₦airaland Forum

ProfDumbledor:
Each April and October, the World Poverty Clock data are updated to take into account new household surveys (an additional 97 surveys were made available this April) and new projections on country economic growth from the International Monetary Funds’s World Economic Outlook. These form the basic building blocks for poverty trajectories computed for 188 countries and territories, developed and developing, across the world.
The data highlight two new storylines about what is happening to global extreme poverty.
FIRST: EXTREME POVERTY IN TODAY’S WORLD IS LARGELY ABOUT AFRICA
According to our projections, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon take over the number 2 spot (Figure 1 below). At the end of May 2018, our trajectories suggest that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall. In fact, by the end of 2018 in Africa as a whole, there will probably be about 3.2 million more people living in extreme poverty than there are today.
Already, Africans account for about two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor. If current trends persist, they will account for nine-tenths by 2030. Fourteen out of 18 countries in the world—where the number of extreme poor is rising—are in Africa.
Figure 1: India is moving down in global poverty rankings
Source: Authors’ estimates based on PovCal (World Bank), World Economic Outlook (IMF); World Population Prospects (UN); Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (IIASA), World Income Inequality Database (UNU-WIDER); Algorithm developed by World Data Lab
SECOND: IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE SDG 1 (ENDING POVERTY)
Between January 1, 2016—when implementation of internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) started—and July 2018, the world has seen about 83 million people escape extreme poverty. But if extreme poverty were to fall to zero by 2030, we should have already reduced the number by about 120 million, just assuming a linear trajectory. To get rid of this backlog of some 35 million people, we now have to rapidly step up the pace.
This notwithstanding, the fundamental dynamics of global extreme poverty reduction are clear. Given a starting point of about 725 million people in extreme poverty at the beginning of 2016, we needed to reduce poverty by 1.5 people every second to achieve the goal and yet we’ve been moving at a pace of only 1.1 people per second. Given that we’ve fallen behind so much, the new target rate has just increased to 1.6 people per second through 2030. At the same time, because so many countries are falling behind, the actual pace of poverty reduction is starting to slow down. Our projections show that by 2020, the pace could fall to 0.9 people per second, and to 0.5 people per second by 2022.
As we fall further behind the target pace, the task of ending extreme poverty by 2030 is becoming inexorably harder because we are running out of time. We should celebrate our achievements, but increasingly sound the alarm that not enough is being done, especially in Africa.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/06/19/the-start-of-a-new-poverty-narrative/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=global

Decades and decades of Hausa/fulani + Yoruba trying to destroy Igbos economically have backfired. If the East have potential for ecommerce, industry, importation, manufacturing, services and etc...you site infrastructures like sea port, international airport, good roads and rail road there as enablers in other to enhance those potential fully for Nigeria because Igbos/East is inside the economic GDP of Nigeria not outside it. This trend is now impossible to reverse as a minimum of 7% economic growth is required to out pace 3% population growth. With the 4th industrial revolution(a situation were artificial intelligence and robots are set to take over production line of more advanced economy for their exports, Nigeria is doomed for ever.mind you India and China are twenty times Nigerian population and more skilled. Restructuring of Nigeria 20 years back could have position Nigeria. Obasonjo have realised the tragic misgovernance of past Nigerian governments of which he was at the center of it, but its to late now.

major466:
The world must act fast, Nigeria gradually defending into civil war.

Which "the world"?. As we speak now, the UN troupes in Democratic Republic of Congo are under strick instruction not to interfere in the Eastern part of the Country as tutsi soldiers from rwanda and government army have butchered over 8 million Congolese over the last 5 years.

Listen Bro, as long as Africans are killing themselves, is ok and should be encouraged, and the United Nations are there primarily to supervise the killings and to make sure that other powerful Nations like China or Russia do not interfere.

Zhinurayn17:
NIGERIANS SHOULD STOP LAMENTING AND ACCEPT THE FATE
Lot of disheartening things have being going on in the county which we all know about. But the point I'm trying to drive out is that we Nigerians should stop lamenting and face the reality.
Let take a look at this, a mother of five grown up children that are married so as to have their own families, so do you want to tell me that the five families are proceeding at the same rate and direction. Hell no, cause fingers aren't equal, some will be doing fine while some might not. The same reasoning should be applied to the situation of the country because most nigerians now tend to compare Nigeria with other countries while others blame it on the citizens and some are blaming the leaders.
The idea of comparing Nigeria with other countries should only be based on the fact that we might have some good values to imitate from them and not on the ground of blaming our county because they are better than us. Like I said earlier that fingers aren't equal, so the issue of saying America and some other countries are better than us should be minimized. It's the fault of nobody. It's the nature and its natural and normal for us not to be on the same level. God even mentioned it in the holy book that he didn't bless everyone equally, just like the case of our natural resources, some states have very valuable natural resources while others don't have, so who do we blame that on.
In the cause of blaming the leaders. I think Nigeria has a country, has always being unfortunate from day one when when we were being colonized by the British people, Nigeria even started with pains which makes it clear that the same bad luck that we started with is still prevailing in which no one can question God for. Even as individuals we face one or two challenges in Which we ourselves have no control over Cause it has being designed to be so, now how do we expect human like us to change the destiny and bad luck of a whole country when our personal challenges are also very difficult to tackle. Fine, leaders in other countries are governing well and things are going on well for them all because they are governing a country that has being properly arranged by God. We also complain that the corruption among our leaders is also an utmost problem we are having in the country, so does it mean that leaders of other countries are perfect and also don't embezzle stuffs one way or the other. Nigerian is working just the way God has ordained it to be. So blaming the leaders is just like blaming our parents or husband when they don't give us what we request for of which is never their fault.. I'm not trying to encourage the misconduct of our leaders though, just trying to point it out that we are all human and only our creator can perfect everything for us.
Now, we also blame the citizens of the country, we say we ourselves are not well cultured which we also claim to be one of the problems of the country. We are all human Right from Nigeria to other counties, among everyone are bad and good people. So it isn't as if everyone in other counties are good while everyone in Nigeria are bad. All still popping up from our creator.
Let's all first accept the fate of the country then also be prayerful so God might turn the table around. We have lots of poor people that later became rich and vice versa, so Nigeria too can change anytime from now. Since Nigeria has being a good country before so definitely good time is still coming. We shouldn't lose hope, we should support the leaders with prayer and hope God changes the story again..

For the fact that you spend some time to type this rubbish means, that you truly believe this rubbish.

"Heaven help those who help themselves". Only a confused religious extremist, demented, psychotic and dangerous mind will be calling on Nigerians to accept to non consequential, impunity mass killings by fulani herdsmen as their fate and the will of God and therefore do notting.

Europe was under extreme religious dogma for centuries(as lslam is today) were every adverse condition should be prayed for while fate takes care of the rest, until the age of renaissance( between 14th to 17th century) when enlightenment took the center stage. Some of the outcomes of that period of European enlightenment were nation states, democracy, humanism, science etc..The Asians took it, lipfrog and transform themselves.

My friend, if Nigeria retire to their fate and prayers to solve problems others have solved, to transformed themselves, Nigeria will become extinct, destroy by forces of human evolution and geo-political powe play over time.

iamkeyz:
And the skull mining continues.
NNCAN over to you

Is even better to be a drug dealer than this animalistic way of existence.

buhariguy:
and that is what buhari is doing right now to resist the evil plot of bandit by suicidal suswan

Is it true that fulani represent only 9% of the population?

olasco18:
Buhari is naturally loved by people..despite the hatred frm our flat head brothers.....as for nw i dnt think that there is any candidate dt can unsit buhari

The only candidate being seen for now.

Ovamboland:
They used political appointments and promise of second Niger bridge to isolate SE from voting out gej in 2015, and they fell for the scam. Now concrete and verifiable projects are been used to entice the SW and you expect them to reject it for uncertainty?

Actually I didn't, and you made a valid point. Such politics of appeasement, historically have trapped/arrested Nigerian development/ transformation into a modern society. It has become dysfunctional structural impediment to our collective development/transformation.

Can you imagine, tribal/religious/regional election time politics as the major component in infrastructural development master plan of a country for decades, and you wonder why most Nigerians are wasting away in libya or underneath the Mediterranean sea.

omenkaLives:
I develop a migraine trying to figure out how these guys even manage to make it through a whole day without hanging themselves. They seem pretty much fed up with living.. I don't think the world would miss such elements if they took the easy way out.

I really think the ethnic group you represent, will face extinction first before the Igbos. I don't think Igbo population have entered into the very first phase of extinction protocol like some groups in the middle belt. You and I fully understand that Nigeria under this present structure can never develop to transform into a modern industrialized society commonly obtainable in different parts of earth.This election time appeasement policies towards the SW is a stratagic move to isolate the SW from the SE/SS. Igbos should not worry at all because those ethnic/religious driven policies will continue to bury Nigeria like it has being doing for the last 50 plus years .

OlufunkeAwoyale:
They have hope in the politics of Nigeria if they are ready to let go of their hatred, nepotism and hypocrisy at the detriment of other tribes...
Nigeria is ours, we belongs to this country and we ought to be one irrespective of tribe, religion, sex and territory.
Igbo should respect other tribes and stop causing problems to the country...
God bless Nigeria

Are Yorubas really sophisticated m***ns?, or cannot apply critical reasoning in ther analysis of things?.

...like seriously between Igbos and fulani herdsmens/ their yoruba lackeys who elected them into power......., which group are causing trouble in Nigeria today?.

Yorubas, weather some of you like or not, you are in support of crime of genocide against humanity via Tinubu.

Hausa fulani and yorubas are the ones afraid of igbos........


they have consistently and wickedly even viciously ensured that Igbos race are wiped out from the surface of the earth.......


Since 1945 uptill today.......approx over 6millions igbo lives have been lost.....and still counting....


The terrorist in aso rock with his allies has made it a point of duty to continue the killing for no just cause.......

We trusted them but they betrayed that trust....even uptill today.

....And this is the bane of Nigeria underdevelopment & extreme poverty. Nigeria no more matter in the international skim of things. Societal injustice is the same as institutional corruption. And this leads to institutional collapse, which again leads to dysfunctional and systemic failures in all levels. Under this condition, plus impunity and religious killings, the outcome is extreme poverty and underdevelopment. The yoruba man painted a picture of Igbos vs the rest of Nigeria. This is an age old manifestation of Yoruba hatred towards the Igbos(always looking for other tribes to copt into there hatred towards the Igbos). In today's Nigeria, is the killer fulani herdsmen and there Yoruba supporters vs the rest of Nigeria. And if you want to test if its the truth, the next civil war will not see middle belt, southern kaduna, northern Christians or Niger deltans fighting the Igbos again.

deji17:
#Breaking: Suswam Arrested By DSS In Connection With Benue Killings
By Abdullahi Musa - June 20, 2018

The former Governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam has been picked up by the DSS in connection with the killings in his home state of Benue. A source tells Voice of Liberty that the former Governor has a case to answer as evidence has directly linked him to some of the suspects.

According to the source “the boys perpetrating these gruesome murders are sponsored by Politicians in order to undermine the current Government.”

Voice of Liberty was unable to get through to the DSS to confirm or deny this development.

Army bombards criminal gang hideout

Meanwhile, in another development the hide out of the most wanted criminal suspect in Benue State, Terwase Aguazer alias Gana who is linked to several killings in the State has been bombarded by the army, some of his gang members attested while one of them confessed to the killing of the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ortom on special security Deneen Igbana last two years.

Major General Adeyemi Yekini made this know while briefing news men in Makurdi.

Full Details later…

http://www.libertytvradio.com/breaking-suswam-arrested-by-dss-in-connection-with-benue-killings/

No killer fulani herdsmen have ever being apprehended/prosecuted for all their crimes against humanity. None because, they count on the political support of Yorubas in Nigeria to continue with these atrocities.

BeeBeeOoh:
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/272948-nigerian-govt-outlines-plan-to-permanently-solve-farmers-herders-crisis.html

The key take away here is that the pillars of these policies are focussed soley around herdsmen economic welbeing. In a normal society, protection of life and property and capital punishment on terroristic acts & tendencies should have being the norm before a comprehensive approach to the issues. Not dealing with it from this angle, embolden the herdsmen under this government protection to now accelerate the agenda of the jihadists & islamization toward the southern Nigeria, hence these new policies are crafted to achieve.....key word: "policies of acceleration of the Islamic agenda" because they have limited opportunistic time like now.

omoelerin1:
these are the people that want a sovereign nation. they even have hatred towards one another.
to be sincere, hatred is naturally in their genes.

I kind of sensed 'the bloody taste kind of hatred from your assertion'. The kind of hatred between Ebony & Anambra are not the kind that will lead to genocide or hateful killings going on in middle belt. You wished that kind of hatred among Igbos simple, and that makes you a blood thirst hateful creature.

NonsoWow:
If Umahi can show us one street where his abakaliki people have made an impact economically, we may consider doing so. But check the length and breadth of anambra state, you won't find one! Their handwork is crime and agboro.

...but let me ask oo, is there an Awka or Onitsha st in Ebony State?..

Mogidi:
5 Christians sentenced to death.
How many herdsmen have been sentenced to death considering they're the perpetrators of these killings?

Ask Yorubas as they are celebrating democracy day for Abiola while the killings of Nigerians by terrorists and the proctection of the same terrorists by this government escalates.

DeOTR:
It's quite unfortunate that Buhari and his goons are now spokespersons for herdsmen.
Herdsmen or not, instead of apprehending the culprits that have been killing innocent people almost everyday of this year, all they do is make silly excuses that further expose their culpability in the mess. Is anyone else with brain still in doubt that the Fulani government is fully coordinator this genocide?
I'm sure, very soon this crisis will escalate and the army will not be able to contain the reprisal attacks on Fulani. They will have no one to blame but themselves

Are you imploring that the region that voted for him have no brain/sophisticated morons?.

resurgent2019:
Na you sabi ooo. As far as those “dirty” ones continue to have it better than you in this country, no wahala.

You can continue swimming in your bigotry.

By what measurements??...(a) Politic?, with no meaningfull development or transformation to the people of your region in decades.

(B) Economic?. You be the judge on that by honest estimation of your per capita income and theirs on an average persons from both regions.

(C) Entertainment?, may be, jury not out yet.

(D) Sports?........

(E) Beauty?.......

(F) regional infrastructures? Yes for now.

(G) Diaspora fx inflows?.... You already know the answer.

And l believe you mentioned the word bigotry..right?. The honest truth is that your own side and the northern side you are subservient to due to your bigotry to the other side have covered the whole value chain of bigotry. From bigotry to extreme hate to actual genocide of the same side you are accusing of just bigotry. I wonder what your action will be if the side you are accusing of bigotry are actually the side doing bigotry + extreme hate + genocide in the middle belt?.

chequemate:
Enough is Enough.....no more recycling of selfish, zero concern, cabal reporting leaders! Let's give Sowore the chance. He has been a fighter for years. .. We can all acknowledge we've been disappointed so many times by these politicans..We need fresh minds... !

Nigeria must work for Nigerians!

Intelligent Omoyele Sowore is the man!

Takeitback is the movement!

If Nigeria must work for all Nigerians, then you Yorubas must give the East a chance to present their own qualified candidates. If you really care about Nigeria working.

benben1000:
Another article by an afonja. There is no real problem between Igbos and Yoruba except Yoruba envy of Igbo...THAT'S IT. Igbo have never done anything evil to yoruba....never! Yoruba has been the one committing all sorts of evil on Igbos out of envy. Take for instance after the colonial whites left Nigeria, Igbo dominated virtually every government agency and institution in Nigeria by merit, this was what brought the fear and hate for Igbos, and soon Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba saw Igbos as a threat to their survival. One way to verfy this is just watch the video of Saraduna of Sokoto; that video was taped before the civil war and before the 1966 coup; in case they want to use the coup as the reason why Igbos are hated even though majority of the actors were Yorubas. That video alone by Sarduna should make it clear the Igbo hate started way before the civil war and 1966 coup. PURELY OUT OF ENVY AND JEALOUSY!

Back to my point how did Hausa-Fulani deceive Awolowo to support them to massacre Igbos? They told him...see, Igbos dominate every institution in this country, including institutions in SW, since they cannot compete with Igbos NATURALLY, that the only way for them to catch up with Igbos or move ahead them is by sabotaging and destroying them. Awolowo immediately agree, that's why despite killing millions of Igbos during the war via starvation, he went as further as expropriating Igbo wealth and used it to fund scholarships for their kinsmen to catch up with Igbo. But as God would have it despite his wicked evil plans working for 20 yrs after the war, the Igbos as God chosen people have since recovered and taken their rightful positions back, not only as the most educated but also most successful by a large margin away from Yorubas, who have also been passed by SS.

So stop these lies about Igbo vs Yoruba. Igbo have nothing against yoruba, even despite yoruba killing millions of their own and expropriating their wealth, they never revenged, but slowly work their way back up to their rightful position. Another way to see this is since 1960 Igbos have fighting to stay on their own to stop this yoruba vs Igbo tension, but ironically Yoruba don't want to leave Igbos alone, they want Igbos in Nigeria with them. So, who is the one looking for trouble? To me, it's yoruba!

Spot on. Great analysis. This is why in today's Nigeria, Yorubas lack philosophical and ideological grasp in understanding and analysing practical solutions to Nigeria myriads of problems, except few of them(mostly Christians) who are very vocal and loud with very few followers.

It is self evidence in today's Nigeria, that 100% of Yoruba population, do not like the killings going on in different parts of the country, but lack the real power to persuade the Fulani President(there supposedly equal political partners in the Nigerian project)to stop feeling indifference towards this killings from his kins men, but at the same time, will show 80% support to Arewa/fulani during elections, as a result of institutional conspiracy between them and hausa/fulani to politically hold the Igbo man down for ever. All these have brought upon 80% of their people a weak philosophical and ideological grasp to concrete and practical solutions to get Nigeria out of woods of underdevelopment, backwardness and so many other factors that have prevented Nigeria in becoming a modern transformed society of which them/hausa fulanis are suffering gravelly.

Yoruba support and the feeling of equal partnership with Hausa/fulani(atleast from Tinubu standpoint) is a blind one, and let me prove it to them with some few questions.

1. As equal partners with the Ariwa North, can the Yorubas get away with the killings of other Nigerians if they choose to say in lagos?.

2. If Ariwa North on their own, take a position that Biafrans can now go, can Yorubas who are more vocal against Biafra on their own fight Biafrans to stay with them?

If the answers to these questions are no, then Op analysis has a very weak logical and philosophical bearings to it.

deomelo:
lol @ another meaningless ipob headache.


Suffer head villagers...

Shithole nigeria is your universe, and you can never escape that darkness. While a group of nigerians are using killings(human blood) to dug in themselves into more darkness and dammnation, you ambush the conscious ones, the light seekers, the ones trying to escape the darkness and dammnation, to pull them down into your world of darkness and dammnation and you really think, you will succeed??, or you really think darkness must cover the light??...

yarimo:
BUHARI is the most honest and truthful nigeria president since 1960.

"Honest & truthful" to mostly west African black Muslims are abomination to originally Afrocentic Christain dominated black West Africans.

To fill in all the government posts with people from a section of the country is an abominable domestic policy because its attack on our collective existence and foundation. There is nothing honest and truthful about these kind of policies, rather, they are satanic & demonic driving.

The on-going genocides in some part of the country by a section of the country(the prisedent tribes men), and the President indifference towards the perpetrators of these crime against humanity has no truth & honesty in them.

Fourwinds:
useless country with foolish leadership

Nigeria under Hausa/fulani/un strategic thinking Yorubas have lost African political independence won by rivers of African blood for ever.

All this...to counter the Chinese win, win strategy in Africa which is working well in Kenya, Ethiopia and etc.

joeyfire:
It is such a privilege to be here in a conference in honour of Professor Chinua Achebe, an inspiration and teacher to all of us.
I have a long connection to Nigeria. Not only was I, an Ambassador there, I have travelled to and from Nigeria for a number of years and have a deep and abiding vital emotional attachment to the Nigerian people, their magnificence, their courage, artistic brilliance, their irony, sense of humour in the face of challenges, etc.

And, I hope that we keep that in mind when I say some things that I think are counter to what we normally say about Nigeria. And, I say that with all due respect to Eric Silla, who is doing a magnificent work at State Department and to our good friends from the legislature; because I have a feeling that we both Nigerians and Americans may be doing Nigeria and Nigerians no favour by stressing Nigeria's strategic importance.


I know all the arguments: It is a major oil-producer, it is the most populous country in Africa, it has made major contributions to Africa in peace-keeping, and, of course, negatively if Nigeria were to fall apart, the ripple effects would be tremendous, etc. But, I wonder if all this emphasis on Nigeria's importance creates a tendency to inflate Nigeria's opinion of its own invulnerability.

Among much of the elite today, I have the feeling that there is a belief that Nigeria is too big to fail, too important to be ignored, and that Nigerians can go on ignoring some of the most fundamental challenges they have,many of which we have talked about: a disgraceful lack of infrastructure, the growing problems of unemployment, the failure to deal with the underlying problems in the Niger-Delta, the failure to consolidate democracy; and somehow feel will remain important to everybody because of all those reasons that are strategically important.
And I am not sure that that is helpful.

Let me sort of deconstruct those elements of Nigeria's importance, and ask whether they are as relevant as they have been.

One in five Africans is a Nigerian, so…

We often hear that one in five Africans is a Nigerian. What does it mean? Do we ever say one in five Asians is a Chinese? Chinese power comes not just for the fact that it has a lot of people but it has harnessed the entrepreneurial talent and economic capacity and all the other talents of China to make her a major economic force and political force.

What does it mean that one in five Africans is Nigeria? It does not mean anything to a Namibian or a South African. It is a kind of conceit. What makes it important is what is happening to the people of Nigeria. Are their talents being tapped? Are they becoming an economic force? Is all that potential being used?

And the answer is Not really

And oil. Yes, Nigeria is a major oil producer, but Brazil is now launching a 10-year programme that is going to make it one of the major oil producers in the world.

And every other country in Africa is now beginning to produce oil.
And Angola is rivaling Nigeria in oil production, and the United States has just discovered a huge gas reserve which is going to replace some of our dependence on imported energy.

So if you look ahead ten years, is Nigeria really going to be that relevant as a major oil producer, or just another of the many oil producers while the world moves on to alternative sources of energy and other sources of supply?

How influencial is Nigeria?

And what about its influence and contributions to the continent? As our representative from the parliament talked about, there is a great history of those contributions. But that is history.

Is Nigeria really playing a major role today in the crisis in Niger on its border, or in Guinea, or in Darfur, or, after making many promises, any contributions to Somalia?

The answer is no. Today Nigeria is not making a major impact on its region, or on the African Union or on the big problems of Africa.
What about its economic influence?

Well, as we have talked about earlier, there is a de-industrialisation going on in Nigeria” lack of infrastructure and power means that with imported goods under globalisation, Nigerian factories are closing and more people are becoming unemployed. Nigeria is becoming a kind of society that imports and exports and lives off the oil, which does not make it a significant economic entity.

Now, of course, on the negative side, the collapse of Nigeria would be enormous, but is that a point to make Nigeria strategically important?
Years ago, I worked for an Assistant Secretary of State who had the longest tenure in that job in the 1980s; and I remember in one meeting a Minister from a country not very friendly to the United States, came in and was berating the Assistant Secretary on all the evils of the United States and all its dire plots and in-things in Africa.

He was going on and on and finally the Assistant Secretary cut him off and said, You know, the biggest danger for your relationship with the United States is not our opposition but that we will find you irrelevant.”

Nigeria-America relationship

The point is that Nigeria can become much less relevant to the United States. We have already seen evidence of it when President Obama went to Ghana and not to Nigeria. He was sending a message that Ghana symbolised more of the significant trends, issues and importance that one wants to put on Africa than Nigeria.

And when I was asked by journalists why President Obama did not go to Nigeria, I said, what would he gain from going? Would Nigeria be a good model for democracy? Would it be a model for good governance? Would he obtain new commitments on Darfur or Somalia or strengthen the African Union or in Niger or elsewhere?

No he would not, so he did not go.

And when Secretary Clinton did go, indeed, she also went to Angola. Who would have thought years ago that Angola would be the most stable country in the Gulf of Guinea and establish a binominal commission in Angola?

So the handwriting may already be on the wall, and that is a sad commentary.
What it means is that Nigeria's most important strategic importance in the end could be that it has failed.

That is a sad, sad conclusion. It does not have to happen, but I think that we ought to stop talking about what a great country it is, and how terribly important it is to us and talk about what it would take for Nigeria to be that important and great.

It takes an enormous amount of commitment. You do not need saints, you do not need leaders like Nelson Mandela in every state, because you are not going to get them.

South Korean example

I served in South Korea in the middle of the 1960s and it was at the time when South Korea was poor and considered hopeless. But she was turning around, later to become, to every person's amazement, then the eleventh largest economy in the world. I remember the economist in my mission saying,it did not bother him that the leading elite in the government of South Korea were taking 15 to 20 per cent off the top of every project, as long as every project was a good one.

That was the difference. The leadership at the time was determined to solve the fundamental economic issues of South Korea and turn her economy around.

It has not happened in Nigeria today. You don't need saints. It needs leaders who say, You know we could be becoming irrelevant, and we got to do something about it.

Princeton Lyman - Former US Ambassador to Nigeria

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/01/nigeria-becoming-irrelevant-in-the-world/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

"Not surprise". Decades of oppression and marginalization of Igbos, wanton killings, arrogance/impunity of the northern genocidists/jihadists supported by the envious Yorubas have taken the wind off Nigerian future. Irrelevance, means among others the dearth of aspirations, implosion, fragmentation, sliding backwards into oblivion.

Yorubas, are you surprise??..

chichichilong:
The problem at hand is not the president’s declaration to run in 2019 for a second term neither is it whether he will be voted for or not but who is fit to compete with him. Who is better than Buhari among other past leaders that are also popping out their ugly heads to rule Nigeria come 2019? Are they not all the same? We admit that Buhari is not fit to rule Nigeria for another four years from 2019 but who can take the mantle from him?
For complete news story visit: http://idealolive..com.ng/2018/04/president-buharis-declaration-any.html

Kinsley Moghalu is light years ahead of Buhari and his is running, and his is a Nigerian too.

NASTYNASOSO:
Ndigbo You may hate President Buhari for whatever reason, but there is something every Igbo must agree in his administration.

Since 1999, this is the first time, all the federal roads in southeast are receiving attention. In times like this, we must acknowledge some silent facts.

All the major federal roads in Igboland are under reconstruction, no president since 1999 has remembered us this way in terms of reviving the dearth of federal infrastructures in our region.

Why acknowledging this feat, we must as a people begin to differentiate between ethnic sentiment and genuine projects being upgraded that have direct benefit to our people.

These are some of the federal roads that works are ongoing in Igboland.

Pls verify and confirm.

They are;

1. Oba – Nnewi – Okigwe road linking Anambra state with Imo state.
2. Otuocha – Ibaji – Nzam road in Anambra state.
3. Abakaliki – Onueke-Abomega – Afikpo road
4. Nnenwe – Uduma – Uburu road connecting Enugu state with Ebonyi state.
5. Oji – Achi – Mmaku – Awgu road in Enugu state.
6. Ozalla – Akpugo – Amagunze road in Enugu state.
7. IkotEkpene – Aba.
8. Enugu-Onitsha expressway.
9. Enugu-PH expressway.

Southeast roads have not had this good.

Let's thank President Buhari for this.

Election campaign speeches; Igbos don't be deceived.

One reality we Igbos have already verified and confirmed is that Hausa/fulani with the aids of most Yorubas will always kill Igbos in order to prevent Igbos from ascending and not the verification and confirmation of federal roads in the East.

joeyfire:
They are not interested in making any port in the east viable. No be today matter

Explain further...

uba1991:
According to d pigs. Dis is gej project

Subhuman's politics in action.

Aquariann:
How did we get to a stage when we talk about quota system? You need to answer this question first.

Secondly, you know So much about quota system, yet none of you complained when 72 of your tribes men were made principals out of a possible 104 slots.

The problem is that you lot always bury your heads in the sand when the situation favour you but are the first to scream injustice when you feel you are losing. Your hypocrisy stinks.

And No, the Eastern states, just like most states in Nigeria all have a minimum of three unity colleges. This information is verifiable So stop shouting like someone shortchanged.

I ask again, why did Aguiyi Ironsi and co make the unification decree? What were they looking for in the North? Until you answer these questions, suck whatever you get and shut up.

Fool, if you implemented decrees/policies that have stunted the transformation of any society over 50yrs ago, can't such policy/decree be changed a s a p for that society to continue progressing??.

Are you such a subhuman that you stop evolving??..

SSGN:
The recent military agreement between Ghana and the United States basing of U.S military personnel, the admission of Morocco, a north African country into ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and the consideration of Tunisia’s request to join the West African bloc brings to fore the fact that ECOWAS as a regional bloc no longer serves the interest of Nigeria.

We should not be in the business of pledging our financial resources to help countries just because as a regional giant we are expected to do so. We should not be sending our brave soldiers in a measure of devotion to defend West African countries on a whim just because as the regional giant Nigeria is by default expected to do so.Their sole duty of the Nigerian military is to defend the citizens of Nigerians who pay their salaries and owe allegiance to Nigeria, which Ghana, Sierra-leon, Gambia, Togo, etc do not.

For that reason among others. Nigeria should invoke whatever Article is required to withdraw from ECOWAS. The billions spent maintaining the regional bloc will be better spent on investments in infrastructure. As Africa’s biggest economy we should be aiming towards forging strategic economic ties with China, India, Brazil or the European Union, not playing petty big brother diplomacy.

The ECOWAS economic integration charter gives countries with a tiny GDP access to Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy and 200 million consumer market, the biggest consumer market in Africa, while Nigeria gets access to tiny, underdeveloped economies with a non-existent market.

Nigeria’s ECOWAS membership goes contrary to the 1999 amended constitutions policy of billions for subsidizing ECOWAS to serve Nigeria’s interest, but not one Naira for Empire or entangling alliances.

ECOWAS was established in May 28, 1974 not in self-defence, but to provide economic and military protection to West African countries not strong enough to fend off or resist big power bullying, which became apparent when France carried out several atomic bomb tests, not in France I Europe, but in West Africa. Exposing the people of Niger to harmful radiation.

Nigeria’s sense of brotherhood morphed into making West Africa safe for democracy by employing Nigeria’s powerful military, not unilaterally but under the auspices of ECOWAS to defend every member state from internal and external aggression.

As we can see self-defence did not push us into joining ECOWAS. In 1975 we were the most militarily and economically dominant nation in black Africa. Nigeria’s currency was running neck and neck with the British pounds, higher than the U.S dollar. The oil glut made Nigeria incredibly rich. Nigeria emerged from civil war stronger and richer.

Nigeria created ECOWAS as part of a gratuitous, preoccupation with containing the imperialist drive of colonial powers who, despite granting independence refused to leave their colonies alone. Secure in her oil wealth Nigeria was not vulnerable to economic imperialism.

The cost of subsidizing the security of the region Bloc is astonishing. Nigeria for instance spent $10 billion in a five-year period restoring peace to two ECOWAS member states in a civil war that had spilled into one country and threatened to expand into other member states. In January 2017 the Nigerian government spent $300 million to restore democracy in the Gambia.

ECOWAS enabled Nigeria to dominate West Africa. We were ECOWAS’s torso, while West Africans were ECOWAS’s limbs. As of this writing Nigeria accounts for 75 percent of ECOWAS’s budget and has soldiers, teachers, health experts, lawyers scattered across member states helping them develop.

ECOWAS marked an unprecedented break in African history. Not only was it the first fully integrated alliance ever, but it was the first time could practice its long-held foreign policy of Africa being the centre peace, by promoting and preserving peace everywhere in the West Africa.

But today times have chamged.ECOWAS is more ill-conceived at present, having expanded to admitting North African countries into the bloc, ostensibly to challenge Nigeria’s dominance, than it was in 1975 . Among other things, we are committed to defending ECOWAS member states from the very countries the member states are falling head-over-heels to establish economic and military alliances with. We are also absurdly committed to defending the admittance of a powerful North African country to ECOWAS all in the name of political correctness.

Nigeria’s efforts to collaborate with the leaders and people of the 16 member states to steer a democratic course have obviously being an exercise in futility. The evidence makes you wonder if our members of ECOWAS is inherently more threatening to Nigeria, than are our authoritarian or tyrannical next door neighbours.

A recent application by Tunisia to join the regional bloc is under review. While the proliferation of French and American military bases around Nigeria’s periphery was a cause for concern, Nigeria’s diplomatic, military and economic dominance of the ECOWAS regional bloc, with a net GDP of $1.4 trillion compensated for the challenge to Nigeria sphere of influence. The thought of an American or French military in an Anglo-phone ECOWAS member state was unthinkable.

The first domino to fall was Niger Republic. The construction of a $100 million Reaper drone base came as a surprise as there was no consultation with Nigeria to that effect. The construction of a second $100 million drone base in Agadez, Niger Republic at time when Boko Haram is more or less a spent force, was enough to raise eyebrows. For Mali, of course, France retained a significant force in the country after its military operation against the Tuaregs rebels. That was expected.

The big surprise here is Ghana. At a stroke, Nigeria’s closest ally and second most important ECOWAS member state just completely changed the strategic dynamics of ECOWAS. Everybody wants a piece of West Africa.

As the strategic environment in West Africa became more crowded and competitive, there was always the possibility, albeit remote, that external actors may someday diminish Nigeria’s influence by undermining Nigeria’s development and diplomatic effort.

French West Africa is already taken. Half these countries are dictatorships, the rest are in the doldrums. There is a reason why ex French colonies are the poorest and least developed in Africa. Nigeria and Ghana were the exception in majority French region.

Ghana claims it will not offer a military base to the U.S. That is delibrate naivety or actual naivety. Engaging with external actors like the United States and France will continue with open discussions of intersected interests and differences to Nigeria. It’s time Nigeria realises it has to withdraw its membership of ECOWAS and chart a new course for its future.

Leaving ECOWAS will set the stage for Nigeria’s soul-searching. Among other things it will force Nigeria to forge closer economic and diplomatic ties with China and Russia. France and the United States would certainly claim the sphere of influence over the ECOWAS, but that would be un-alarming as Nigeria will be too busy charting a new course.

Chinese firms have invested billions of dollars in building infrastructure in Africa, not military bases. China’s contribution to Africa, should be a catalyst for Nigeria to expand its economic relationship with China where both parties will mutually benefit.

The United States and France has a very arrogant attitude that it takes towards people from Africa, and that’s to set aside the fact that the United States does not have the financial or economic wherewithal to compete with China in any case. The U.S interference in the internal affairs of African countries is in sharp contrast to Chinese engagement with Africans. Nigeria is better served ridding itself off the shackles of petty regional responsibilities and take on the big league on the global stage.

To make Nigeria more prosperous, secure and grow to its potential, ECOWAS should be made a museum along with other artifacts of Nigeria’s decades long big brother engagement with its neighbours.


https://defensenigeria.com/2018/04/08/is-it-time-for-nigeria-to-quit-ecowas/

Shut the Bleep up fool. Nigeria(Yoruba/Hausa fulani) over the ages have engaged through every available means to destroy the Igbos (genocide, jihadists expansion, infrastructure marginalization, fulani headsmen killings, boko haram), not knowing that they are still destroying the same Nigeria as a major country within a region that has being evolving away from the vision of their founding fathers.

Idiot, do you now blame Morroco, Tunisia or US military agreement with Ghana when your preoccupation is collective hatred towards Igbos than being pro Nigeria. Ghanaians after years and years of higher expectations from their stupid big brother have decided to act in a way that will benefit them and harmful to Nigerian interest, and expect more.

Roger3D:
I am sick and tired of the hypocritical ‘political correctness’ and intimidation by way of claims to ‘hate speech’ in the matter of drugs addiction among Arewa youths. We are gradually losing our youths to drugs - and the gradual has since become rapid. We must therefore call a spade a spade - and whatever a shovel will say, let it!

The other day I visited an inner-city neighbourhood in Kano City for a midday meeting. The young boys I saw all appeared stoned, high, drugged. When they spoke (“A gama lafiya Honourable!” and “Me za mu samu ne Yallabai?” etc), they eliminated all doubt about their state of mind; the slurred speech, the gait, the mannerism, the unkempt hair, the I-don’t-care-attitude all combined to tell me this is, sadly, an almost lost generation.

Over the past year, I have attended dozens of conferences and roundtables on drugs. Over the same period, I have heard our elite and leaders speak on this epidemic, pandemic, that has almost completely annihilated a whole generation. All speakers condemn, cajole, appeal, warn, but none seems to be addressing the crux of the matter - SUPPLY!

And that’s what I’m going to do today as I did recently at yet another roundtable where I was quoted to have blamed a minority within a certain ethnic group of being the major suppliers of drugs to OUR, not THEIR, youths. Our youths, and us, are under siege wallahi. And the earlier we jettison all fear of Diaporic Curses by Loud-Mouthed Internet Warriors, the better for us.

Let me say this - I am Hausa-Fulani. Despite my Fulani-ness, I have time without number condemned so-called herdsmen who are mainly Fulani AND who are involved in criminal activities. I again condemn them and call on them to fear God and recant. So, if herders are Fulani, and that’s not hate speech, I see no reason why the identity of drugs traffickers who are destroying our youths cannot be said. Every ethnic group should be courageous enough to do as much - condemn the criminal elements among them. And that’s not asking for too much.

As an academician and journalist, it comes easy, by Allah’s Leave, to be able to do some little research and follow-throughs on this matter. The following are a few illustrations:

“The Katsina State Command of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA…said it had…impounded a trailer in Dutsenreme area of Funtua loaded with 24,000 bottles…of cough syrup with codeine in a trailer from Onitsha to Funtua…Among those arrested are Christian Chukwuma and Obiora Chukwuma…”

“A hard drug (Intoxicant) supplier, identified as Stanley Arinze, has been arrested by the Kano Police Command for trying to smuggle hard drugs...The tablets worth N19, 200,000 were intercepted after being concealed inside LG Plasma TV cartons in a trailer along Kano Eastern bye-pass. The man, a native of Anambra State, reportedly supplies Tramadol tablets to Kano and Republic of Niger…” and “Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja…sentenced a man, Mr. Anthony Chidi Ikeab[/b]a, to 14 years imprisonment for unlawfully importing 1.782 kg of cocaine into the country…”

“Officials of the…NDLEA at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos prevented two Nigerians from execution in Malaysia…[b]Onovo Sylvester Henry…and Ufiri Onyedika Emmanuel…were caught attempting to smuggle 2.575kg of methamphetamine to Malaysia where drug offences attract capital punishment. Nnamdi John Kingsley was nabbed while taking delivery of the television sets containing heroin…“ I have also asked in previous articles: “Where is that container of tramadol intercepted a few months ago by a team of patriotic customs officers destined for No. 3, Festing Road, Sabon Gari, Kano? Where are the arrested and named traffickers Mr. Stanley Arinze, Mr. Onuchukwu Benjamin Owulu and Mr. Igboanugo Vincent Tochukwu?”

and And then, if this doesn’t alarm you, nothing else will, ever! “NAFDAC has intercepted 33 containers of tramadol which were being conveyed to a yet-to-be-ascertained location in Nigeria…The disclosure was made by the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Adeyeye, in Abuja…”

Arewa, are we also drugged? Why would we just sit down and watch people from elsewhere just come and destroy our youths in broad daylight? Why is nobody following up on these traffickers? Where are the prosecutors and the judges who are alleged to be conniving and using technicalities to release - purportedly on bail - these traffickers who more often than not are never arrested again?

I know some economics. I even know many economists - they of the ‘on the one hand…and on the other hand…’ In fact, I even spoke at a Dinner by BUK Economics Students Class of 2008 just last week. I know inflation and what a small salary can’t do; I know scarcity and glut, in layman’s language ‘over-supply’.

My little knowledge tells me supply trumps demand. Elementary economics, as explained on Wikipedia, says “When supply of a product goes up, the price of a product goes down and demand for the product can rise because it costs less.” Key words here: “Costs Less”. We, therefore, must staunch the supply.

It is good that “Two draft bills have been initiated for legislation to tackle drug abuse in the country...The proposed bills are the National Drug Control Bill and National Mental Health Bill…”

This is all good. The Senate President and his colleagues were in Kano recently, and they promised to do something about drugs abuse. Apparently, they are keeping to their words. But is this enough?

The Senate President should listen to the call by NAFDAC DG Prof Adeyeye: “The National Assembly should amend the law such that drug peddlers could be given stiffer penalties…Using drugs is centrally controlled or central nervous system-based which means it hits the brain immediately and it changes the user to somebody else. During the first use and second use, the brain of the user becomes very different because of dependence. The youths are then no longer able to control themselves, and that is where the crimes, terrorism, come in. Therefore, please let the word go out that drug use comes with consequences. Many youths are dying of drug overdose because it is very easy for them to access addictive drugs…”

Our children are massively into drugs because there is massive, unceasing and incessant supply. We must staunch the supply. Then review our laws. Then detoxify our children. Or simultaneously and concurrently.

We all wonder why we cannot bring capital punishment to national crimes such as drugs trafficking and, to be politically-correct, to kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and murder. Is Thailand more sensible than us, for example?

Two NDLEA State Commanders I follow closely are Kano’s Hamza Umar and Katsina’s Maryam Sani who are genuinely as concerned as I am on this very serious matter. This is not to say the others are not making effort, but Kano, Jigawa and Katsina are my immediate neighbourhood.

So, let’s recap - the Katsina Elite (I will here particularly appeal to senior academic colleague the Wazirin Katsina Prof Sani Lugga) should rise and help Maryam Sani of NDLEA and follow up on the Funtua case. The Kano Elite - LEADS of Barr. Aisha Dankani and Concerned Kano Citizens of Alhaji Bashir Tofa for example - should help Hamza Umar of NDLEA to unearth the matter of 3 Festing Road Sabon Gari and ‘drugs in plasma television’.

Pan-Arewa, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Northern CAN, Usman Bugaje’s Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and those Arewa October Youths must just have to collaborate and do something in unison, for once.

We just have to do it, and may Allah make it easy for us.



https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/drugs-arewa-must-defend-itself.html

Just separate your people from infidel Igbos.

Alariiwo:
Truth be told, it's a sad development..

But then, Zik an Igbo man stood against the referendum clause, claiming he wanted one Nigeria by fire by force out of greed to rule over all other tribes.

The reason you didn't see reactions is cos you Igbos are the architects of your own downfall in Nigeria.

Still calling zik after 60 yrs plus, after you 've taken your pound of flesh against his people (Yorubas joined in genocide against Igbos). They now want to separate from you animals to avoid the exchange of hate daily on nairaland.