₦airaland Forum

[b]The military men in the West were not supposed to be big enough to stop the West if you guys really wanted to go. If the capital was in the East, those Northern military officers would have been made to leave bare handed. The West simply dint want to go, and  that was what determined the fate of the East. There were military mavericks like OBJ and Adekunle who turned peter pans in the ill armed East. I guess they were scared to fight the North off? The answer is that the West dint want to secede. It is their choice, so no offence. However, my point is that if they had really wanted to secede, Nigeria would have split jeje.

Enough with the civil war stuff. I and majority of my Igbo brothers care less about oil and more about commerce. I'd prefer that we discover purposeful and pro-developmental leadership than oil in Igboland. Without oil and with purposeful leadership, a country that doesn't have oil can control the oil resources of other countries e.g. Singapore refines oil even though they don't have a single natural resource.[/b]

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=635192.msg8021242#msg8021242 date=1301528102]Good question. We watched our neighbor rush into secession unprepared and get made into suya meat. Probably best to avoid the same fate by planning things out a bit better.

"Measure twice, cut once", as they say.[/quote]So If the west had decided to go too, you think the north would have had any chance? You were scared because the North could have defeated both the East and West? I don't think so. Nigeria would have split gently if the west had kept to their words to leave too. After all the capital was Lagos State at that time.

Each time I travel to China, I check and re-check my bags 7 - 12 times, even though I pack and lock them myself each time I do. Sometimes these drugs are planted in the bags of unsuspecting passengers by drug mules, who would forcefully collect them in China if they go through. Worst thing is that if you are caught in China, the government there doesn't understand English, talk less of trying to figure out what "It wasn't me" means. Ofcourse they don't know who Shaggy is.

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=631461.msg7987999#msg7987999 date=1301102730]^-- Ultimately, people just have different objectives in life. Probably about 4-5 years ago, I wanted to be a professor of some sort. If I went down that route, I'd likely top out at $150-200k a year (at least in pure salary, not mentioning any side gigs/investments.)

However, recently I've decided I'd instead rather focus on making money. I'll (hopefully) top out at at least an order magnitude more in annual salary.

There is nothing wrong with either option. If one prioritizes money (as I do now), fine and well. If something else (like I did before), also good.[/quote]You are right. Taking your point, you can also say that people migrate to other places for different reasons. I only started contributing to this thread because of the laughable insinuation by some folks here that Igbos migrate to Lagos state because Igboland is less developed than Western Nigeria.
Igbos migrate to Lagos for the same reason that an American company would decide to migrate to china, a Chinese biz man would prefer to live in Nigeria  etc. Moreover, we are talking of Nigerians in Nigeria, so there should be no question about Nigerians deciding to move to other lands in Nigeria.

sbeezy8:
great do you know why westerners stay in the west? because we can sit in the west and still be billionaires LOL. I dont care about compeitition people I know are trying to trade stocks and investment bankers, Oil Telecoms def not worried about competition "trading goods" thats what yoruba women do LOL.

I mean Guys dont even need to be in Lagos I can be based in Ibadan or Akure

Obatoil oil chairman is Based in his TOWN WHERE HES OBA. LOL but hes a billionaire. keep coming to the west Only making dudes like Adenuga, Okoya, Folawiyo, kola daisi, Otudeko, Jimoh, richer because they dont trade they own coporations, stocks, investment banking. - to a yoruba thats whats popping not compeition among alaba workers

[b]Well, we are not talking about billionaires here, or stocks. I am trying to tell you that Igbos move to Lagos state to take advantage of the lack of competition from Yorubas. Average Yorubas don't trade as much as average Igbos. This is why Igbos may not have the richest people in Nigeria, but in terms of spread of wealth (As in number of millionaires), Igbos cannot be competed with.
We trade, make money, pick up young Igbo youths to teach them how to trade, then we settle them off with capital for them to go and become wealthy too and touch the lives of the younger generation of Igbos. That is the cycle. Average Igbos are rich. We have " plenty Cashmoney" because we do the raw business. Even very educated Igbos like me still settle for biz. After doing my masters in the UK, all my fellow Nigerian graduates that were mainly Yorubas decided to work or lecture to earn pounds. I left them and flew to Asia to do biz. You cannot compare the Pound to Yen or Yuan remimbi, but still I make 10 times more money than them. I even took some boys from my hometown to teach them the biz, and they are now earning far more than my Yoruba mates that took jobs and lecturing careers. Not that what they did is bad. I may not be the richest man in Nigeria, but I gat Cash. I have also made several families to make the same cash. That is the story of average Igbos. 
So it is not really about having billionaires, it is about the spread of wealth and comfort. I cannot be using Emeka offor and Ibeto to make a point when I can use myself to do same. Those Alaba boys that you mentioned with reckless abandon earn more money than you. Most of them are millionaires, with comfortable homes and lives in the East. [/b]

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=631461.msg7987864#msg7987864 date=1301099228]@sbeezy8:

I feel you. There are like 5 or 10 cities in the US which I'd consider settling longterm. Imagine if some jackass wants me to add names to the list just to massage his ego?

People have a lot of gall. If you don't like, go hug a transformer[/quote]Nobody asked him to add names, and nobody will ever ask him to do so because he is inconsequential. He gat nada to offer. It's like saying that a Chinese will beg you to come to China and manufacture stuffs when you are not even an entity in biz. Sigh.

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=631461.msg7987831#msg7987831 date=1301097955]What exactly is going on here

If I don't want to visit the SE, I have "hatred for Eastern Nigeria"? Look, Calabar is fine, I'd like to visit there. Port Harcourt is a swell city, I like it too. But me not having much interest in going to the SE means I'm hating "Eastern Nigeria"?

When did it become by force to go there?

Do ya'll work for the ministry of tourism, or something?  Why the defensiveness and insecurity? Digressing into stories about "extreme restraint", etc.

If you like it better than the SW (or elsewhere in naija), fine. . . nothing spoil.

Man, next some dude from Utah is going to tell me I'm racist against Mormons because I've no interest in going there. . . when did the world start revolving around you [/quote]
I dint even notice that you even intended to visit the East. The truth is that whether you visit there or not, nobody will notice you. So stop feeling like Yoruba is written on your forehead and your "Prick" is made of gold. There are thousands of Yorubas in the East, living good and happily as Nigerians. So, your presence won't be noticed. It is totally your choice to go or not, don't ask for views like a foreigner before trying to visit any Nigerian state. It is not as if you are not Nigerian and used to the general Nigerian rot that is also in the West.
Recently, Jimoh Ibrahim's mum was kidnapped in her Igbotako home in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. I bet because of the IGBO in IGBOtako, it will mean that it is Igbos that did it? Ondo is also in the East abi?

[b]LOL! It is funny to see how some Nigerian Yorubas are trying hard to feel like Europeans and Americans just to exhibit their hatred for Eastern Nigeria. Do you know that When you move from Lagos state to Imo state, you will feel a real breath of fresh air? Ok let's do it like this,

Apart from Lagos state, Which other state's capital in the West is comparable to Owerri, Enugu, and Umuahia in terms of cleanliness and urban development?
Do you know that in terms of Juju (Rituals), no Eastern city or state is comparable to Ijebu ode alone?
Do you know that the Crime rate in Lagos alone is far more than that of any of the South Eastern states?
Where d'heck did you hear that Igbos eat foreigners? If it is about history, did Yorubaland not have Cannibals?
Do you know that talking of the Eastern region as a whole (Including Rivers, CRS and AKS), the most naturally beautiful cities in Nigeria (Not built with oil money) are in the East?
The most Nigerianised, widely traveled and welcoming Nigerians are from the East. Unlike the West and North that always descend on Easterners for no just course, Easterners exercise extreme restraint about that, because life is valuable to us. The last time we attacked Northern Muslims was because truck loads of dead Easterners that were killed in the North arrived in the East, and caused some retaliation. That was the first ever in the history of the East.

Please tell me if the Cities (Glorified villages) in Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti (Lagos is a more National state due to its former fed. capital status) is comparable to those in Imo, Abia, Enugu and Anambra.
If Oyibo dey read this stuff now, in go think say we dey talk of the West as in America and co, not knowing that it is about some glorified slums and villages in western Nigeria. Sigh.
No insult intended. I am stating facts. I travel from the West (Lagos) to the East (Owerri) to have a breath of fresh air, have peace of mind, enjoy and rest from all the Hustling and bustling, red eyes and strong faces. I am always in an "Ngwori " mood in ala Owerri, and we spray cash in that mood, yet no one approaches us as an alaye to tax us, talkless of kidnapping me. Small boys kidnap rich people in the East to siphon money, but when the gong sounds, they leave their victims and run. They don't slaughter them. Anyway, there is no more kidnapping in the East.
If you don't wish to come to the East, then fine. We won't know that you exist. Just don't complain about us coming to the West. that is where we will have some problems with you.[/b]

[b]All I'm saying is that, you cannot be against someone leaving you and yet against the same person staying with you. Igbos will not leave Lagos state or any other Nigerian State, as long as we all remain Nigerians.
I must say that it is quite unfortunate that some Yoruba folks are feeling threatened by the fact that the population of Ndi Igbo is becoming intimidating in Yorubaland, yet they don't hesitate to strut about and beat their chests about the exploits of their Yoruba fore-fathers .e.g. Adekunle, OBJ etc that murdered, violated and maimed Igbos to keep Nigeria as one.
Like I said in the past, Lagos belongs to Nigeria and not Yorubas. The proof is that Igbos don't need any visa approval to migrate to Lagos state and live as long as they want. So, why should we listen to some filthy warnings about the possibility of carrying out a genocide against Igbos? Sebi you think say we go lower our neck for una to cut? God help you sha.
We are Nigerians. We must be Nigerians until we decide to separate. That was what y'all wanted. Lagos is owned by all Nigerians, including Igbos. You can go and hug a wet transformer if that fact is driving you crazy.
If na oil now, all of una go dey swear with Ogun about the importance of being very united.
NO MORE ETHNIC BASHING. IF YOU FEEL THAT IGBOS ARE TAKING OVER YORUBALAND, COME AND TAKE OVER THE EAST IF YOU CAN! SHIKENA![/b]

Three African Strangers once existed as neighbors,
Some white men came and overpowered them. They were made to serve the white man for many years as slaves.
Then came the time for the white man to go. He decided to make the three strangers "Brothers", which the strangers grudgingly accepted.
One of the strangers was quite uneducated, the other two were educated. They had children and lived in one house, calling themselves brothers.
The only problem was that they lived in a malicious way, always suspecting themselves.
One day, a grandson of one of the strangers became rebellious against the rot in the leadership of the house, and killed the supposed corrupt leaders of the house.
It happened that most of the leaders of the house that he killed were not from his lineage.
The rebellious son was arrested. The families of the other two strangers sought for revenge, and almost killed every member of the rebellious grand son's lineage.
The first reaction from his grand father was to tell his family to remain calm. But, the killing continued. After the killing continued, he became angry.
The now angry stranger questioned the need to remain brothers when the other two strangers wants his whole family dead because of the action of a stubborn son.
He got no answer, but continued killing by the other two strangers. It became clear to him that they were not brothers in the first place. So he decided to leave.
The other two strangers refused. The stranger insisted and left. The rebellious stranger was one of the educated strangers. The other one was against him.
For some reasons best known to the other two strangers, they decided to go after him and force him back. In the process, they continued to kill his family members.
When they saw the resilience of the stranger that wanted to leave, they asked for help from the white men that enslaved them in the past.
The white men came, and succeeded in helping them to subdue the stranger that wanted out. They forced him back, and made him to stay in the house.
After their success, they dominated the affairs of the house, and made the rebellious stranger an onlooker.
Years passed, and gradually, the bond between the strangers actually started to become strong. The great grand children of the strangers had taken over from them.
The subdued stranger's family spread across  the compounds of the other strangers, embracing their brotherhood and unity. It happened that they spread en mass.
Tens of years passed, and the population of the rebellious strangers generation is becoming overwhelming in the compounds of the families of the other strangers.
The families of the other strangers are feeling threatened, and are calling out for the killing of the family of the rebellious stranger again, to stop them from growing.
The Rebellious stranger's children still can't understand why the families of the other two strangers are now feeling threatened. Brothers are supposed to live together.
Of recent, the trend is, If the children of the rebellious stranger makes comments about leaving, they are threatened with death. Yet, they are not allowed to live in peace because they are growing fast.
However, the children of the rebellious stranger has decided to stay and defend themselves if need be. Because they now know that the hatred and envy against them cannot stop.

If we must live as brothers in Nigeria, We need to live as one. Which means that it doesn't matter if Igbos or Hausas are becoming more in Lagos. Nothing is stopping other Nigerians from migrating to the East.  We are Nigerians. That is what the forefathers of the Hausas and Yorubas fought to ensure. We must live as one. If you don't want to live as one, then let us stop this deception and divide.

Stop these bullcraps you guys are doing here. It is shameful. You are making Awolowo, M. Muhammed, OBJ, Danjuma etc that fought against separation to weep and regret.
Somebody say ONE NIGERIA!!!!! Lol!    

[b]None of the presidential candidates in the 2011 elections can save Nigeria.

GEJ; Will talk, promise and continue to deceive us with his Phd and Otueke primary school stories, without achieving much. Ofcours, under him, corruption will reign and some very very little achievements will be made.

Buhari; Will swing into action and keep chasing the politicians that denied him the chance to lead Nigeria in the name of cleansing Nigeria. He will chase OBJ, IBB etc. He will do that till the end of his tenure, and nothing tangible will be achieved.

Ribadu; Will keep shouting that he represents the youth until his godfather (Tinubu) gradually put him in his right place and take over the presidency of Nigeria after 4 years. Ribadu will cry like a baby and go to court till the end of 8 years. Nothing will be achieved except an extreme ravaging of Nigeria's public fund by the godfather himself, Tinubu and co. Some very little strides will be made too.

Shekarau; He is in  the race to achieve the Northern agenda. He is ACF's bait, and will really do nothing, except slowing Nigeria down like Yar'adua did.

Chris Okotie; He will read and speak big big English till the end of his tenure.

Pat Utomi; He gat no chance of leading. If he manages to win, he'll end up being overwhelmed by the complexity of Nigeria and will choose the path of Peter Obi. Slow and Steady. That is not what Nigerians want.

The Men that would have made a proper change are politicians like Rotimi Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Sullyvan Chime, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (Not a politician though) and Donald Duke. These are tested Men that can save Nigeria. They are corrupt, but very developmental.

I advise Nigerians to vote GEJ because he will only lead for 4 years, then ACN may present someone like BRF, PDP may present someone like Sullyvan Chime or Rotimi Amaechi or Lamido Sanusi in response. If other politicians win, they'll condemn Nigeria to eight fruitless years of pain and waste of destiny.

My candid advise.[/b]

[quote author=bk.babe97y link=topic=627752.msg7953276#msg7953276 date=1300693702]Mo*ron! Youve been sounding good for a minute--- u need to keep it up; didnt know u had an iota of intelligence in u.

You can get back to the topic now.[/quote]Ode! You should know better than to generalize a statement by T. Orji, an eediot (Like you) to mean the view of Igbos in general.

Tinubu's statement was right. Abia state is not moving forward. T. Orji deserves to be executed. Same with Ohakim. This under-developmental trend is not mutually exclusive to some South-Eastern governors. In the West, OGD and AKala are equally bad. T. Orji should have kept quiet than open his stinking mouth. Meanwhile, nobody got the right to attribute T. Orji's statement to Igbos in general. It is wrong, and insolent. If we have to be Nigerians, you need to purge yourselves of ethnic hatred.

[quote author=bk.babe97y link=topic=627752.msg7953097#msg7953097 date=1300690658]Ultimately, its clear that Ibos are the most tribalistic, most ignorant, and deceitful groups in the whole of Nigeria. . . if not on the face of the earth!

Animals![/quote]
See who's calling Igbos animals and tribalistic? An Akata She-male disease called bk.Male/Babe97y is calling human beings animals. Who is more animalistic than you? LWKMD!!!! Hahahahahahhaahahahaha! Anuofia Latino "G'ay" Mofo. Keep searching for an Igboman that will dig you from behind. I already told you that Igbos don't do that, but if you wanna keep searching, carry on. You'll end up being As'sed by the devil from hell. Eediot! Lol! I am watching you.

Tinubu did not insult anybody. He said the Truth. T. Orji is an Agent of under-development. There is no physical development in Abia state. That is not an Insult to Abians or Igbos. It is the TRUTH! Vote T. Orji out of Power!!!! Abia State needs to move forward! Same goes for my State governor, Ohakim. They deserve to be jailed In fact. This does not however make Tinubu a saint. He too is a Thief!.

By S. Kolawole;

Thank God I did not boycott the presidential TV debate last Friday. Somehow, it was not much of a debate. It was more of a gruelling question-and-answer session, ably moderated by Kadaria Ahmed, a seasoned newspaper editor who handled her job in a no-nonsense manner. I was a bit relieved that CNN’s Jonathan Mann was not on the panel questioning our presidential candidates as was originally planned. I would only accept such an arrangement the day our own Diran Onifade or Chukwuma Onuekwusi is allowed to question American presidential candidates during their own debates. Fair deal? Fair deal.

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the Congress for Progressive Change, Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria and Malam Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party were taken to task, although the opening salvos were a bit unsettling (I guess that was the intention). Ribadu was asked to defend a statement credited to him four years ago that the corruption case involving Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the leader of his party, had an “international dimension”. That was a tough one. Buhari was asked to explain his “autocratic” past and how he could blend into a democratic system. That was tricky. Shekarau was asked to explain the oppressive activities of his Sharia police, the Hisbah, which bordered on the trampling on human rights in Kano State which he currently governs. That was discomfiting as well

Ribadu bypassed the issue of corruption and dwelt on Tinubu’s democratic credentials (“He fought PDP. He’s a hero of this democracy,” Ribadu said, quite correctly). He, inaccurately, suggested he had never declared anybody corrupt without a court pronouncement. I think Ribadu should just have maintained the line that Tinubu has neither been charged to court nor convicted of corruption; therefore, suspicion remains suspicion, no matter how strong. That would be an honest answer, even if not satisfactory. Buhari unveiled his democratic credentials, explaining that when he lost elections in 2003 and 2007, he went to court to show his faith in a democratically sanctioned way of seeking redress. By running for office, he is exercising his constitutional rights—which means he now believes in democracy. Therefore, the past is history; he is a new man. Fair deal.

Shekarau was very slick like Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky case—he deftly defended Hisbah, even when we know people’s rights have actually been trampled upon by the body. He quite expertly described Hisbah as a creation of the law and a complementary body to the police to enforce law and order in the state. He, in fact, described Hisbah as “community policing”. Anyone who is not satisfied has been asked to go to court to challenge the legality of the body and no one has done that yet, Shekarau said. Now you cannot fault that. In my opinion, Shekarau handled the “smoking gun” question the best among the three participants. However, what would Ahmed have asked President Goodluck Jonathan? I tried to guess. I suspected it would have been: “Why did you not abide by the zoning principle of your party? Why did you violate the gentleman’s agreement?” I also tried to guess Jonathan’s response: “Zoning is dead, Madam.” We would never know.

On the Niger Delta, Ribadu and Buhari spoke out against the mismanagement of the resources going into the region. Buhari blamed militancy on politicians who armed youths for election purposes (which, I think, is part of the problem) while Ribadu said government agencies in the region had done little to solve the problem but had benefitted only a few individuals (which, again, is the indisputable truth). Shekarau said some local conditions made militancy possible in the first place. The political manipulation and creation of economic patronage are products of a pre-existing condition in the region, the Kano governor said. I agree with him. I have always argued that something made militancy possible in the first place. Until we rebuild trust in the oil communities, other measures will not work effectively and sustainably.

The way forward, according to Buhari, is to sit down with the leaders in the region—militant, traditional and business (oil companies)—and discuss these grievances. That way, we can fashion out a lasting solution to the crisis. Ribadu proposed a Marshall Plan (why not a Ribadu Plan?) to create jobs, build infrastructure, protect the environment and fund SMEs. He also said he would make sure money meant for the development of the region gets spent judiciously (he is likely to face an obstacle on the 13 per cent derivation since it goes directly to the states and they may say they are not accountable to him). Shekarau said he was trained in guidance and counselling and would seek to deal with the root causes of the discontent in the communities. He spoke about loss of confidence and the need to regain it. In all, both Buhari and Shekarau spoke about the need to engage with all the stakeholders in the communities. Ribadu emphasised judicious management of resources.

On power, Buhari said he would probe the way $16 billion or so has been spent by the PDP government in the last 12 years without any result. He also promised to refurbish the existing thermal and hydro plants and complete the Mambilla hydro project in Taraba State (which was initiated by the federal government over 28 years ago and which has the capacity to generate 2600mw). He promised to build new plants “because the government has the resources to do so”.  Ribadu offered a broader view on this. He said currently, there is confusion on who is really in charge of the power sector: Is it President Jonathan (who holds the power portfolio)? Is it the presidential adviser on power (Professor Barth Nnaji)? Is it PHCN? Is it Mr. Nuhu Wya, the Minister of State for Power? He aid he would sort this out, probe past expenditure, tackle distribution and transmission issues (Buhari spoke on only power generation), provide security for power infrastructure across the nation and diversify sources of power—coal, ethanol, hydro, thermal, solar, etc.

The question on power was actually tricky—what do you want to promise that the government has not tried to do in the last 12 years? The government has been rehabilitating plants; it has injected more money into Mambilla since last year; it has been building new plants (Omotosho, Geregu, Alaoji, Papalanto etc) alongside private sector involvement (Afam, AES); it is diversifying sources (coal). Over all, Buhari and Ribadu did not offer anything new (even the House of Representatives probed the power sector expenditure and nothing has come out of it). Shekarau however offered something extra: sincerity of purpose is the key. The PDP government has done a lot, spoken a lot and spent a lot on the power sector for ages, but where is the result? Shekarau said it was not enough to speak; action is all that is needed now (Ribadu said as much too).

I would touch on two other critical issues they discussed: recurrent expenditure and anti-graft war. Buhari echoed the popular sentiment that the legislators are earning too much and said he would persuade them to reduce their allowances (note the word “persuade”); Ribadu said there are too many agencies, over 500 of them, which need to be rationalised or dissolved with a concessioning agreement put in place (Public Private Partnership); Shekarau said EFCC (once headed by Ribadu) and ICPC are “glorified police stations” because if well funded like EFCC, the Nigerian police can perform; he supported reducing the number of agencies but he added that wastages in the system need to be blocked. They all talked about the need to fight corruption and indiscipline, but yet again Shekarau offered something extra when he spoke about combining coercive processes (advanced by his two rivals) with re-orientation so that Nigerians can do the right things “willingly”. He said coercion—the type adopted by Buhari as military head of state—does not last.

Overall, Shekarau impressed me the most. He was composed, appeared very knowledgeable and quite intelligent. Perhaps he enjoyed the advantage of being underrated, of not being a national figure all along. It also helped that he has been holding executive power for nearly eight years—he is therefore very current and practical in his understanding and discussion of issues. But then, talking well and governing well are different propositions. That tempered my enthusiasm about Shekarau a bit. Ribadu and Buhari, on the other hand, were very passionate and, like activists, echoed a lot of public sentiments with their anti-PDP tirades. But then it would take more than anti-PDP vituperations to turn Nigeria around. There is a lot of work to be done—with sincerity and tenacity.

And Four Other Things,
‘Zoning’ Sentiments
Still on the presidential debate, I find it quite instructive that the three contestants said “zoning” does not matter. Nuhu Ribadu said poverty and insecurity do not know any region. He wants to be President of Nigeria, not of a particular region. He added that what Nigeria needs is an honest, competent and trustworthy leader. Excellent. Muhammadu Buhari said his party recognises the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not one region. Great. Shekarau echoed a similar line but added something extra again: there is nothing wrong with geo-political balancing and equitable sharing of offices. “I’m from Kano State,” he said. “It would be wrong for me to pick my running mate from Katsina.” He said the PDP bastardised this simple logic by the way it went about its zoning controversy. This aligns with my position too: that we must accommodate all interests and groups in government, irrespective of where the president comes from. Merit and power sharing are not mutually exclusive!

Ribadu’s ‘Yabis’
Ribadu, in trying to market his credentials, threw a few stones at Buhari. He said he is “modern” and “current” and has been in the service of the government in the last 25 years while some have been in retirement during the same period. This is a veiled attack on Buhari who is being criticised in some corners as “old” and not in touch with modern governance. Buhari, instructively, was retired a little over 25 years ago (1985). Ribadu said he is an international figure and not a “state” person, a veiled reference to the impression that Buhari’s support is limited to a few states in the North. Given the fact that there is still a faint possibility that Ribadu’s ACN and Buhari’s CPC could work together during the elections, I think Ribadu did not have to throw those jibes at Buhari. It was absolutely unnecessary and added nothing to his case.

A Few Gaffes
While responding to a question on his romance with democracy, Buhari blundered by saying the constitution allows anyone from the age of 18 to seek elective positions “from councillorship to presidency”. No, General. We can never have an 18-year-old president. The constitution says minimum of 40 years to be president or governor, 35 to be a senator and 30 to be a member of House of Representatives. Ribadu, on his part, said the North-west had never produced the president. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the first chief executive of the independent Nigeria, was Prime Minister from 1960 to 1966. Can’t remember any gaffe from Shekarau.

Waiting for Jonathan
All said and done, the impression I get is that many Nigerians are annoyed that President Goodluck Jonathan did not participate in the NN24 TV debate. His VP, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, was also absent the previous week at the debate for running mates. The PDP has come up with various excuses, but the fact is that none is acceptable. It is just two hours of debate. Two out of 24 hours in a day! However, the president has finally agreed to submit himself to the one organised by Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, 2011. It is only fair for the president to defend his actions and policies as well as tell us what he has in store for us. That’s not asking for too much!

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/shekarau-sparkles-but-then-/88154/

The age-long mutual suspicion between the northern and southern parts of the country over the nation’s economic resources came to the fore again at the House of Representatives on Thursday, stalling the consideration of the report on the Petroleum Industry Bill.


The House boiled as a lawmaker from Zamfara State, Sani Takori, and his counterpart from Rivers State, Mr. Igo Aguma, divided the House on regional lines as they argued over the proper nomenclature for the ownership and control of the nation’s oil resources.


A line in the clause requires that the control and ownership of oil resources be vested in the “Government of the Federation.”


But, Takori, a former Attorney-General in his home state, leading some Northern lawmakers, including the Chairman of the Committee on Millennium Development Goals, Mrs. Saudatu Sanni, said the clause was deficient in defining ownership and control.


He opposed the use of ‘Government of the Federation’, arguing that the clause should rather read “Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, “People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” or the “Federal Government of Nigeria.”


He claimed that this would bring the PIB in compliance with the 1999 Constitution (2nd Amendment), which vested the ownership and control of mineral resources in the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.


However, Aguma and the Chairman of the Committee on Justice, Mr. Henry Dickson, disagreed with Takori.


The two lawmakers from the South-South argued that it was a matter of “semantics” whether Government of the Federation or Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was used in the clause.


The two also insisted on retaining the clause as it was provided in the bill.


Takori and those in his camp had expressed concern that ‘Government of the Federation’ could mean another government other than the Federal Government of Nigeria.


Tension mounted in the chamber as Aguma and Takori began to exchange words.


Aguma, whose committee worked on the PIB, was angry that after about two years of working on the bill, some lawmakers were about to persuade the House to delay its passage.


At a poind during the argument, Aguma pointed at Takori and asked in a rage, “Who knows you in international law? You are a nobody.”


Takori replied, “I know what I am talking about. I have read through this bill and the constitution.


“I have to tell you that we have to take a lot of precautions. I know more than you know.”


Takori had initially sought to stop the consideration of the bill, complaining that it contained over 300 clauses and that members would need time to study the document.


But he was overruled by the presiding Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Usman Nafada.


Nafada, sensing that the debate was taking a wrong course, advised his colleagues not to reduce the PIB to a North-South issue.


“This bill is for all parts of Nigeria and for all Nigerians.It is not for Southerners, neither is it for Northerners alone. It is about how to run the oil and gas industry properly,” he added.


He said that lawmakers should make contributions based on “national interest and the progress of Nigeria.”


Only clause one of the bill was considered before the disagreement started, following which further deliberations were suspended.


Curiously too, only 12 out of the 360 members of the House were in the chamber while the PIB was being discussed. The majority of the lawmakers had long abandoned Abuja for electioneering across the country.


Amidst the rising tension, Nafada called for an abrupt adjournment of the House.


Aguma stormed out, followed by Dickson and a member from Imo State, Mr. Austin Nwachukwu. The House then adjourned till April 19.


The report on the PIB was laid before the House on Tuesday by its joint Committee on Petroleum (Upstream and Downstream), Gas and Justice, two years after it was referred to the committee on March 31, 2009.


A clause-by-clause consideration of the bill had been scheduled for Thursday (yesterday).


The PIB seeks to establish the “legal and regulatory framework” for the oil and gas industry as well as set guidelines for institutions and operators within the sector in a bid to allow for broader participation by investors.


The PIB presents a huge opportunity to further deepen reforms that can redress decades of ineffective management of the oil and gas sector.


The bill, like the Freedom of Information Bill, is dreaded by those afraid of transparency and accountability in the conduct of government business.


Some of the provisions of the bill as fowarded to the National Assembly are, “vesting Oil and Gas resources in the sovereign State of Nigeria.


“Management and allocation of petroleum resources will be in accordance with the principles of good governance, transparency, and to promote sustainable development and economic value to Nigeria.


“Honours international environmental provisions and obligations


“Allows unhindered access for entry into and participation of companies in the industry in accordance with the law. Evolves a transparent, investor-friendly legislation.”


According to the World Bank and other international organisations, Nigeria has lost well over $500bn oil revenues since inception due to lack of transparency in oil and gas operations.


Controversies have trailed the bill amid reports that certain forces in and outside the industry do not want it to see the light of day.


Only two weeks ago, Aguma had named the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as one of the forces delaying the passage of the bill.


He claimed that the corporation had submitted 30 versions of the bill to the House and kept seeking for reviews of many sections.


Aguma added that but for the action of the NNPC, the joint committee would have laid the report long before now.


The Senate had also suspended the consideration of the bill before it proceeded on recess on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110318404232

What a Shame!