₦airaland Forum

Mandelaguy: If Gej decides to contest in 2015, I will give him my vote. No sentiments. The president has done in one year what some of his predecessors could not achieve in their whole tenure. If not for any other thing, construction work has begun on the Lagos-Ore-Benin road. Onitsha-owerri has been completed. Afikpo- Okigwe has been awarded.A friend of mine told me that He passed thru Zaria-Gusau-Funtua and then keffi-Akwanga-lafia that construction work is ongoiing by stalini & co. At the same time, all the major airports in Nigeria are being renovated. Even Enugu airport was completely shut down and is under serious rehabilitation. In less than 1yr, Gej set up 9 universities across the country. He equally established 2 additional campuses of Nigerian law school. He has built and commissioned the Almajiri school system. He has also increased funding of Nigerian universities and upgraded the retirement age of university lecturers to 70yrs. In transportation, GEJ has succeeded in reforming the ports. Lagos ports are now billed to operate 24 hours. The number of law enforcement agencies @ d ports have also been reduced from about 15 to 6. It's now easier and faster to clear goods at the wharf. The light rail projects are under construction. The Abuja light rail construction appears to be nearing completion and a drive through central area to Garki will clear any doubts. The Govt has initiated its cassava bread campaign which is intended to encourage local production and consumption of cassava bread so as to discourage importation of wheat as it kills our economy. The govt has also eliminated the cartel that feeds fat on distributing fertilizer for farmers. Fertilizers can now easily be accessed by farmers in the open market. Within a year, Gej has completed the construction of the Mambilla and Zungeru power stations and it's expected to add about 2000 megawatts to the national grid. He is vigorously pursuing his power sector reforms agenda which includes the privatization of PHCN and the new cost reflective electricity tariffs. Gej increased minimum wage to N 18, 000 . NYSC members now even earn higher

alj harem: To be honest I am yet to see anything from governor of other states apart from Lagos and Edo, are the rest sleeping ?

What happened to DAWN ?

Fhemmmy: I know, just that i never took time to look for it, and since the gentleman has saved me of time to look for it and share it, i have a better understanding of the govt of Oshun State.

Umartins1: Latest: Osun civil service workers to embark on strike next week.....

Even the party members are complaining.

I'm not an indigen of Osun but an 'ambassador' of the state. This isn't what they expected of him!

salaksmana: Look at the interview up there, the gov asked the reporter if the people are complaining, please leave them (us) they want him and he's there, only time will tell

Kobojunkie: That information is no secret.

Beaf: Shuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!
You de ves?

For 2015 again, we go pless finga for umblera wella!

jumobi1: The House knew he was bribed but they don't care. There is some honor amongst thieves.
CPC, ACN, APGA...all frauds. We need a revolution somehow.

He said, “Please take the gospel of peace and tolerance irrespective of your religion and ethnicity to them because this country belongs to all of us and God has given us President Goodluck Jonathan. Goodluck Jonathan is the President today but he is not going to stay more than eight years. Nigeria belongs to all of us and not for one person.

mens dept: I hope our Ogun folks will start killing these criminals that are parading as governors.

Gbenga Daniel had yearly budgets of 500+ Million US Dollars, yet Ogun state is nonsense.

WHy?

dasparrow: I am quite disappointed about the so-called new visa policy. So while countries around the world are guarding and tightening their borders, Nigeria is gladly opening hers. I don't know why our leaders can't seem to get it right. How can we boost tourism when there is no security and stability in the country? or do our leaders think the world is not aware that every sunday now, boko haram is blowing people up? How can we attract investors when we still cannot boast of 24 hours of uninterrupted electric/power supply?

Our leaders want to copy the west but they fail woefully at it because we are not organized as a nation. Even right now, we have many chinese, lebanese, and indian people in Nigeria who are not skilled migrants and are driving okada or selling in the market place so what happens when we start issuing visa at the port of entry? Foreigners who are conversant with the high levels of corruption in Nigeria will just bribe their way through. Mean while, other nations are busy deporting Nigerians anyhow, lol. We better wake up before we become strangers in our own land/turf/country. It seems we Nigerians don't think about the future.

bashr8: i have told you monkeys to at least try am increase your IQ before coming to nairaland to post rubbish, am suprised that this is coming from a yorubas that are crying for odua republic , even created a militancy group (odua peoiples congress) and running all over the place shouting true fedralism , fucking two mouthed back stabers, meanwhile we are discussing national poilitcs here it has nothing to do with your write up olodo . i dont blame you , your hausa masters managed the use obj as a puppet since then you now think uv had a yoruba president, clowns .

Kobojunkie: So . . . when the global price of Oil falls, Nigeria is likely to fall into a recession? Has this always been the trend? Cause, seems this is new. And what of all the tops of Nigeria depending less on oil?

If we are to go by reports, Oil contributes less than 20% of the GDP so why would a fall in oil prices be enough to lead us into a recession?

bumie07: I will never support wot everybody is saying concerning this issue...how can we in our right sense belief that farouk will threating otedola to pay him bribe? Am not supporting farouk here o,both of them are rogues and shud be thrown into a jail...you don't head 2 big oil companies and risen to that status of Otedola for a person like farouk to be threatening you

http://www.punchng.com/business/business-economy/okonjo-iweala-warns-nigerians-to-prepare-for-economic-recession/
June 14, 2012 by Olalekan Adetayo

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Wednesday alerted members of the Federal Executive Council to a possible economic recession based on happenings in the global economy.

She, therefore, warned them to shun profligacy in the management of the nation’s resources.

The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting.

He was joined at the briefing by his Interior and Health counterparts, Mr. Abba Moro and Prof. Onyebuchi Chuwku, respectively.

Maku said Okonjo-Iweala spoke of the noticeable downward slide in the price of oil in the international market and called for caution in the management of the nation’s resources in case of a recession.

He, however, quoted the minister as assuring FEC that her ministry was preparing well towards mitigating the likely effects in case the crisis got deeper.

Maku said, “The Minister of Finance briefed the Council about the global economy environment and generally, Council was told that there were some difficult moments out there in the international economy, particularly because of the crises in Greece and Spain.

“She said the crises had begun to impact on the global economy and one of the things we were informed by the minister was that we noticed some downward slide in oil prices in recent weeks. The Minister of Finance told us to buckle up and ensure proper management of available resources to prepare Nigeria in case there is any recession.”

He added, “We are not expecting one; you know that during the last financial meltdown, which crippled most developed economies with negative impacts on developing countries, Nigeria was able to weather through because we were prepared.

“Right now, the Ministry of Finance is preparing just in case the crisis goes a bit deeper, Nigeria should be positioned to weather the storm and coast safely. Presently, we have no problem in terms of our finance management.”

The council also approved a new visa policy for the country based on the memorandum submitted by the Ministry of Interior.

Maku said the decision to approve the new visa policy was taken based on the discovery that the current policy was based on assumptions and dynamics that had changed.

He said the major objective of the new visa policy was to facilitate easier access to the country, particularly by foreign investors.

A major highlight of the new policy, according to him, is that strategic visitors to the country will have the opportunity of getting visas at entry points, especially at the airports.

Another highlight is that the length of period of visa validity that will be granted to investors under the new dispensation will be up to 10 years.

The minister said since long duration visas were being done in many countries across the world, Nigeria could not afford to take the back stage, especially with the country gradually becoming a destination of choice for investors in the African continent.

He said in as much as the new policy was visitor-friendly and targeted at economic development and national interest, the Federal Government would ensure that criminals would not exploit it to gain entrance into the country.

Maku said, “The present visa policy is based on assumptions and dynamics that have changed. The present economic situation in the country is characterised by high unemployment among the youth. When youths are not productively engaged, internal security threats and social discontents become more pronounced.

“The new visa policy will boost tourism, attract targeted Foreign Direct Investment, create employment opportunities, attract skilled migrant workers and keep the national boundaries more secured.”

Moro gave an insight into the new visa policy, saying it allowed for “the principle of reciprocity; that is, I treat you the same way you treat me.”

He said apart from the fact that impromptu business visitors from countries where Nigeria had no embassies could get their visas at points of entry, there were provisions for temporary resident visas, permanent resident visas as well as investors or skill transfer visas.

alj harem: Thank God that ACN/CPC did not waste there time on APGA. They are "sell outs". Time for APGA members to join PDP

I just hope the main people in the SE are not draw by the prospect of appointments PDP is giving them because all that would end as soon as GEJ leave.

Let Rochas join CPC or ACN and let everyone in the country push for Roachas presidency regardless of zones. We need a Nigerian (i hope he is not pretending).

Obi and co can go sleep, they stood no chance. Up Roachas

Abagworo: ENUGU – GOVERNOR Sullivan Chime of Enugu State reflecting on the current crisis in the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, the party that controls two states in the South East zone, declared Wednesday that the party was dead.

The governor made the declaration while receiving members of the South-East Zonal Working Committee, ZWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by the National Vice Chairman (South-East), Col Augustine Akobundu (rtd), who paid him a visit at the Government House, Enugu.

According to him, APGA had no chance whatsoever at the forthcoming 2014 Anambra State governorship election and future elections in the country because the party no longer had a system and a succession plan, saying whatever was left of the party would finally crumble as soon as Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State relinquished power by March 17, 2014.

Chime, who expressed confidence that the PDP would be in control of the South East after the next elections, however, tasked the ZWC committee members of his party to take advantage of APGA’s extinction to win the governorship election in Anambra State in 2014 and in Imo State in 2015.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/apga-is-dead-says-chime/

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164866:reps-we-will-probe-otedolas-bribe-allegation&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8
Written by Turaki A. Hassan Tuesday, 12 June 2012 05:00

The House of Representatives yesterday said that it will investigate allegations of bribery levelled against chairman of the ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy probe Rep. Farouk Lawan, saying it will not support underhand deal from any quarters.
Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity Zakari Mohammed who made this known in a statement said, “While we await investigation into these weighty ac-cusations, we wish to state without equivocation that this Honourable House will never take sides with corruption and we will always stand on the side of the rule of law. We cannot, for whatever reason, support any underhand dealing from any quarter.”

Chairman, Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited Femi Otedola said in some national dailies yesterday that Rep Lawan had collected $620,000 from him in a sting operation masterminded by the security agencies.

The amount, according to Ote-dola, was part payment for $3 million, which he alleged Lawan had demanded from him to exonerate Zenon Oil from the committee’s report.

Otedola said on April 21, the Saturday before the plenary, Lawan came in person to his residence and collected $250,000 in cash, as the first instalment and on Monday April 23 “Lawan came and collected another $250,000.”

Lawan however, in a statement on Sunday, denied the allegations describing it as ‘baseless and cheap blackmail’.

He said after his committee uncovered a N1 trillion fraud in the subsidy implementation, it should be expected that the powerful cabal behind the high-scale corruption in the oil sector would not only fight back but would fight dirty.

The statement reads in part: “I wish to categorically deny that I or any member of the committee demanded and received any bribe from anybody in connection with the fuel subsidy probe and I believe this is evident from thorough and indebt manner the investigation was carried out and the all- encompassing recommendations produced there from as approved by the whole House.”

Daily Trust gathered last night that Lawan had earlier intimated the Nigeria Police Force Head Quarters in Abuja over attempts by Otedola to bribe him and that he had in April written to the Chairman of the House committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crime Jagaba Adams Jagaba about the issue in a letter dated April 24, 2012, in which he complained of Otedola’s efforts to offer him bribe to influence outcome of the investigation.

The letter obtained by our reporter reads in part: “Atttached (to the letter) is the sum of five hundred thousand dollars only offered to me with another promise of two million, five hundred thousand dollars.”

Lawan, in the said letter to Jagaba, said that he did not raise the issue on the floor of the House because it would overshadow the essence of the fuel subsidy probe.

“I had considered bringing this issue as a matter of privilege on the floor of the House later today (April 24), but I am concerned that the controversy it will generate will dwarf the contents of the report, which needs public attention so that necessary reforms in the sector could be affected.”

“Given the desperation of Mr. Otedola, handling this matter, in a firm but diplomatic manner is necessary as he has also made some veiled threats which put me and members of the committee in a delicate situation,” Lawan said in the letter.

The lawmaker also disclosed that the clerk of the ad hoc committee, Boniface Emenalo, had in a letter written to him on April 24, 2012, said Otedola offered him $100,000.

Emenalo’s letter reads in part: “I wish to inform you that I was on his invitation, at the residence of their Chairman, Mr. Femi Otedola, in Maitama (Aso Drive) this morning and he offered me the sum of one hundred thousand US dollars in two bundles of $50,000 each. The money is hereby forwarded as evidence.”

Lawan said the police were aware of the offer of bribe to the committee as the Inspector-General in a letter dated May 9, 2012, directed the task force on investigation to meet him.

The IGP in the letter with reference number CR:3000/IGP.SEC/STF/FHQ/ABJ/VOL 2/309 had called Lawan’s attention to an interview he granted a national newspaper on April 28, 2012 and directed, “a discreet investigation into the matter.” The letter was signed by the Commissioner of Police, Special Task Force, Ali Amodu.

In another letter dated May 16, 2012 with reference number CR:3000/IGP.SEC/STF/FHQ/ABJ/VOL 2/319, and signed by Amodu, the IGP requested money exhibit, names of witnesses and other material evidence from Lawan.

Lawan explained that in a letter dated May 31, 2012, he told the IGP that the bribe matter had been referred to the relevant committee of the House for legislative action and promised to furnish the Police authorities with the outcome.

Daily Trust also gathered that the IGP in a letter to the Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, dated June 4, 2012, informed the parliament that he had caused a detailed criminal investigation into the matter.

velo10: One Ipad each for a student for tst running? That's close to more than 50,0000. Wow the contractor don hammer.

Kobojunkie: Go Preach that bull to someone else, will you? An Initiative of this sort has, to date, not benefitted our Education system. Osun is not the first state to attempt this. Many others, especially during the Yar adua years have attempted some of the same plans. What has become of those plans? And how many of them have positively impacted Educated in those states? I can confidently answer that question for you. NONE!!! Many of these have been temporary boosts for a handful, who at the end of the day have had to deal with the main reality, the education system remaining the same as it was before their receiving of these gadgets.
We have to remind ourselves here that this is tax-payer money being used here, and this ought to be used to re-build the education system as a whole, rather than purchase laptops/tablets to give out to students, who at the end of the day, need a good education system in place to help them make sense of these new gadgets and the power locked in them.

I think we have seen about enough of these "initiatives" to realize this is definitely not the way around our problem.
What majority of these programs seem to be focused on doing, and continue to do, is seek ways to cut AROUND the major issue, slap a band aid, or more on the sores in our education system. The more we pretend another one of these will change things, the more valuable funds, and time we waste. The kids are not getting any younger, and their futures are not waiting for us to get things right first.

Do you ever ask yourself, I mean before you post one of these lines of yours, whatever happened with the many mega/modern/ginormous plans of this sort in other states. Or are you one of those who believe the secret to success is in the doing the repeating the same old failed exercise, over and over, expecting a new outcome with each and every turn?


There is nothing path-breaking about his attempts, or your attempts to blow air up his arse here.

Please always bear in mind that when Government embarks on these so-called "initiatives", the tax-payer pays. These Governors are not using their allowances for these. It is money from the state that is applied. And if nothing substantial is gained at the end of it all, the people suffer it. This Governor, and others, will get his pay check, allowances and extras at the end of the day.

I can fault his vision, because, like the one's you claim maybe building 6 stadia for a state with no football team or N7 billion to demolish a hill , this 'initiative' seems to be born of a lack of ideas on how to best tackle the problems in our education system. I mean one can also blindly argue that the 6 stadia Governor is spending on improving sports in the state, and someone will tell us that too. But we all know that is crock, and so is your claim that spending state money buying a tablet for each student is spending money on improving education.
I don't understand why most every one of these governors keep coming up with about the same plan whenever it comes to tackling problems in Education, or whatever other sector. Building of classes (how many of them are even in near good shape to date since we have been reading of governors building new class units all over this country), distributing computers purchased with tax-payer money, distributing free textbooks, buying new school uniforms, building yet another privately run school (primary, secondary, university) only go to painting a new color over the problem, and not tackling it. And this has been revealed time and time again, as the indicators still point to a system still in decay.

The party said the latest in the series of lies being peddled by the PDP were attempts to give a false impression that the Aregbesola-led ACN government in Osun State is grossly mismanaging the state's finances as well as engaging in a borrowing binge for which Aregbesola had criticized the Oyinlola's government.

According to Oyatomi: 'In a spate of allegations, the PDP had alleged that the ACN took loans of N25 billion from First Bank within the first three months in office, and another N35 billion from an Islamic Bank. Nothing could be farther from the truth than these lies.'

He said further: 'The truth of the matter is that the PDP in Osun State is moribund. It lacks credibility, and its leadership is too pedestrian in quality to mobilize against the Aregbesola-led ACN government. That is why the South West wing of the party is resorting to lies to confuse issues and create doubts in the minds of the uninformed people.

'For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did Aregbesola speak against borrowing. He only criticized Oyinlola for taking a commercial bank loan on prohibitively high interest rate just about when he was on his way out of government, and spending everything on ghost projects or outright stealing of money.

'Let the Nigerian public be informed, especially the good people of the South West geo-political zone that if Aregbesola can liquidate a commercial bank loan of N18.38 billion and then save N34 billion within just 11 months of his administration, that is the kind of leader to be trusted to excellently manage a bond of N30 billion. PDP's lies cannot change that fact.

'These allegations are totally untrue and in parts are deliberate misrepresentations of facts to create the impression that the state governor is running the state's finances badly.'

The ACN spokesman said, though, that the ACN owed the Nigerian public and the people of Osun State in particular the responsibility to make bare the facts and debunk PDP's lies, saying Aregbesola's government did not borrow N25 billion from First Bank, saying the amount was a facility generously offered the government by the bank to refinance Oyinlola's loan of N18.38 billion.

He said: 'Interestingly, the facility was offered after the Aregbesola-led government had repaid N10 billion of the Oyinlola loan, and the only amount utilized by the government from the facility was N8.6 billion.

'It is absolute fallacy that Aregbesola's government has taken a N35 billion from an Islamic bank. The truth is that the PDP-led federal government actually sourced $500 million from the said bank to assist states in the federation. Osun State is fortunate to be one of those selected by the federal government to benefit, and our proposed share of that money is $60 million. However the federal government is yet to give Osun state a kobo from the said money.

Olalekan 0: You have no idea what's going on in Osun.Aregbe has borrowed over 90B meanwhile he was crticizing his predecessor for borrowing just 18B!

Beaf: https://i.imgur.com/UPBvj.gif

Kobojunkie: This is an initiative? Really? What these kids, and tax-payers now need is for Government to spend already limited resources, not on IMPROVING EDUCATION ITSELF but purchasing Laptops for each and every student? So giving out about 100,000 tablets, bought with tax-payer money, is now considered an initiative?

How long is this "INITIATIVE" going to last?

I am 100% for improving our education system, and getting our students up to speed technology-wise, but this is no way to go about it, especially when we consider the resources are not unlimited. Purchasing computers for students in a crappy system will not do anything to actually improve the system. Only you will have students with expensive computers, still locked in to a crappy education system.

If we must introduce technology, states that have the funds are overdue for a library system. Studies from all over the world have shown that having well equipped libraries to cater to students of all levels, helps not only equip but motivate students.

alj harem: Misplaced priority, confused set of leaders

What would student use computer tablets for in secondary school ?

What students would need would be a library with standard computer, renovate the schools to good standards etc not give each student a tablet.

spade: I think a wiser initiative would have been to purchase these computers as desktops, for the school libraries.
This idea of handing tablet computers to the students, seems stup.id, to be honest.