₦airaland Forum

stonebridge: Why do we spend government money on religious festivals in Nigeria?. Can't we make religion a private thing?. I don't think this is a nice move by an elected official.

bilms: someone just added this.. I read your post this mornin about the way and manner fashola is handling the issue of okada. U states that fashola rendered 50,000 okada jobless with his gragonian law in Lagos. Allow me to give a little analysis about the number of okada people, their chain of business and those affected by this including companies and the economy. I was fortunate to have information about okada operation with fact and figures. Their four major known Okada Association in Lagos. ACCOMORAN, MOALS,
ANACOWA and MUTUN. All this association has branch, units and park. And i can tell u, a park can have over 2,000 member.. For instance, Ikeja under bridge alone has over 5,000 registered member and within that environment their over 10 park. Not to talk of area like Agege, ikotu Alaba, ketu, Alagbado, toll gate, ikorodu, ijaye, alimosho, yaba, surulere, mushin, oshodi etc.
their is over 1 million okada riders in Kano alone not to mention a commercial state Like Lagos.
categorically their over 1 million okada riders operating on Lagos road and this people has family to take care of.
What people doing okada businee, what of those in spare parts business and also company that assemble this motorcycle, what of bank dispatch riders, courier companies etc.
A good government that mean well for his subject should be able to have a stakeholders meeting with those involved so as to be able to come up with a solution. Fashola exemption of private companies with 200cc engine does not know what is doing. There is no where in the world this kind of engine is use for dispatch 200cc engine is a mini power bike and this will surely result in loosing lot of live. The average for this/kind oif business is 100 to 125cc engine. So fashola is sayin DHL that has over 10,000 fleets and FEDEX, UPS and others including banks to destroy this asset. If fashola is a business man he will know what it takes to run and mange a bsiness. But here reverse is the case because they only made budget in billions if dollars for their party member with nothin to show at end of the day.
Fashola should have made a law to regulate their actvities not one that will force them tio become a menace to society.

docokwy: But Awo's wife hates him, true or false? Or do you want to lie? We know they were fighting each other recently. He is a leader of thugs.

Firefire: I hate PDP. I have soft spot for ACN before now. I voted for Fashola based on his first term performance. The vote in my region Badagry do goes to PDP but we all decided to vote ACN enmass. One Rukayat of Fed House Of Assembly, One Avoseh for Senate and Fashola as the governor.
They promised heaven on earth.
After the election Rukayat and Avoseh have ran away, promises FORGOTTEN.
I stand to be corrected. General Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state have not done anything that could make him win the heart of Lagosians has it was before his second term.
We have more LAWs where the Law enforcement becomes the Judge in there case.
Fashola second term is completely rubish.
I will appreciate if Fasola supporters here can give a discriptive list of his achievement is this second term
Emperor Tinubu, the devil you know is better than the angel you dont know. Please continue to amass wealth, I dey gbadun the job you are creatings. Atleast ALL those companies own by the Emepror employs Nigerians.
ACB Local Government chairmen entroned by the emperor; what are they doing. They are just collecting allocation and sharing the rest after paying the agreed to the Emperor.
Well, 2015 God sparing our life. We are yet to know the party to watch.
PDP - Blood sucking government (PDP Rules in North)e.g BH
ACN - Chop I Chop party. No Party primaries just handpicking and anointing by the Emperor.
CPC - Chai Buhari!!! Regional Party (Shine your Eyes)
APGA - Dead with Ojukwu
LP - One man, one show
So which party come dey for Naija that you can trust?
Well, every political animals in all those parties are Cross carpeting or political defectors.
Moving from one party to another.
God help Nigeria.

toba: just one thing to say to the fools attacking the OP.

if this write up was made against Jonathan, u all would say the OP is very sensible and correct.

Last yr, Jonathan wasted billions on the 2011 presidential election just to ensure he's returned as the president. This year Tinubu ordered for tax payers money in all the states controlled by ACN be donated for his birthday. Also its not news that ACN is heavily funding Akeredolu's campaign in Ondo with billions from ACN controlled states.

Now based on the foregoing, whats the difference between Jonathan and Tinubu?

lf Tinubu becomes the president today, he may embezzle more than Jonathan has done so far.

its not as if Tinubu is a bad person, neither is Jonathan a bad person as well

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/news/8825-3-killed-as-vigilance-group-rescues-osun-speakers-wife-in-ogun
Written by Olayinka Olukoya, Abeokuta Sunday, 14 October 2012

It was gun battle between men of the Ogun State Vigilance Services and captors of the wife of the Osun State House of Assembly speaker, Hon. Najeem Salaam, Muiba, who had been in the kidnappers’ den for five days.

The hoodlums had, on Tuesday, kidnapped Mrs. Salaam who was reported to be returning home from her shop in Ejigbo area of Osun State.

The kidnappers were arrested at Ogunmakin area, on the Lagos/ Ibadan expressway following a tip-off.

This development, however, was said to have turned into a crossfire between the security operatives and the kidnappers.

A reliable source, who did not want his name in print, said three of the kidnappers were killed by the security operatives in their efforts to rescue the victim.

Sunday Tribune learnt that three other members of the gang were arrested and whisked to the state police command headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta.

Police authorities in the state confirmed the arrest and added that Mrs Salaam was in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, the Ogiyan of Ejigboland, Oba Omowonuola Oyeyode Oyesosin, has expressed joy over the release of Mrs Salaam, saying he knew God would answer his prayers.

The monarch had organised a prayer session for the abducted women in the town.

luvinhubby: I want to see who will collect the fine from her.

nnenna.1:
What does one person describing the actions of another person (alleged or real) have to do with Igbo and Yoruba relations?

Why do we Nigerians like to act so *headache-inducing* in this matter?

Come to think of it - how many Non-Igbo Unions have declared support for Igbos or have reacted in conciliatory tones when a Non-Igbo says something negative about Ojukwu, for instance?

Such double standards!

9ja_I_hail: Truth continue pouring out from sensible yoruba's while the Nairaland yoruba oudua cyber soldiers continue ranting. Where is that idiiot call him self cyberfoo?

[url]http://nao.nigeriaanew.org/forum/index.php/topic,95.msg554.html#msg554[/url]
They usually show up on the political scene with no real contributions to the well-being of the masses, no bonafides, if you must. However, they somehow manage to acquire megaphonic synchophants who swear to their "incorruptibility", their acts of "empathy" with the down-trodden or their "common" man background. These phony stories are quickly soaked up by the masses, thirsting as they were for a hero, perhaps a messiah, amid the myriad of problems that daily sap their will to live - like an oven-dry sponge in contact with water.

Obasanjo could be seen as the start of these breed of fakers, as it was not his "will" during his first coming, and he was "born again" by his false imprisonment experience in his second coming. These did not stop him from imposing the the "amiable" school teacher turned "clueless" president on the nation in 1979, and attempting to impose himself for a third term in 2007. After the corruption ridden Shagari goverment, we met General Buhari, the "incorruptible". Although the man is indeed austere, he went to work for Abacha who had usurped the best democratic election in Nigeria's history. Indeed, his and Tunde Idiagbon's callous treatment of the masses betray thier lack of a genuine basis for their desire to take the reigns of the nation. IBB the gap-toothed general soon showed up with his broad smile, promising political freedoms, economic reform, plus heaven and earth. Alas, IBB ended up instituting corruption, eliminated political enemies and friends alike; Dele Giwa, Abiola, and Vatsa were of the inner-inner circle of IBB, but they all ended dead through the machinations of the maradona and the "evil genius" of our doom. IBB was Vatsa's bestman at his wedding; so much for the "legendary" compassion of IBB. According to the story on the street, IBB would go to any length to help to his friends; alas we failed to realize that the same IBB would go twice the same length to kill the same friend. Abacha was supposed to be the strict military man with "absolutely no political ambitions", but history would show us that he came closest to being the only dictator to extend his stay indefinitely in Nigeria through his infamous "five fingers (read political parties) of a leprous hand". Billions of dollars were recovered from his Swiss accounts and his sons. Need I remind you that the "incorruptible" nature of Y'aradua was drummed into our ears in 2007. Heck, the man was so down to earth that as governor he would go down the street to buy a pack a cigarettes - he had no other earthly ambitions than to serve, so were the words of false witnesses. His 7-point agenda was second to none, and he achieved none of it. Famously known for his "servant leader" and "rule of law" promises, he ended up leaving the nation rudderless for 90 days, while he was supposed to be "recuperating", but was actually "dying" - a shameful episode never heard of in the history of Nigeria, as his aides desecrated the dignity of our president and nation. His "rule of law" ended up as the greatest "ruse of law" in our history. Ibori who bought his way any which way possible and is currently in jail for money laundering in London became a regular feature of Y'aradua's government. All charges were dismissed against Ibori under Y'aradua the incorruptible's watch for lack of evidence. The same offences that led to his imprisonment in a foreign land. The vagabond Attorney-General performed unimaginable mental and verbal acrobatics to justify the "open sore" of an absentee president to the world.

That brings me to my classic case in point. President GEJ was supposed to be the "humble, quiet and cerebral" one. He also had an unassailable "shoeless as a kid" story. Events have since showed that the man is neither cerebral, nor humble. What he is is a cold, political calculator who conducts "ethnic cleansing" of organs of government without battling an eyelid. Going to church on Sunday to promise the masses never to imposed hardships on them, but welcoming them to a new year soon afterward with a large increase in petroleum prices . Before all was said and done the national economy grounded to a halt for almost a month, and his security agents turned their nozzles on 19 innocent lives. The "humble" president recently opined that the national pain and ensuing spontaneous protests that have accompanied this same callous behavior - even under the most brutal military regime - was "sponsored". The man is a phony true and true - never has a president being so brazen as to attempt to use hordes of "animal farm squealers" to hoodwink the masses about obvious incompetences and unimaginable utterances that daily emanate, like the aftermath of a heavy meal of beans, from Aso Rock.

Why write these admittedly phenom-like words? The reason is that the danger for Nigeria from continuing along this path is real. Nigeria will collapse, if from nothing else, under its own weight of corruption, incompetent leaders and what have you. With half of his country under an armed insurrection, and his bungling and bumbling response, the man GEJ is busy putting in place arrangments for a second term in 2015.

Ah ah, 2015. When 2015 comes, GEJ must be flinged so far out of Aso Rock he would need a binocular to see his house in Otuoke. The charlattans that show up to replace him must be immediately dismissed as what they are - frauds. We know some of them that are already gearing up for Aso Rock, and we must say never. David Mark of the "telephone is not for the poor" fame, who saw only the political advantage of a "state of emergency" when Lagos flooded over in 2011, comes to mind. Roll forward to 2012 with floods swallowing up one state after the other, including his own home state of Benue, nothing about a "state of emergency" has been heard from the man, nor worse still, any plan as Senate leader to help the masses.

President GEJ spent his first few months getting back at Tinubu over an exchange of "rascals" and "drunken fisherman" words, while Boko Haram festered. He supported the take-over of Tinubu's ACN Lagos State under the pretense of an emergency declaration to help the state. Clever by half, he and PDP failed to show us what capabilities the FG had to deal with the floods that the Lagos State government did not possess. Their real objective, all too clear to us, was to remove the best governor in Nigeria in the last half-decade. The masses and more than 20% of the economy be damned as long as PDP "captures" Lagos. The same GEJ, with several PDP controlled states, including his home state of Bayelsa, under water in 2012 is dolling out N18 billion and calling for fundraising to deal with the effects of the flood. No state of emergency here. To think the unprincipled leader directed Lagos in 2011 to work with the ecological fund to find relief, since they won't accept the declaration of the declaration of a state of emergency. I could go on, but the bottom-line is that we must keep charlattans at bay in 2015.

The above leads to only one conclusion as to why the above men never left, and will not leave lasting legacies - they lack an all-encompassing nationalistic vision. Even when the vision seems clear to us and they vow it, we find out too late that their interpretation of a vision for Nigeria is a gigantic ego-driven desire to be "worshiped", "loved" or "great", supported by sectional and sometimes religious agenda.

In 2015, Nigerians must look for that people-loving, excellence-seeking, and most of all truly principled and patriotic leader. In 2015, many will come saying "I am he" and there will be megaphonic syncophants bearing "false witness" in their steps, but each candidate must be thoroughly tested, challenged and yes, "integorrated" lest another charlattan smuggles his ill-intentions into Aso Rock. The work starts now - a real conversation about the future of Nigeria must begin in the villages and hamlets, cities and universities. . .Abuja and Lokoja.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Frank-C:
@Koruji
The argument is the about the hypocrisy on the woman in question. She has not called for a vote of confidence on 'FG' for the peace in Lagos and other peaceful states but wants to pass a vote of no confidence on FG for crises in Bornu, Kano, Yobe and few other parts of the North. If Lagos is secure, we praise Fashola but if Bornu experiences bomb blast, we blame FG.

mekuslogan: Good to see that Igbos are buying up Nigeria. As you do so, ensure that you make as much profit as you can before the bubble burst because you will end up having to forfeit all those investments at some point. Also, make sure you have a fall back plan in terms of investing something back home.

I have always known that Igbos are by far the richest Nigerians in terms of middle and upper middle classes. Few Yorubas and Hausas are super rich but the rest of them (90%) are impoverished.

warrior01: Pls pardon her; she didn't even know the meaning of what she said. Since others were talking she decided to talk too.

PROFESSOR BART O. NNAJI NNOM, CON
Professor Bart Nnaji is the Honourable Minister of Power, Federal Republic of Nigeria. A position he has held since July 2011. He was the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, the immediate past Special Adviser to the President on Power, and the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power. He is a tenured Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States of America. He became an Alcoa Foundation Professor of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also in the United States of America, in 2002. Until September 2007, he was the William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, where he spearheaded the creation of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Centre for e-Design as a multi-campus NSF Centre of Excellence in the United States of America.

He is the founder of Geometric Power Limited, the first indigenous private sector power company in Nigeria. He was a member of the National Energy Council (the apex decision making body on energy in Nigeria) in the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration before he was appointed as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) in 2010 by the then Acting President Goodluck Jonathan. He was also the pioneer President of the Independent Power Providers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN).

He cut short his distinguished career as a University Professor in the United States of America and returned home voluntarily to find a lasting solution to the perennially poor electricity supply situation in Nigeria, using his Aba Independent Power Plant (IPP) as a private-sector driven model for the Country’s power industry.

He has served as principal or co-principal partner in research projects worth over $50 million sponsored by the US National Science Foundation, NATO, US Department of Defence, and many blue chip companies.

He has published five books and over 100 technical articles. His book, Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering, won the 1994 world Best Textbook Prize for Manufacturing Engineering. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Design and Manufacturing and has served as editor of many professional journals.

He has also served as chairman of many conferences, including the World Conference on Robotics Research (1991), the UN Institute for Training and Research workshop on debt and financial management for developing countries attended by diplomats from various parts of the world at the UN Headquarters (2001 and 2002).

He is a recipient of numerous awards. They include: Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) from the Nigerian President (2010); the 2004 Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM), Nigeria’s highest award for intellectual achievement; an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; an Honorary Doctor of Science from the Federal University of Technology, Yola; an Honorary Doctor of Technology from Enugu State University of Science and Technology; an Honorary Doctor of Science from Bells University, Ota; an Honorary Doctor of Science from the Michael Okpala University of Science and Agriculture, Umudike; the 1988 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award by the Society of Manufacturing Engineering; the 1992 Outstanding Young Industrial Engineer Award; Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Science; Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Engineering; Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE); Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers; the U.S. Secretary of State’s Distinguished Public Service Award (1995); Distinguished Scientist Award by the World Bank-IMF Africa Group (October 1998); the ARCO Excellence in Science and Technology Award (2001); and the Baker Distinguished Research Award, the highest research award given by the IIE (May 2001).

He is on the Board of several companies and organizations including the Governing Board of the Nigerian National Merit Award.

Professor Nnaji holds a B.S. in Physics from St. John’s University, New York, where he graduated with distinction, an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, respectively, and obtained a certificate of Postdoctoral studies in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Massachusetts, all in the United States of America.

He holds the traditional title of Onwa Nkanu (the Moon of Nkanu), jointly bestowed on him in November 1993 by the more than 60 Traditional Rulers in Nkanu Land, in Enugu State, with a population of more than one million. His Royal Majesty, Engr. Onyesoh, Eze Nri, in 2010, also conferred on him the distinguished traditional chieftaincy title of Aka Ji Oku of Igboland (The Torchbearer of Igboland), in recognition of his achievements in the power sector.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nigeria-Advancement-Organization-NAO/209148572490163
Happy 52nd Anniversay to Nigeria and Nigerians. Against all odds it has been 52 years since the colonialists left our shores, and we are still here.

It is true that the current structure of our country is patently unworkable, but I hope that over the next year our focus will be to come up with that framework that allows us to move forward as a single entity towards a common future. That framework for co-existence and mutual reinforcement of our best attributes must be uniquely adapted to the unique make up of our polity.

Finally, I also hope that we learn over the course of the upcoming year to separate our, admittedly bad government, from our dear country. For the latter, we must speak and act positively, with fervent hope and determination. For the former, we must keep the pedal to the metal until the charlattans that hold our progess at bay are run out of town. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

taharqa: Bros it is Nigerians just be 'Nigerian'( a cynical lot whose only contribution is criticize even themselves- talk, talk, talk, no action, no real solution proferred). You should pay them no heed

samkoro: Some people just don't know when,what and who to criricise.When GEJ hasn't approved,the conference,u criticised,now he approves it and u are still criticising.Are u under spell to criticise everything?

The success and failure of the conference depends on those thugs and crroks u call senators and honourables at the senate and house of rep

sub_zero: Intelligent peeps in the house, i want to know in your opinion the first four governors in Nigeria that you think is politically intelligent, eloquent and confident when in public functions, and when delivering a speech.
To me, my first four goes in these order:
*Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers)
*Rochas Okorocha (Imo)
*Muazu Aliyu Babangida (Niger)
*Osho baba (Edo) may take the fourth.
Kindly state yours.
Thanks.