anti-Mafia Prosecutor, Dr. Pietro Grasso, when they paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri.


In her response, the EFCC Chairman assuredthat Nigeria would be ready to work with the Italian government on criminal investigation.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101216572821

Culture or no Culture.
Elder or no Elder.

We must always uphold right and condemn wrong.

I've said before and will say again - Obasanjo is an evil man who is reaping the consequences of what he sowed. Likewise Ayo Fayose is an uncultured buffoon and an arrogant animal.

Now, It is important for us to realize that in our conflicts with other human beings, we as adults must act like adults.
When children have a problem with each other, they may resort to fighting, wrestling, and shouting insults at each other.
We as Adults must act like adults. If I am angry with you or not happy with you for any reason, shouting and screaming, or punching you in the face may be my first instinct, but that doesn't make it the mature thing to do.

IT' IS QUITE SAD THAT SOME HERE WOULD SAY HE SHOULD HAVE PUNCHED OBJ IN THE FACE.


What wrongs has OBJ perpetrated against Ayo Fayose??

If we all agree that OBJ has sinned and should be punished, who made AYO FAYOSE the executioner.

Fine. Ayo Fayose was arrested by the EFCC. We all know that and we know he blames it on Obasanjo.

Honestly though, Is it Obasanjo that took the 1.2 billion naira allocated for the Ekiti Poultry project and put it into the accounts of Ayo Fayose and his friends (Gbenga James e.t.c).

Fayose is proud. His excesses show that he really is a condemned man.

He took it upon himself to insult people and then go back 3 days later to apologise. I guess he does hard drugs cause very few people do such repeatedly.
He did it to the Obas in Ekiti.
He did it to his family members.
He did it to so many individuals in Ekiti state.

Some people are hailing him for his actions. You all should know this.

Just like Jesus and his disciple, Judas. He said "THE SON OF MAN WILL BE BETRAYED, BUT WOE UNTO HIM THROUGH WHICH THE BETRAYAL OCCURS"
Jesus Christ had to be betrayed by someone. That was how it was destined. Nonetheless, he said woe unto the person through which that occurs. In other words, shame on the person that allows himself to be used by satan for the inevitable.

Some things will happen, but Woe and Shame will be upon those that it happens through.

Obasanjo is going to be disgraced in this country called Nigeria. It is important to realize though that doesn't mean that shame will not be on those through which this happens.

Ayo Fayose will continue his decline that started when he lost the seat of Governor. He is starting to lose control of his anger.

Him who the gods will kill, they will first run mad.

AYO FAYOSE [/b]is an uncultured fool. A glorified Tout. No more at best. Watch him debate or speak. You'll understand that.

[b]OBASANJO is seeing the consequences of his greed and short-sightedness. That's why someone the age of his son is calling him a "father of bastards". He put himself in this position and as he has laid his bed, so will he continue to lie in it.



Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that also shall he reap.

This may be a good thing was what I initially thought when I read the first few sentences. That changed as soon as I saw that he wanted to run under PDP.

THIS BISHOP HAS ALREADY FAILED!!!

I seriously doubt that any person in today's nigeria with a clear conscience, much less a professed MAN-OF-GOD, will decide to run under the platform of[b] PDP [/b].

A Bishop serving under a political party of Brigands and Rogues.

PDP is the first choice for those who want to come to power by all means.

To that end, I pity this Bishop for he has decided to dine with the devil.


If you decide to dine with the devil, you best go find an extremely long spoon.

I really don't know what is wrong this man.
Does he not know the meaning of COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

Na wa o.

This is not the United States where the Secret Service gets an opinion on the president's security. THIS IS NIGERIA!!

The president can decline 1,000 Heavily Armed MOPOL from the state deployed to "protect" him. I'm not saying he was assigned 1,000.
The president can make sure the best agencies for the job handle his security.
Is it Quantity or Quality??

All of this is smack talk coming from his mouth.

I really don't understand this man.

Very Nice speech by Governor Fayemi.

As an Indigene of Ekiti, I think the only hope for Ekiti development is to bring in outside investment.

All these promises cannot be kept on the Federal Government allocation to Ekiti.

Governor Fayemi's government will be unable to provide all these services to the people of Ekiti because the funds for these are nowhere to be found.

Once salaries are paid, the amount left is barely enough to meet the demands of the people.

Ekiti has almost no industries, no manufacturing base, and very few businesses. The government can only employ a limited amount of people. The rest would have to fall on the private sector. That sector is almost non-existent in Ekiti.

Amongst some of us Ado-Ekiti people, we tell ourselves that Ado-Ekiti (The capital of Ekiti State) has 3 groups of businesses - Banks, Hotels, and Petrol Stations.

The burden on Dr. Fayemi now is a massive one. He has to stimulate the private sector, draw-in outside investment, and streamline the public / government parastatals.

I honestly would not want to be in his position because there is very little to work with.

In all honesty, I do not really think Ekiti is viable on its own right now as a State. We were not ready to become a state when we were removed from Ondo. Ekiti is entirely dependent on the Federal government's monthly allocation. Nonetheless, what is done is done. Time for us to be solution-oriented.

I hope Dr. Fayemi is able to work some magic and change this prognosis.

On a side note, I think projects like the Afe Babalola University are some of the few things that can bring about the jobs and opportunities needed to transform this state.

Brilliant Article!!

df2006:
if david mark had his way, he would have contested for gov of his state but power pass power, it just happen he became senate president, same with bankole, imagine him contesting as gov of ogun state, he would have been swatted like a fly, a gov shares  allocation money every month, how much does a senator share? little if you ask me.

Na True o my brother.

Governor go share the allocation plus security vote. And award contracts on local level. For those who said Senators. Forget senators. Now,  Senate President,  Lots of perks and underhand dealings. But not enough opportunity to "chop" like a governor.

Mr. Governor shares the money. And as we always say
[size=16pt]
PDP. . . SHARE THE MONEY!!![/size]

CHELSEABMW for New GOVERNOR of NAIRALAND

YES OOOOOOOOOO!!!

HE'S THE MAN OF THE MOMENT

THE MAN WE NEED.






Ps: Bros. My bank account dey for Intercontinental. Make I mail you the details??

Fogman:
Yes, have used it many atimes to receive parcel from USPS. Item arrives between 7 to 10 days. Just continously track it on both USPS and EMS Nigeria websites. The snag with EMS Nigeria is they might not alert you of its arrival, with regards to my experience. Once you confirm its arrival, just visit the post office that covers your address and present them with your tracking no, they ll charge you N1500 before it is release to you provided it is not a dutiable goods, otherwise you ve to pay duties to custom desk at the post office.

Thanks a lot Fogman.
Funny enough the items arrived at the post office today. However, the customs are asking for N45,000 in duties. Any suggestions??

Court Orders Arrest Of Police IG, Onovo
 

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi of an Abuja High Court this morning ordered for the arrest and detention of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo for disobeying the order of the court mandating him to release Corporal Onyebuchi Eze who was alleged to have been involved in the kidnap of an unnamed victim.

Corporal Onyebuchi Eze and two others, Mr. Austin Duru and Corporal Kenneth  Chikure were alleged to have been involved in kidnapping and armed robbery at Awka, the Anambra State capital.

They were arrested in October 2009 and have been in detention for over 11 months without being arraigned before any court.

While in detention, Corporal Onyebuchi Eze became critically ill and required urgent medical attention but the police authorities refused him access to medical care.

Following the refusal of the police authorities to allow him access to medical attention, a human rights organisation, Internatoonal Human Right Protection Initiative led by Mr. Samuel Nuradingo approached the Abuja High Court on 12 August, 2010 and secured a court order mandating the police to release Eze on bail to enable him attend to his failing health.

After hearingt the submission made by Mr. Azakemo Oteiku on behalf of the sick accused person, Justice Adeniyi granted an order directing the police to release Eze on bail.

Onovo, against whom the order was made, ignored the court order and refused to release Eze as directed by the court. This led to the issuance of further orders by the presiding judge mandating Onovo to appear before the court in person and show cause why he should not be committed to prison for disobeying the court order.

Again, Onovo failed to show up. Angered by this attitude of Onovo, Justice Adeniyi at the resumed hearing of the case this morning, ordered all law enforcement agencies in the country to effect Onovo’s arrest and commital to prison until he purges himself of the contempt to which he holds the honourable court.

The judge lamented the habitual disdain and disrespect displayed by Onovo in respect of the court orders and decried the incessant cases of fundamental rights violation by the Nigerian Police Force and wondered how much of the police budget was devoted to paying compensation to victims of human rights violation.



http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/08/30/court-orders-arrest-of-police-ig-onovo/

http://worldnewsvine.com/2010/08/court-orders-arrest-of-nigerias-police-boss/

I'd like to inquire further about the USPS Express Mail Service fulfilled by EMS in Nigeria.

Has anyone sent electronics and other small items through this service recently??

How would you rate it?? Is it reliable?? will your items arrive on time?? Will you receive them in the condition sent??

Thanks for your replies.

[size=16pt]PDP . . . SHARE THE MONEY!![/size]

Like the first lawyer said, what does the office of the SGF have to do with sending out PDP memos??

[size=18pt]PDP . . . SHARE THE MONEY!![/size]

[size=18pt]PDP . . . share the money!![/size]

[size=16pt]PDP. . . SHARE THE MONEY!!!![/size]

No.

okunoba:
Reading the article made me sad but the response from fellow Nigerians attacking the writer makes me even more sad. Where is the humanity in us, have we lost the ability to reason? Someone writes a report on man`s injustice to man and all some of us can think of is the writers ethnicity. 

Social critics bring about change by writing about the ills and evils of society. The issue here isn`t about white or black but about getting to our conscience, if some of us still have any left, to make this World a better place.

"Literature written about the Atlantic trade in African slaves by white British and American authors and by former captives contributed to the debate about slavery and eventual abolition of the institution. 
the first British work of imaginative literature written specifically about slavery and the slave trade was Aphra Behn's Oroonoko; Or The Royall Slave (1688)Oroonoko has been seen by many critics as a pioneering antislavery work"

"After Oronooko, depictions of or comments on slavery and the slave trade appeared at least incidentally in the works of many major British writers of the eighteenth century, including Samuel Johnson, William Cowper, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, all of whom denounced slavery. Less well-known British opponents of slavery include the poets James Thomson, William Roscoe, and Richard Savage, they pointed out the hypocrisy inherent in the practice of enslaving human beings conducted by citizens of a nation that prided itself on its high civilization and devotion to the principles of liberty—and antislavery works laid the foundation for the abolitionist movement by opening up public debate about the morality of slavery. , the intellectual and social climate created by British antislavery writers in the 1700s did a great deal to make possible the abolition of slavery in Britiain in the early nineteenth century"

It`s obvious white society have a long history of writing about injustice where ever they see it, even if it`s by their own people, as in the case of the slave trade, something we Nigerians need to learn from. Anyone without bias or prejudice nows they not only write about the ills of other society they also write about theirs too. But the sad bit is we find it difficult to take honest potrayal of our society that is negative but true. How do we expect change when we are always in denial. It`s no wonder the country as been regressing ever since independence. Only the truth will set us free.

Getting back to the topic, I have heard from so many victims here in London of how Arabs especially from the Gulf maltreat domestic workers from the poorer Nations of the World. I just wish more people will speak up for these voiceless people, like the writer of this article.

@ okunoba

i agree with your you and share your sadness at the justification some of our people use for the injustices in the world around us. I mailed the article to my uncle who replied. Here are his comments below:

Thanks for the very interesting article. Here are my thoughts after reading the story.



I read the long write-up about the dark side of Dubai. It is probably the most detailed panoramio of life in that country. I took time to read it for 2 reasons: 1)The upscale and larger than life image that Dubai has managed to acquire over the past decade, especially with Nigeria starching billions of their stolen wealth out there., and 2) My curiosity and desire to know the ugly side of that country.



I am not too surprised by the authors’ findings, though it surprised me that the level of inhuman treatment been meted out to foreign Workers.



Simply put, the Arabs are following in the footstep of the older empires. Remember, much of the wealth of Britain and to the European powers are known for their exploitation and inhuman treatment of other nations - African, SE Asian countries to mention a few. Much of America as we know it today was build on foreign workers - Irish, African slaves especially.


The history of the world is riled with one nation (or people) oppressing another nation or people. Egyptians oppressed Jews, the British oppressed Africans and SE Asians, the Belgians oppressed Congolese, Dutch oppressed South African blacks, the whites oppressed blacks in America. Japanese oppressed Koreans and Chinese. Sadly, it is a long list of oppressions and inhuman treatments everywhere you look in human history.


The Arabs are particularly notorious for inhuman treatment of Blacks. Up till today, the Arabs in Mauritania are still keeping Blacks in that country as slaves. Yes! Slaves in this 21st century. Check out Sudan. You have had the opportunity of living and traveling in the Arabian Gulf, so you probably know first hand how Arabs treat other humans, especially Blacks, Indians and SE Asians. Arabs don't consider blacks or Indians as humans or if at all they do, the Arabs do not believe that these fellows are equal to them. What is the human right and human dignity of a black man or an Indian to an Arab?



Note this from history., every empire, people or nation that treat other humans (awesome creations of God) in less than human form has been brought down and low. Dubai and the Arabs will not be an exception in world history. Dubai is just another mirage, another human illusion, without substance or reality. It will likely disappear the way it has suddenly appeared.


Any structure build on a shaky (sandy/desert) foundation will not last. Give Dubai 100 years. Somebody says that is a long time. Yes, most of us won’t be around, but in human history a 100 years is nothing but like a day!


Thanks for sending this to me. Love.

Ok,  From my time in a Kuwait,  I'll tell you the hierarchy I noticed,

Top Tier - Kuwaiti/American (Black or white) on the same level more or less. Due to America's decision to Liberate Kuwait, the Kuwaiti people hold Americans in the  highest regard whether Black or White. Might be difficult to say Americans are tier 2. They don't have any of the citizens,  rights though.
Tier 2   - Other Westerners and Other GCC nationals (Bahraini, Qatari and Emirati especially,  Not so much for Saudi or Omani)
Tier 3   - Other Arabs i.e Syrians, Egyptians and such.
Tier 4   - Filipinos
Tier 5   - The lowest tier consists of Indians, Bangladeshis and anyone unfortunate enough to look like them.

For a Black African and Nigerian who spoke good English and went to University with some of them, Surprisingly enough you ended up somewhere between Tier 2 and 3. Sometimes Tier 2. This was due to 1. The American effect. A lot of people easily would mistake you for an American. If you were Nigerian,  extra Bonus. Each time you told the average Kuwaiti you were Nigerian,  Next word would be Martins, Okocha,  or even Yobo. Surprsingly enough,  they related relatively well compared to what you might expect.

Had a classmate who refused to call me by name and preferred to yell out "YOBO" whenever he saw me.

To those who say this is bad belle - I beg to differ.

As a Nigerian who lived in Kuwait for 11 years, I'd like to let you know that the article is at least 90% accurate in its depiction of not only Dubai but some of the other GCC countries.

The formula is quite simple. Recruiting Agencies travel to 3rd world countries to find people interested in working in Dubai. They sign a contract to pay them a certain amount. Let us say $500 a month. Once those unfortunate folks enter the country, their passports are collected and they are hired out to various companies. In Kuwait for example, it was mostly Indians and Bangladeshis. These people often worked 10 to 12 hours a day and would then be handed salaries sometimes as low as $80 per month. This was the same for construction companies and for companies that hired out maids. You can't leave, you can't complain since you are only considered half the human being a citizen is. You can't go to court cause the clan-based culture of these societies makes sure their judges always favor their own people.

Now, think about it. How can you come to a country to work as a maid and be used for 12 to 16 hours a day and end up being paid $60 a month. Even in Nigeria, it becomes easy to see why you can't do much with that if you have family back home expecting you to send them cash.

The excuse of most of these citizens and companies give is - "We provide you feeding, housing and transportation, so, we are extremely kind to even give you any money". See it as you may but that was not the agreement these people signed before leaving their countries.

Now, all this may seem fine but when you compare it with the living standards of the citizens, you start to see a difference. The average Kuwait will get free education, be guaranteed a job after graduating, will get a house upon marriage and so many other perks. As a medical student in Kuwait, the average 5th year and above Kuwaiti student now gets $1500 cash paid to their bank accounts as allowances on the 21st of each month. This is despite the free education and sometimes free books made available to the students. Yet, the staff who work to clean the same classrooms these student sit in will get there as early as 5:30am each morning on buses from their hostels (prisons), work till 5pm, be again packed unto the buses and carted away and at the end of the month receive $70. Why?? Simply because of their nationality or race. They are denied contact with the citizens or expatriates and unless in the most extreme cases denied health care or any contact with the world outside their work environment.

In some GCC countries, the citizens don't do manual labor. Office work is the norm. They go there. Sit down and leave after 4 hours of so of work. Some will receive several thousand dollars for their efforts. Now, why is it OK to pay another human being only $70 a month when you have been blessed with so much. No taxes. No electricity, water, or phone bills in most cases. Yet people need to be so selfish that they look down on, sexually assault, batter and sometimes murder foreign nationals in their employ.

In Kuwait, It is typical to see a family consisting of Father, Mother and two children with 3 Nannies, 1 gardener, 2 drivers all working for the same family. The mother has no need to do anything. Neither do the children cause they have people who they can pay to do that. And if you don't pay them, What are they gonna do?? Call the police?? All the policemen are your kinsmen. You have the staff members passport. They can't leave. If they run away, you have the police hunt them down and bring them back.


How does this relate to Nigeria. Well, I guess the only thing I can say is that it warns us to be careful. We are also a third world country. Because the target of these opportunists are currently Indians, Bangladeshis, Somalis, Ethiopians etc does not mean our people cannot fall victim. Another thing is that we as human beings have a duty to one another. To condemn what is wrong and to promote what is right. What these countries are doing is wrong.

Contrary to popular opinion in Nigeria, there are worse situations in this world than living in Nigeria.

Luckily, In my time In Kuwait, I saw almost no Nigerians trapped in Kuwait by such methods. I do know of two or three that almost fell victim before they were advised to stay back home in Nigeria. I have no doubt that there are Nigerian woman in Dubai now, trapped there and involved in sexual slavery. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.


Dubai seems to be a more extreme situation than seen in some GCC countries but this is quite widespread there. This is slavery and it is wrong. My only question is why should people who have so much be so unwilling to share it with others??

RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL ALL OVER THE WORLD BUT IT IS WORSE IN A LOT OF PLACES YOU LEAST EXPECT.

@personp.

Please try this code and let me know.


IMEI: 359430032996445
MEP2 unlock code: 6655392151800700
Model: 8520
Country: Nigeria
Operator: MTN

Just give me some time folks. I'll do my best to attend to everyone.

@personp : MTN might be hard but I'll do my best

@ person p.

Did you acquire your blackberry from MTN or from a foreign provider??

Is it T-mobile branded??

Send the model no of the blackberry phone, the carrier that gave out the phone i.e AT&T, Sprint, T-mobile, Verizon, Rogers or whatever it may be. Then send the IMEI number. Post it here or SMS it to the number above.

PROMOTION TO MARK THE OPENING OF OUR OVER THE PHONE BLACKBERRY UNLOCKING SERVICE.

Did you just receive a blackberry phone that needs to be unlocked?? Well,  You're in luck.
We're giving away

5 Free Blackberry Unlock codes to nairaland users on a first come first serve basis.

Here's how our unlocking service will work.

A. You text us the name of the phone carrier, the phone model, and the IMEI : which you can get from your blackberry in one of three ways. We highly recommend 1 or 2. Problem with method 3 is if your phone is if the box your blackberry came in belongs to a different phone. The unlock code you receive will not work.

1. Dial *#06#
2. Go to Menu>> Options>> Status>> IMEI
3. Read it off the box

B. We contact you and tell you how much the service costs.

C. You will now transfer credit worth that amount to us.

D. We will then send you an unlock code with the Instructions on how to use it. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the entire process should not exceed 30 minutes.



For today however, the unlock codes will be free. But in order to get it you gotta be a nairalander. So,  you have to post here that you want it and then send a text immediately with your nairaland username to 08039549578. If you text without posting on this page, we will assume you are not a registered nairalander and we will ignore you.

NO more than one code for a person o. ehn ehn!!! That's my only condition.

Thanks and God Bless.

So many people genuinely seem surprised. Haven't you heard everyone's new catchphrase for 2011



[size=20pt]PDP. . . SHARE THE MONEY!!![/size]