@ Sagamite

And his timely counsel

Na wah for all of una for this NL o !

@Sagamite
Thanks for the lecture

But age isnt necessarily chronological, and could also be used in relative term, as in time spent somewhere. Am I correct Sir?

I understand your point, and have seen shocking postings here

You accept/eat olive no really concern me, but nobody has the right on this forum to call others name

I rest my case

lol @ Sagamite
I thought you addressed me as JJC, which is a new kid on the block. Very accurate man! That is where age comes in woth regards to NL

Anyway, I still think and believe we could debate freely without name calling

And the man was dignified enough to extend the olive branch to you elders. I think you'll accept it, wont you

lol @Sagamite
I like your style man, and I will take your elderly advice and be on the look out for those people you intellectually described

But have you realised that sometimes in life, it is not by age?

I certainly dont understand what English grammar has got to do with it

We learnt English, and many Presidents of other countries cant even fluently speak it without an interpreter and yet are respected e.g China

I wonder why we bother so much about non-essentials, after all it was evidently clear from the interview that Jonathan established rapport, was understood and ended up communicating

So, what's all these wranglings about? Na WAEC or JAMB?

@ Kenezi
Though you might have a point there, but in fairness, the omission would generally have made some people suspicious, as if you were biased. You could have left the debate for the floor with the reseach details and members will argue it out

@Sagamite
I believe what @Frosbel is saying is that we should be more civilised on this forum and intellectually reason together without calling people names, though we not with keen interest your signature. Your opinion isnt necessarily the most accurate

The research itself is flawed, lazily conducted and cannot be relied on

Now, we're even and still Nigerians despite our diversity of religion and opinion. Right?  

Infidelity presupposes unfaithfulness to a relationship

But my friends, the logic in politics is quite different

In politics, there is no permanent friendship; what is permanent is interest i.e. gains

What you judge to be relationship in a party is only a group of people with common interests, and when interests change, then you're allowed to abandon ship or even jump ship

Politics is a dirty business, not for the faint-hearted

@ Lasthy

Who is your source?

Without a credible source, it is nothing but rumour peddling!

@ Mama-gee

You got to be kidding me!

Kenya, yes! But Algeria, 'ell no!

Thank you very much  

@ Onlytruth

I see your points and do understand your distress. But there are a few issues here

From your viewpoint, no Nigerian should be picking stuffs from the dumps because of the huge resources we enjoy from Baba God, and particularly also, we as a people are a very proud nation, and a religious one as well. You're absolutely correct

But believe me, there are slums everywhere in the world, including the West and even in the Almighty USA. Why do you think Obama is trying to reform the Health insurance system of the USA, of course with stiff opposition from the wealthy with vested interest? - because there are millions of Americans who cant afford to live the American dream! They die like rats because they can't afford hospital treatment! Does that sound familiar?

The only difference is that the ratio of people living in abject poverty here is unfairly massive because of endemic corruption, compared to the West who have some safety nets in their system to help people meet their basic needs in form of Social Welfare benefits for the unemployed, shelter for the homeless, 3 square meals for the downtrodden etc, though they might be neck deep in debt till the day they die. The Social benefits system get more pruned down as you move from Western Europe to the greedy pure Capitalist USA, a country we're branding Nigeria after

The culture of Capitalism is simply - Let's be greedy together to make wealth AND if you don't work, you cannot and must not eat. If you're lucky and belong to the clique you're comfortable and if not, then unfortunately by social selection, you become a common man

The people in these pictures are crudely seeking the gold buried in the rubble. Have you heard of 'Making wealth from the refuse', a slogan popularised by the Green friends of the planet who belief in recycling? This is now in vogue in the West, but is done in a modernised fashion, that is, mechanised! There are springing industries dedicated to processing and recycling refuse.

What happens is that the West becomes shocked when they see people picking these recyclable items from our open dumpsites, and possibly wonder, 'see what the're eating!', because they are not used to seeing that in their countries openly. The same way they wonder why there is perrenial food shortage here and how our farmers are breaking their backs cultivating the land with hoe and machette (cutlass), when machines could easily do acres in minutes!

They are shocked when they see no running taps and people drinking from the river. Come to the West, and your heart will break as it is common place for Charity organisations to advertise on TV, ' Please donate money to help feed poor Africa', and they will be showing starving children in Somalia, or ' Please donate money to help build wells so that poor African children dont die from diseases caught from drinking polluted water', and they'll show a village in Uganda; as if Somalia and Uganda arent just 2 countries in the vast highy disorganised continent of Africa. Many even think Africa is a country! So, do you see their viewpoint?

We all dream for a better Nigeria because in fairness, we deserve it, but the people shown in these pictures are simply going about (though crudely) their legitimate daily jobs in order to feed thei families and tens of extended family dependants. They look happy, still remember to have a break and pray to God (and who knows, one of them might become tomorrow a Councillor, Local Govt Chairman, Governor etc by the help of God they pray to), and more respectably, they have not turned into armed robbers. Any legitimate job is dignifying, no matter how menial! We should not be ashamed or made to look down on ourselves because of the conflicts of cultures and opinions

Please, a standing ovation to the die-hard and rugged Nigerian spirit!  

I think it is common practice in Western world for people under investigation to have travel restrictions particularly outside of the country, up to the point of submitting their Passport and signing daily at the local police station.

This hasnt in any way taken from him the right to roam around the lenght and breadth of this vast Nigeria, and should try by road Lagos to Maiduguri to start with. And by the way, he must be aware of the fact that he should ask for permission

If it is not that he is used to breaking the fundamentals of democratic setting, which is respect for law and order, why did he risk travelling by flaunting the order in the first place?

I dont think any one of us is qualified to make a case for this learned fellow. We are in democracy and he is a SAN. He knows his rights ( and even his lefts surprisingly). He should sue the Fed Govt and wait for the next 2 years before his case is heard like ordinary citizens of this great country; following which the case will be adjourned for the next 9 months or so

And if he protests the delay, he should be respectfully told, 'This is the normal operation of the judiciary system in the democratic Nigerian state; your case will be heard in due course'

That is so cooool!

I tell you, there is a great deal in a name - GOODLUCK!

Extremely saddening to note that stealing, and not just mere stealing, but stealing with reckless abandonment, has now become a culture in Nigeria

Stealing and mega-stealing as if in a frenzy, is like a drug of addiction for public office holders - they like getting the buzz from it

The poor and down-trodden in the society steal in order to eat, the well-off steal millions and billions to get the highs and ruin many generations after them

Everywhere you look, some stealings are going on, be it micro or mega

Stealing is only punished in the lower classed, but hailed and glamorised by the highly placed in the society often with the Law and Police suddenly becoming paralysed in the latter's case

This metastatic cancer is eating deep into the fabric of the nation, and no doctor as at yet could tell exactly, how many more years Nigeria has got left before being bled dry and simply drop dead

And surprisingly still, the down-trodden will not only give chieftancy titles of acceptance and recognition but will also vote in the pot-bellied mega-thief in an election, only for the cycle of thiefing to continue. And then the down-trodden plunged further into deeper poverty will cheer himself up with ' e go better'

Nigerian psyche is the most complex in the whole wide world; quote me

Hey guys, as at the last time I checked, the definition of a Forum is a public meeting place for open discussion; a medium (as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas

Everybody is entitled to their opinion no matter how 'stupid, irrelevant or unpopular'

An opinion could be dissected into shreds intellectually by a more informed member, but what I have noticed is that some people don't take kindly to being opposed and are sharp-tongued with a very low threshold at throwing verbal missiles.

You can't be right all the time. Lets not be deviating from the rules of this great Forum where many minds meet, and should stop personal attacks, calling other members stupid, foolish, slowpoke and the rest.

Abeg, no offence to the older members. I believe we can do better.

Hi guys, can someone who is knowledgeable in this educate me.

Can EFCC prosecute persons confirmed to be corrupt, or should I say thief? Are they mere fact-finding like Oputa panel, in other words, barking dogs that cannot bite?

Or will they have to hand over to the Nigerian Police to prosecute, which in my honest opinion seems to be bad news?

If they can't prosecute, I better tell my relative to quit the EFCC job and save his life, because informants in the NP could be giving intel to the assassins. He will be better off selling groundnuts

By making genuine power generators (that is not made in Taiwan) affordable, reducing long queues at petrol stations and reducing the price of kerosene for our lanterns; and then saying - LET THERE BE LIGHT .

We like to see it before we believe

I'm afraid that our situation in Nigeria is so deplorable that anything is possible.

I have come to realise that there is a Greater King that rules among men, and that has the power to raise one up and debase the other.

As citizens we are powerless as our individual votes don't count, though that doesn't mean I won't vote, but the fact is that it is all about SELECTION, NOT ELECTION.

Only God can deliver us as a nation. Only God can rid us of usurpers

Why do we like deceiving ourselves and denying the inevitable?

Like they used to tell the losing team, IT IS NOT IN WINNING BUT IN TAKING PART. I enjoin the Swede Coach to enjoy TAKING PART AND FROM THERE TO THE AIRPORT, while coach Amodu should just relax AND ENJOY THE SHOW!

We don't need a Soothsayer to tell us the outcome!

Hey guys, my feeling is that a great and intellectual debate in a free society is devoid of attack on the person you are engaging. Dont we see televised great debates like the American Presidential debates, and very soon the British deabtes involving the party leaders?

That is why we are frequently regarded as being loud because we are busy shouting the other down and verbally attacking each other. But I think this is sad, and very much responsible for the way our country is. I would have enjoyed your debate better without yabbing each other, and I dont think you are doing your faith and God any good by fighting and kicking for Him.

Is Catholicism the same as Christianity? Were Christians who refuse the doctrine of catholicism not equally persecuted and killed by Catholic Warriors? This is a debate I guess and do not want to generate another religious war. Does an attempt to ram a car into a plane not an act of terrorism? Does any one has the right whatsoever to kill for any God, who in the first place should be all powerful and be able to do the killing Himself? Is not religion fanaticism responsible for many wars in the history of humanity?

Lets go back to the basis and sound principle of intellectual reasoning without verbal missiles being thrown. In addition, we should have some level of tolerance

Bendtner scored first for Arsenal in 18’ while Messi single-handedly terminated Arsenal in a thrilling match 21’, 37’, 42’, 88’.

Barcelona deservedly advances

Two brothers have been charged in connection with the death of 15-year-old Nigerian, Toyosi Shittabey, in West Dublin, Republic of Ireland on Good Friday night.

The teenager was found lying on the street and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

He was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later. Paul Barry (aged 38) with an address in Pearse Street in Dublin 2 is charged with the manslaughter of the young Nigerian in an altercation in the West Dublin suburb of Tyrrellstown.

His brother and co-accused, 23-year-old Michael Barry, with an address in Ringsend in Dublin 4 is charged with being in possession under Section 11 of the Firearm and Offensive Weapons Act.

The two unemployed men declined to say anything at the Dublin District Court at 4 pm yesterday when they were charged. They spoke only through their lawyers.Paul has been remanded in custody in Clover Hill prison until Tuesday while Michael, who recently returned to the country from Canada, has been granted bail on the condition that he surrenders his passport.

Shittabey moved from Nigeria to the Irish Republic with his family 11 years ago and was said to be a promising footballer for Shelburne under 15's.About 300 people attended a memorial service in Tyrrellstown for the deceased yesterday.

The Irish Minister of State for Equality and Integration Mary White has, however, expressed profound sadness at the fatal stabbing of Shittabey.

White said: "I sincerely regret this attack on a member of one of our new communities and wish to extend my deepest sympathies to the Shittabey family.

"I hope that Toyosi's assailants swiftly face the justice they deserve and I call on anybody that may be able to help the Gardaí's investigation to do so without delay."

People with vital information on the teenager's murder have been urged to contact the Irish police

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/5267-Brothers-Charged-With-Stabbing-Nigerian-Teenager-Ireland.html

Have you ever wondered why people steal millions, and particularly why highly educated and respected people, even Professors throw caution to the winds by stealing and misappropriating funds? It seems it often starts off with stealing a few thousands and then the behaviour escalates, self-perpetuating and becoming almost addictive until millions, billions and even trillions (if available) continues to be stolen.

You wonder, why do people continue unconcerned to steal so much while many people around them languish in poverty? For instance, stealing N200 million wont jog your mind, until you realise that it would take almost 5.5 years as a wasteful spender of N100,000 daily to finish. Or better still, if in N100 note with each bail of N10,000, the total number of such bails would be 20,000! Imagine walking into a room with 20,000 bails of money, each N10,000! That is much more than you need. So, why the need for stashing away billions? Why bringing the nation to her knees with all this frenzy going on?

We are sampling here the opinion of literate and wise minds to know what goes on in the mind of people who steal so much more than they even need, with particular emphasis on why they steal in the first place. I think if we can for sure understand these apparently abnormal thought processes, it might then be easier to target and change it, because in psychological and medical terms, any abnormal behaiour or thought pattern could be changed.

Your honest and sincere analytical input will be most appreciated. Let the vote begin!

It appears that the usual federal allocation contributes to underperformances and lack of accountability of the States, as they simply do not have to do anything but sit on their backsides, wait for it to come, and to wait again for another after squandering or simply misappropriating the funds.

If you own a company, you just don’t splash your money on people without expecting any productivity from them. Why are we running a whole country as if pouring water down the drain?

Should the federal allocation be gradually tapered off and discontinued over time to encourage novel productivity of each State? Then to assess the performances of each State, with some concrete plans made for any struggling State(s) and reward for the performing States. This will help drive competition and bring about the best from each of the States.

What is obvious by this show of shame in the chambers is that our elected ( or should I say selected) senators don't have a clue about what they're supposed to be doing. It was a shame that Senator Kanti Bello honestly believed his 'screening question' was part of the screening exercise. Abusing the man wont change anything as he appeared totally clueless and insightless. I believe this isn't just a case of northerners vs southerners but a national disgrace particularly for those watching from outside of our shores. I don't know who Aunty Dora is, but I'm just among those people who want to see this country move forward.

When you get a job, you normally get a job description and appropriate induction - so we should recommend our Honourable Senators to cup on, start educating themselves, and start behaving in manners worthy of their highly respected position; and also to stop embarrassing us as a nation!

How can Jihad be separated from Islam?

I have recently been doing some research. My intention here is further clarification, not just to spark a religious war or wrangling. Below are two extracts from the Quran, and news on January 2nd 2010

Muhammad
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Those who disbelieve and turn (men) from the way of Allah, He rendereth their actions vain. (1) And those who believe and do good works and believe in that which is revealed unto Muhammad - and it is the truth from their Lord - He riddeth them of their ill-deeds and improveth their state. (2) That is because those who disbelieve follow falsehood and because those who believe follow the truth from their Lord. Thus Allah coineth their similitudes for mankind. (3) Now when ye meet in battle those who disbelieve, then it is smiting of the necks until, when ye have routed them, then making fast of bonds; and afterward either grace or ransom till the war lay down its burdens. That (is the ordinance). And if Allah willed He could have punished them (without you) but (thus it is ordained) that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He rendereth not their actions vain. (4) He will guide them and improve their state, (5) And bring them in unto the Garden which He hath made known to them. (6) O ye who believe! If ye help Allah, He will help you and will make your foothold firm. (7) And those who disbelieve, perdition is for them, and He will make their actions vain. (Sura 47, verses 1-7)

(39) Save the chosen slaves of Allâh (i.e. the true believers of Islâmic Monotheism). (40) For them there will be a known provision (in Paradise), (41) Fruits; and they shall be honoured, (42) In the Gardens of delight (Paradise), (43) Facing one another on thrones, (44) Round them will be passed a cup of pure wine,— (45) White, delicious to the drinkers, (46) Neither will they have Ghoul (any kind of hurt, abdominal pain, headache, a sin) from that, nor will they suffer intoxication therefrom. (47) And beside them will be Qâsirât-at-Tarf [chaste females (wives), restraining their glances (desiring none except their husbands)], with wide and beautiful eyes.[] (48) (Delicate and pure) as if they were (hidden) eggs (well) preserved. (Sura 37, verses 39-48)

Police shoot, kill Somali man armed with knife, ax at cartoonist Kurt Westergaard’s home in Denmark:
Police shot a Somali man wielding an ax and a knife as he tried to break into the home of an artist whose cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban outraged the Muslim world, the head of Denmark’s intelligence agency said Saturday.
Jakob Scharf said in a statement that a 28-year-old man with ties to al-Qaida attempted to enter Kurt Westergaard’s home in Aarhus Friday night. But Westergaard pressed an alarm and police arrived minutes later.
The attack on the artist, whose rendering was among 12 that led to the torching of Danish diplomatic offices in predominantly Muslim countries in 2006, was “terror related,” Scharf said. He said the man would be charged with attempted murder.
Westergaard, whose 5-year-old granddaughter was in the home on a sleepover, sought shelter in a specially made safe room when the suspect broke a window of the home, said Preben Nielsen of the Aarhus police

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/01/02/2010-01-02_police_shoot_kill_somali_man_armed_with_knife_ax_at_cartoonist_kurt_westergaards.html#ixzz0bXlVN7Qb

What does it take to be a real Muslim? Is there any reward for liberal Muslims who are attempting to distant themselves from those extremists who consistently claim they are simply carrying out a religious order?

I have studied so many world religions but can you really separate Jihadism from the Muslim faith if you want to be a practising Muslim? I have also observed so many hateful and hurtful statements published by non-believers against many religions, but why can’t the Muslims take criticism of their faith lying down without the clamor for war, while other religions just would pardon the ignorance of the doubters and unbelievers, and even pray to their god to take revenge? Other religion preach their faith by intellectually appealing to unbelievers, and why can’t our Muslim brothers/sisters do the same? Even Satanists and cult groups attempt to win you by preaching?

As a child growing up in a remote area of South-Western Nigeria near an Islamic school, I had witnessed the crusade of a Christian group prematurely terminated on its 3rd day, when they were violently and viciously attacked by students of the nearby Islamic school (chanting… you know what), just for preaching to people to turn to their Jesus. Likewise the night of the party in NYSC camp, there were a few Northern Nigerian graduates (or should I say Almajiris on NYSC camp) who created real chaos, demanding they should be allowed to kill the cow in Islamic way rather than allow ‘infidels’ to do the killing – something I considered so trivial; of course they had their way in the interest of peace.

Can we as concerned Nigerians have intellectual debate on this without anybody wielding the sword (or blowing themselves up) at an ignorant person like me, especially on the backdrop of recent development of international terrorism? I love my country, and most importantly would want her to be rid of these psychopaths fighting for some unclear war. If all religious groups represented in Naija should take to war instead of preaching intellectually, will that country still be on the map today? Can someone enlighten us without spitting fire and lightning?

Marriage is a priviledged relationship. I believe if your wife decides to be helpful enough out of love and wash your clothes, please count it as an act of love and service, and men, appreciate it.
Don't see marriage as slavery. Appreciate every act of love and kindness from your wife. That is how to keep your marriage, and most importantly, keep your wife admiringly at your finger tip. Hope you understand?