₦airaland Forum

Those ladies were responding to the noble call of Ilu Omele and Ilu gangan. . .

Strippers/prostitutes respond to Cash and Pimps. . .

. . .meanwhile, that KSA video will go well with Jollof Rice or Iyan with Goat meat + Gulder/33/Star/Harp/Odeku!

I dey go use my friday. . .

Jon B + 2pac = Great collabo! one of those classic "hip hop/rap tracks that can go well with some red wine and gentle gyrations. . .

dayokanu:
Ajanlekoko means Dog is chasing the fox

That's it.

@Isale, Ajanlekoko is an Iwarefa (Kingmaker). . .

Bi awo ba ri awo, awo a gbe awo ni'gbowo, ki awo ma ba te.

Northern elite despise Buhari vehemently because they know he will destroy their power base and end their corruption and nepotism. For those voting Mr Jonathan just to defeat ‘northern domination’, the twist is that a Jonathan presidency would actually further enrich and empower these reviled northern vultures because Mr Jonathan needs them (or thinks he does).

The ultimate irony is that the real key to eliminating the power base of this corrupt and arrogant northern political class lies with electing -Buhari- a northerner.

That's all.

Beaf:
I wonder why Buhari had 90% of his rallies in the North if he doesn't belive it is a North - South thing. He didn't even hold a rally in Lagos of all places.

Haba. they were in Lagos a few days ago bro, I doubt there is any state he has not visited in the last 2 months, a glance at his campaign website will reveal that.  Also, remember you need money to organize and publicize large scale rallies, You obviously cannot compare his fund to GEJ's. besides, it is unreasonable to ignore your swing states and focus on lost ones in a campaign, even Obama did not visit all 50 states.

Why has Buhari held numerous meeting with the Northern Stakeholders to forge a Northern consensus candidacy, if it isn't a North - South thing?

Both GEJ and Buhari had meetings with the so called Northern Stakeholders and South Stakeholders too. They are probably secretly meeting as we speak, everybody is trying to protect their interests.

I wonder if you can convince Ciroma that it isn't a North - South thing?

Ciroma? That unrepentant Any-Govt-in-power idi.ot is a PDP man. People like Ciroma are the Problem with Nigeria, It has little to do with North Vs South or Party politics, They only care about self, Ciroma and his ilk will sell an Almajiri as fast as they will sell an Area boy.

How can anyone explain the nak'ed threats of violence and chaos if GEJ stuck to contesting, instead of dropping out for a Northerner, if its not a North - South thing?

They all made threats, Even Anenih threatened people who will not vote for GEJ, and right now, PDP is shamefully stoking Violence in Akwa Ibom and other states through their high handed attempt at silencing the opposition. Don't take politicians too seriously.

You and I might not wish to view it in such terms, but the proponents of a Northern president (or bloodshed) have forced it on us, and we are ready to roll. It is unwise to be cut napping by an opponents gutter tricks.

Well, looters, usurpers and oppressors of our people are the ones forcing violence on us. Their ethnicity is of little importance.

Let us continue to be careful and focus on the real issues. From Abakaliki to Gwadabawa, our people are dying from corruption and misrule. That is the issue.

Beaf:
That has always been what it is, so lets face reality. It is only our civilised and well read folk down South that cannot bring themselves to imagine the depth that the cabal would plumb to hang unto their lifeline of govt patronage.
They are a bunch of squalid mud munchers the country can do without, and yes, they happen to be core-Northerners.

You mean that is what you think or what the opposition thinks?

Beaf, I do not believe this is a North vs South War. I can bet neither GEJ nor Buhari believes it is a North Vs South Election. I doubt you believe it is too. Let's not allow politicians add more sand to our already sandy garri.

Let us keep the crazy people in the minority and quit infecting the ignorant majority with unnecessary hate. We will not be able to stop this fire once it starts.

Thanks @muami, BTW, I support Buhari too.

I hope my fellow political junkies and politician know what they are doing.

This is an Oppressed vs Oppressor election and any sensible Nigerian knows that has little to do with ethnicity.

Framing this election as a North Vs South "war" might bring terrible consequences beyond April 26th

I urge restraint, let us focus on the real issues while we have the time.

Great Job so far my people! It is amazing to see how far this has spread in just one week!

@Ceah, What about regular updates and talking points on twitter?

It seems Nigerians living in Naija use Twitter more regularly than FB. News spread faster on twitter IMO.

People can still change their minds at that secret polling booth, The undecided are probably more than we think.

Mothers weep while pastors preach, leaders shrug, as killers walk. . . We are eating our young before they hatch.

As usual, mothers will weep and fathers will maintain the silence of a broken soul while killers walk back to their safe den, never to pay for the lifes they took from us at Suleja.

As usual idi/ots will trade blames among themselves and we will forget about the kids we lost at Suleja.

Vigilante:
As usual nobody will tell us who did it.  We will only be told who didn't do it

As usual no group will claim credit. . . Because it's all pointless, no ideology beyond money.

And as usual no one will be arrested and prosecuted for this.

^^ look like me ke?

Have you seen me before? No he does not, not at all

Yes, we are related through the Irunmoles

EzeUche:
Can someone share with me some of the aspects of traditional Yoruba religion?

I have always been impressed how Yoruba religion is practiced in the Diaspora such as in Brazil, Cuba and even in Mexico. Quite impressive that the enslaved Yorubas were able to keep their religion and culture in the New World.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-48078.0.html

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-4427.0.html

@Ileke-Idi, well done!

http://www.wandeabimbola.com/ <-- unofficial ambassador of Ifa Religion to the rest of the World, there are many of them though. You can contact him.

I wish you well in your quest to learn more, may the Orisas guide you. Ifa does not hate

Bump 

You have another chance in a few hours, be ready to punish looters. Your families lives may depend on the choice you make tomorrow!

Wake your people up early! Get ready to vote looters out.

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=641754.msg8077524#msg8077524 date=1302237036]Fix the Lagos-Benin road, Goofluck![/quote]Even the road to Abuja from the South is still a two lane death trap for most of the journey, after 12 years of PDP

This same PDP starved the people of Lagos by withholding their allocation for many years, now they are pointing fingers at Buhari?

Wonders shall never end in the land of Jondaft and his PDP fooools.

[quote author=eku_bear link=topic=641092.msg8077188#msg8077188 date=1302228065]Err, what do you mean by the bolded?[/quote]Simply means I'm bendable, but it has to be on  mutual terms, my money and resources belongs to me. I can pass a fair share to the State, then to the Federal through taxes. I can easily justify a system that implements that fundamentally.

It is pretty much the same thing that happens now. There is no real practical difference. Having 100% resource control and having to pay 50% taxes is no different from the FG owning it and giving you 50% of it  

But right now, the right of first appropriation belongs to the Federal and state government, that is unfair. I can give a % not 50  but you should not have the Right to take it out, I should be giving it to you. Ownership matters, both economically and psychologically.

Heh. I don't believe in what you wrote in bolded. . . and I suspect that you don't either   But that is fine.

Tryna expose your brotha?   but seriously I think they can, don't mean I will let them

i'm fine with doing that to cut down on administrative costs. No need for 6 governors in the SW; one will do. Etc, etc.
Ultimately, there will always be New Mexicos and DCs in Nigeria, as well as New Jerseys, New Yorks, and Californias. This is simply inevitable; I doubt a nation exists on earth where every state pays exactly $1 out and gets $1 back. The goal should be reducing the variance, trying to make it more uniform. But realistically, unless the SS secedes, it is going to be a region that gets back less than it contributes. Hopefully we can go from $.05 or $0.10 up to $0.60.
It is too high, I agree. But this was never the topic of the thread.

I agree. I doubt any sensible SSner will disagree.

@Eku, I think ndu_chucks and Beaf have an history of having a go at each other like that on NL

Just take their harsher comments with a pinch of salt.

[quote author=eku_bear link=topic=641092.msg8077040#msg8077040 date=1302225115]@Kilode: My post got swallowed by the spambot.

Anyway, let me respond to each of your "^----"s:

1) I think you are answering a slightly different question, no? Basically, there will be some states that generate less tax revenue than they amount they demand. Currently, for all but a few states, that is true. So again, what incentive does a net "+" state have to merge with a net "-" one? For example, the British merged the Northern and Southern protectorates because the Northern one cost money and the Southern one generated money. If it had been up the people of the South (or their representatives), they would have opposed such a merger.

2) Regarding how it is done in the US. . . consider this chart: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/266.html
DC gets more than $5.00 for every $1 it pays out. New Jersey only gets $0.61 cents for every $1 it pays. We can make a similar table for Nigeria. . . but likely the variance is far higher. Highest might be $100, lowest might be $0.10. I agree, the goal should be to reduce the variance down to $1, as much as possible.
But let's not act as if the current system is completely abnormal. The quibble is the formula for FG payouts (or equivently, FG takeaways from each state.)

3) Regarding "belong to you in the first place", I freely acknowledge that it doesn't belong to me. And in a perfect world, I wouldn't need it at all. But as things stand, it seems critical.

4) Regarding "military defense", if the basket of goods sitting on the table is sufficiently valuable, then sure, I stay. Otherwise. . .

5) How is that not what occurs now? Current derivation formula is 13%. So roughly speaking, the tax rate is 87%. I have no issue with seeing this tax rate reduced. But that is not the topic of the thread, or Oshiomole's point. His point is, how should whatever the FG accrues from this tax be paid out? Surely you see that these are two separate issues.[/quote]I think we agree on most of these. like I pointed out earlier, what you are proposing and what Oshiomohole is speaking about"

"is a fairer more justifiable version of the forced sharing we have right now"

I will welcome that, like you said, it is like comparing Six and Half a Dozen, We are giving up the revenue, they are not just forcefully taking it from the center. The power to negotiate is still there.

Even if you give me 100% control, I will still pay taxes. right? which means I will have to give up a certain % of that 100%. I'm fine with that. As long as I'm not bit/ch-slapped into coughing up money. The other states will also get whatever is commesurate with their need, population and strategic importance. I don't believe the North cannot out-produce the South.

We can also do better than the US by re-merging states. You bring your advantage to the table and negotiate a union or just remain small and less wealthy if you wish.

That is why we need a more wholistic reform that addresses the fundamentals of revenue generation, taxes and control, I can bet we will not have the agitation we have in the SS if they are simply paying their own fair share rather than having their piggy bank robbed by the Bully Big Brother. There is a big difference between giving and taking.

"Sharing" away 87% is just some crazy nonsense though. . .

mens dept:
There is of course reason for the gov to say what he's said. The same thing can be said for localizing the police amongst many things. The problem is that we have many Iboris, Orjis, Nnamanis, Daniels, and Mallams who are occupying the seats that serious minded persons should be occupying. So, give the states more money may just as well enrich the crooks at the states

They are already enriched, the crooks will always be with us. But it is better to localize their power and give their people more control over them.

For Example: IMO, Let the people of Ogun and their home based law enforcement and judicial service deal with the excesses of Daniels. He can't fool his people for too long, the policemen and Judges will be from Ogun State too. resident in the states with ties and loyalties across the state. Crooked leaders will always try to usurp power, but their influence cannot go far if they become brutal like our state governors are. Supporting them with federal police makes them more powerful. more invisible.

You are giving Daniel or Akpabio more power through a Federal police force, you are taking the control and power from Ogun or Akwa Ibom people and giving it to Daniel, Akpabio and those they choose to ally with at the center.

I totally support local and City police. Not even state. Local laws too, harmonized based on basic National and Federal Principles. Rights to liberty, Freedom e.t.c

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=641092.msg8076869#msg8076869 date=1302221716]@kalokalo: That is a very good argument for diversifying the tax base (and economy) away from oil rents. And slowly over time, that is occurring, as the non-oil portion of the nation's GDP grows.

But practically speaking. . . it is one thing to tell state X, "Hey, your internally generated revenue is very low, increase it!" and "Hey, right now 90% of your revenue is from the FG (and thus oil), let's take it away!"

The former I completely support. The latter if done carelessly would lead to chaos. You take away 90% of a state's revenue tomorrow, then the entire infrastructure of jobs, government employees, education, etc that are dependent on that are in danger of completely falling apart.

I agree, in a perfect world, all states would be self-sufficient. But currently, they are not. . . and it will take some time to get there.[/quote]That is why we need to find the reasonable middle ground. IMO, the solution must address the the point raised by kalokalo. Most serious critics of the Nigerian revenue sharing system approach it from that angle of justice and empowerment. We are not just seeking the transfer of money from Abuja to Asaba or Ado-Ekiti. No! for this to work, it must address the right of the individual, Land royalties and the right to mineral must reside with the individual not the state.

I should pay taxes to my state and local govenment the same way my state pays to the federal government.

We cannot address the Injustice and Inequality in Nigeria until we reverse the Top-to-Bottom approach to Wealth and Fiscal generation. Revenue should flow from the people to the "Centers" else we will never have the power to challenge those with Political Control.

Even our forefathers had to pay Ishakoles/Taxes/Stipend to the King not the other way round. If they revolt, the king loses money, right now, if we revolt, we just suffer while they control the Oil money, unless it's an intensive all-out revolution.

@Beaf, ok I just saw you already provided some points. exactly!

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=641092.msg8076634#msg8076634 date=1302218106]^-- Some questions for you:

1) Who would want a financial burden to merge with them? Keep in mind that all but a few states have very low internally generated revenue, and thus are heavily dependent on gov't allocations.[/quote]^^-- That is what some of the federal government revenue generated through taxes will address.

The role model of federalism -USA- still gives Federal grants to States. Even an Oil rich State like Texas collects billions in Education aid from the Federal Government. That is why the power of the Central Government wil never go away completely, but the control it has over the Federating States will be drastically reduced.

2) For a state to "pay taxes" to the center, it needs to have something to be taxed, no? How many states actually have this?

^^--That is where competition comes in. If you study the Federal fiscal tax map of the USA you will notice that California, New-York and Texas basically eclipsed more than 25 states in federal revenue contribution. Of course, because they make more,  they get to keep more, but they still contribute most of the revenue that goes into aids, defence, welfare and entitlement programs across all 50 states.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_tax_revenue_by_state

So, as long as we have enough states generating revenue, all we need to do is allow them keep it and pay as they earn. It is a fairer more justifiable version of the forceful sharing we have right now.  

If Zamfara or Wyoming are tired of living at the mercy of California or Delta State, then they should find a way to make their strategic resource (whatever that may be) generate more or just make do with what they have. We can't all be big like California or Lagos or Delta.

Even Nevada had to put some good a$$ booties in that Las Vegas desert to attract money, get creative!

3) For many state, IGR is at 10% or less. How should they replace that 90% of lost revenue, in the short term (and in the long term)?

^^-- It is not lost revenue if it did not belong to you in the first place. But your state has Cocoa, It has arable land,great tourism potentials, comparatively well educated and cosmopolitan citizens, great place to put R&, great commercialized Agric potentials, and if all else fails, you can apply to merge with Ondo State 

I'm fine with 100% resource control, but then we may as well partition the country. Otherwise there is no real incentive to remain one.

^^^-- Military defence? free access to market? free capital and federal grants from richer sisters like Ondo, Bayelsa, Lagos, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers? I will think twice before leaving all that on the table, I will agree if I can somehow take it by force


Let them keep their money and pay taxes. You will still benefit from that, and who knows, they might one day need you too, Ask the Detroit city of yesterday.

I completely agree with Beaf on this one.

Truth is, our military-politicians and their civilian friends created most of these 36 states chiefly to share oil money. We simply cannot continue like this. It breeds inefficiency, laziness and corruption

A struggling state with no strategic resource beyond the people living inside it (I doubt there is any state like that) can apply to merge with a richer, more resourceful state and pay taxes to the center. Afterall, we are all Nigerians.

I say death to monthly revenue sharing!

Haha that was a friendly comment nah

BTW, concerning warriors, you don't shoot your soldiers when you are still at war.

Great job Jarus, make sure they describe the flag and the color too( A'sia Alawo Blue,) i'm glad you asked for an edit.

The passion here is humbling!

ifyalways:
No rally in the east?
Saw the Onitsha rally thread,no pictures or anything.

Ify, if you are from the SE or SS and have friends and family there, there is plenty you can do. Call them, text them, preach the message of change. It has been hard for the Buhari Campaign to penetrate some parts of the country due to the lies and sentiments whipped up by the opposition.

Let us help our people by telling them we are all short-changing ourselves if we allow PDP to retain a majority in this election and still control the presidency, preach the message my sister. You have the power and the influence, they will listen to you.

Although I support Buhari Bakare. I'm not too surprised by these results.

This has always been PDP's election to lose.

It will take a popular uprising in the North Central and SW against GEJ for him to lose this election, Name recognition matters. But I still believe the Buhari 23% is too conservative. As long as PDP loses 7-10 more governors and hundreds of National assembly seats to both CPC and ACN, I'm fine till we try again in 4 years.