₦airaland Forum

ronniq:
if she is not putting anything towards it she should not be like this - i'm getting married and getting my own way - WHY cos i'm putting money towards things my husband thinks are not necessary but as a woman thats what I want.

To be honest if she over spends and then both of u are drinking garri for 6 months after the wedding is she not the same person that will complain. why is it those that don't earn their money don't know the value of it. N2.5mill and she is complaining, naija girls are too funny.

anyway each to their own

some people only know rights and not responsibility.  i am all for letting her be herself but i dont like the sound of you are not supposed to know business. nigerians spend money they cant earn without any care. why? can someone tell me how much we spend on phone calls a day talking mostly rubbish

without checking its author i knew it has to be you. how u dey sienna?

can i ask why you use a revered name like Akenzua II as your online identity pls?

[quote author=,amebo no1 link=topic=282527.msg4011006#msg4011006 date=1244711490]of all the things to buy for my man, its an MP3 player? sure why not, thats if the dude wont throw it inside the toilet and flush it intentionall[/b]y [/quote]may this not be recorded against you on that day. you are def something else. flush ke?

JustGood:
abi o, my brother.

I tire for all these connections with Nigeria. Anything negative has to have Nigerian connections in their minds because they know that [b]some Nigerians will accept anything.

i no blame dem na our ugly rumours brothers i blame

this is funny

chaircover:
Question is will the child support she will receive after all the allowances made for his other family be worth all the stress she will go through. Right now by her own admission they are always at each other throats which cant be too healthy for the poster and her daughter. Children are very sensitive and when mum is upset and stressed the daughter will feel some of that pain too.

I always believe that life is too short to spend stressing and rowing all the time with someone.

Yes its her right to claim child support for her daughters upkeep but if she ends up with £10 a week like a friend of mine did then what's the point?

Some women can afford to look after their kids but claim child support on principle. If she can afford it, I will say just hold out for now. Things will eventually calm down and in the long run, he will come round; they all do in the end.

every man should pay for the child however i am with you on this.

JustGood:
Women who go around fighting for those things dont know how much hurt they cause themselves just because they want a few pounds a week. . . mostly it is because they want to get back at the man, not necessarily in the interest of the child.

What's the point in dragging your life backwards in order to get at someone else?  

i know a lady who got only £3.99 weekly. we had to come in for her to get a £50 settlement. i should add she lost cos the guy had voluntarily agreed to pay £00 but she tot she could get much more from the child support agency. she believed the counsel of people who dont know how the system works. the guy's other kids and whatever he earns will be taken into consideration.  will it be worth it?

[quote author=,amebo no1 link=topic=282443.msg4011066#msg4011066 date=1244712188]he put the child in there, he should as well take care of her, even if it is 10 dollars, and even if you have the money let him do it, he needs to taste the bitter leaf soup he cooked himself.  [b]you never hear say bitter leaf they cure cancer now. very soon it will be gold dust.  some guy don get patent self[/b]
if he doesnt want to be responsible then drag his ass to do so

this is where i say the prize we pay is not worth the fight and sacrifice. is $10 - $50 really worth it? there must be a way to get things from people without a fight. she knows the guy and how to get him do things without trying. that is what i think she should do than court route.

anyway hope you and all the clan are well?

[/quote]

davidylan:
I'm split between two things - the fact that the bible also encourages us to gather together in worship as often as we can and the fact that like kunle said . . . a lot of the churches of today are simply monuments to greed.

I grew up reading the "religious" books of the likes of Robert Liardon, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland . . . men i once revered have turned out to be no more than salesmen in cassocks. Hawking prayer cloths, stealing from the poor to finance their luxury and promoting sins like homosexuality in the name of "love".

Does it mean that the church as a building is no longer relevant? No. Even Christ prayed with His disciples, the early apostles also fellowshipped one with another . . . the bible says iron sharpeneth iron so as much as the church is the people, the building is also important. The purpose for attending church is now more important than ever, are you going there to be fed a balanced spiritual diet or you are going there because it is the finest building in town and you'd like to be a part of the religious social club? Are you going there because they have a solid music band? Are you going because the pastor is the flashiest in town and the best babes abound there?

Much more than bashing the church, i think we need to do an introspection. Some churches will never be 100% perfect but so long as God is there and is the Lord crucified is preached . . . i will pitch my tent there until the Spirit guides to some place else.

bros david thanks for your matured post but i think it is not fair to add brothers Roberts,  Hagin and Copeland name to homosexuality.  brother liardon has since repented and as far as i know living a clean life now. guilty by association is not a good thing in matters like these cos  when one of us fall the bible said the spiritual ones should stand and restore the fallen. do we throw out the baby with the water?

there had to be people standing with him to restore i wont call that endorsement.  we are allowed to hate sins and never the sinner.

i like your monument of greed. God help us.

God bless

[size=18pt]GETTING THERE[/size]


"Come unto Me." Matthew 11:28

Do I want to get there? I can now. The questions that matter in life are remarkably few, and they are all answered by the words - "Come unto Me." Not - Do this, or don't do that; but - "Come unto Me." If I will come to Jesus my actual life will be brought into accordance with my real desires; I will actually cease from sin, and actually find the song of the Lord begin.

Have you ever come to Jesus? [size=14pt]Watch the stubbornness of your heart, you will do anything rather than the one simple childlike thing - "Come unto Me.[/size]" [size=15pt]If you want the actual experience of ceasing from sin, you must come to Jesus.
[/size]
Jesus Christ makes Himself the touchstone. Watch how He used the word "Come." At the most unexpected moments there is the whisper of the Lord - "Come unto Me," and you are drawn immediately. Personal contact with Jesus alters everything. Be stupid enough to come and commit yourself to what He says. The attitude of coming is that the will resolutely lets go of everything and deliberately commits all to Him.

". . . and I will give you rest," i.e., I will stay you. Not - I will put you to bed and hold your hand and sing you to sleep; but - I will get you out of bed, out of the languor and exhaustion, out of the state of being half dead while you are alive; I will imbue you with the spirit of life, and you will be stayed by the perfection of vital activity. We get pathetic and talk about "suffering the will of the Lord!" Where is the majestic vitality and might of the Son of God about that? http://myutmost.org/06/0611.html

wbb

tunku:
Believe it or not this actually happened on an episode of spongebob squarepants called "The Lost Mattress".

life does immitate arts sadly

JustGood:
just a question. . .

if you married a British man who acted exactly like that, would you ask if it was a British thing?

coming from the people that gave us gordon ramsay and the other fornicating bullies. yes rant on indeed.

tunku:
hahahaha Surely the law of averages have to apply to Nigeria. All these idiots brain matter wouldn't even power a light bulb if put together no matter where they studied. I mean Nigeria has got to experience a wave of exceptionally brilliant and insightful governors, senators, and representatives one of these days. Fashola, I hope, is the beginning of this wave

knowing nigerians they would only be interested in how to steal without being caught. i cant see any good thing coming from this.

abasifo:
Watch Jim Iyke's Future Wife talk dirty, (Blank Stare)
Posted by Slim on June 11, 2009 at 8:14am
Add as Friend   View Slim's blog


Like someone said in one of the comments "You can't turn a H*e into a Housewife". Who really cares about Jim Iyke and his side piece? , but then i read an interview where Jim Iyke is blasting Nigerian Women. Read Below: "I have nothing against the Nigerian woman.

As a matter of fact, I think some of the most beautiful women are in Nigeria, and indeed Africa in general. But I have made my choice, and my choice is a Jamaican woman, someone who has come to understand and appreciate me for who I am .

I do have my grouse with the Nigerian woman, though. Our women often go by the dictates and symbol of status, parental influence or pedigree as opposed to substance. I struggle hard to make them understand who I am, but I am always unsuccessful.

I am tired of that struggle. I have come to realize that it is better to deal with a foreign woman. With our women, you struggle to define yourself. Foreign women are willing to take you for who you are, as opposed to what you are, which our women tend to emphasize.

If I am in a relationship with a Nigerian, and I am seen outside chatting up another girl - innocently, with no strings attached, I will have a lot of explanation to make to gain back her trust - even though I have nothing romantic to do with that woman.

It’s always a struggle to prove that you are not the person the society has defined you to be, and I am really tired of that struggle." So as you can see, Jim Iyke has a problem with Nigerian women being "normal" and having "dignity" so what does he do? Get himself a girl that's pretty much been around the block (few times). [b][/b]Blank Stare)
Like someone said in one of the comments "You can't turn a H*e into a Housewife". Who really cares about Jim Iyke and his side piece? , but then i read an interview where Jim Iyke is blasting Nigerian Women. Read Below: "I have nothing against the Nigerian woman.

As a matter of fact, I think some of the most beautiful women are in Nigeria, and indeed Africa in general. But I have made my choice, and my choice is a Jamaican woman, someone who has come to understand and appreciate me for who I am .

I do have my grouse with the Nigerian woman, though. Our women often go by the dictates and symbol of status, parental influence or pedigree as opposed to substance. I struggle hard to make them understand who I am, but I am always unsuccessful.

I am tired of that struggle. I have come to realize that it is better to deal with a foreign woman. With our women, you struggle to define yourself. Foreign women are willing to take you for who you are, as opposed to what you are, which our women tend to emphasize.

If I am in a relationship with a Nigerian, and I am seen outside chatting up another girl - innocently, with no strings attached, I will have a lot of explanation to make to gain back her trust - even though I have nothing romantic to do with that woman.

It’s always a struggle to prove that you are not the person the society has defined you to be, and I am really tired of that struggle." So as you can see, Jim Iyke has a problem with Nigerian women being "normal" and having "dignity" so what does he do? Get himself a girl that's pretty much been around the block (few times).

did she actually say all these things attributed to her or they are the usual rent a quote they do?  where is link pls.

seriously are there not too many pepper soup drinking rapists profs in nigeria already? why must the noble lady join them?

Abuzola:
This same verse was d one d xtrians justify by persecuting and torturing those who reject xtrianity in d middle ages

Abuzola:
Jesus said luke 19:27 As for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here & slay them

attention seeker. i but you be mujahadeen too.

Kx:
Even if they pay the $1milla eventually,dont we think they do arrangee
with one mallam from one clan in kebbi to show dat indeed it was trully
won without collusion?

I think the whole thing is fake and purely arrangee.

But come to think of it,is amassing wealth thru all series of promo
from "who wants to be a millionaire" to NTA game show dat charges N100 per sms
and this latest $1milla contained in their memo and charter?

Cant the regulatory authority sanction them for going outside thier core business
and principal business activitiies?

truth be told it is a winning startegy.  go check the calls figures they will be printing money as we speak.  it is a tried and tested winning strategy.  there is evidence of newspapers sales going through the roof when the offer just one free old Cd/ DVD offer let alone free hotel accomodations and travels.

good luck to them and hope you all give them your money to make the prize fund.

IyaKadijat:
I find myself beautiful on the inside as well as physical-that is what defines a beautiful woman to me though-a beautiful soul. You could have the latest hairstyle and clothes and look like Halle Berry, but if you have a nasty attitude, then all the gifts God gave you is all for naught.

you remind me of that phrase  why do bad things happen to good people?

IyaKadijat:
I didn't stray too far-he's still Naija, lol. That accent is to die for!

shine your eyes this time will you. i am tired of hearing silly stories from women who cant do common check up on these liars. wish you luck.

IyaKadijat:
the guy I'm dating calls me "Love", but he's from the UK, I think he calls every woman "Love", lol

you doing nice trying the english. well done.

morpheus24:
My allegiance will always fall with my family and friends first in regards to best interests and I am guessing she should have the the same on her side as well so don't make anyone here out to be the bad guys.

another fine mess. why must it all always end in abortions

yicob:
A guy was stabbed in my area 2 years ago. He was rushed to 3 hospitals. The 1st 2 rejected him on the ground of police report, the 3rd hospital demanded for immediate payment of 50k. He died while guys were looking for the 4th hospital that would not be mean like the rest.

that is naija for you afterall the rulers can jump on a plane and come abroad for treatment

mukina2:
Madam
People even interpret sharia wrongly so this is no exception.

Your topic is based solely on hearsay and watnot.

back your points with proofs .

mukina you know better i tot.

marychizo:
Dear Dr.

Iam a 38 years of age and still single. pls what is the child bearing age for a woman. If i get marry b4 40 yrs, is there still hope for me of having my own child. or can i get pregnant any how so that i will have a child to call my own

Thanks

even at 60 your chances should be very bright so no rush

yicob:
Abeg, hardly do we attend to any medical emergency in this country. Are our medics mediocres ?

more likely money didnt come upfront. most clinics in naija are glorified abortion clinics though

OneNaija:
sometime when something terrible happen in Nigeria everybody shout laud when it happen in Uk or America nobody will shout.Wetin dey do Una sef.

u think oyinbo people sent her to doit to give naija bad bad name or what?

you dont want to attack the satanic anger and violence but you are here talking about oyinbo as if they dont have their wahala

Frizy:
Am looking for a Nigerian Muslim wife, sisters feel free to send me an email if you're interested. However, the certain thing men look for in women differ, I have a summary for who am looking for.

1. She must speak English clearly.

2. She must be good looking

3. She must not tell me lies when I ask her something I honestly want to know. Instead of lying you may say you don't wish to talk about it. I may not bother to ask you any longer. Once lies are detected, I automatically think of ending a relationship.

4. She must not like talking too much

5. She must not think of stopping me from doing any good. That includes giving charity

6. She may smile or cry but not when she doesn't mean. (This itself is pretense), if you're a pretender please it is not an offense don't mail me.

7. She must not be too cultural/traditional -- Islamic traditions come before your hausa or Yoruba custom.

8. She has to be honest with me-- somehow, I have informants who will monitor your actions with other men-- don't be surprised that I may be living far away from you, I have people that would detail even the time and place you commenced an action that may not render our relationship legitimate.

9. She must not try to seduce or make sexual advancements when I have not called her a wife yet.

10. She must not sound rude if in case I vex her (which I don't really do purposefully), but she has the right to react in a fair polite way.

That is all for now. As the relationship commences, you would be asked to sign "a terms and condition statement", that reserves the right to end the relationship before our marriage commences this year.



Muki, please don't put this in the romance or joke section. It's meant for neither.

if olabs and lagosboy no take 4: 4 each your chances for better. why not go huseland go find one take start now.

lagosboy no fit help you find one. you see your brothers for islam and NL

JeSoul:
@All and @Poster,
  I'm no expert on the state of churches in Nigeria as I've been gone a long time, but is this really how majority (at least 90%) of churches are in Naija?

dont bank on saint kunle "i am the only one standing in nigeria" said so my sister.  we all know most nigerians will sell their soul for money but i like to believe there are some good churches in nigeria.  God has His people and congregations amongst those churches.

kunle in my opinion is one stingy fellow who has boxed himself into a tight corner that the enemy is about to shake.  he has hanged out on the streets of self righteousness and criticism so long he forgot the diabolical land lord had its prize.  he is near paying the prize everyone that goes too close to the world and its way of thinking pays. i just hope he saved enough money cos he is about to need it.

KunleOshob:
Today most churches especially pentecostal ones break away or are started for financial reasons or money making ventures. You would be shocked what you would discover if you get involved in church politics or get close to it's leadership.

nice history but i hate to keep telling you i jyust dont believe you are the only christian in nigeria. if you are then you carry a very dark light i would rather not be part of. remember God telling elijah there are 7000 more who are still standing.

i pray to God you keep your miserable company and dont go marry one mans daughter with your i am the better person attitude.

we are all sinners emeritus yes including your sanctimonious deluded self. you join us all in our ugly sinning attitudes and lifestyles

Ubiero:
Haba now.One might as well get a friend from one of those countries and tell her to sell you her cut hair every 2 months.Instead of thinking up ways to make your hair look longer with natural means,you are busy buying other peoples hair.
TOO BAD

it is the microwave generation. i want it here and now. cant wait

Sisi Jinx:
Can't say I blame you. I've felt the same way for years now. Still attend church but I'm just going through the motions. I make myself feel better by pretending I am attending an inspirational/motivational seminar where the speaks throws every "Feel Good" cliche he can think of at his audience. . .and of course you gotta pay for services rendered  

sisi if i catch you.  nawao you wan join another sect abi? may God help you.

debosky:
Dude there are many 'unscriptural' things going on today, but that is simply symptomatic of the fact that we haven't put on the full divine nature and still struggle with what we bring from our backgrounds before becoming Christians.

People have been splitting from churches since the church began on this premise, but how much has it really helped? Just give it a thought. You should do your part within the existing gatherings of believers, unless of course you are forced out. Going solo isn't really the solution in my view.

well said. thanks

Luke 16:1-13 (New Living Translation)

Luke 16
Parable of the Shrewd Manage   Jesus told this story to his disciples:

“There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’

3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.[a]’

7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.[c]

10 [b]“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Matthew 6:21-36 (New Living Translation)

21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

22 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

24 “[size=18pt]No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money[/size].

may God help us all.  no wonder the bible said let him that thinketh he stands take heed lest he falls.  every fall is a progressive it doesnt just happen suddenly

@ kunle,  on a day like this one is almost tempted to begin preaching but it does help cos i have always told you here there are loads of others standing in that country you cannot be the only christian but you hang around your santimonous self too long that you began to beleive your lies.  may God help you.  

we will not hang you over to the enemy becos you are a precious soul to God and His kingdom.  dont stay too long in the isolation ward you built for yourself because i can gaurantee you the devil will torment you so much you wont recognise kunle.   i hope you saved enough money and hope it is all worth it.

may God remember His mercy and show you His lighta and grace.  it is always beter not to have known the light than know and turn back

i thnk your people still sing that old song  "Jesu lonpe elese manbo, , elese wa" sorry if i didnt get the words right but you get the drift.  Jesus is calling us all sinners to come to Him.
He is still calling you without money. i would rather have Jesus than any other thing.

JJYOU:
buy now pay later

luxoire:


no man is perfect - all sin are equal in the eyes of God - be it a lie, murder,sex before marriage or theft

so yes it is ot acceptable in God's eyes and as all sins we are better off not engaging in it - but we are all sinners and we will fall short of God's mercy one way or another.

Is it sinful - yes - but no more or less sinful than theft or murder
should one engage in it? - Morally no, but the realisty for most ppl is very different

you can be realistic or ideal about it - but it doesnt mean you or a loved one hasn't done it

did someone actually feel the need to remove my comment and why?

As Madam Dora Blows Hot and Cold
Behind The Figures By Ijeoma Nwogwugwu,email:ijeomanwogwugwu@thisdayonline.com, 06.08.2009

I have watched with increasing bewilderment as Dora Akunyili, the Information and Communications Minister, has stumbled from one controversy to the other since her promotion to cabinet rank late last year. Her stance on several issues seems to have confirmed several commentators’ misgivings on her deployment in the ministry. She would have been better suited to the health ministry where her real talents lie, they said at the time. Given her stint at the information and communications ministry so far, I am inclined to think that they were right.
But the powers that be thought otherwise. She was adored and feted by the press and was in turn media savvy; prerequisite qualities which some officials in government felt were necessary for anyone appointed to handle the information and communications portfolio. I wonder if they still feel the same way having watched her transit from the rebranding fiasco of the country, which was dead on arrival, to her interference in the regulatory functions of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Her latest spat, for instance, with NCC over the licensing regime for the national frequency spectrum in the 2.3GHz band could have been better handled had she set her emotions aside. That she went as far as forwarding petitions sent to her office by some aggrieved prospective licensees who felt that they were not given sufficient time to pay for the licences to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and that the EFCC gave the issue the time of day, was an anomaly in itself. Perhaps Madam Akunyili forgot that the EFCC was set up to investigate economic crimes perpetuated in the country across board and not to investigate procedural lapses by departments and agencies of government.
If madam had issues with the timing given to companies interested in acquiring the so-called licences, or felt that due process was not followed during the licensing process, her ministry which ordinarily should have a unit responsible for enforcing due process, should have been directed to handle the matter. This would have saved everyone the bother of having to witness what, apparently, was a battle for supremacy over who should superintend the telecommunications industry in the country.
Moreover, a review of the allegations and complaints against the licensing regime conducted by NCC for the frequency spectrum shows that they were brought to the fore after the fact. Encouraged by Akunyili’s antics, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Frequency Management Council (NFMC) suddenly found their voices and questioned the rationale behind NCC’s decision to licence operators without waiting for the frequencies to be released to the commission. The questions that come to mind are were these agencies not in existence when the NCC placed advertisements in the newspapers inviting companies interested in acquiring the licences to pay for them within a specified time frame? And why did they keep quiet until Akunyili took up the mantle of the aggrieved parties and needed some justification to cancel the licensing before they spoke up? Clearly, what transpired in the last few weeks amounted to boot licking on the part of officials of the NBC and NFMC, and was a glaring case of needing to give a dog a bad name in order to justify its hanging.
More importantly, madam seems to be under the impression that the NCC is your run of the mill department or parastatal under her ministry. It is not. The NCC is an independent regulatory commission set up by the NCC Act of 1992. The commission is charged with the responsibility of regulating the supply of telecommunications services and facilities, promoting competition, and setting performance standards for telephony services in Nigeria.
The ministry, on the other hand, is largely responsible for general policy formulation; negotiation and execution of international communication treaties and agreements on behalf of Nigeria, between sovereign countries and other international bodies; and representation, in conjunction with the NCC, at proceedings of international organisations in matters relating to communications. The ministry is also responsible for rural telephony projects in the country.
Section 121(1) of the Communications Act of 2003 further grants the NCC sole and exclusive powers to manage and administer the frequency spectrum for the communication sector, and in that regard to grant licences for and regulate the use of the said frequency spectrum. While sub-section (2) states that the power of the minister under the wireless telegraphy so far as they relate to communications are vested in the commission. Under Section 123 (1), the commission is empowered to make regulations in relation to licensing “that may include procedures for the assignment of spectrum such as, but not limited to: a) an auction; b) tender; or c) fixed price to be determined by the commission.
In addition to the above, the Telecommunications Policy of 2000 recognises the independence of the NCC with regard to licensing, tariff regulation, interconnection disputes and other matters directly affecting industry operators, in an impartial and independent manner. Essentially, in no section of the laws empowering the NCC or under the Telecommunications Policy is the minister/ministry granted the responsibility of licensing and/or empowered to interfere in the process in any shape or form.
What is expected is for the minister to maintain an arm’s length approach and maintain limited dealings with both the NCC and industry operators in the telecommunications industry, as is applicable in the banking, capital market, insurance, pensions, and other sectors that have independent regulatory bodies. A similar case that readily comes to mind is the role assumed by the finance ministry when it was overwhelmed with petitions two years ago after the recapitalisation and licensing regime for insurance companies in the country. In spite of the petitions, it did not cancel the process. Instead, the ministry set up a committee to review the process undertaken by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM). However, in contravention of the laws and policy for the telecoms sector, Akunyili acted on her emotions and delved into areas that she had no business getting involved in.
Even more worrisome is Akunyili’s promise to lower phone tariffs. Again this is the responsibility of the NCC and not the minister, who more often than not is a politician and panders to public sentiments. Had Akunyili had some understanding of telecoms operations, she would have known that there are several underlying factors that make up operators’ costs and determine the tariff structure in an environment. As a member of the federal cabinet, no one needs to educate madam on the difficulties businesses contend with operating in the Nigerian terrain.
This is a country that boasts of scant electricity. Consequently, all operators are compelled to set up at least two power generators for every base station (running into several thousands) they set up in the country, and each of these generating sets must be powered by diesel. In addition to this, every operator has to contend with right of way and land occupancy issues imposed by state governments and land owners that extract a premium from telecoms firms to allow them to set up their infrastructure.
These are just two of several other issues, not to mention insecurity that operators have to deal with in the course of doing business in Nigeria. But while these problems cannot absolve operators from the poor quality of service that they provide subscribers, Akunyili needs to understand that the most critical factor required to force down tariffs is competition. This again is where the NCC comes in and not the Ministry of Information and Communications.
The point here is that Akunyili by her actions has undermined the regulator in charge of telecommunications oversight in this country. She has opened the doors for telecoms operators with real and imagined grievances against the commission to circumvent it by going straight to the ministry to lodge complaints and apply undue pressure on the NCC. This is wrong and should be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand.
Personally, I have always viewed the information and communications ministry as a department of government as a pointless bureaucracy. No modern, democratic government in the world needs an information ministry to serve as a propaganda organ where its president or prime minister has a press secretary or adviser(s) for communications and media with offices that pretty much carry out the same functions as that of an information minister. Under these environments, government-owned electronic and print media outfits are answerable to independent regulatory authorities and parliament, as the case may be.
In the same vein, several nations that have liberalised their telecommunications sectors, have scrapped their communications ministries and substituted them with independent regulatory institutions that also report directly to the legislature. For instance, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), UK and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US, after which the NCC was modelled, were set up to provide independent regulatory and policy oversight for the telecommunications sectors in these countries. In fact when Ofcom was established in 2003, it inherited the duties of the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Independent Television Commission, the Radio Authority, and that of the Radiocommunications Agency. Even the South African government which has a full fledged communications ministry, does not saddle it with information and media management.
Sadly, given Nigeria’s propensity to maintain redundant institutions and man it with public servants that are a drain on the public treasury, avoidable spectacles such as the one between Akunyili and Ernest Ndukwe, Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, would remain a regular staple on the country’s menu.


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=145542