₦airaland Forum

Don't say that. Mr. non9gerian lives on "news" like this.

bayooooooo: This is no news.

Buhari made statements warning about rigging elections, but he never said anything about making the country ungovernable.

[size=16pt]These statements came from people within PDP itself: Atiku, his aide Kaita and Adamu Ciroma among others.[/size]

Google is your friend, it is not that hard to find the source of these comments - see the story about Atiku and Kaita below.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/editorial/15129-atiku-abubakars-threat
ATIKU ABUBAKAR’S THREAT
Thursday, 23 December 2010
JUST about two months ago, we wrote to condemn the incendiary outburst of a former governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Lawal Kaita. We criticised the former governor for issuing a threat that the North would make Nigeria ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan if he emerged the winner of the forthcoming election. It is a matter for great concern that the situation is not getting better. The agitation by certain politicians for a “northern president” in 2011 is assuming a rather desperate dimension.

THIS desperation was manifested on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at a stakeholders’ forum where the “northern consensus aspirant” picked by the Adamu Ciroma-led group, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was reported to have issued a threat that was unbecoming of a man of his status in the society. “...Let me again send another message to the leadership of our great country, especially the political leadership that those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable...” he was quoted as saying. Should the contest for a party ticket assume such a disturbing dimension? Where indeed is that obstruction to peaceful change in Nigeria’s political firmament?



IT cannot be a mere coincidence that Kaita belongs to Abubakar’s political camp. The unfortunate impression emanating from this camp is that it has subordinated the interests of Nigeria to the presidential ambition of its principal. Nigeria is a country in dire straits. It is one political entity in which virtually nothing works and in which the people have been brutally short-changed by a succession of self-seeking and conscienceless political leaders. Decades of wilful mismanagement has put the wealth of the country in the hands of a negligible percentage of the population. Nigerians are not oblivious of the fact that most of today’s contenders for political leadership are part and parcel of this vicious minority. It is not unknown to the disadvantaged citizens of this country that Atiku Abubakar is an integral part of this tiny minority.

IT is in the forlorn hope for a better Nigeria that the people have been looking forward to a positive change in 2011. The general expectation is that the various aspirants will come up with blueprints that will address the myriad problems that have rendered the economy prostrate and the people miserable. What Nigerians now want is a new lease of life — job opportunities, basic necessities of life, security of life and property, among others, which cannot be achieved in a state of social or political conflagration that Abubakar’s camp is threatening to inflict on the country. In a country bedevilled by armed robbery, kidnapping, religious uprising, unfathomable corruption and pervasive poverty, life should not be worse than it is.

IT is not uncommon for politicians to dig up their opponents’ murky past in their efforts to get the upper hand in an electoral contest. This, however, should not be the main plank of an election strategy. Nigerian politicians should emulate the standard of political campaign in the developed countries they visit so often. Torrents of abuse and threats of violence cannot convince a rational voter or delegate. Nigerian politicians should shift their focus to issues and issues alone. It is a great surprise that threats of violence and disturbance of public peace have been emanating from Abubakar and members of his camp.

IT is ironical that a man who claimed he stood against the alleged do-or-die politics of his former boss is now pursuing his quest for Nigeria’s presidency as a matter of life and death. It is least expected that a man of his exposure and experience in public service, business and politics, can consider violence as a means to his desired end. It is inconceivable that a former vice-president, who had taken full advantage of the legal process to get his rights restored can now see violence as an option in the event of failure to achieve his political objective.

WE earnestly counsel Abubakar and other politicians of his ilk to take cognisance of the fundamental truth that violence will always beget violence. The unfortunate aspect of it is that problems are always created by the privileged class while the brunt is always borne by the hoi polloi. All those fanning the ember of violence should be fair-minded enough to bring home their children in foreign educational institutions and give them guns and machetes to lead the struggle for their fathers’ personal aggrandisement.

THE threats of fire and brimstone in the quest for political positions cast doubts on the genuineness of expressed intentions to serve the people’s interests. If the contest for a party ticket is being pursued with this level of desperation, what should the people expect to see during and after the general election. The entire world is waiting to see what Nigeria will make of the 2011 elections. We fervently hope that Nigerian politicians are not perfecting strategies that are capable of actualising the predictions of doomsayers on the country.

Stallion77: Buhari!!! ...Before the 2011 elections and so far so bad!!!

It is better you keep your mouth capped because what comes out almost always is fallacious reasoning.

Are you suggesting that we cannot resolve an armed insurrection through amnesty until we have let out all thieves out of our prisons, or until we allow our govt. officials to steal us blind without fear of consequences?

What is your point exactly?

Mr. Globe:
I don't even want to make any statements on this but this double mouth is not expected from a Cardinal who was involved in the election of the new pope

This PDP people will stop at nothing - low-lifes.
How is Mama climbing the podium to give a political speech, when she is still grieving a great loss.
PDP is a sacrilegious party of goons!!!

mamikky: The wife of the late Premier of the Western Region and Chairperson of the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), Hanna Awolowo, has cautioned politicians from the South-West to be wary of any alliance in the forthcoming 2015 general elections.
She gave the warning recently in her opening remark at a meeting of the Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) held at the Efunyela Hall in Ikenne, the home of the Awolowos.
Mrs. Awolowo also cautioned the politicians to guide against acts that are capable of causing disunity in their preparation for the poll, and be wary of all forms of deceit in their political re-alignment.
She also emphasised that politicians from the geo -political zone should guide against disagreements over their choices for 2015.
According to her, politicians from the region must make a choice that will be beneficial to the race.
“Yoruba politicians must not walk astray by 2015; the 2011 journey which we all embarked upon has clearly disappointed us. We were marginalised when it was time for us all to enjoy; we should all learn,” she said.

http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/awolowo-cautions-yoruba-politicians-on-alliance-merger/

Again the emperor's clothes are there for "nobody to see".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/02/nigeria-jonathan-boko-haram
Goodluck Jonathan is more interested in retaining power and accumulating wealth than truly tackling terror and corruption
Salisu Suleiman for Nigerians Talk, part of the Guardian Africa Network
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 2 April 2013 09.47 EDT

Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan. Photograph: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images
There is a joke about a morgue attendant who was so used to seeing dead bodies that one day, when a supposedly dead body started twitching, his response was, "this is the morgue, not the emergency room". He promptly smothered the twitching body until it was well and truly dead. "That's more like it", he said, as he sat down to guard the cabinet full of dead bodies and to wait for new arrivals.

In many ways, the way Goodluck Jonathan has handled the affairs of Nigeria since becoming president can be likened to that of the morgue attendant. And worse still, Nigeria under his administration has grown to become a vast, sprawling mortuary where deaths and dead bodies do not seem to matter at all. In the aftermath of Jonathan's visit to Maiduguri, the trouble northern city under attack by Boko Haram, in security operatives reportedly dumped about 70 bodies at the morgue, up from the daily average of 10 or 20.

Like the morgue attendant in the story, when about two years ago, the Borno state Elders Forum met the president and asked him to order the withdrawal of troops from Maiduguri to enable them take a different approach against the jihadist group, Jonathan flatly refused. In the two years since, how many more lives have been needlessly lost in the fighting? His attitude seems to be, "I'd rather preside over dead bodies than save lives".

Accepted, Jonathan took over a country that was severely distressed. But what is the job of the president? For someone who has spent the last 14 years in power at the state and federal levels, the excuse that he is still studying the situation is one of the lamest apologies in political history. Either deliberately or inadvertently, like the morgue attendant, Jonathan's actions and inactions all seem geared towards killing Nigeria off once and for all.

Why was it that when he was eventually shamed into visiting northern Borno and Yobe states by opposition governors, his response to calls for an amnesty for Boko Haram was, "We can't grant amnesty to ghosts". Within a week of his mindless retort, another 25 Nigerians had been blown to smithereens in Kano. Since he can't grant amnesty to ghosts, perhaps, he can grant amnesty to dead bodies?

Incidentally, more and more Nigerians are beginning to suspect that the deteriorating security situation may be more than the handiwork of Boko Haram. More than ever, there are growing fears that some, if not many of the attacks attributed to Boko Haram may be the work of other "ghosts" beyond the militants, whose ultimate objective may be to divide Nigerians further along ethnic and religious lines for political advantage. The very nature and timing of some of the attacks on churches and some ethnic groups lend credence to that supposition.

Is this the same Jonathan who told us on his inauguration that, "Today, our unity is firm, and our purpose is strong, our determination unshakable. Together, we will unite our nation and improve the living standards of all our peoples whether in the north or in the south; in the east or in the west. Our decade of development has begun. The march is on. The day of transformation begins today. We will not allow anyone exploit differences in creed or tongue, to set us one against another?"

Perhaps, Nigerians should not be surprised at what Jonathan has become. From the supposedly timid state governor and vice president, we now have one of the most calculating and thick-skinned leaders, totally deaf to criticism. The only thing on his mind seems to be to retain power beyond 2015 while allegedly helping friends and cronies accumulate wealth. After all, when he was asked about politicians declaring their assets in public, he said: "The issue of public asset declaration is a matter of personal principle. That is the way I see it, and I don't give a damn about it, even if you criticise me from heaven."

Which is why the condemnations of the pardon he granted to Diepreye Alamiesegha, a former state governor who stole millions of dollars and jumped bail in the UK after disguising himself in as a woman, are likely to fall on deaf ears. It is why, even with a daily income of $224 million, Nigerians are among the poorest people on earth. It's why we have 68 million people unemployed; why Nigeria is the most corrupt nation in the world and why studies show that a child would be off being born in Somalia, Mali, Chad, South Sudan and other war-ravaged countries than in Nigeria.

Jonathan's well-paid and ill-mannered army of internet and media warriors may sing his praises to high heavens and work hard to distort any discourse about the woeful failures of their paymaster, but they cannot hide the fact that, under Jonathan, Nigeria has become a vast mortuary where death and tragedy are routine. And like the morgue attendant, the president seems intent on smothering all remaining signs

For those asking the question whether corruption in Nigeria has reduced, here is your answer.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/item/8628-oil-subsidy-scam-prosecution-a-deceit-nlc
Written by Sam Nwaoko- Ado Ekiti Monday, 01 April 2013

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it is not impressed by the ongoing prosecution of oil subsidy fraud in courts in the country, alleging that the Federal Government had “left the big thieves and went after those who took small money.”
President of the NLC Comrade Abduwaheed Omar, who said this in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, said the prosecution amounted to deceit on the part of the Federal Government, saying the Federal Government should go after the big thieves.
The NLC President said the difference between the N1.3trillion and N270 billion actual subsidies paid should be traced and all those found wanting in the scam brought to book.
He said if President Goodluck Jonathan could deal decisively with the oil subsidy thieves and clear the alleged mess in the sector, there would not be the need to contemplate total removal of fuel subsidy, saying the president would have little to worry about over the cost of subsidising petroleum products as the N270 billion would be manageable.
Omar said: “Labour is dissatisfied with the way the alleged looters are being prosecuted. When you talk of punishment of these looters, we mean the major actors. Those who took the larger chunk of the N1.3 trillion oil subsidy money should be punished to save this nation from embarrassment.”
Omar also warned states that were yet to implement the N18,000 minimum wage to brace up for a battle with the workers, saying the labour unions would soon fine-tune arrangements on how to compel the concerned states to commence implementation.
On the proposed removal of the oil subsidy, Comrade Omar posited that out of the N1.3trillion declared to have been expended on oil subsidy in 2011, only N270 billion was discovered to have been appropriated while the rest slipped into the hands of oil cabals.

Ah ah ah ah, you are buying into the B.S. He was never a perfectionist !!!
What he really was, is, and will always be, is a bold-faced thief like most government officials in Nigeria.

They will cut off the hand of someone who stole N100, right after returning from a meeting where they shared N100 million stolen from the Nigerian treasury. They are devils without any horns on their heads who should really be in the pits of fire, where they truly belong. In the mind of these people the thought is "who will catch me"?

They are getting bolder by the day. As their Corruption-in-Chief is busy conducting one orchestra of corruption after the other, they will get on NL to open a thread purportedly to ask the question "Is Corruption Reducing in Nigeria"? Their real aim is to muddle the debate, a race-to-the-bottom strategy which has always confused hapless Nigerians. However, this time they must not escape the judgement that is due to them.

chiover: Those day when he was a perfectionist but if you as him today,I am sure he will say otherwise because he has sinned and has been forgiven. Also he is a would be senator

The difference you guys are seeing is all made up. Nothing confered official status on "Lagos State" over "State of Lagos" as they are one and the same. This actually shows a deeper problem with Nigeria. We start doing something no matter how wrong or right, and will never stop no matter how reasonable it is to change. I have never seen such extreme and backward conservatism as Nigeria's.

Even if British lawyers gather up all their wigs and burn them Nigerian lawyers will keep wearing those useless wigs till the end of time.

[author=claycares]
Eldoradoxx thanks for making him understand. But it seems he doesn't want to. America is a diff jurisdiction from Nigeria. Yet we keep copying from them blindly. Another example is the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 that has an inherent lacuna and must be reviewed as soon as possible. When the court decides on that tomorrow, some folks will blame judges and others PDP or CAN.[/quote]

This is how you know who owns this project? By the name of the contractor? Are you a kid or just too much into the PDP B.S. to breath properly? When all the public evidence shows that Fashola is behind the project you are here talking crap

Educate yourself below:

[size=14pt]No collaboration with FG on Lagos-Badagry Expressway, says works commissioner[/size]
TUESDAY, 01 JANUARY 2013 CHUKA UROKO

[size=14pt]Lagos State government has said there is no collaboration between it and the Federal Government on the ongoing reconstruction and expansion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.[/size]

Olufemi Hamzat, the state’s commissioner for works and infrastructure, who gave this hint during an interactive session with property and infrastructure reporters in his office, adds, however, that the state is not against any collaboration with any government.

The commissioner, who was reacting to a report credited to the Mike Onolememen, minister of works, that the Federal Government was collaborating with Lagos State on the expressway, emphasises that the state is open to discussion for collaboration.

He discloses that the Federal Government owes the state about N51 billion it used to reconstruct and rehabilitate federal roads in the state, urging the Federal Government to pay this debt to enable the state carry on its infrastructure upgrade.

About three years ago, the Lagos State government embarked on the reconstruction and expansion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway from its current four-lane to 10 lanes with a light rail track expected to run from Okokomaiko to Lagos Island.

The commissioner explains that the vision of that project is to boost the state’s economy through inter-regional trade and commerce, hoping that the completion of the project would impact on the state positively.

He explains further that the seeming slow pace of work on the expressway is because the project is being technically managed, saying “a lot of work is being done on the expressway. We are relocating the pipelines and we are also to relocate about 42 electric poles.

“What is delaying the completion of Lot 1 of the project is the interface between the contractors on the road and the rail line, such that we have asked Julius Berger to slow down a bit.”

He hopes that when the state’s 2013 budget is passed by the House of Assembly, about N20 billion out of the N74 billion appropriated for his ministry might be used on the expressway.

Hamzat, however, debunks insinuations in some quarters that some areas of the state are favoured in terms of choice of roads construction and rehabilitation.

Reeling out the statistics of the number of roads awarded for reconstruction in the various local governments in the state, the commissioner discloses that Alimosho is leading, followed by Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Ikorodu and Ikeja.

About 10,000 roads in the state out of which 183 have been awarded, he says, explaining that roads are constructed considering traffic bearing capacity of the area and interconnectivity of the roads.

“Our intension in 2013 is to complete all ongoing projects and that is a big challenge for us. We will award new ones but we are not going to be as aggressive as before,” he says.

The choice of asphalt as against cement is a trade off in terms of cost.

The commissioner uses the forum to explain the choice of foreign firms for roads construction in the state, saying, “Chinese, for instance, is becoming the biggest economy in the world.

They seem to have the resources such that as against their Nigerian counterparts who would collect 60 percent cost of the contract and do 60 percent of the work, the Chinese firms can collect 60 percent and deliver the project and wait for the 40 percent.”

In terms of quality of work done, he adds, “we have consultants who monitor the work that these contractors do,” stressing that those firms do good and quality roadwork.

onyewec3: this is a world bank assisted project......if its state govt fund,
1 ..fashola would have been blowing hot.
2.does lagos have the necessary fund to execute this project(can lagos allocation build dis project)?
3.most state govt road are not contracted to big coys julius berger,CCECC ETC....if dere is any state road build by berger pls name one of dem?
4.fashola have neva been to this site(meaning he has no total control of the project.
5.lagos-badagry expressway is a federal road

The big question I have for those wishing to swear GEJ in for a third term is this:

[size=20pt]If President Musa Yar'adua had passed on 1 day before/after the inauguration of the Yar'adua/GEJ administration would it make sense for President GEJ to be sworn-in a third time as President of the Federation?[/size]

Let's see you people answer this question, if you are really serious.

GEJ is actually not going to be on the PDP ticket this time - he is already planning his exit, whereas you mouthpieces are shouting yourself hoarse. His main task really is that he would rather not have Sambo be the one on the ticket - Sambo will likely lose to another northerner.

You make laugh - you people are so drunk with power.
Why doesn't GEJ kuku dispense with being sworn in, and extend his tenure to 100 years.
Some people are suffering from delusions of power - you will wake up to the rude reality in the no distant future.

pDude: Arewa indeed.

Before their very eyes, GEJ will be sworn in a third time. And if they are not careful, even a fourth time.

They are running their mouths carelessly. What did Nigeria achieve for the decades it was ruled by northerners? Nonsense

Who said he is daft? He is not daft, but is a cold, calculating run-of the mill politician.
Lie and deceive at will, then shed crocodile tears when elections are approaching.
But nobody is deceived - you can only tell some stories once.

By coincidence this is reminding me of a fake reality TV show from a couple of years ago - call Joe-Schmo. It is not the name that applies to President GEJ, but the fact that the outcome of the show leaves a very bad taste in the mouth of Mr. Joe-Schmo even if for a few 1000 dollars - very hard to forgive that kind of deceit!!!

tomakint: This man (Jonathan) is not daft as widely assumed afterall! Indeed, our youths need total re-orientation on their mind-sets

Please don't mind the mouthpiece of GEJ for the arrogance.
Before "Tinubu could react" is a lie - Tinubu and many of his cohorts already visited Ikenne before the president did.

What is even more annoying is that this guy could not hide the fact GEJ was all of a sudden trying to be a friend of the SW to save his 2015 political agenda that is going up in flames.

Maybe somebody told you that greeting Tinubu on his birthday and condoling Mama HID is equivalent to treating Yoruba with equity in all you do, but you are being deceived. We can see Lagos-Ibadan road unattended while you are doling billions to the entertainment industry, not once but twice. We can see your lopsided appointments,and we can see your lopsided government projects. We can see you building an army in the SS. We are not deceived by yeye eye service. Do the right thing in Yorubaland, then you can count on the good graces of Yorubas.

omoajiri: @ Eze Canada..
Midas touch indeed, after all he touches turns to gold, he cldnt eat or even cuddle his lovely princess because she turned 2 gold.
What caught my attention dear is ur 'before Tinubu reacts' comment. Does that in any way resurrect the deceased or does it clears the sorrow the man's demise has cast into the family? FYI, go through today's dailies, Asiwaju don even 4gt say he go Ikenne.

Mr. Midas Touch - you deceive only yourself. Midas "touch" ko, Midas "hug" ni.

EzeCanada: Jonathan has this certain midas touch. While haters are busy discussing his daftness and talking the talk, he is busy walking the talk.

He was on hand to console Mama HID even before Tinubu could react.

With this single move, Southwest is ready to be delivered to Jonathan come 2015...

What's the point? Nobody said they are the same, but "city of Lagos" is the same as "Lagos city".

eldoradoxx: city of Lagos is not the same as state of Lagos.

The meanings of these designations have nothing to do with the origin/history of the states. Neither do "New York City" and "City of New York" - they are equivalent and to raise a brouhaha over the difference between the two, as in the case of this judge, is to be wasting the nation's resources.

eldoradoxx: Nigeria's federalism is quite different from America. In America, most of the federating states where formerly independent and autonomous with Identifiable names; they all came together under a union while retaining some of their autonomy to form a "United States" of America. In our own case, the Nation itself emerged first before the states. There was no state that was created other than those created by the legislature deriving powers from the constitution. That is why a state in US can stil pull out from the Union and that will be allowed. But it is impossible in Nigeria.

I don't think you can apply this reasoning directly to the designation of a state entity. Since the actual constitutional name was simply "Lagos" does it mean all business transacted with "Lagos State" over decades are invalid? The cases you cited had a problem because those people used two different designations in the same case. If they stuck to one or the other there would be no issue. And then there is the issue of spurious technicalities in court cases.

In addition the "Appellate Court" is itself also known as the "Court of Appeals" without issues. You in fact used both designations in your write-up.

It is PDP's nonsensical politics - that is the begining and end of this issue.


[quote author=BarryX][/quote]

This is the kind of self-contradiction that happens when we let politics override logic. If you agree that the constitution only name the states but we have being using "Lagos State" without heartache why would anyone suddenly develop one because it is now refeered to as "State of Lagos" which by the way is the most common reference to states around the world. It does connote anything other than the state known as Lagos, as in city of "Los Angeles".

eldoradoxx: You are not a lawyer, its a pity. Here what I know from my small knowledge of law. In a criminal trial there are two parties namely; the accused person and the prosecution (I.e the state). Both parties must be proper persons at law otherwise the trial becomes a nullity. In the instant case the court rightly held that an offence cannot be committed nor a non legal/juristic person that is State of Lagos prosecute an accused. Therefore, until the juristic/legal person (I.e Lagos State)comes forth to prosecute the accused has no valid charge against him. Solution is to re-arrest the accused and the juristic person/ Lagos State (known to law) initiates anothr trial. So the judge did absolutely nothing wrong. Lagos State is different from State of Lagos. If they claim the constitution only calls it Lagos without adding "State" then its better to call it "Lagos" simpliciter and not State of Lagos. The state after Lagos is simply sort of descriptive of what Lagos is, a state. But State of Lagos denotes an independent entity created for and by the people of Lagos. But that s false, all states in Nigeria were created by the people of Nigeria and for all Nigerians and no state belongs to any set of people, tribe or religion.

This is the crux of the matter. Until we start building our own stuff through development would continue to elude us.

shine12: Very Nice!!.

we need to build our own bridges( I guess there are Civil and Structural Engineering graduates in Nigeria) The government too should set up a state owned civil engineerign company that builds all these infrastructures, The chinese are making a fortune from these projects. Check the extract from their website below:

[b]In recent years, CCECC has achieved rapid development, undertaking and executing numerous significant projects ranging from railway, light rail, expressway to bridges, buildings, and municipal works. CCECC has successfully signed the contracts for many large-scale projects in the past three years, such as Nigeria Railway Modernization Project (Abuja-Kaduna Section) (contract value:850 million USD) in 2010; Ethiopia Mieso-Dawanle-Djibouti Port Railways Project (contract value: 1.98 billion USD) and Chad Railway Network EPC Project (contract value: 5.631 billion USD) in 2011; Nigeria Railway Modernization Project (Lagos-Ibadan Section) (contract value:1.487 billion USD), Nigeria Badagery Express Road Project (contract value:941 million USD) and Niger Railway Project (contract value:998 million USD) in 2012. The number of CCECC’s projects in hand amounted to 242 with a total contract value of 19.2 billion USD by the end of 2012, which in turn guarantees CCECC for its sustainable business development and ever growing strength for project contracting.[/b]

No, that is not what Yorubas are asking of him.
Can't you read man - equity, that's all.
It was the promise of equity that got him votes in the SW.
Now he is in Aso Rock acting like he did not win the votes in most of the states in the SW.

kasiem: we know that the only good he can do for yorubaland is joining apc abi acn

And will do for Nigeria exactly what he is currently doing as Senate President - warming the seat while earning 100s of millions!!!

Find the best man - if he is truely the best he will deal with all religions equally whether he/she be of muslim/christian/ancient religion.

cogitoErgo: I will choose David Mark! He is xtian and a northerner.

Where is your precedence that says "Osun State" cannot be called "State of Osun"?
Or do you expect your internet note, without reference, to be the point of reference?
If you are a lawyer, I say what kind of lawyer are you?

The Nigerian constitution only named states as "Osun", "Lagos", etc, so the rest of the attachments are our own making and understanding, and a "jobless" judge should not use his high chair to waste everyone's time.

Of course, "Fed. Govt of Nigeria" is different from "Fed. Republic of Nigeria" - one is the government, the other is the country. Perhaps you want to argue that "Fed. Republic of Nigeria" is different from the "Nigeria Fed. Republic" in which case you would be arguing against yourself as in the case of this judge, since the two are one and the same. In fact, "Fed. Republic of Nigeria" makes more sense than Nigeria Fed. Republic - it simply means this is the "Fed. Republic" known as "Nigeria", just like "State of Osun" means this is the "State" known as "Osun".

PDP is really a nonsensical party of illiterates. They are incapable of coming up with visionary ideas, but would rather instigate useless and wasteful arguments in the press, up to inducing a judge to empty his/her brains of the tenets of law.

claycares: Let's not be sentimental about this issue. OP pls seek legal advice when necessary.
There's a long standing precedent of the Supreme Court on this issue. The law is clear and certain whether it's an SAN or not, PDP or what have you. The 'State of Lagos' is different from 'Lagos State' and so is 'Federal Govt of Nigeria' diff from 'Federal Republic of Nigeria'. It is trite law that you cannot substitute a non-juristic person with a juristic person. The Constitution only gave legal personality to Lagos State or Federal Republic of Nigeria as the case may be and not otherwise. There's a long chain of case law on this issue, yet we keep seeing SANs making this blunders everyday.

@OP: Good, thank you President GEJ. Now do what is right in Yorubaland.

chiover: One good thing about GEJ is that he is a free minded person who does not believe in do or die politics. I will always score him 100% when it comes to kindness and pure hearted human feelings

tomakint: Despite being maligned, castigated, cursed, ridiculed publicly, called derogatory names, he (Jonathan) still reaches out to congratulate one of his most virulent critics (Tinubu) I just love this man with a good heart and vision - Jonathan

Yeye dey smell. Good man ko, Bad man ni - GEJ needs to stop the yeye eye service and treat Yorubaland with equity the way Yorubas helped vote him into power. Until he does what is right, a million congratulatory messages to Tinubu is just that - "fe 'je pupa si 'nu tu 'to funfun si 'ta" (go find the a Yoruba to translate for you). As for vision - I will not even join issues with you on that...today

Wily/Wily:
He is not a Yoruba man.

Need I say more - Wily-Nily is a buffoon.

Of course such high fallutin dribble sounds like logic when it is really fallacy. Let's start calling "Osun State" "State Osun" since the south of Sudan is known as South Sudan. Fact is all these designations are really equally valid since they are attempts to wrap a description into a noun. Osun, Osun State, State of Osun are all equivalent and should not give any judge heartache - except of course one under the PDP "umblella".

gsalvatore: LISTEN TO THIS GUY!!!^^^.

We have seen the works of the fisherman Ph.D. president of obodo Nigeria and he needs some lessons.

kennytidistar: they are charge and bail lawyers when carpenter suddenly became lawyer and eventually became governor, do you expect anything better?

Yeah-yeah-yeah yaketty-yak-yak!!!

wesley80: Which dustbin did you pick your Phd from? Perharps you read the piece whilst still in your mumu-mode!

I agree with you, but this should be a non-issue for the judge except that he has a "PDP" ax to grind. All designations are equally valid: "Osun", "Osun State", "State of Osun".

klas: In plain English, does University of Ibadan means the university belongs to Ibadan? There exist State of California in US yet it is not different from Texas State which was even an independent republic up to 1845 before it voluntarily joined the USA as the 28th state .

But like somebody already posted, legal meanings are not necessarily same as ordinary dictionary meanings.

@koruji. You are not entirely right that the constitution only listed the names of states without clarifying if they are 'of' or not. In the Schedule to the Constitution(same as where states are listed) but the one on the Oath of Office, it expressly states that Governor take oath as "Governor of _ _ _ _ State" not as "Governor of State of _ _ _ _". Same for members of the House of Assembly of a state or Judicial officials of a state's courts.

I see you are using your own made up dictionary and nonsensical jargon, but even your own examples show that this judge is wasting everyone's time. According to you "State Osun" would be perfect.

And you just wait untill precedence shows that "State of..." has been used in Nigerian courts in the past.

Anyway, I knew this thread was going to attract PDP flies...

utumunta: You ppl in d ACN are becoming very pathetic wt each passing day! Whinning and pouting like a spoilt child dat must have his way by all means.
If u know anything about d law, u'd know dat ds Judgement is apt and is celebrated by Daniel in heaven!
State 'of' connotes "state coming from" . Just as 'southern sudan' means southern part of d con3 sudan and south sudan means an independent entity located in d south! If u are called koruji of nairaland, it is either u work wt nairaland or u are a member. It means u ar an entity within nairaland!
In law,there is what is called rules of statutory interpretation and it nid nt conform wt any dictionary.
Lagos state does nt have a 'state of Lagos' bt Ikeja local council area 'of Lagos', located in and belonging to Lagos state!
Something can never stand on nothing in law and d maxim 'Nemo dat quod non habet' means 'u cannot give a better title dan u have' .
Ds same Judgement is going to be brought against d merger party shld INEC go ahead and assign d acronym APC to them.
It is a shame dat all d SAN 'of' ACN do not guide them well.

No wonder the state of Nigeria (oops: is Nigeria a state or country? does Nigeria own a state? Judge Adebayo, please chime in) is so depressing - people cannot even read simple sentences anymore.

God's Mercy:
Why will anyone contradict the Constitution in the first place? Those contractors and banks should better look for all available means to get any monetary transactions made now. State of Osun is far far different from Osun State. A lesson to all. God bless us all.

What is the meaning of "Osun State"? Is "Osun State" in the constitution, before you accuse people of contradicting the constitution? Go back and read my original post, but the answer is Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

wesley80: So what part of the judgement spinned your over-indulged Phd head?

What part of R-E-A-D can't you understand?

Sun re o - Arole Awolowo.
Condolences to the entire household of the late Pa Awolowo, especially Mama Awolowo.
Nobody ever wishes to see an offspring depart before them, but none of us can control the time and place of the end of our earthly sojourn. May God grant all of you the comfort to bear this great loss.

I hope GEJ follows Alam on his next journey to the UK.
That way they can both be tried for all their fraud, and insulting the sensibilities of the entire UNIVERSE.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/were-still-waiting-for-alamieyeseigha-in-uk-envoy/
Our Reporter March 28, 2013 4 Comments »
From PAULINUS AIDOGHIE, Abuja

The United Kingdom has said that it has not given up on its efforts to extradite former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, back to Britain to face trial.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Andrew Pocock, told Daily Sun in an exclusive interview that the former governor who recently got state pardon from his criminal conviction in Nigeria still has an outstanding case of money laundering to answer to in the UK and that the UK government will not give up until Alamieyeseigha is brought to justice.

Alamieyeseigha, then a serving governor, made a dramatic escape from the custody of the British authorities when he fled back to Nigeria from detention in September 2005. He would later be convicted on similar money laundering charges on July 26, 2007 in Nigeria after he was impeached as governor.

Although his recent state pardon by President Goodluck Jonathan hit the UK authorities as a rude shock, Pocock dismissed insinuations that London was planning to sanction Nigeria over the matter. According to him, “that is not the way we do things”.

The High Commissioner also revealed that UK had earlier requested for Alamieyeseigha’s extradition, but did not get any response.

Pocock said the UK had asked the Attorney General and Minister for Justice for Alamieyeseigha’s extradition and was still awaiting his position on the issue when President Goodluck Jonathan all of a sudden announced he has been extricated of all wrong doing via the state clemency.

The move to pardon him even when the application for his extradition to Britain was still pending was like daring the applying nation that feels strongly that Alamieyeseigha has a case to answer in their country.

According to Pocock, “The former governor skipped bail in the UK on a charge of money laundering and returned to Nigeria. So, he has an outstanding charge in the UK, which is there for him to answer.

“We have already discussed it and the Nigerian government knows our views. But we would like to see him return and answer charge in the UK.”

On UK’s past and present efforts to see that Alamieyeseigha is extradited to the UK, Pocock said: “Yes. I think we asked in the past. I am very sure we asked in the past. But I am not sure we got a formal response. So, we are still waiting for a formal response from the Nigerian government.

“We have asked the Attorney General. He will have to tell us what his position is on extradition. I haven’t had a reply yet, but we still wait for it,” the British envoy added.

Pocock who is just three months old in the country as British envoy said more about the relationship between his country and Nigeria in the exclusive interview we had with him.

How long have you been in Nigeria?

I have been here since December 2, last year.

Have you been enjoying your stay here?

Very much. It is a fascinating place. It is my second time in Nigeria. I was here from 1983 to 1986 as a young diplomat. My first posting was in Lagos, which was the capital then.

What aspect of Nigeria do you enjoy most?

Well, I think first of all, the contrast between Abuja and Lagos. I like comparing and contrasting. Abuja is very much the capital city; a planned city, a city of the north, the middle belt. And Lagos is an extraordinary metropolis. You know quite how big it is. It is commercial, organic and a seaport. So, the contrast is striking and it shows the different aspects of Nigeria.

How many states have you visited so far?

On this trip, I have been to Kaduna, I have been to Lagos and hope to be going soon to the east.

By road or by air?

Yes, by air. And probably, other states. I have been to Nasarawa but in four months, I haven’t been able to travel very much. There is enough I still want to see.

So, you have not been to Benin?

Not yet. Not on this trip. I had been there before. In fact, I will show you a bronze, which comes not from Benin City but from Ife. I had been all over the south when I first came here. I have been all over Ogun and Oyo, and I have been to Ibadan and Abeokuta. I have been to Benin City, Warrri and Port Harcourt, but there are many places I haven’t yet seen.

Which areas are your government currently cooperating with Nigeria?

There are a whole range of them. Let’s start with trade. Trade is one of the cooperations.

What is the volume of trade like?

We do about five billion pounds worth of trade on both sides. We do about two and half billion in export and about two and half billion in import. Actually, the trade balance is very close. And we have a target. We want to double bilateral trade from 2011, which was four billion and by 2014, it will bring it up to eight billion. So, we are doing five and half billion already.

What do you export and import?

We export petroleum products to Nigeria and import from Nigeria. We also export machinery equipment, power generation machinery and of course, we do a lot of retail and other things. And a lot of British companies are based here. What we also export, of course, is services: banking, financial, telecoms and other aspects. We have a lot of financial service interest in Nigeria from London.

How about other areas?

Well, we work together on the development agenda. The United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) will have a budget in the new financial year, two hundred and seventy million pounds. We do a lot of development cooperation on health, on education, on services-driven and children; on governance, on stability and reconciliation and a whole range of other things. It is a very broad and very interesting agenda. We cooperate on cultural terms in the British Council. The British Council is here with a lot of artistic collaboration. People study in the UK, but the British Council administers examinations and offers a lot of education services too. And I think it involves political sense too. And Nigeria is not only a major force in Africa, it is becoming more and more a major international player. Nigeria joins the United Nations (UN) Security Council in 2014. They will join in January next year.

Are you supporting us?

Yes. We will very much like to see Nigeria in the Security Council.

Politically, how are you cooperating with Nigeria?

Now?

Yes, because we have a lot of political issues.

Well, it depends on what you mean by political issues. If it is internally, that is very much Nigeria’s own agenda. For example, on regional issues like Mali, Nigeria took the early political lead. We support Nigeria’s stand and we have also physically helped Nigeria to transport troops for African Union-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMAL), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Peacekeeping Force. We also cooperate with Nigeria in other areas as well. We are working on ways of tackling terrorism in the north.

How far have you gone in that direction?

We have a long standing relationship with Nigeria security forces in general terms. Without going into too much detail, we work as closely as we can.

Do you have a particular budget to that effect?

We find the funds that we need.

How about the fight against corruption?

Corruption is a worrying thing. It distorts the economy, it damages Nigeria’s reputation and it deters investment at a time when all countries are looking for investment. So, that is an area that we are concerned about. And we make our concerns known, usually privately. That said, there are some evidences of Nigerian government looking to find ways to approach this. For example, pursuing fuel subsidy. That is an interesting area.

Are you supporting the government in that aspect?

Well, I mean, we are not supporting the government in a particular aspect. A lot of them are done by the Nigerian government itself. We have been very strongly supporting efforts to tackle corruption. So, we will be very interested to see an environment in which it is not just foreign companies, but domestic companies that can do clean, transparent and accountable business.

Would you say the Nigerian government is doing well in the fight against corruption?

I think it comes and goes. I think some of the things, you are doing well as I mentioned earlier like trying to improve budget transparency for example, trying to reform the ports, tackling fuel subsidy fraud. These are good and important things. I think there are other areas where it might do more. So, it is a mixed picture. I think the people of the country will like to see a more consistent and forward approach.

There were insinuations that your government would impose sanctions on Nigeria because of the state pardon granted former Bayelsa State governor. How true is that?

There is no question of sanctions. The former governor skipped bail in the UK on a charge of money laundering and returned to Nigeria. So, he has an outstanding charge in the UK, which is there for him to answer. So, our concern is partly with the charge against him in the UK.

Now the president has granted him pardon, how does the UK feel about it?

Well, it is something that we have discussed privately with many in the Nigerian government. It is seriously open to misinterpretation. So, I won’t say much than that at this stage because we have already discussed it and the Nigerian government knows our views. But we would like to see him return and answer to the charge in the UK.

Is there progress in that direction maybe in the form of his extradition to the UK to answer to the charge?

We have asked the Attorney General. He will tell us what his position is on extradition. I haven’t had a reply yet.

You are still waiting for them?

Yes. I think we asked in the past. I am very sure we asked in the past but I am not sure we got a formal response. So, we are still waiting for a formal response from the Nigerian government.

Suppose the government doesn’t give you a favorable response, would there be any action?

No. We are not yet retaliating against the Nigerian government at all. That is not how we do things. We would just like to see if it would be possible to get him back to answer the charge. But we would wait and see. We are pursuing our cause.

Please read a Nigerian judge interpret English for us below. Does "of" always mean "ownership"? I suggest that this judge pick up a dictionary and stop overstepping the law and wasting everybody's time. He/She should tell us what "Lagos State" means in English. The fact is that Section 3 of the constitution neither called the states "Lagos State" or "State of Lagos", for example, but simply listed the name of each state. Either reference or simply "Lagos" (again for example) is admissible. For those who may know this judge, please tell him/her to note the following prepositional meaning of "of":

[size=14pt]used to mark apposition: the city of Naples ; a speech on the subject of archaeology[/size]
Question to judge Adebayo: Does Naples own "a city"? Or does archaeology own "the subject"?

There is no absurdity that PDP will not rejoice over before all is said and done in this country of ours (oops does "ours" own "this country" to judge Adebayo?)!!! The level of flippancy that permeates the hierarchy of administration in Nigeria is mind-boggling. I would bet that there is precedence in Nigerian courts referring to Nigerian states as "States of..."

http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/item/8366-pdp-lauds-judgment-on-state-of-lagos
Written by Thursday, 28 March 2013

THE Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lauded a judgment of the Lagos High Court, which described any reference to “State of Lagos” as illegal and unknown to the constitution of the Nigeria.
Justice Ebenezer Adebajo of Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere had, on Tuesday, dismissed a robbery charge against a 20-year-old man, David Monday, because the prosecuting authority was listed on the court process as “The State of Lagos,” which he said was not in existence.
Head of Osun PDP legal team and state chairman of the party, Chief Sunday Ojo Williams, in a statement on Wednesday, said the judgment should show that businessmen and financial institutions doing business with “The State of Osun” were engaging in illegalities.

“The implication of the judgment is far reaching on Osun State, where the illegality has been on for about three years now. We warned the ACN (Action Congress of Nigeria) government that everything they had been doing under the illegal State of Osun was a nullity, but it did not listen.
“We hope contractors and banks lending money to this government know the full implication of entering into agreements with a non-existing entity.

This judgment should be enough alert for them that impunity has no place in a democracy,” he said.
Justice Adebajo, while dismissing the case, had said: “Section 3 of the Constitution is headed States of the Federation. It is by virtue of this section that a state belonging to the federation, note the use of the word ‘of,’ is named as Lagos. Thus we have Lagos State.

[size=14pt]“This application is brought against The State of Lagos. It is a state belonging to Lagos. Does Lagos own a state? Who is Lagos or what is Lagos?

“Lagos exists by virtue of Section 3 of the Constitution and it comprises of named Local Government Areas. To say The State of Lagos is to refer, in my opinion, to a state that belongs to Lagos.[/size]

“It is not the same thing as Lagos State. It is for this reason that I do not accept that the party against whom the application is brought exists and it is for this reason that the application is struck out,” the court ruled.
Counsel for the defendant, Miss O. Oduntan, said since the application was struck out due to non-existence of prosecution, it means the charge was of no existence.

Meanwhile, a political pressure group, the South West Defenders (SWD), has warned financial institutions, contractors, individuals and corporate organisations dealing with Osun State under its new identity “State of Osun” of the consequences of dealing with a non-existing entity.

The group, which raised the concern in a release issued by its national publicity secretary, Mr Lere Olayinka, said “State of Osun,” which Governor Rauf Aregbesola changed Osun State to, did not exist in the face of the law.
The group said it was alerting the unsuspecting public, because it was interested in safeguarding the interest of Nigerians, especially the Yorubas.

Olayinka said “by virtue of the judgment, contractors and financial institutions that are signing contractual agreements with Aregbesola’s State of Osun should know that they are dealing with a non-existing entity and that they will loose their investments in the event of dispute.”

That someone would actually include these kind of statistics in an attempted serious write-up speaks volumes.
It means that the kind of behavior we see here on NL is more mainstream that one would care to believe.
The implication is that vigilance about this group of people is wisdom.
It cannot be dismissed as simply the rantings of random bodies...
...who happened on internet connections in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Eko Ile: Ok I'm back..
So these clowns have increased their % in Lagos state from 50% to 80%?

Is it not idiotic to foolishly paint yourself as lazy and unenlightened fools living in a place where you are almost 100% of the population and you are still socially, culturally and politically irrelevant in the same state?

Shouldn't you be the governor and elected officials from top to bottom? These clowns spew the most retarded and inane meaningless rubbish.

http://www.igbofocus.com/html/the_igbo_problem_can_be_fixed.html