₦airaland Forum

Happy birthday. Many happy returns of the day.

aisha2:
As una no gree wish me happy birthday, I am wishing myself. E don pass so let nobody ask me for cake

@IBB - We know your cunning ways.
1. Everyone knows that Yara'dua did not serve one term. He served half-a-term. Does that mean you would argue for 6 years once you get on the throne of Aso Rock?
2. GEJ is already President. All he has to serve is one term to make 6 years. What do we do about the dangling half a term?
3. With GEJ's default presidency, zoning is already broken because zoning is unconstitutional!

dappssee:
Former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has said that he will only serve one term if elected president in 2011, because of the principle of rotation adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mr. Babangida, who was speaking to newsmen in Dutse on Sunday after a closed door meeting with Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido said because of the PDP stance on rotation, he will only serve four years.

He pointed out that late president Umaru Yar ‘Adua served for one term and that he will complete the second term and thereafter any person from any other other region could take over. "We must be seen to be respecting our arrangement and the party's constitution, hence my desire to serve for only one term," Mr. Babangida said. He also stated that President Goodluck Jonathan and any other aspirant from the the South could not contest the 2011 presidency without amending the PDP constitution first.

Condemn the blast

He condemned the October 1st bomb blast, which he said has sent a bad signal about the country, saying government must do everything possible to address the lingering insecurity. He said Nigerians must all work hard to fight the growing problem. "Security of lives and property is the collective responsibility of all and sundry, we must all join hands to fight the monster which is threatening our peaceful co existence," he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5626474-146/jonathan_cannot_contest_says_babangida_.csp

What you don't understand is that GEJ might be getting what you call support because of IBB.  Rather than IBB, this nation is going to be turned over, poured out and completely dried up. IBB can keep ruling a non-existent country if he likes. On the other hand, IBB people have threatened fire and brimstone.

What we have are two ultimatums in place - a perfect condition for conflagration.

Abagworo:
Why do Gej's supporters resort to insults even in the face of logical and well articulated observations.

Someone posted the obvious about the polity being over-heated and all I see is abuses.
Mschewwww,

I can hope that they won't paddy-paddy this and move on. That this would lead to the serious talk of dismembering this nation as that seems the only option now.

MEND would not stop now, no matter what, until they get what they want or this nation is justly rearranged.

Kobojunkie:
What people have had enough? I laugh in Klingon . . . . ROFLG&T^(#$^)#$(&#)#

You are a true fool. Even if we don't know the truth of what happened just yet.

IBB's friends are going around town issuing ultimatum and promising mayhem if GEJ doesn't stop contesting.

I wish this would develop into some great katakata, so we can finally put the nail on the coffin of this contraption called Nigeria, where people who produce the revenue this nation depends on can be zoned out of rulership.

Better watch your steps, when people have had enough, they have had enough.

MaziUche looking for another boo over here!

Freewilly:
Bros look at my armpit it's clean ohhh I don't want your little Yoruba girlfriend to come after me. Please I don't want any drama.
*freewill is Innocent*

Nice eyes Beaf.

They spliced two pictures of the same scene to make it appear to be more than two people. Can people just be straightforward in Nigeria?

Beaf:
Sahara Reporters is best known for fake news these days, including photoshoping pictures and posting same as news.
http://saharareporters.com/photo/photonews-jonathans-declaration-when-jonathan-women-met-goodluck-men

www.nairaland.com/attachments/324341_SaharaReportersFakePicture_jpg69a0b6e4ad1c8831fa731bd73bb022d2

@MaziUche0
I am sure she knows more than you think. Mine was just a joke at Shonekan's expense!

Your boo, he? Let her husband catch you and your mouth 

MaziUche0:
I doubt my boo Ileke-Idi knows anything about Nigerian history. But at least she is here to learn.

At this point  I will agree that anything about IBB TRYING TO COME BACK TO ASO ROCK IS NOT JUST BAD, IT IS A TABOO.

There is nothing he can say or do that would be GOOD ENOUGH. It is as simple as that. If anyone else wants to challenge GEJ, they should be free to do so - but not Babangida. DAMAGED FOREVER IS HIS NAME.

Abagworo:
Some people are brain-washed.Everything IBB is bad while everything GEJ is good.

@Ileke-Idi

Would you know if that was IBB's bag Shonekan is carrying?

Sorry, just couldn't resist.

You must be either drunk or blind, "spiritually" speaking, to translate the issue with that photo into "you'd rather the kids were still in the bush because foreigners will see the picture?". If you don't get it, I 'd rather the governor and his cohorts not add to the abuse the kids received from the kidnappers.

he he he the above is my answer for you. Keep it up!

tpiah:
better jump off a high cliff if the matter pain you pass.
common sense is so uncommon!
ode buruku.
na your type dem suppose kidnap.
or maybe you're a kidnapper who knows.

No! It is the like of you that Nigerians must push over the bridge if they are ever to be truly free!

tpiah:
you're just an illiterate and it's actually a waste of time engaging you in a discussion.


NOTHING WRONG WITH THE PHOTO.

END OF.

if it annoys you, JUMP OFF A BRIDGE.

tpiah:
^^what are you people not getting here?
the kids took a picture as soon as they were found. NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

Did you just write "[size=14pt]the kids took a picture as soon as they were found.[/size]" Double shame on you. Now it is the kids fault. You are proving to be an original block head. Sorry for you. The "kids took a picture"? 3 year old was just released by kidnappers and the first thing he/she did was look for photographers.

Even if you were to excuse the governor and his friends for ignorance, one might say maybe. But you actually are suggesting that nothing is wrong with that photo, not that it was not done out of vested interest!

Nigeria is indeed far from rescue from its real kidnappers, and tpiah is in league with them it seems. Give it up tpiah!

You don't even seem to understand what strawman argument means. Otherwise, you would not keep arguing with yourself!

You must be either drunk or blind, "spiritually" speaking, to translate the issue with that photo into "you'd rather the kids were still in the bush because foreigners will see the picture?". If you don't get it, I 'd rather the governor and his cohorts not add to the abuse the kids received from the kidnappers.

Do you happen to have any kids? Would you be happy with the governor displaying your rescued kid in that way? Almost all the kids had no shoes, one was wearing a wrapper, they all looked scared and obviously in bad shape. I guess you would be on here defending the governor if one of those was one of your kids, instead of being a beneficiary of a corrupt system.
We are talking here about a 3 year old who is just learning to articulate the words "I want to go to the toilet" being kept in captivity for days, and the first thing a governor does is put national colors on his well-fed body and take a photo op.

Please come up with one positive thing achieved by that photo op, and let's compare to the negative contrast it provides us between the ruler and the ruled in the Nigeria of your dreams. This is not the Nigeria of my dreams. Get it?

You would have made a good assistant to Yar'adua's Attorney General - you know the one that told us how a "missing president" was nothing to worry about, because the law did not require him to exercise his authority territorially. Shame on you!

tpiah:
yorubas say baba njo an bere irugbon. The whole body is on fire you're asking what happened to the beard.

majoring in minors proves what exactly?

you'd rather the kids were still in the bush because foreigners will see the picture?

if they see it and so what? Anyone following the story would be aware of what happened.


irrelevant sensitivity.

koruji:
@tpiah
This is exactly how I thought you see this - and exactly the same way those adults in the picture see the condition of the kids. They are free - that is the begining and end of it according to you and them. The point is though that while those kids are free, THEY ARE FAR FROM OKAY, and in saner environments arranging a photo op in those conditions and with that level of contrast would be considered callous.
It is a mentality that we really need to change in Nigeria - we see only what is "visible". Those kids, and I must say millions of Nigeria's kid, are being damaged by the way we bring them up. Then adults are surprised when years later this same kids come looking for them in the night or blowing them up or kidnapping.
You keep using words like daft and illiterate - sad to break it to you, you are the blind one. Your ignorance is stunning. When the level of consciousness is limited in this way people tend to you your exact words to describe those who can see what is wrong, or right for that matter.

If you didn't read before the above is for your instruction, madam. Your strawman argument is alarming. We are talking about what the governor and his friends did wrong in taking this picture you are setting up strawman arguments and calling people names: "as if the miscreants who snatched them took them to disneyworld" and "the next thing to ask is where are the kidnappers" as if anybody mentioned any of these in their appraisal of this photo. O'un ti o da o lo'ruko miran, aida lo'nje.

tpiah:
abi were ni e ni?
anybody whose head is not correct should continue running their shameless mouths here.
the important thing is the kids have been found.
the next thing to ask is where are the kidnappers, not why werent the children gussied up as if the miscreants who snatched them took them to disneyworld.
can some of you get a brain.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke who confirmed this yesterday said a [size=15pt]secret agreement [/size] had been reached with the construction firm.

SECRET AGREEMENT?, that is Corruption, Inc. at work for you. The sad thing is that the average Nigerian probably believes that this is somehow permissible.

I repeat, nothing good will come out of this country if things continue to be done this way - our story is "Of Mice and Men". Even the most hardened optimist would soon see that continuing this way can only lead to doom!

@tpiah
This is exactly how I thought you see this - and exactly the same way those adults in the picture see the condition of the kids. They are free - that is the begining and end of it according to you and them. The point is though that while those kids are free, THEY ARE FAR FROM OKAY, and in saner environments arranging a photo op in those conditions and with that level of contrast would be considered callous.

It is a mentality that we really need to change in Nigeria - we see only what is "visible". Those kids, and I must say millions of Nigeria's kid, are being damaged by the way we bring them up. Then adults are surprised when years later this same kids come looking for them in the night or blowing them up or kidnapping.

You keep using words like daft and illiterate - sad to break it to you, you are the blind one. Your ignorance is stunning. When the level of consciousness is limited in this way people tend to you your exact words to describe those who can see what is wrong, or right for that matter.

tpiah:
what's the big deal about the children's dressing and/or for goodness sake.
the important thing is they've been found.
too many daft threads on nairaland. gosh.

Exactly. It was not taking photos of the kids per se - there was another photo taken with some of the kids in the crowd and there is nothing wrong with that - it was seeing this as some positive photo op that is the problem.

The adults draped themselves in national colors (who knows how much that is costing us as we speak) and posed with a great amount level of "contentment" on their faces - with a 3-year old kid that has just spent days in captivity still in the same clothes. Nobody had the head on their shoulders to even straighten up the kids' clothes. These kids have no shoes on!

How posing with traumatized kids that nobody has apparently attempted to take care of after their freedom represents a positive image to the world beats me. If this is the level of care a nation gives its young after 50 years of independence, then that nation is headed to the dustbin fast. The picture paints the stark contrast between the rulers and the ruled of our nation. We seem to just do the same things the same ways without question each day, each year, each decade 50 years on.

Would the governor start posing for pictures with his son or daughter if the latter fell in the same situation? May be he would, but that would show that Nigeria is even sicker that you can ever imagine.

ElRazur:
Say what?

Come on now, stay with me here. This is me breaking it down further. It is an embarrassment to see them wearing outfits and what not while the kids are more or less disinterested in taking photos. D

The adult posed for the photo and in I would go as far as to say they called the press in for the photo-shot. In other words, that little photo in the OP was staged while the one you posted wasn't.

Need further explanation?

@tpiah
Give it up already. This inverted pyramid called Nigeria is about to fall on your head and you don't know it. Nigeria is gradually turning into Somalia before our very eyes - yet you see nothing wrong about arguing frivolities.

With the events of these past 2 days the die is cast - it cannot take much longer now. THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY ARE NOT HAPPY - simple as ABC.

Mark my words, unless someone with good sense & the means does what is right about this nation of ours, the 2011 elections will be a complete farce, and WILL lead to the disintegration of Nigeria a few years after. And I am not talking about military intervention here - that in itself will lead to even faster disintegration.

tpiah:
^^so were you stateless when you travelled abroad?

is that what you wrote on your student application?

ehs:
Good nite guys, got to go and nice talking to you-all

Goodnight from here too.

I remember calling for security agencies to be on red alert in Jos, Abuja and Lagos specifically, and all Nigerian cities in general after the Bauch jail break.

These few months till the elections will not be easy - I hope President Jonathan suffers no illusion on that.

edoyad:
Well the next time bokoharam and other almajiri groups carry about killing security operatives and civilians in areas in which they dominate, hope you'll all call for this same vigillance.

Exactly the reason the South Africans were right to let him go. The below assumed that there was some evidence in the Nigerian government's possession. Then it would have be Nigeria's duty to go present that evidence - but they probably thought South Africans would hold him as would have happened in Nigeria.

Kobojunkie:
Are we even certain the SSS has evidence implicating Okah in anyway? It is likely the case that they do not since South Africa released him eventually.

It is not a blame on the security operatives in person per se, it is a blame on the system - afterall if the Nigerian FBI has no protocol for quick liason with other nations then there is nothing any individual personnel can do about it.

And as for the real FBI they got most of the blame since information that could have prevented 911 was scattered all over without coordination. The issue is not that things slip by from time to time in the U.S., but you bet they assimilated the lessons of 911 and those from any mistakes since then.

In Nigeria's case the same people did the same thing in Bayelsa state exactly the same way several months ago - what is wrong with our system that it is neither anticipatory nor adaptive.

edoyad:
Where were the FBI on the 11th of september 2001 ? Don't blame the security operatives who themselves are being slaughtered like chickens left, right and center cos of corruption in the center.

I guess IBB refused to show up!

Baba Iyabo doesn't give a damn - when sleep calls OBJ sleeps.

davidylan:
Even Shagari couldnt resist nodding off. It must be boring listening to the same empty speeches they gave when they were in power too.

Thank you for this - some people think they love Nigeria, but really keep digging her grave even deeper.

The U.S. tries to assimilate the lessons of any failure of in its system, and has a knowledge system that attempts to anticipate what might come next. Not my Nigeria, unless they can import it, we don't have it. Trouble is there is no wholesale way to import knowledge like hardware. Even if it were possible, we would still need to assimilate that knowledge.

davidylan:
pretty mindless posting.

For starters you shld know that was basically an analogy not boasting as you falsely claimed. I'm not 65 so how would i be accepting SS checks?

Secondly, the fact that some citizens of the US do not have access to some of the social safety nets has more to do with the fact that there is only so much the US can do. It still tries its best to provide medicaid for children and the very destitute, it still manages to provide to provide free public education to the very poor . . . what does Nigeria do? Why then does the govt expect anything in return?

Ileke-IdI:
Actually you could have, sweety. I just realized that I made a few grammatical errors . . .  typing with my phone, so am excused

If we start counting typos and grammatical errors on NL, who will remain standing. In any case you 've got nothing on Becomerich on that - and he doesn't give a hoot

Ileke-IdI:
So if it was taken in Abu, how much rest and peace of mind did this children get before traveling?  I'm pissed at the parents, how dare they let the children go?  Sigh.

I did write Abuja - meant to say Aba. The picture must have been taken in Aba.

@na2day
Exactly. Shouldn't the Nigerian FBI, whatever it is called, be on the plane swiftly to provide the evidence with which to hold Okah and get him to talk.

Instead, they outsourced our security to South Africa. They must have looked at each other down there in South Africa and laughed at the expectation that they will take care of Okah for Nigeria.

It is not just ignorance that is killing us, it is a serious lack of standards. If it was a footbal game they will all be down there before you say foo!

na2day!:
GEJ thought SA na 9ja! where people can be detained without evidence, LOL
So they had security report dat the explosion will happen and the things still happened, what an inept goverment!
I can see the hand of Atiku and IBB in this!

Resilience is at same time one of our strengths, and yet our greatest curse!

Rather than push back and demand our rights, we 'll rather squirm and find somebody below to oppress.

But this nation is about to reach its breaking point - yet there are peaceful, if drastic means, to deal with all of these mess. Otherwise, whether we like it or not this nation will break soon, and the outcome would not be pallatable for anyone.

Destiny calls on President Jonathan to put into action those radical ideas he must have toyed with as a youth growing up under the heavy burden of a careless state, and as a suffering lecturer back in the days. If he has none, then he must give way to those who have shown that they, given the slimmest of opportunities, would purse their goal of bringing sanity to this nation as far as possible.

omo_to_dun:
Gbam! Oga David, you took the keystrokes right out of my hands. It always seem absurd to me when folks from under-developed countries invoke JFK's famous line. Had America, then, been in the neighborhood of Nigeria's current heartwarming situation, there would have been a revolution. Unlike Africans, whites, in particular, have zero tolerance for hardship and I opine that they are not nearly as resilient or as adaptable to extreme situations as we are.

David, I assume you have seen---or read about---what happened to the "corrupt" city officials of Bell, California. I put corrupt in quotes because those officials, unlike their Nigerian counterparts, actually got those insanely huge salaries through legal means, albeit by finding loopholes in the legal system and by exploiting the ignorance of the people. In Nigeria, we have been complaining for ages about corruption, but I do not think anyone---ever---had the cojones to publicly protest about this ostensible injustice. However, I fault not my brothers and sisters. After all, like we say in Nigeria: no one wants to die.

I think this was taken in Aba, but your assessment is right that the objective was to show that everything is under control, and that the kids are safe.

However, that is what makes it even more annoying since those kids are not really safe - they may be home but are not really free. If anything, it shows that things are worse in Nigeria than people might have thought without those pictures. How could anyone think this picture projects a positive image of the government?

We have to find our way in this country, but we don't even know how lost we really are.

President GEJ a few days ago, probably with good intentions but failing to grasp the high standards that an American President requires, talking about wanting Obama to visit Nigeria after successful elections in 2011. Good dream, but at this rate, Obama might be sending soldiers and planes to help in 2011, if our serious lack of security is not tackled pronto.

Ileke-IdI:
I'm not crying only because the children looked like they've suffered, but because they've been turned the children into a pawn game for this campaign election. They took the picture to show Nigeria that situation in Aba has calmed down and that the children have recovered; Supposed to show that GEJ has everything under control

Was this picture taken in Aba or Abuja? [looks like Abuja to me]. . . .

It's disgusting, I say!

I almost did after seeing this picture, but was soon truly infuriated at the sight.

Does the governor not know better? Does his wife or whoever that woman in the picture is not know better? Isn't this the same governor that was caught performing rituals?

Kids that were treated this way years ago are the ones doing the kidnapping today - and the vicious cycle goes on!

Ileke-IdI:
I actually shed some tears. . . .

Disgusting people.

Like someone said, the first thing they could have done is wash them and feed them. Let them rejoice with their family. If one of my children was kidnapped [God forbid this situation], I seriously wouldnt leave them in the hands of those vultures. Shameful lots.

I understand your point, and splitting hairs on behalf of Nigeria was one of my professions, but this here simply makes me furious!

How much more can we take as a people. How much more can our kids take. How long are the so-called elders of this nation going to be walking around the planet as emperors without clothes selling snake oil.

Without security of life and property we might as well write-off any other plans we have, including the upcoming elections. There is nothing simpler than that to grasp!

To me this makes ours a shameful nation - though we do have individuals of integrity and repute, but in our representations as a nation, we are projected to the world by shameless officials and institutions.

ehs:
With all due respect, I'm a huge fan of your thread-point but disagrees with your heading, We are NOT a shameful nation but our government may be.

@MetalGong4
You and I hardly see eye to eye, but Ohakim is a buffoon for a governor in my book - something we agree on finally. However, I must say that he is probably telling the truth here.

There was no real reason to shut down those meetings in Owerri and Abuja because it would really be strange behavior for President Jonathan - he is simply not that kind of person no matter how much politics he seems to be playing these days.

I think the shutdown of those meetings are related to the bombings in Abuja today. It has been reported that the government had intelligence about a bombing, but did not know where and when. They might have been exercising extreme caution, groping in the dark as usual, by shutting down potential targets - which would include these two meetings.

It is possible that Ohakim lies again, but I don't see how stopping these meetings produced positives for President Jonathan. See my point?

MetalGong4:
I pity my Imo state brothers who elected a foolish man as their governor.