₦airaland Forum

Visionaries cannot be kept down - no matter what those that cannot see beyond their nose are trying to do to stop them.
This is the kind of initiative that will in time lead to real development in Nigeria.
More grease to your elbow, Gov. Fashola.

No comment for now - just for the records.
By December 31st 2013 I hope to be able to say "complete" to President GEJ on this one, even though it falls far short of what that road deserves.

Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock.....

@insincere9nigerian
The bolded below is what I referenced when saying that Julius Berger's "patch-work" last year was to allow GEJ to get to RCCG, and promptly announced that there was no contract to work on the road once GEJ was done receiving blessings!!!
This is not the way a president should administer a nation.

http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/fg-votes-n3bn-for-lagos-ibadan-expressway-rehabilitation/
APRIL 12, 2013 BY RASHEED BISIRIYU

The Federal Government plans to spend N3bn on the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway this year.

The amount, according information obtained from the website of the Budget Office of the Federation, has been provided for in the 2013 budget.

A breakdown of the figure shows that N1.5bn is earmarked for the first section of the road from Lagos to the Sagamu Interchange, while the balance is for the other section from the interchange to Ibadan.

This has thus put on hold the initial plan to offer the 125 kilometre road to a concessionaire for reconstruction, modernisation and regular maintenance.

The Federal Government in November last year terminated its concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited for the reconstruction of the road, accusing the firm of undue delay and a breach of the concession agreement.

It immediately appointed Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and RCC Limited to take over the rehabilitation work.

While Julius Berger was asked to handle the section from Lagos to the Sagamu Interchange, RCC was given the second leg of the road, stretching from the interchange to Ibadan.

A source at the Federal Ministry of Works told our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday that the government was currently fine-tuning discussion with Julius Berger and RCC on the rehabilitation contracts.

The source said the two contractors were invited last year after the concession agreement with Bi-Courtney was terminated just to recover the road and improve its poor state ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

“They are spelling out the details of the contract in terms of the scope, duration and contract sum,” the source said, but failed to give the termination date for the job.

Julius Berger had moved to the site last year, shortly after Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen’s announcement of the termination of the concession arrangement with Bi-Courtney.

[size=14pt]The contractor did some remedial work between the Redemption Camp and the Sagamu Interchange.

Although Julius Berger gave an impression that it was coming to do a major work, moving workers and materials to site as well as creating some work yards, it, however, scrapped some areas of the road and left them unattended to.

An official of the company, who volunteered to speak with our correspondent on the telephone under the condition that his name would not be mentioned, said the firm did exactly what it was asked to do.

He also said as soon as the company was fully paid or substantially mobilised, it would return to work, adding, “The ball is in the Federal Government’s court.”
[/size]
Our correspondent could, however, not confirm if RCC had done any repair work on its section of road since the place was handed over to the firm.

The original plan was for a total reconstruction of the existing carriageways from Lagos to Ibadan, with the provision of two additional lanes in each direction between Lagos and the Sagamu Interchange, making it four lanes; and one additional lane from the interchange to Ibadan, in addition to the provision of associated modern facilities such as trailer parks.

Those facilities are meant for free flow of traffic, security and welfare of road users.

Absolute bunkum.
So many of these glibly written but absolute rubbish history, linking Igbo to everything on planet earth, online. You people will pull one thread out of a cloth, tie another completely unrelated thread to the end of it and another and another and another, all from different cloth - and then claim that your thread was the source of the original cloth.

It is sad to reduce your history to low levels!!!

Thankgodifeduba: [s]The Egboes are considered the
most imitative and emulative
people in the whole of Western
Africa; place them where you will
or introduce them to any
manners of customs and you will
find they easily adapt to them.”
“The population of Egbo is
unknown.”
(Horton 1969:157)
THE EBO ARE IGBO
In accordance with his origins in
the Essaka village of Benin,
Olaudah Equiano referred to his
people as being that of Ebo and
never Igbo.
“The West Indies planters prefer
the slaves of Benin or Eboe.”
“Deformity is indeed unknown
amongst us. I mean that of
shape. Numbers of natives of
Eboe in London might be
brought in support of this
assertion for in regard to
complexion ideas of beauty are
wholly relative.” (Gates Jr.
1987:17)
The Ebo connection to Benin is
further supported by Onyebuechi
Amene who states the following;
“Ebo is a Benin name. It was the
Binis that went to and from the
Igala Royal families that took the
name to Igala.”
“The Ebo family of Isiskre still
retains their ancestral Bini
names.”[/s]
(

There is so much information available out there - even with the difficulty of wading through the internet.
You learned it in primary school and see no reason to update your knowledge since that time.
Ile-Ife dates existed way before the 9th century.

aletheia: Concerning the OP's assertion that the name Yoruba originally referred to a more northern dwelling people who were later forced southward into the region now known as Southwest Nigeria; there may very well be some truth to that. Has anyone ever wondered why the Hausa historians have always included Yoruba in the Banza Bokwai. We learnt this as far back as primary school in Lagos, and I 've always been intrigued by that listing.



Also bear in mind the witness that Old Oyo lay to the North of present day Yorubaland and the Hausa Kingdoms historically preceded anything that is recognizably Yoruba having existed as far back as 9th century (Kano is more than 1000 years old).

The problem with we Africans is that we are a people who have lost a significant portion of our historical heritage. We have forgotten who we were and the little history that remains to us has been distorted through the lenses of colonialism. Much of what we call "tribes" today are artificial constructs imposed on us by colonialists. Our ancestors intermarried, traded, fought themselves and even swapped kings on occasion but it is not likely that they saw themselves in such ethnically jaundiced terms as so many on NL do these days. Case in point is Rwanda: most people are under the impression that Tutsis and Hutus are two different peoples. In truth, they are the same people. The artificial dichotomy was deliberately foisted upon them by colonialists who elevated the pastoral Tutsis above the Hutu agriculturalists. One people.

We shouldn't be too quick to dismiss all that the OP writes. Here and there lie intimations and shadows of the history that has been stolen from us.

That's how you people propagate nonsense online.
Give this nonsensical claiming Igbo is everything a rest, will you.
Igalas are clearly of a common origin as Yorubas - I have theory about this, but this is not the place.
But this Igbos are Jews, Japanese, 80% of Lagos, 40% of the North, own Equitorial Guinea, and other such senseless statements need to stop.

Thankgodifeduba: many yoruba tribes are igbos. Especially the Egba and Igbo mina people

And 'you' don't? He deserves to be on the committee. Like I said he was one person that made strenous moves from the start.

ndu_chucks: Sani wants a place on the Amnesty committee. shi kena

Listen to reason and understanding from Shehu Sani. The man has been running helter-skelter trying to curtail this problem from day 1 while the so-called "leaders" were quiet like mouse. Now they are falling over themselves to find a "quick" solution. Uncle Jona is the most surprising of all - going from chest-thumping, no-amnesty talk to sudden change of mind in 1 week.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news/amnesty-is-ploy-to-defraud-nigeria-says-shehu-sani/
Posted by: Our Reporter on April 10, 2013 in News Leave a comment

Rights activist Shehu Sani said yesterday that the amnesty for members of the Boko Haram insurgency is a ploy to defraud the government of billions of naira.

Sani, who led former President Olusegun Obasanjo to visit the members of the sect, told The Nation that the amnesty deal would backfire.

He alleged that Northern elders, who pressured the government into announcing amnesty for members of the sect, did so out of fear of being consumed by the violence.

He said: “The amnesty pronouncement by the government is an exercise in futility. It is more of a scam to defraud the Nigerian state of billions of naira. The amnesty announced by the government will not yield any positive result.

“First, it is ill-intentioned because you cannot just declare amnesty for members of Boko Haram and expect them to join the next available bus from their bases and drive down to Abuja waiting to see Jonathan. That is a wishful thinking.

[size=14pt]“Before you have an amnesty, you need to have a credible committee of persons. It should not be just appointees of government, but a committee that will be recognised by the government and respected by the sect.

“The committee will be empowered to start off a mediation process by first extracting a commitment of ceasefire from the sect and a commitment from the government that all that is agreed to will be implemented.

“When we have a ceasefire of about eight months, the committee will use the period to take stock of the victims of this violence, the orphans, the widows and the destruction that has been caused as well as the greviances and the victims on the part of members of the sect.[/size]

“It should also be given access to visit detention centres where members of Boko Haram and their families or those suspected to be members of the sect are being detained. When you go about this thing step by step, you will achieve result. But what is likely going to happen is that members of the sect will dismiss the amnesty, condemn the committee.

“Don’t forget that traditional rulers in the North, including the Sultan, are themselves target of the sect. So, if you make such people members of the committee, I think you have not really gotten neutral persons that will address the problem.

“So, for me, there are people whose idea of amnesty is extracting billions of naira and dollars from the federal government in the name of distributing it to members of Boko Haram who have never made any financial request. At the end of the day, a regime of scam will become the amnesty deal.”

Camel palaver - didn't bother to read the story when I saw if online.
The joke is all in the title.
Africa my Africa!!!

ndu_chucks: www.nairaland.com/attachments/229503_ROFLMAODog_gif3fa44b12f55ba64fc785c3a5794ba92e

O ti tan fun e.

Adejoro74: Awon omo wetie wetie
Yoruba pa Yoruba. O ti tan. Case closed.

Better late than never, but this is the same lackadaisical attitude by the FG that allowed Boko Haram to become a monster. All these many years that Nigerians have been attacked and killed in Bakassi the FG is just waking up now.
What a giant!!!

mojounited: Good move! Since Bakassi peninsula has fallen to Cameroon, it's imperative to shore up bases and increase military strength/activities in Cross River State in order to monitor activities of the Gendarmes and deter any potential attack or invasion.

The house that amnesty built.
So,now what?
Give these ones amnesty too!!!

I don't think Doyin Okupe said this nonsense.
He may be an attack dog, but he doesn't have rabis - I don't think.
So, those already "beheading" & jumping the gun need to make sure this is not another ploy to promote mayhem in Nigeria.

kglamour: “Islam Is The Mother Of Boko Haram” – Dr.
Doyin Okupe
According to Doyin Okupe, the religion of Islam
gave birth to Boko Haram and Boko Haram is
working according to the tenet of Islam. He said,
one thing is certain, Boko Haram will never be able
to Islamize Nigeria and cannot convert President
Jonathan from Christianity to Islam!!!
Okupe spoke on a program tag ‘STRAIGHTALK’ in
TVC News.
Pls Report Any Suspicious Person Or Group 2 D Law
Enforcement Agents As Doin So Can Help Curb
Corruption, Crimes And Save Lives!!!
www.abidemionline.com/featured/islam-is-the-mother-of-boko-haram-dr-doyin-okupe/
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=503419473053925&id=178421198887089&set=a.323983330997541.77615.178421198887089&refid=17&ref=stream

All the FG can say is that it is false - they are not the ones to determine if it was falsified. As a party to the argument the FG need to follow the law of the land, not sit as a judge in her own case. This is what checks-and-balances in democracies are all about.

Adura_ngba: So the government should keep quiet when journalists falsify state papers?

Sorry o. When someone starts a confession in church to praise God, and you jump in with "I can attest.." you are not only corroborating his story you are invariably praising God.

Not that GEJ is God, although from the look of things he is a tin god to many of you around here.

Adura_ngba: Confessing to what? You find it hard to understand, thats your problem, if you interpret it the way you like, its your cup of tea. Go and read my first comment again.

I can attest to the fact that the roads are improving, I travelled South West over the weekend and I saw by myself. Dont let anyone fool you, things are working. If they dont like it or dont want to hear it, they know how to keep quiet.

Where did I praise GEJ for doing roads in the SW? I simply said I travelled to the SW. buncun

If this were a military regime u could be excused. Yesterday, Amaechi said we are moving towards dictatorship in Nigereia. Today GEJ has police arresting journalists, and this is what comes out of your mouth?

GEJ knows he wrote those memos - his confusion is how the journalists laid their hands on it!!!

Adura_ngba: Good for them.

He he he...caught red-handed and confessing already? You should have named the patch-patch roads you were talking about and not make it seem like GEJ is doing anything in the SW.

Adura_ngba: I never praised any road in the SW, I simply meant I travelled to the SW from Abuja, through the ongoing Abuja Lokoja dualisation project, through the Okene Ibilo Owo road and from my assessment, the contractors have improved pace on the Abuja Lokoja road, and FERMA has done a lot of rehabilitation on the Okene Ibilo Owo road. I never talked about roads in the SW before someone will use it to praise their ACN moda forkers.

I beg don't make me LOL

taharqa: No Worries Bros. The Good Governance Tour Team is coming to Lagos and the entire SW very soon.... PLENTY EYES SHALL BE OPENED, and the LIARS EXPOSED. Rest Assured

You are beyond redemption the...sorry o.
Just note that your fake road travel "across" Nigeria is mostly due to state govs. The roads GEJ is "working on" can be counted on the fingers of the hand - with its trillion Naira budget - and the numbers keep changing.

Rossikk: I spent all night trying to figure out which other president had done so much to upgrade the infrastructure of this country, and I couldn't come up with any name even going all the way back to the Gowon era. Travelling across the country by road is becoming such an enjoyable experience it's almost unreal. The thing is the quality of the road upgrades is so high that when driving on the roads, you would never believe they were once in poor condition.

Yeah, we all know what "currently ongoing" means in your book. Soon you people will complete the Benin-Ore road for the 3rd time in as many years. Glib talker that you are you talk about recent rehabilitation of Lagos-Ibadan road - by which you mean the rush patching that was done so GEJ could get to RCCG. Haba! Right after GEJ received his RCCG blessings Julius Berger publicly stated that they have no contracts for work on that road. BTW when the man said he travelled on good SW roads he was not talking about the on-today off-tomorrow GEJ patch-patch but top quality roads being built in the SW by ACN govs.

Sincere 9gerian: Notorious liar. Work is currently ongoing on Oshodi-Apapa road (that was shown today). The govt has done several railway projects in the southwest, including the currently ongoing, standard guage, Lagos-Ibadan rail line. The Benin-Ore-Sagamu road does not exist in Niger delta. It transverse southwest. Even the Lagos-Ibadan road you mentioned was recently rehabilitated by Julius Berger and one other contractor. But you wouldn't acknowledge those since you'r posting LIES from the discomfort of your living hole.

Please get your facts right. improving SW roads are due to ACN governors. GEJ is doing virtually nothing in the SW. If you need evidence travel on the premier SW roads that belong to the FG which the FG has not allowed state govts to take over. Lagos-Ibadan road is the prime example. The OP is well-known for propagating false GEJ achievements. But even after naming several roads none of which is in the SW he had throw in Apapa-Oshodi road - a road that has been shown even recently to be deplorable.

Adura_ngba: I can attest to the fact that the roads are improving, I travelled South West over the weekend and I saw by myself. Dont let anyone fool you, things are working. If they dont like it or dont want to hear it, they know how to keep quiet.

What hits are you talking about? That was the PDP line. The registration was firmly traced to a PDP operative - the lawyer who filed the registration request confessed to it and named the well-known PDP operative.

taharqa: Actuali, there are HITS coming up recently which STRONLY suggests that all dat buhaha about d many APCs fighting for Registratn was orchestratd by d 'Real' APC people (esp ACN) in order to create Activity and attempt to put d President in a bad light.... More info wud surely come soonest on dat one. Rest Assured

When I say that you people are drunk on power you will start foaming in the mouth.
Really? Only God forgives, you don't?

You people will not face the fact that even those who thought your benefactor was a sensible man now realizes that he is another run-of-the-mill power-hungry politician. A true Mr. I-don't-care".

Billyonaire: I prefer GEJ as a dictator than 100 Amaechi(s) as democrats.

Nairaland is more important than Governor's Forum, And Billyonaire has access to and is more in touch with Nigerians than Amaechi.

I understand that Governor's Forum, is where Governors discuss how to siphon funds abroad, the best surrogates in Nigeria and the features of the latest private jets.

Amaechi will soon become an outcast in Niger Delta, he wont go unpunished after his tenure. [size=14pt]Only God forgives, we dont.[/size]

Intelligence cannot be measured based on a single subject.
Someone might not learn English very well, but be a wizkid at math.
Those who learn English better are simply more attuned to become "liguists", similarly those who learn math better are likely to understand the sciences better.

Intelligence escapes measure, even the so-called IQ fails woefully.
I like the following response to a question about Einstein's IQ:

Einstein never took an IQ test (they are a fairly recent development) so no one knows what his IQ is. But the fact that he was brilliant in some fields doesn't mean he would have had a high IQ. There are people, called 'idiot savants' who are incredibly brilliant in one field, but hopeless at other things. For some reason, mathematics is often the field of special intensity - they can calculate numbers in their heads that you or I would have trouble entering into a computer, and solve them faster than the computer. They can tell you what day of the week any date in history was, or project it forward into the future. But they may not be able to figure out how to get across town on a bus. So IQ, no matter how high it is, doesn't always indicate brilliance. And your personal IQ can and does vary over your lifetime, so it isn't a set number.

It is used as a guide, however. IQs of under 80 are generally deemed to need assisted living conditions, those with IQs over 135 are MENSA level. These are people who sit around and do math problems for fun and find sudoko and crosswords much too easy.

Some people with high IQs are not especially socially adept, because they can't undestand how other people (with lower IQs) have such trouble understanding things that come naturally to them. Others with high IQs are wonderful, kind and caring people. So there aren't really any generalizations you can make about people with high or low IQs.

omicron: No we don't go to school to learn English but we do English as a subject too. And recall I said after the two people have been exposed to the same learning conditions. I used the illustration simply to suggest that 'intelligence' is the ability to learn...the more intelligent, the better and faster the learning.

They know where to look if they are really looking.
We know those who forged an SSS report to make it look like they had information on Aregbesola & islamists.
They are the same ones who hurriedly formed a counter APC.
All are firmly traced to PDP.
Their hooligan tactics are known to all.
People are not fooled.
Propaganda will fail - the lies of GEJ will fail come 2015!!!

taharqa: Like I said: Ask him to SUBSTANTIATE any of the above, and he would, just like any PROPAGANDIST, run away Or Beat about the bush Or (their favorite) raise other totally unrelated series of 'Allegations' without first dealing with 1st

PROPAGANDA almost ALways FAILS, Eventuali...

And u know a real Lagosian - u stranger of small consequence? You people are scared stiff. Imagine the vomit coming out of Obanikoro being your gospel.

mike404: I expect lagos wannabe like tifnubu and fashola to keep quiet when a REAL lagos boy like Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro s talking...he really opened their yarnsh

We are actually saying the same thing. GEJ thinks he can make two wrongs look like a right. It is all about 2015.

eko ilee: He's not balancing anything, he's indirectly dishing out election mobilization money with official cover. It's the same dangerous and corrupt game.

This is another moving part of the sad prediction for the final disintegration of Nigeria in 2015. It's going to be a perfect storm.

Look at it this way.
GEJ has been goofing by setting up ex-militants to patrol our coastal waters.
Tompolo is now a multi-billionaire based on those contracts.
What do you think GEJ would do, after havin been openly called out?
He is not strong enough to do what is right by withdrawing those ND contracts.
Instead the man is "balancing" by sending money to the other regional groups - N2.4 billion for OPC.
Find the story that said $100 million (about N1.6 billion) was allocated for oil exploration in the north - there is no oil exploration, it is another payoff to another group.
GEJ is committing so many atrocities these days, and that is why 2015 is a do-or-die for him.

fkaz: Awarding opc anti-oil pipe-linevandalism contract worth #2.4billion is crazy what is the job of nigeria navy

Fasheun should take GEJ's contract and do what is right for Yorubaland.
Otherwise, he will end up in a very bad place.

Our Yansh: South-West people shine your eyes and read the handwriting on the wall!!!
GEJ's PDP is‎​ hell-bent on bombing y'all into submitting to his 2015 ambition..
Be warned!!
. .

No mind the yeye man...2015 is fast slipping away so he's calling on God. If the prayer reach corruption he will refuse to say "Amen" !!!

sheyie2007: Imagine obama saying this

And in what way are you better than those who you claim "would be screaming about the money she stole" if she were a man.
The only difference between you and them is that you WANT TO ALSO DO IT TO WOMEN.
Two wrongs don't make a right, and even as bad as Nigeria may be there are still a few - yes they may be few - with integrity. I am not saying she is one of the few with integrity, but I don't know and NEITHER do you!!!

Michaeljones36: 99% of you only feel sorry because she is a woman. If she was a man, you all would be screaming about the money she stole!

She didn't have any mercy when she stole the bread from your mouth, so don't show any mercy now that she is dead.

A thief is dead! Thank you GOD!!!!!!! May we all rejoice!

Please god kill all of them before the year is over!! Let them all burn in the hottest hell fire. Then let them burn again and again until the Devil comes to punish them. These monsters have no mercy for the poor they step on. For the lives they ruin. How disgusting you sound defending this monstrosity of human excrement.

Glory be to god, may his will be done on earth!

How many of you know someone who is DEAD because these thieves care only about themselves? Only a self hating Nigerian would show any mercy, or love, for these monsters.

Just for the record - because the day will come when some people that shall remain nameless will roam Nigeria talking crap about how GEJ paid for "security" in Osun. These were the kind of steps Tinubu/Fashola took in Lagos to improve the terrible security situation there - the same time two other governors were busy looting their state treasury - and escaping in woman wrapper from the UK.

Also, as a reminder, Aregbesola has leased a helicopter for aerial pursuit of those who attempt to breach Osun's security.

Remember, these are FG agencies that the Government of the "State of Osun" is paying to equip.
What is the FG doing with its huge yearly security allocations?

Just saying.

http://www.osundefender.org/?p=97154
The Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has distributed 100 security patrol vehicles to security agencies in the state.

The patrol vans were shared out to the police, immigration, customs, NDLEA, civil defence and the FRSC. In a statement made available to Saturday Mirror, Governor Aregbesola, while distributing the vehicles in Osogbo, said that the state government has paid for some advanced and more sophisticated armoured personnel carriers (APC) for the use of security operatives in the state.

He also assured that his administration would soon place an order for heavy duty motorcycles that would be stationed at every street to maintain security. “We have appealed to the federal government to let us work together to activate the short code 112 so that our people can easily contact us in time of need, but this has proved fruitless.

[size=14pt]We are read to take over all the financial requirements to get the centre operational but the federal government should come to the aid of the of Osun to guarantee full security of our people. We have our own security code, but without the federal government’s functioning, we cannot get our own to work,” Aregbesola said.[/size]

While thanking the state government on behalf of other security agencies, Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mrs Dorothy Gimba, said that the benefiting security agencies have been re-energised to do their jobs and that they will not relent in maintaining law and order in the state.

Interesting video - fighting without any helmets and, I am sure, body armor.
The amount of wasted bullets and lack of coordination is amazing.
The sound of firing was like the Yoruba gan-gan drum going on for minutes on end, and no enemy killed (or even seen).
Thanks to the French for stepping in before those alqaida fanatics took over completely.
Africa my Africa.