₦airaland Forum

bombay:
na everybody get bb

Na true sha. If you don't have a Video camera phone, don't bother. No go ask anybody o, make dem no machete you. LOL!

[quote author=Orton1_0 link=topic=577473.msg7443350#msg7443350 date=1293870501]I must confess, u've gat a point there but bro that is a very tall dream and nearly impossible!
Ok lets assume we 've split, What should The Northerners live on?. . Groundnuts?. . .cotton. . ? Or is it cement?. . HELL NO! BRO. Oil is the only glue that still binds us together.So
For As long as the Delta still pisses out oil, Nigeria will remain in a state of 'entropy in unity' just like prensent day Iraq n Afgsn, So lets get ourselves prepared n ready cos we're going to be seeing alot of similar events like this on.
Just being Realistic.[/quote]Yes, I agree with you. But, you must not forget that a collective decision by South west, South east, South south and Some mid-belt states to split into their own countries will leave the North helpless. Look at the situation in the country now, and tell me if it is impossible. How many people can the North fight to continue drinking South-South's Oil?

lansha2006:
If we should be talking of splitting after 50years, i think we need to really really look inward, "ori bibe ko ni ogun ori fifo". Let us have this at the back of our mind that Nigeria was not amalgamated by the will of man but the purpose of God was that collectively we shall fulfill destiny.
Nothing and I mean nothing will split this Nation, not even another civil war because God has a plan to build this nation.
The likes of Atiku, Babangida and co are too small to bring this nation down.
Do not forget that the price for the peace we are talking about here is war.
God reigns in Nigeria.

[b]
My friend, I understand your passion and hope. God does not wish destruction upon his children. God cannot put his Children into an existence that will cause them continuous unnecessary pain and misfortune. Churches and Mosques are being burnt for nothing in Nigeria. Men of God are slaughtered like rams, Women are violated and killed for what they know nothing about. Innocent Children are subjected to the most painful type of deaths, and you dare say that God in heaven wishes this type of Country for his Children?
Well, the almighty God that I know does not wish unnecessary pain on his Children. Except he wants to punish them and Redeem them for the sake of teaching them a lesson as he did to the Israelites in Egypt. If this is the case, then I think 50 years in captivity is enough to teach his children the lesson he wants to teach them. It is time for his Children to know peace and progress. It is time for the Isrealites to leave. Woe be thou the pharaohs, because their graves are under the red sea.[/b]

[b]Those that are defending Nigeria's Unity and praying for the continuous ethno-political violence/conflict to end soon are just blind and really doesn't wish Nigerians well.
Nigeria needs to split to know peace.
It is only when there is peace that progress can be achieved.
Progress may not be sudden, but it can be achieved over a period of peaceful existence.
In essence, peaceful existence is an important pre-requisite for development.
If Nigerians cannot exist in peace, why not split the country for the sake of peace and progress?

As long as IBB, Atiku and Co continues to think that leadership is their birth right, they will fight against the attainment of power by politicians from other ethnic groups (Irrespective of their abilities, qualifications and records). IBB and ATIKU are the least qualified politicians to lead Nigeria towards development. They have been there before and they failed woefully. What else do they have to offer?

Split the freaking country, so that IBB and ATIKU can lead Northern Nigeria , with their supporters forever and ever. That way, there will be a reduction of politics of bloodshed and ethnic hatred. After all, no one will throw stones into a market place cos' of the fear of the stones touching their parents and relatives. [/b]

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=574674.msg7414703#msg7414703 date=1293435451]@Justcash

Looking for one of your sensible replies[/quote][b]
Corruption is truly not the main issue with Nigeria. That is indeed where Nigerians are getting it really wrong. Yes corruption is bad, but can corrupt politicians still ensure meaningful development? The answer is yes. Who cares about how corrupt politicians are if they Can ensure security of lives and properties, provide basic and advanced infrastructures and ensure the availability of abundant jobs for Nigerians. Who cares about how corrupt politicians are if they can actually carry out pro-developmental activities. Is Babatunde Fashola a saint? But he is doing little things in his state despite the load of corruption that weighs him down? Look at Iran and Libya. Ghaddafi is pro-developmental that is why his people love and can die for him. Even the now dead Saddam Hussein was a far more better leader than the foolish politicians that Nigeria boasts of. I am sure that If Ojukwu had succeded in helping Biafra to secede, he would have been corrupt but very pro-developmental. Corruption is not an issue if a society is working. For a society to work there is need for political will, even if the politicians are corrupt.
In Nigeria, those politicians are stealing, and flaunting their stolen wealth in the midst of acute poverty without shame. They are corrupted by power so much that they are left so anti-developmental, and blood thirsty. They shed innocent blood and carry out despicable acts unchallenged because of the distance of power from Nigerian masses. They keep competing for political advantage just to ensure that their ethnic group and religion can be seen as being superior over others, than for the sake of helping to develop the nation as a whole.
I can tell you wholeheartedly that all these silly Politicians, e.g Atiku and Co will typically invest in an Arewa republic than seek for political office. They will not want to seem like the suppposed problem of Nigeria.They will be more concerned about trying to compete with Biafra, Oduduwa republic etc in order to avoid shame. Same goes for Tinubu and co in the west, GEJ and Co in ND and Obi, Soludo and co in the East.
The size, diversity and ethnic politics in Nigeria has completely left the country ungovernable. Why should we be called Nigerians when an Igbo man does not have any sort of emotional or empathetic link with a Yoruba and Hausa man, which makes it easy for blood to flow at any little provocation? Why should we be in a nation where Zoning is still being mentioned and federal character is employed, despite the constant deceptive cries of Unity in diversity?
We are not one in Nigeria, and we will never be one in a million years. The evidence is the unnecessary death caused by Nigerians who butcher and Lynch fellow Nigerians in the Name of struggle for land and ancestry.[/b]

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=574674.msg7413967#msg7413967 date=1293413060]Even tho you made a whole lot of sense, how would division target corrupt governance? [/quote]

Chrisbenogor:
So when we split corruption would disappear abi? Dream on!

[b]
[b]
Corruption is everywhere, in every country. As a matter of fact, the countries that I used in my examples are corrupt too, but it has not stopped them from progressing and developing. Singaporean Lawmakers earn a whole lot of money, more than normal. The children of Lee- Kuan Yew (Singapore's Minister mentor) are multi-millionaires due to some political aid by their father. Bribery is still very much in Malaysia, just as in other parts of the world e.g United States, UK, China, saudi Arabia etc. The issue is pro-developmental governance. This comes in two forms;
Either the leaders are pro-developmental and instill the attitude in their people.
Or the People force their leaders to be pro-developmental, no matter how corrupt he may seem.

In a divided Nigeria, Oduduwa, Arewa, Biafra, Nd republic etc can deal with their leaders directly in order to ensure development, without an interference from strangers from other ethnic groups. This will create a feeling of emotional duty on the leaders, and keep them within the reach of their people. For example, Imagine that the capital of Biafra is Enugu, and Orji Uzor Kalu becomes the president of Biafra. It will be very easy to reach him from other states and make life unbearable for him, more than when he hides away in Abuja and uses religious patronage (E.g appointing a Northern Muslim as a personal assistant, or Minister of petroleum to win over other ethnic groups and troops against their own people). He can easily deploy soldiers from the northern part of Nigeria to deal with uprisings against him in the East through appointing a Muslim Northern COAS who will be glad to slaughter christians if he is a president in Nigeria. This he cannot do in Biafra republic.
However, it is not compulsory that all component nations must develop, but there will be peace, which will give way for them to develop anytime they wish to. At the same time, it will not be a Nigerian thing if a component country decides not to develop and remain violent. It will be the responsibility of that under-developed country's citizens and Leaders. Why should an Igbo man be worried about Oduduwa or Arewa republic not developing, if his own country is developing and vice versa? The rub-off effect that we experience now will be eliminated.

Splitting will create an opportunity for nations to create their own wealth and not depend on other people's wealth.
Igbos can depend on trading and commerce, since oil may not just be enough.
Hausa can depend on Agriculture since they are good at that.
Yoruba can depend on FDI and commerce too
Niger-delta can depend on their oil.
Mid-belt can depend on agriculture.

Any country that fails to rise will fail and it will not concern other component countries. Like I said before, it is not always the country with the biggest resources that may be the most developed.[/b]
[/b]

GAR3TH:
here is a nice video of the power of the Nigerian consumer.

[flash=640,385]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5FZBSRx21Y?fs=1&hl=en_US[/flash]

[b]Seriously, you want Nigeria to be one because of the domestic consumption capability of Nigerians? LOL! Come on Man, you gat to be joking.
Is Nigeria's domestic consumption capability in anyway helping Nigerians?
Lemme give you the mathematics;
Domestic consumption should attract more investments which must be ensured through government's expenditure (In infrastructures especially), with a long term goal of ensuring employment and national income.
First of all, there is absolutely dearth in infrastructural facilities in Nigeria; bad roads and transport systems, insecurity, lack of proper protection of intellectual property rights, No light, No efficient water flowing systems etc
Secondly, the corruption in Nigeria has made Nigeria's business environment a death trap especially for Foreign direct investors. This is characterized by Multiple-taxation, bribery etc.
As a consequence, Foreign investors stay away, and prefer to invest through Nigerian importers to satisfy the big domestic consumption capability of Nigeria.
As a result of this, there are less jobs and Lack of enough national income from that area. Little wonder why Nigeria is dependent on Petroleum export.
To make matters worse, Importation was banned by the Obasanjo Government, without a corresponding rise i n local production. This helped corruption and smuggling to increase, and neighboring countries benefited from the high consumption ability of Nigerians instead because their income from import taxes on Nigerian importers increased.

Nigeria's high domestic consumption ability is absolutely of no benefit to Nigeria as a Nation. This is because Nigeria's government does not know how to solve the maths and take advantage of the high population in Nigeria.
Singapore is made up of only 4.5m million people, with absolutely no resources (WATER IS SCARCE THERE), but they are a first world country with well over 500billions United states dollars in external reserves. They have a political system dominated by the Chinese, in a despotic manner, but very pro-developmental.
So you see, a country's population is absolutely useless when people in it cannot ensure development due to differences in ethnicity and religion.[/b]

[b]@GAR3TH;
I noticed that you have been ranting about this post being senseless, yet you have not given a credible reason why Nigeria should be together. Your reasons simply gives a clue about how satisfied you are with the way Nigeria is now.
For 50 Years Nigeria have only been able to maintain a little over 2500 megawatts of electricity, very deplorable transportation system, extremely bad roads, high rate of crimes, unnecessary deaths, a high level of sectionalism (Even more than it was in the 60s), a very high level of corruption, high unemployment rate ( A prelude to the kidnappings, robbery etc embarked by youths), more frustrations, a very bad business environment, the list is endless. The thing is that it would have been understandable if Nigeria didn't have the resources to develop, but there is abundance of resources! Question is what is wrong. Answer is Sabotage and inefficiency.
If a Hausa man gains political power, he will strive to favor his own ethnic people, there by favoring ethnicity over quality and ensuring absolute inefficiency. At the same time, even if he tries to include everyone like Yar'adua tried to do, he will be sabotaged due to some ethnic related reasons. For example,  It is easy for disgruntled Muslim politicians in Jos to use money to induce some Muslim Alamijiris to go and slaughter helpless women and children just to show their anger about the fact that they are not politically favored. Would the same happen if they were leading their own people, who are Muslims? Will they go to that length no matter their level of anger and dissatisfaction?
Nigeria needs to split for peace, which is a pre-requisite for progress to exist. It is quite silly to think that Yorubas voice will not be heard in an Oduduwa republic, or Igbos voice will not be heard in Biafra republic etc. It is silly to think that Biafra will sit and see Oduduwa republic progressing without striving to progress too. Will Biafrans cry foul if their citizens who bluntly decides to go to Arewa republic (With all the sharia and Boko Haram) are slaughtered and butchered? They won't. Will MEND Come up if Itsekiris, Urhobo's and Ijaws control their own resources by themselves in their Niger-delta republic? Nope! They will blame themselves if they fail, and they will fight among themselves, but that will be in Niger-delta republic, and not in Arewa, Biafra or Oduduwa republic.
With all the investments you claim that are flowing into Nigeria, have anything changed? I just left Nigeria some days ago, nothing has changed. Yes more buildings are going up and more flowers are being planted, but there is still no light, bad roads, insecurity, Unemployment is still very high, unnecessary loss of human lives, high incidents of despoil etc. So where is the benefit of the investments. What is the use of skyscrapers when there are very few people to live in them, due to the high cost of buying or living in them. How many Nigerians can afford them? Of course these skyscrapers will run on generators and can be attacked by MEND or Kidnappers if they wish. So what is your point?
I am surprised  that you are saying that Nigeria is progressing. Imagine a 50 years old country that has abundance of resources still grappling with intense poverty and inefficiency.
Permit me to compare Nigeria with Malaysia. Like Nigeria, Malaysia is multi-ethnic, dominated by Muslim Malays, who are in fact lazy, but very pro-developmental. They don't work hard, but they are very accommodating to other religions, give opportunities to other ethnic groups and strive to maintain developments. They allow the Malay Chinese and Indians to contribute and gain equally in Malaysia, especially when it comes to developmental issues, yet they all have different religions. They live together and are very happy together. This has made the other ethnic groups to complain less, because indeed there are less things to complain about.
If the Hausa of Nigeria were like the Muslim Malays of Malaysia, We'd be happy and silent. But no they are not! They are the most anti-developmental set of politicians ever. Even their own people benefit nothing from them. They own oil wells, while giving peanuts to Alamijiri youths, especially when they see the need to kill opponents.
Lastly, Please list out reasons why Nigeria should be one, and stop beating about the bush.[/b]

[quote author=D-sense link=topic=574674.msg7409513#msg7409513 date=1293326168]I don't do it with morons like you . . . .nor would place any reason ''Retardded'' [/quote]
As if you have a reason. You are simply a blind goat being led like a hypnotized I'DIO"T to a slaughter slab. It is left for you to figure out between I and you who is really a slowpoke. Nincompoop.

[quote author=D-sense link=topic=574674.msg7409443#msg7409443 date=1293324523]No splitting [/quote]
If you take a second look at your comment, you will see how senseless you look. You just exhibited the reason why Nigeria will continue to wallow in eternal disgrace. You said No splitting, yet without reason on why you think so.

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=574674.msg7409371#msg7409371 date=1293323490]Yes oh.

Plz, you guys should do what you did in the 1966. Revolutianez Whur!![/quote]Please do clarify what you mean by "You guys" and "Revolutianez Whur"

Just for your info, this is not about an ethnic group, it is about a farce called "Nigeria". I hope you don't mean what I think, because it will be most unfortunate and tribalistic of you.

[b]Is it not obvious that the so called "Nigerians" Cannot live in one country? How long will Nigerians keep swallowing and taking unnecessary deaths, extreme inefficiencies and constant disgrace?!
Why should "Nigerian" Moslems Kill "Nigerian" Christians?
If we split;
1. These religious killings will stop.
2. All these zoning nonsense will cease.
3. The advantages of homogeneity will be experienced.
4. The North will develop at their own pace, and not keep pulling the other parts of Nigeria back in order to catch up.
5. There will be more freedom of religious practice, Boko haram and Sharia can reign without any cry of foul play.
6. It will then become understandable if Churches are then regulated or banned, and pastors attacked, especially if they are foreigners.
7. These federal character issues that gives advantage to ethnicity than quality will end.
8. Each part of the "Split Nigeria" Can take advantage of their areas of competence, e.g North can export Agricultural products, South can have their oil (Thereby ending MEND) etc
9. People will be closer to their leaders and make their impacts more felt. (Unlike now that their leaders are protected by a set of idiotic politicians in a distant land called ABUJA)
10. Developments in component split nations can generate competition and motivate other nations to develop.

For the proponents of "One Nigeria", Please tell me one reason why we must stay as one?[/b]

[b]Nigeria’s tariffs, high and unproductive
Wednesday, 01 December 2010 00:00 Anthony Osae-Brown
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Nigeria’s import bans and high tariffs is costing the country the efficiency of its Customs and not helping the manufacturing sector for which it is designed to protect. This is basically the findings of a report by Gael Raballand and Edmond Mjekiqi of the World Bank’s transport unit. In their extensive investigations of Nigeria’s trade policy, they reveal that the impact on the Nigerian economy has been largely negative while it has also impacted negatively on the efficiency of Nigeria’s customs.

The report clearly shows that the greatest beneficiary of Nigeria’s current trade policy is the Benin Republic, Nigeria’s neighbour. Using mirror statistics, the report shows a huge discrepancy between what Benin declares as imports and what corresponding countries, especially China, declare as exports to Benin. The discrepancy is accounted for by the amount of goods smuggled into Nigeria from Benin. Textile, footwear, manufactured products and food account for more than 70% of the discrepancies noticed.

Interestingly, the report reveal that importation of textile into Benin Republic boomed in 2004, the same year Nigeria re-introduced extensive import bans for textile products. The textile products were mainly from China. Another area of interest in the report is the fact that Benin, with a population of 10 million people and a lower standard of living, between 2004 and 2006, imported as much rice as Nigeria with a population of 150 million and a higher standard of living. An obvious indication that most of the rice imported was destined for the Nigerian market.

“We estimate that up to 4 billion USD of cargo enters Nigeria’s market unofficially from the Cotonou port only, which could represent up to 15% of Nigeria’s total imports.” The report also states that “almost 400 million USD or more than a quarter of the current revenues collected by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) could be collected on top of the current revenues if the trade restriction would be adjusted to the current practices in the Sub region, while the current system itself feeds port traffic diversion and delays in port clearance.” Unofficially, the report estimates that 75% of the containers that land at Cotonou port are destined for Nigeria.

Explaining how this high number of import restrictions affects customs efficiency, the report notes that it complicates the administrative procedures of the NCS making it difficult to put in place an efficient and simple administrative system. Besides, to check smuggling, the customs has to place a high number of its force at the borders diverting vital manpower that could have been used to manage a simple administrative process.

The high number of tariff restrictions also facilitates corruption, as corrupt elements within the NCS see it as an opportunity to extort money from traders bringing banned goods into the country illegally. The report notes that as of February 2008, 968 tariff lines were subject to import bans while another 76 lines were subject to partial bans applied to imported consumer goods and restrictions on import quantities.

The report shows that manufacturers, for whom these trade barriers have been raised to protect, are actually not benefiting from it. Using the textile industry as an example, the report notes that despite almost permanent bans placed on textile imports, the number of firms in the Nigerian textile sector has dropped from 175 firms at its peak in the 1980’s  to  only 10 factories by 2004. Employment fell from 350,000 to 40,000 direct workers within the same period.

Another way by which manufacturers suffer from the high number of tariff barriers is in delayed clearance of goods at ports because of the very long time required to carry out the high number of customs checks as well as procedures, in turn, due to the high number of prohibited items.

In  conclusion, the report notes:  “The success of domestic production is not simply contingent on restrictive trade policy, and that domestic producers are sensitive to more than just trade policy, such as power supply, transport among others. Therefore, while trade policy can serve as an important tool to boost economic growth, it may not be the most relevant. In most cases, macro-economic policy, inadequate infrastructure and overall investment climate have a greater impact on the poor performance of the manufacturing sector.”

The report could however be criticized for not examining sectors of the Nigerian economy that have benefitted from outright bans and high import tariffs. A good example is the food and beverage sector of which has enjoyed an average of 10 to 20 percent growth rate per year since 2003 when the Federal Government imposed outright bans on the importation of fruit juice, biscuits and other items.

The report did not also look at sectors like the entertainment industry which has grown without government tariff or ban protection. Nigeria’s entertainment industry has virtually taken over the Nigerian and African market without direct government intervention in terms of funds or tariff barriers.

There is also the cement industry which, as a result of tariff barriers and policy incentives, helped the development of local capacity in cement production. Today, Nigeria has one of the biggest cement manufacturers, Dangote Cement, because of a combination of the high tariff barriers and policy incentives.

What is clear is that tariff barriers have certainly not resurrected the much desired industrial revolution; nor have they reduced Nigeria’s import dependence. Official and unofficial imports are still on the high side putting a heavy strain on the nation’s export earnings. However, high tariff barriers have also helped some sectors of the Nigerian economy while other sectors have grown without the need for these barriers.

Going forward, it is for the Federal Government to take a critical look at the nation’s industrial and trade policy and come out with a policy that will be truly beneficial to the economy. It is not enough to have high tariff barriers. The barriers must have a purpose and the purpose must be seen to be achieved.

Source: http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16439:nigerias-tariffs-high-and-unproductive&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18[/b]

[quote author=D-sense link=topic=554574.msg7187483#msg7187483 date=1290347176]Abeg. . . Find something useful to employ or engage urself into or go to bed nd let's hear word![/quote]LOL! And you are very wide awake keeping yourself busy in Nairaland, the same website that I am in. Sebi na job you get? Agbaya