₦airaland Forum

Roforofo,
and you know what, no one, not even his blood (children) could even replicate his style of singing!
That made me to think and conclude that "Original is not easy, even to "photocopy it" is difficult 

My parents always say " a good name is better than silver and Gold" and like you aptly put it, all their stolen wealth can not buy them a shred of Fela's good name (his children must be purring with satisfaction and pride right now)!

Even those that disagree with his "taste and style" (mostly out of ignorance anyway) will be honest enough to agree that he was not a thief, he stood for truth, he was brave to death, he stood for justice and put his money where his mouth is and was totally de-tribalized!
If just 20% of Nigerians can muster 20% of Fela's courage, Nigeria will rank among the G20 today.

And his traducers like OBJ, Lilliputians who depend more on their muscle than their brains, those who seek to shoot him down so that they can prosper, see where their "old age" is taking them!
To be openly pelted with rotten eggs and smuggled into seminars like a criminal! and to imagine that you're a two-time incestuous-President!! 

Truly, "those who seek to destroy others in order that they might live, will surely have destruction waiting as sentinel, at the post of their success"!
Mahatma Gandhi's writings are studied in India, Martin Lurther King's speeches are studied and re-echoed by American Presidents, why wont we "chorus and re-examine" the lyrics of Abami Eda?
Reason is some nonentities are still jealous of him, even in death!

oya, O besheluu, Ayaakata, Ayakotoo, basket mouth want to sing-again Ooo oh-o, Apere wan open mouth again Ohh-o-oh
Cheers man.

Larez nwanmi (as we say in Akwa-ibom!)
You have gone far and above my expectation. I am not disappointed neither am l surprised.

I wondered aloud in another forum-topic, when l asked whether it would be correct to say "Nigerians are the most selfish people around"?

You mentioned Iranians taking their destiny into their hands, and for an Islamic Republic, thats quite a challenge!
What excuze do we Nigerians have for suffering under these yokes placed on us?

The only answer l could come up with, is that it has to do with the cliche that says "everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die" , an impossibility that explains the cycle of suffering in Nigeria.

, and our "self-centered-ness"  reminds me of Fela Anikulapo Kuti when he sang that Nigerians are always ready with loads  of excuzes NOT to "protest injustice" (as Iranians are doing today) when meted-out to them by saying "Mama dey for house, pickin dey for school, l never marry, l never build house, l still wan go school, e.t.c" , just to avoid doing what is necessary, to safeguard our future!

Doing away with advance rent is very desirable but it has to be well-planned, methodical and in consonance with infrastructural development in other facets of our economy. Remember "files" do get lost and do get burnt at EFCC, as secure as that place is, so says the chairperson!!

What you experienced at the Quarry replicates right across our National life, Mafia Generator sellers that would ensure Nepa does not function, Mafia PMS Marketers that would ensure unending increase in fuel price, without commensurate development of local content and refineries, Mafia borehole water sellers that will ensure the state Water Works pipe gets broken regularly, Mafia boss that fix commuter bus price at Bus stops, Mafia Pepper Grinders that would say you cant grind less than ten pieces of pepper at less than #20, even if you felt like doing so and many more!

Everywhere, its "organized crime" and we know them, we see them yet we remain hapless and allow a few band of cabals to hold about 140million intelligent people to ransom!
My prayer is that we would put things in perspective and order our priorities. Policies have to be focused and articulate in implementation, not just populist.
A reference to Abraham Maslow's Hierarchical Pyramid of human needs might do our policy makers some good.
The Guv'nor is not doing badly but like Oliver Twist, l think he can still do more and do better.

Peace & luv (you remember that, dont you?)

Roforofo,(fight?)
What do you say to my suggestion of introducing a compulsory "Baba 70" lecture in our secondary and tertiary institutions?
Play Abami's music and let the students discuss the "civic sense" inherent in the song/lyrics? Let them drink (smoke!  ) from Abami's deep well of knowledge,  well, those dat want to 'smoke' can do so after classes, as long as they remain "spiritual disciplined" like Baba himself! 

I observed your comments and l suspect you have "imbibed" the spirit of Anikulapo?

By the way, it was Albert Einstein, the Physicist, who said and l quote "The more I have studied physics, the more I realize I do not know.
To me, the real lesson of my whole life was that the more I know, the more challenged I am to know, and the wider my mind is open to new ideas and new concepts."

What l am drawing out of this quote is that Nigeria is a sorry depiction of "those who dont know but think they know ALL, ending-up shutting-up those who know a little and want to know more!

A case of blind people trying to lead sighted people! 
, I say what answer u go geeety, ARMY ARRANGEMENT, What answer dem dey geeety?, Second-base joooo!

Wish Jaah-Rastafarai will resurrect da-ita-man so dat i-and-i can hear, what da spirit is chanting!

We all agree that such "Travel advisory" is saying the TRUTH

Two school of thoughts are identifiable here:
1. It is true but dont ever agree to it PUBLICLY!
2. It is true and we must say so publicly!

Either way, FACTS would remain FACTS!, publicly or under the pillow  
So, should we lay it bare and tackle the leprosy right-away (hopefully the advisory will then change)
Or should we continue to 'protect our "image"' (7up!) while pretending we are who we say we are?

I know its shameful, this 'Nigerian image'
I know we deserve better.

But l also know that we have the POWER CHANGE TO THINGS,, if we could only MUSTER THE WILL!

Are Nigerians not the most selfish people on earth? If not, why would everybody want and agree that we need a REVOLUTION yet,
NO ONE is ready to make a SACRIFICE? , abi revolution na for mouth??

A few bunch of criminals are holding 140million intelligent people to ransom. WHY?
Simply because the 140million are so selfish they would offer 140million EXCUZES on why they need to keep quiet in the face of wanton financial rape and oppression!

Simple mathematics, na so Fela Talk am!
"Army man go dey whip your yansh, you go dey look like Monkey!, Mama dey for house, pickin dey for school, l never marry, l never born, l never build house, make l chop small, me sef wan chop inside, "

God bless that Abami-Eda(R.I.P), a prophet that was not respected in his own country.
Those of you that were laughing when he said he wanted to be President of Nigeria during the second Republic, see your mistake?
At least, despite all his "Ganja" and "half-nudity", there is NO RECORD ANYWHERE ON EARTH that he stole anybody's PENNY!

How many of you can say that of your YOURSELF, YOUR FATHER or those you Elected/Selected?

okay now, Second-base o jare!      dun-dundun dundun, dun-dun dun    

BTW: I think FELA's music should be introduced as part of our academic curricular as from secondary school and a "Civic Course" patterned around it. I volunteer to teach free for that course! , (even without Fela's music, even after him do die, many Nigerians still dey still smoke their "Igbo" so, its not attributable to Fela!)

Oya, another second-base  jare , ****, ****,

"That outburst came just two days after the Chairperson of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, gave her report on the first year in office, saying that Tinubu and other former governors were still being investigated.

She had said on Tinubu, " Former Governor Tinubu, for instance, I inherited the case file on him and I am still working on that case file.

"The thing is that when you alert anybody that you are coming after him, the first thing that he does is to get any incriminating documents and set some on fire and hide some and I think the attitude or actions of my predecessor in talking too much made it difficult for me."

If the above statement credited to the EFCC chair-person is true, me thinks l now know why Chief James Ibori is now a part of our diplomatic "baggage" and why he has a suite at Aso rock!, instead of having one at Kuje Prison! 

His File (as declared missing by Madam EFCC, a few weeks after assuming office!) was SET ON FIRE! Hmmmmm, by WHOM? 

Well, "Mama's" words of wisdom, u know, talking from EXPERIENCE! 

Now that she has also "ALERTED TINUBU" , I HOPE HIS FILE CATCHES FIRE 

Bunch of useless and clueless thieves taking us for a ride!

BTW: So She thinks Ribadu talks too much?
Now that she keeps quiet (unlike Ribadu!) and all the thieves are not only back in government but doing "business" with her EFCC, is the nation better with her "silence (or license!) to steal" policy?

@larez,
One thing that we need to do more often in Nigeria is to avoid trying to reinvent the wheel. There are many better advanced Nations that have had to deal with these issues. They also had to address the issue of fairness to all parties involved. Such is the case of the United States. There are usually 2 separate lines of law dealing with issues of residential or commercial properties. In the case of Residential properties, here is a typical scenario:

1. An application fee of $25.00- $30.00 for a credit check on the individual to determine their credit risk.

2. A deposit amounting to 1/2 to 2 months lease which is refundable upon vacation of the premises and leaving it in a habitable condition.

3. A lease is signed specifying the time of lease which is standard 1 year renewable and could range between 6 months to 2 years. Some counties may restrict a lease to be only binding for a year renewable. There is usually a discount rate for a one-year lease.

4. Leases are standardized and usually guided by State law. Any lease instituted by a Landlord that violates the guidelines/spirit of the law shall be null and void and could attract a penalty or criminal proceedings against a Landlord.

5. There are magistrate courts available to address issues between Landlords and Tenants that tend to dispose of the issue within a month. Upon judgement, monies left unpaid by the tenant shall be taken out of the security deposit paid upon signing of lease. Any extra amounts shall be legally binding amongst parties and collection actions can be instituted after a goodwill time frame has expired. Further judgements for the collection efforts can also be initiated.

6. In the case of a dispossession based on failure to pay rent, this can be entered into the Tenants credit records if payments are not made timely after court judgement.

7. No extra costs are necessary when a standard residential lease is signed between a Landlord and a Tenant. Lawyers are usually not involved in this process, but in the case of an Agent finding or referring a Tenant, then the Landlord pays the agent according to whatever advertized agreements.

If these issues raised above are addressed by the Lagos State Government, then a fair and enabling environment will have been created for tenants. The cost factors of residential rentals should not be agonizing to potential tenants. In the United States, parents can legally kick their kids out at the age of 18. This is partly why it is important for any community to have an enabling environment for young people to gain their independence. Nigeria should seek a similar procedure to help develop it's young people into productive citizens.

In the case of commercial properties, since people in business are supposed to be savvy and aware, there are no protections in rental. Legal agreements are entered into by entities or people and are interpreted by a court of law based on the contents of the binding agreement. It will be pertinent on all parties to seek legal counsel accordingly.

Hi larez,
I want to take issues with some of your comments, more so that l've "known" your postings even since the days of "www.Nigeria.com" and even much more, that you're knowledgeable and a qualified architect, which even puts you in a better position than most people, to appreciate the ramifications of the issue in question, viz-a-viz the Nigerian/Lagos housing space.
In my earlier post #57, titled "Who is fooling Who", l raised up issues on this "one month advance rent" palava; pls refer.

In as much as l enjoy reading you, l find it curious that you think we can "import wholesale", what goes on in America, into Nigeria without due regard for the peculiarity of our environment. Someone has raised issues about this disposition of yours in an earlier blog about "Houses/Architectural designs for Nigeria" and said some of those designs you supplied would not necessarily work in Nigeria due to, among other things, our climate, material sourcing problems, to mention just two.

Now, back to the current matter, l have quoted your submissions verbatim (up there) to give the matter proper perspective.
Let me first say it is "most desirable" that we do away with 'advance rent' that runs into years. A month or two would be proper but the issue boils down to "timing & workability" given our current "climate".
I have rented house in Europe so, l know how the "Rent Lease Agreement" Works.

Client identification, Lease signing, arbitration by courts in the event of a default by any of the the parties, reimbursement of the aggrieved party, e.t.c. as you mentioned above, are all based on one key factor: PROOF OF IDENTIFICATION & CREDIT VETTING.

My questions are these:
1. If one Mr. Lasisi Oshodi of "no former-fixed address" wants to rent your house in Lagos, where or which Agency do you go to, to do a credit check on him? As a landlord in Lagos, l will be happy to hear your response.

2. If Lasisi works in 'Larez & Company! when he rents my house and signed a one year lease and due to the economic crunch, he gets "rationalized" and does not have a job anymore, (unlike the USA and Europe where "Job Seekers allowance and Unemployment benefits" would take care of most of his immediate expenses like housing and food) am l supposed to, can l or should l throw Mr. Lasisi on the street, if he owes me two months rent at a go? (In those Western countries, one month debt is actually enough to throw you out and recover property, agreement na agreement! Some apartments use a "card-entry system" which expires and locks you out, if not renewed by a certain date, through the payment of your rent l bet that is what Lagos landlords need, but where is the electricity to power such? ). Some tenants in Lagos owe two years rent and still claim "right"! Once again, your advice in this regard will be most appreciated. Others too can submit viable suggestions.

3. "Credit checks" are possible because in the Europe and America, right from (birth for citizens) day one, the government has a "lock and trace" on each individual till they die. Everything is locked down in an online database, from all the addresses you've lived, to your work records, earnings, tax-paid-to-date, account details, finger prints, property acquired, driver's license, e.t.c. , and it is accessible to enforcement agencies, when the need arise.

In our own dear country, where the Presidential Villa depends on Diesel Generators for day-to-day electricity, where would you get these data? Where is the database? Where is the POWER to run such database? How come people can acquire two, three identities (Passport, driver's license, I.D cards, e.t.c) if not for the lack of a "citizen database"?

4. If a court asked Mr. Lasisi to pay his landlord "X-amount" of naira for debt owed and even more importantly, "legal costs" (which might get very prohibitive) and Mr. Lasisi decides to "disappear into thin air" by relocating from Lagos to Kafanchan, with a new name, where is the "resources" to trace him, like hand-held, internet enabled PDA's which the Police in the Western countries are equipped with? Or can that happen in USA?

These and many other issues which are highlighted in my post #57, needs to be tabled and discussed openly, after which a position paper will be presented for acceptance by representatives of the government, the Tenants and the Landlords (after which it becomes binding and enshrined in law).
In a situation where Government can not rent its own "low income-cost" buildings without collecting "advance rent", is it not hypocritical of the same government and its "cheer leaders" to ask private individuals to do so? "Source the Goose, Source the Gander" is an over-used coinage!

I expect a bottom-up approach where we would first make "building inputs" like Cement, Sand, Planks, nails, e.t.c, very affordable and available, before any enforcement of "desirable" rights or is it not "he who owns the piper that dictates the tune"?

Why cant govt allow would-be landlords to pay all those "perennially increasing" land charges, on installmental basis? As an Architect, l am sure you are aware of the horrendous charges, in lump sum, one has to pay (after paying the landowner for the land itself) the govt, to get your land properly documented, in Lagos! WHY? Why cant we remove the "log in our eyes first, before attempting to remove the gnat is someone's else eye"? If Govt land-rent is "lump-sum and ever increasing", how come it expects the payers (landlord), to do otherwise?

My additional positive suggestions are that:
1. Govt must create the enabling environment that will assist working class people to own their own house, by: making land acquisition easy, affordable, transparent and installmentally payable.

2. All Govt charges on land regularization (C-of-O, Stamp Duty, Land Rent, e.t.c) should be drastically reduced to make such process more affordable and less burdensome
3. Govt must institute a plan which allows very low interest (or even interest free) loans to be sourced by tax-paying individuals (not just civil servants and not at "profitable bank rates" to build a house, once you have a land. This will encourage more tenants to try build their own house thus, flood the market with rentable houses and the "law of demand and supply" will force prices down.

4. Since we seem incapable of generating electricity, despite all the electrical engineers in this country! , and the Billions of dollars our government has "donated" to the Chinese (to import faulty transformers, by Obasanjo's regime), let us use the money to import and flood the market with Cement and other building materials. Cement @#2,000/bag! is a nightmare for anyone. Any average man (apart from treasury looters and Yahoo scammers) who has built a house in Lagos will agree that it is a life threatening venture!

5. Let us agree that a lot of desirable things, worthwhile ventures, are tied to stable electricity. Until we resolve that problem, other problems would either be impossible to resolve or would take thrice the effort and cost. Let us follow the Chinese model for "compact and mini power stations" that are community based, instead of the gigantic projects-to-Alaska (bridge to nowhere) that we constantly embark on, without success.
Appreciate you bruvda, keep it going.

BTW: The argument is raging, between the "repair of roads and the beautifying of the environment" AND the "provision of stable electricity" in Lagos, which would you have preferred that the Lagos state government undertake first? My take is (you guessed right!) ELECTRICITY.
Maybe "admins" can let us have a thread on this? larez, which would you prefer first and why?

So, its all about the Landlord being greedy, right?
Forgive me but instead of jumping up, lets ask a few basic questions on this issue:

1. What or how did the issue of "advance rent" come to be?
2. Why do Landlords prefer advance rent, compared to monthly rent (once taken, the price is set for the period!)
3. What are the cost input into owning  house viz-a-viz the Return-On-Investment (ROI) on such property?
4. What would happen to the "Tenant looking for a house to rent" if another "venture" provides better ROI and less risk, than building for rent, for the housing investor?

As someone who bears the brunt on both sides, (l live in a rented apartment but own a house where l collect rent in another part of the city) l feel the govt announcement is nothing short of "show-boating", or playing to the gallery at best. HOW?
Recently and as always been the case, Lagos state Govt "revised upwards", its charges on all forms of land ownership (from Survey, to C-of-O, to Deed of Assignment, building plan charges, Stamp Duty, e.t.c). If the govt can arbitrarily fix its own price (income), what makes it think it can also fix the "rent-income" of those who bear the brunt of their lack of foresight in governance?
Between 2007 and today, price of building inputs like Cement, Sand, Iron rods, Labour, Planks, Nails, e.t.c, have more than quadrupled in price, under the same govt without any solution.

People saved to building houses. Others took bank loans at cut-throat interest rates (the govt considers that as "free market" and did nothing to stem that tide) to build house. Like any business venture, its a question of ROI and how long it takes to recoup your investment. Going by the swampy nature of Lagos and environs (except for some lucky ones whose house are on highland, clay soil), depreciation, wear and tear will probably eat a fat chunk of any rent you make.

In a country where "Credit Vetting" is virtually non-existent, how can a Landlord ensure the 'safety and continuum' of his stream of income, assuming he depends on same for livelihood and loan repayment?.

What if Tenants pack-into (assuming that its just one month down-payment) House A, owe three months and pack-out, only to check-into House B and repeat the same process over and over again? Where does that leave Landlords and their investment?
How many Nigerians have a "steady job" with steady income streams (if the threat of retrenchment is not looming already!) to give the landlord a comfortable rest of mind, that the next house payment will come when due? Even now, once the two years advance rent is up, to collect the next monthly rent that follow is by-fire-by-force
As a Tenant, l live in a house where "planning for cross ventilation" is zero. I pay for all repairs to my apartment, but the Landlord is about due to come for another one year's rent (and his percentage, yearly increase!). Assuming l refuse to pay and insist on monthly payment, what are my options?

The landlord will probably let me accumulate 3months debt and send me packing.
What will or can the govt do for me since they are the one that suggested the monthly payment? Is there a govt house l can rent to cover my exposure?
This is the crux of the matter.

In a Capitalist environment and dog-eat-dog culture like ours, "He who pays the piper dictates the tune".
I would have been happier and ready to call the bluff of my landlord (and wish my tenants do same to me) if,

1. The Govt has rows upon rows of lettable housing units (single and double rooms apartments) that l could pay a month rent and move into. Ordinarily, the forces of demand and supply would push down the price of rentage if there are readily available and affordable houses.
Instead, the same hypocritical govt builds "low-cost" houses and sells at 7million naira!
Which teacher, Civil Servant,Clerk or Nurse can afford that? Of course, they sell it to themselves (as El Rufai has demonstrated in Abuja) and share it among those who have stolen govt money. So, the govt should allow 'charity to begin at home', we all prefer to rent a room at #200 and pay monthly but when even the govt can not provide such, it should stop playing 'mind-games' with the people.
2. There are vast deposits of cement in Nigeria, even at Ewekoro and Nkalagu. There is a vast army of unemployed people who are ready to work in the construction industry. There is good vegetation to provide Planks for building.
The question is "what is our business with importing Cement" and other building materials, knowing that with our currency exchange rate and the fluctuation thereabout, the price of building materials, which also dictates how much it would be let out, will keep going up?
Why cant the govt first ensure that building materials are cheap, available and abundant. If l can buy Cement at #200/bag today, as against the #2000 l bought last month, would it not be reasonable to enforce that l reduce my rentage by 60% or more? If the govt really wants houses to be cheap, why is 'Lands and Housing Ministry' at Alausa increasing all manner of charges like poor people are never expected to build a house in Lagos? Or is it one rule for one landlord (Govt) and another rule for the other landlord (private)?

Is it not because the govt has failed in its primary responsibility (Shelter, food, employment) that is making the shylock landlords to step-in? Why would l rent a private 3-bed flat for #250,000/year if and when l can rent from the government at #1,500 every month? You just cant control what you dont own!

Due to acute shortage of houses coupled with the spiraling cost of building materials and the greediness of Nigerian Landlords (and that includes the govt of the day!), Tenants are left at the mercy of the "landlords", be it private or "govt landlord". In other countries, govt builds houses for the poor and rent it out at controlled prices without "advance rent". Why not do that first?

But more importantly, how many of "we tenants" have held the govt accountable to building "truely low-cost" houses for us? We praise Fashola for beautifying Lagos, for building roads, e.t.c, good as those things are, are those things more important than the "first NEED" of all humans - Shelter?

What about the cost of basic food like Rice and Gari or Yam? In 1998, a bag of rice was #1,500. In 2007 it was 4,500 and today its about #11,000.  Now, if l invest my life income into building a house (others bought cars, others went into farming while others married extra wives, each can do as he feels) hoping to live on it when l retire,  how on earth can l "remain faithful" in an economy that basic staple food rises by over 1000% in less than 10yrs (when we are not in Zimbabwe!), and we have a govt that collects taxes and Revenue allocation from "free crude oil"?
Simple logic of 'trade-by-Barter' demands that "you use what you have, to get what you need", its the market forces that determines the "exchange rate" of such barter trade, not some govt fiat.

In Summary, "bad" as it may sound, the govt can not successfully control house rent in any form until it has done its own part of 'taming those forces' that control the demand and supply of housing units. If it uses the fiat of legislation, like the days of "prohibition", it would simply drive the process of house rent underground and its the common man that would even come-off worse in such cases (since those with heavy and ready cash will simply rent "under the table"  )
Let the govt look into ways of bringing down the cost of building materials and associated costs, let the govt reduce the cost of land ownership, let the govt provide "true" mortgage facilities that the common man can access (as against the private bank driven types with their huge interest and security), let the govt for once build its own affordable housing schemes, 25-storey, 2-3 bed apartments, all over Lagos so that we can shun the Shylock landlords, let them provide stable electricity that would in-turn create jobs and revive industries, let them set-up massive agricultural plantations that would make food cheaper, by then, the "natural laws" of Economics would set-in and the greedy landlords can go jump into the Lagoon.

Remember that "0-9-0 phone handset" use to cost a ton of money some years back but now, due to "availability and competition", any seller can over-price his own wares and we would not need a govt legislation to drive such seller out of the market, so too it can be, for house rent.
Cheers and may God save us from our obvious exploiters (Jewish Landlords) and the not so obvious one (the Govt of the day!)

We've blamed the bank,
We've blamed the Hacker,
We even blamed the "mugu" Client,
What about the GREEDY yob?

In most cases except your greedy tendencies take over, if you did not register with ETB or InetrSwitch,
and some site is claiming to cancel your ATM Card, what should you do? PRESS DELETE KEY!. end of story!!

Or may be my greedy friend thinks such scam-mails can "unlock" some secret access to a fat ATM-bank account for them?

I've never walked into a banking hall since 2004 (l just detest the often useless questions and time-wasting that goes on in there at times) and l am yet to be duped online bu then, l've never wished to "win a lottery" or "inherit money from an unknown uncle" or from one American that died on flight 447!

Finally, the Golden rule of E-mail: If you can not recognize the "sender" or the "subject" as [b]legitimate, first time,[/b] hug the DELETE KEY.

Am out for lunch.

U know what, one thing l've learned about relationships is that "if it all seems very smooth and okay, you can bet you dont even have any idea about what's going-on"!
Some Bad apples turn-out good and tatsy inside, some good ones are rotten inside!

Remember, "the sweet things in life are either illegal, immoral or fattening"!
Just follow ur heart my dear.

Time to go look for someones trouble

Since the "real and original" question was "What can Nigeria gain from associating with Iran", and with all the explanation by Naijaking1,
Let me add one more:

Mastery of Nuclear Technology, for Electricity (as in Up NEPA ) , and Weaponry, if need be!
(at least Cameroon would not have taken Bakasi from a nuclear-armed Nigeria, not even with French support!)

BTW: Whats all the shaking and pandering to U.S interest? Are we a satellite U.S colony?

American leaders are free to associate with whichever country they like, its the "American Interest" that COUNTS.
Same goes for Nigeria.
Simply because America does not like Iran does not mean we have to tow that line!

And to an even wider position and context, on this issue: If Israel defies a thousand U.N resolutions and secretly developed Nuclear Weapons , (and used banned weapons like Napalm on Palestinian citizens in their last war! ) WHY ON EARTH MUST IRAN BE PREVENTED FROM MASTERING THE SAME TECHNOLOGY?

So, its "one rule" for U.S allies and "another rule" for those who disagree with the U.S?
Has anyone ever wondered WHY U.S is "always" RABIDLY supporting anything done by the state of Isreal? , even when other countries, including Europeans condemn such? Guess what?

ISRAELI CITIZENS AND LOBBY GROUPS CONTROL AMERICA.
It was a deliberate and calculated policy instituted since the 70's and its bearing "good" fruit now. Israel can never b wrong which is why some ignorant Nigerians are apt to wring their hair off when they see UMYA taking photograph with Iran's president.

I will rather we learn and benefit in the use of Nuclear Energy to generate electricity from Iran, since neither America nor Israel are ready to "share that knowledge" with us, they would rather we come abegging for AID,, at least that way, we would remain subservient!

Gentlemen, please smell the coffee, Religion has nothing to do with all these, its all about POWER & POLITICS!

I dont care where the technology comes from, l only care about the knowledge and the benefits from is use.

, and if you must know, l doubt UMYA was asking Iran to assist us with TECHNOLOGY, our President was probably discussing SHARIA AND TENURE ELONGATION with him!

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All the above are just lies and deceit. End of story
Except for a few people here , most of my people just trump-up some "technical data" that they themselves dont even understand!

I believe Nairaland is meant for "sharing and education" but what you read mostly are borne out of pure ignorance (that one is even blissful!), and crass greed!
Stop comparing Oranges with Grapes, they just look alike but are very different.

Let me say here, and boldly too, until Nigerian houses get equipped with the "Plain Old Telephone System (POTS), like we use in those days of "NITEL Landlines" (with all those useless wires hanging over the pole though, those wires should have been buried underground anyway)
, we will never enjoy anything close to broadband Internet.
How can you call some lousy 50Kb/s (KILO BITs!) broadband internet? What kind of stupidity is that?

Ask our friends from U.K and U.S or anywhere in Europe where they have broadband?
Its a minimum of 1MB/s (1MEGA BYTE => 8bits = 1BYTE, 1024BYTES = 1 KILO-BYTE, 1024 KB = 1 MEGABYTE)

So, we are saying minimum/cheapest B/band is 8,192 KILO-bits/second (i.e 8X1024), now compare that to our "VERY FAST" 50KB/s!

If you look at British Telecoms (B.T) and other landline providers elsewhere, we are talking of 7 MEGABYTES PLUS internet Broadband!
, and ask them again, no one can or will ever achieve those speeds without 'POTS' LANDLINE. (Q.E.D)

Instead of Nigerians putting more pressure on our Rulers, our NCC figure-heads at Abuja, to ensure that we revive the very efficient Landline (using a combination of Optic Fiber and copper cables, like Globalcom was doing) we are all here trying to justify the rubbish they are serving us!

Wake-up ma people, Ghanaians were once refugees here before we drove them away, now they have all this "rocket-science", like stable power and B/band internet. Stop yapping about how u can "send-Email, Browse or even chat" on that snail-internet that you use your whole salary to service every month . Someone up here told about how he cant open E-mail for hours! I tried updating my Anti-Virus for weeks, imagine?

Broadband is for "heavy-data delivery" like VoIP, Video calls, CCTV Remote Monitoring e.t.c,

No wonder unemployment is very high: No NEPA, No Broadband, No Telephone lines (GSM is meant for "mobile or emergency calls only so, dont start puffing! ), go figure-out the rest bro, am out of here

POVERTY is really more than a disease!, It has become the NIGERIAN- lifestyle!!

BRUTALIZED NIGERIANS, , we would find "any excuse" to justify slavery!

Cant blame anyone sha, that was the whole idea, from day-one, by the ruling Elite

Poster, beleive me, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART!

Whatever we tell you hear is just a reflection of our own miserable judgement, or experience!
, and each person's experience is unique, beleive me.

Like someone said, when a guy is ready to "settle down" and get married, its a serious business o!
He does a reality check and does a good assesment of his philandeering!

"Wife" and "Gaalfriend" dont belong in the same category; wicked but its true! Its reality!!

Avoid "playboys" when they are still "enjoying" their life (or wasting it!), except you dont mind a few wildlife yourself.
Whether "second-leg" or "fifth-leg", if he has the qualities you want in a husband and he is ready to settle down, finally (dont believe what 'he' tells you, one that is "ready" will be very obvious in every word and thing he does) , just follow your heart at that point.
Good grapes turn out bad, seemingly bad ones end up being sweet but its even worse if later in life, you realize you did not follow your heart, just because he was a "serial offender"
Or do you want to marry my Pastor?
Life can play games, you know, but l wish you LOVE BEYOND COMPARE.

Abeg, l strongly disagree
When l read this 'announcement', l simply went searching in my music archives and guess what!
Only one CD showed up: FELA ANIKULAPO: SUFFER-HEAD MUST STOP,, ORIGINAL SUFFER-HEAD!

, and having put in a few years in the bank myself, in V.I, l know that if "Bankers" (especially the top-brass) are diligent and apply their brains more, than they apply their muscles in harassing those below them, every Banker can go home by 5:00pm. (with the exception of I.T operators who have to process "end-of-day", those ones even resume in the evening and work over-night)
"Technology" makes 'process and procedure' easier and thats why we pay a lot of money for it.
Let every bank re-appraise its "work-flow and work-process" and they will be surprised at how many hours they actually waste, doing wasteful, avoidable chores!
The problem is time-management.

In my case, to avoid the perennial traffic on 3rd Mainland Bridge, l leave home by 5:45am and get to work in 30mins , and u can bet, l take a nap before 8am when my work really starts. If l leave home by 6:30am, l get to the office around 9:20am! The choice is mine.

But between 8am and 5pm, na DIE, sometimes l dont even remember to eat breakfast! The thing is, the bank refused to employ more staff and its a case of human-exploitation.

At close of work, God forbid that l join them to "rush-home"
I "relax" till 8:30pm and once l pass that stupid and useless "Eke-checkpoint" at Falomo, Night driving is soooo sweet! 40mins max, l am home!!
If closing time meets me outside V.I, l spend the "extra-time" wisely to visit "a friend" , in day time
In case you dont know, Bankers are the greatest "playboys" around. Thats a honest truth though l am "born-again" now

On one of the few days l ventured out of my office "early" (6:00pm) and got stock on that yeye Osbourne road, well, l still have the scars to show for it somewhere behind my neck!
Baaad-boys just emerged from under the bridge, with Hammer, Cutlass, Axe and other 'Iraqi-style', Weapons of Human Destruction (WHD), broke my windshield, obtained all my "effects" (Patent leather shoe, Suit, Designer wristwatch, posing Gold ring, belt, mobile phones, e.t.c) and even all my pleadings concerning my Laptop only earned me a machete cut! I still have my scars to prove it. (Wish l had a GUN)

The most annoying part of it was that other cars, including fellow bankers, just dodged right and zoomed-off!, and to think that an "Eke-checkpoint" was just less than 80meters away (the last one before you join 3rd Mainland, at Whitesands)
Anyway, l love the job, l love the challenges and most of all, l love the PAY, GBEEMU!
If you cant stand the heat, please get out of the kitchen, fast-fast.

As for Diamond bank, am sure this is a very distasteful joke, am sure they mean to say 5pm

Ah go die o!

Really, we are not that good when it comes to "criminality"

By the comments on this topic sef, its obvious that we are just some "noisy petty thieves" compared to the "American Madoffs", The "British M.P's", the Irish Teaoshack, , even the Chineese are better at "faking" products and using sub-standard/dangerous materials than our much famed "ibo-made" so, whats all the hype about "Nigerian criminality"?

The truth of the matter is that if a Nigerian (and you can say the same for every blackman) does one little, cheap stunt, CNN,BBC, FOX and other major News-Channel will repeat it on air till a one year-old baby can recite it by heart , but when the "Westerners" do worse stunts, it barely gets a mention!

Okay, if you watch Chelsea Vs. Barcelona, you should know that EUFA should "charge" someone first before charging Drogba or Bossingwa for any misconduct, but what do you get?
From day1, it was Drogba's "rant" that was being repeated and now he is charged! Pray me, did anyone see Micheal Ballack when he wanted to, justifiably so, "swallow" that Referee, just before the end of the match?

And what happened, , okay, he is "European" and not some funny looking black foreigner that "doesn't look like us"!
Anyway, Drogba should have known better : "someone who is already penciled-down for "roasting" does not rub his own body with flammable liquid", abi?

@anwo247 - Maybe this implementation could bring down the core marketing done by girls who can't spell their names but capable of marketing everything,meeting targets and getting promotions!, Professional banking may reduce aggressive marketing. They need to know about real banking by passing the exams. It's a very great idea, to me.

As noble as your idea is, l am sure you know that it is "these gaals" that pay for all those perks every banking staff enjoys!
Where will your "upfront" come from, without these babes?
Where will that hefty 400K/month come from, well, maybe you prefer to be deployed to teach at a Secondary school where "morals" are well preached and observed!!
, and you wont mind going home with some miserly 30K/month!   

Even your sweetheart/wife will use that as a good excuse to "excuze" herself! 
Who no like better thing?

Emmm, can all the power-movers, hot lady-bankers in the house chop-me-a-knuckle!
I go die o!

www.tejuoshomarket.com
With our penchant for putting the Cart before the Horse, it doesn't take a magician to wonder what will become of these beautiful edifices we are building, in a few years time, knowing fully well that you cant manage such hings properly, without electricity and in our Nigeria, its easier to eneter heaven than to have three hours of electricity in a day!
Strange Nation, Comic Leaders, funny citizens

@Swissess "Bandito, they're very creative when it comes to making money,  maybe you ask around."

Is that suppose to be a 'compliment' , from a foreigner? Abeeg o,

When British people chorus in winter: "our weather sucks", , its not an invitation for 'others' to join in that chorus!

Awon gbeborun ti wo'lu o! 

BREAK-IN NEWS!, BREAK-IN NEWS!!, BREAK-IN NEWS!!!,

I just heard from the grapevine that the "Shattered Institute huf Road Trans-pot Wurkers" (SIRTW) has asked the Presidency to sign their Bill into law: Anyone that dares holds the Steering wheel, must be a MEMBER of dea Union!

Registered members can add the qualification to their name like:

Rafiu Onijongbon, MSIRTW, Ordinary member allowed to drive "keke-Maruwa', Bus Conductors
Nasir Umaru, SMSIRTW, Student member, Motor Cyclist, Cyclist and under-age children riding Tricycles!
Bomboy Bonnifase, FSIRTW, Fellow Category, 20yrs experience on Caterpillar, Trailers, BRT, Molue, Tippers
Mr. Jones, AMSIRTW, Associate Members, from good old Jalopy to a cruise-control SUV

Other Categories include "Honorary Member" HMSIRTW, any "uniformed" parson, from security, ellow feefer, Sooja or unidentified armed parsons.

The law requires that all category of members must carry Genuine Drivers license issued by the 'Shattered' body.

New members should rush to collect membership forms at Oshodi B/stop, Ketu, CMS and Iyana-Ipaja H/Q before they become scarce,
, and please, NO FIGHTING among registered members. Henceforth, no one is allowed to drive any "mechanical machine" without being a member.

When asked by international reporters, why they use the phrase "shattered Institute", the National sair-man responded that registration for membership will be reduced to #10,000 yearly and for that amount of money, the certificate of membership can not be anything less than "Shattered Institute"! Everyone around nodded in agreement!!

CAVEAT: This information is yet to be verified, poster takes no responsibility for any unauthorized usage :d of the Institute's Logo

No probs, my pleasure.
Just looking out for another 'broda'.
Cheers

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My name is "Nigerian Government" and l want to respond to your suggestion by saying "we are too busy stealing and looting the national treasury, too busy creating unnecessary burdens for our citizens and most of all, we are very busy perfecting the next scam to lay our itchy fingers on the oil revenues" , so, pls, we wont even look in the direction of this your noble suggestion!

Ever wonder why all these years, good suggestions just die a natural death while those who are supposed to make use of them (even if they cant use their own brain to create one) just go about in flowing Agbada and still win the next election?
Hmmmmm, Naija!!

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Hi Deb,
A lot of folks have been asking you to E-mail them, pictures of the Duplex you have (hope to) built, using this scheme.
So l thought, will it not be "easier and expedient" that you let the "whole house" see such pictures, once and for all, by posting same on this forum?
That way, l wouldn't have to ask the same question that four or five people have already asked.

Again, since govt of Lagos has pegged it to two duplexes/plot, how do you work-out the mathematics of the 3Duplex/plot (or do we get 1&1/2 duplex? ) lol
Finally, you said "the duplex and the land belongs to you (original plot owner) for ever",
My question is which part of the land? Is it the one that contain your own one duplex (naturally, like you now own your duplex and 1/3 of ur plot)or does it include the land the other two are situated-on, what happens 25years down the road.

Just seeking more detailed info.
Thanx.
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@hatchseed:
"I can't afford more than N3.5M."
The above quote is your first mistake!
Never divulge your budget to an Agent.
Just mention a range -like "am looking at 1Million to 4.5Million".
Or rather ask the Agent: "what are the prices of the property you have"? (notice he said 'l would SEARCH FOR YOU'?)

Without any disrespect to the 'responder' and no personal-beef with him, l will say generally, "Agents"
are speculators ad they are in it to "make money" from both the buyer and the seller (some call them a virus/leech/parasite, take your pick! )

Any Agent who knows your budget will certainly "find you something" that would 'swallow that budget' with a lot of "space" for himself after-all, you got what you wanted at the money you said you wanted to spend?, but could you have got the same thing for half the price or at least cheaper?
Figure it out.
Wish you a successful hunt.
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I've read somewhere on this forum, where people say "Price of land in Lagos" and "cost of house-rent" would crash!
Most of the blame were heaped on the door-step of individual land speculators.
Now, take a look at how much you bought your land (original cost price) and how much the government is going to make you pay, just to titled it, legalized your ownership with your govt?

If you buy land for 1Million and it costs you like 800K just to "legitimize" such acquisition, then l feel the real crook in this setup is the government!
They cannot provide low cost houses for ordinary folks, they cannot provide jobs, they cannot provide electricity or water (trying on roads) YET, when an individual struggles to own a house, they would use "excessive charges" to dissuade you from perfecting the documents!

No wonder there are so many buildings/developments without title, despite its necessity!
While govts in 'sensible climes' are reducing "charges" and "offering incentives" to first time (land/home) buyers, ours are revising their charges upwards so quickly you would think 'documentation of land" is the New Lottery!

Now, combine the cost of your land with the ever-increasing govt charges, skyrocketing price of cement, sand, iron rods, planks, nails, not to mention labor,, - tell me how the price of house-rent (or land itself, as a value) will REDUCE, much less crashing?

I am peeved no one is complaining about these excessive govt charges, of-course, the speculators, the lawyers and the Alausa people are all smiling to the bank, except the struggling 'land-lord-to-be'!
And bet me, when he completes that building, he would take his pound of flesh from the unfortunates TENANTS

just my ten cent.

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tall order

Yes, very tall order, if we accept the whiteman's claim that Afrians (blacks) are "mentally inferior" to them!
Obama, 2day is a living proof that blacks can excel, even better than any white, given the right environment. Just like u'r Nigerian, he is Kenyan, by origin!
I know some "Nigerians" cant even escape this "self-imposed" inferiority complex, simple, basic achievements of a whiteman, is a VERY TALL ORDER for them!
Hmmmmm,, "my people perish, for lack of knowledge"!

@astuto,
This kind of "promotion" has been up for sometime now, in other countries.
For example, some years back in Ireland, they encourage people to "voluntarily return home" by themselves, instead of being forcefully deported, and they buy you a ticket and give you about three thousand Euros (not sure of the exact figure anymore, right now).
Like l said, its a win-win for both parties involved.
If we can look at "life" from the "legal and civilized" angle, as practiced in some Western countries (not from our own wicked and self-destructive mindset), 'illegals' are not criminals but people who are struggling to improve their lot.
The westerners recognize the "hell" that our leaders have imposed on us, even in the presence of abundant natural resources, out of sheer idiocy, ignoramus, illiteracy and brazen corruption!
They wish they could help but they also have their own problems to contend with!

Have you ever wondered why Finland, Norway, Swiss and some countries (before the 'credit-come-crunch!) that dont even have any natural resource like crude oil or good farmland, can pay the school fees of some Nigerian/African they dont even know from Adam, while in the same Nigerian's country, his govt can not even guarantee him one meal/day, not to talk of free university education? Na magic?, abi armed-robber na Ghost?

That money is not "awoof" as some think it is.
It serves to get rid of some "foreign pest" while saving the cost of litigation and effort required to do it, (like the way France is currently doing in Calais, this week)! and moreover, it buys them good-will in the eyes of the world.
And let me just add, how many of all those people on this forum, who are making the loudest noise, have ever traveled out of Naija sef?
At times, you need to experience 'abroad' to make an informed decision, if you think what others are telling you is discouraging.

If ONLY our government (if we have one at the moment) can just solve three problems, Abroad would loose its 'taste': (1.) Electricity (2.) Road infrastructure (3.) Employment/Security.

Sometimes, l wonder how our President feels?
How is he able to sleep peacefully at night knowing that he was elected to do a job and his performance is not just woeful but we cant even grade him since we need something to grade! Look at millions of youths roaming around daily?

It can be very frustrating to see and read about the amount of energy and items a leader like Obama has tackled in less than 100days, ,
even closer home, look at Gov. Fashola?
How come that man is able to do so much (by Naija standards) in less than two years, and UMYA has not even accomplished a single item on his 7-point agenda? Where is the "emergency" he promised, against darkness?, and he is already scheming for 2011!
Governance or leadership is not rocket science, if you're incapable, why dont you just excuze yourself and let "one" of the remaining 140Million people do the job?
Abeegi, sometimes, it is difficult to blame armed-robbers when you think about the "Agbada" and "Pen-robbers".
Am outa here pls

Am just wondering and l am not claiming any "sainthood" myself but, what is it with us (Nigerians), that under any circumstance, the first thing that crosses our mind is how to "abuse any law or oppurtunity"? Are we the only ones suffering on this mother earth?
, And to read about the "glee" with which we discuss such criminal tendencies makes me think something is definitely wrong with our moral fiber  

First, like someone observed, "Oyinbo" is not stupid, , not even in a recession for that matter!
The money is actually a good gesture to assist those who are "trapped" in Switzerland (and get rid of what they think are 'nuisance' foreigners). They have no future there since they are illegals and as with most illegals, coming home is not a very attractive option since there is nothing to fallback on, at home yet, life abroad is worse than slavery at times it could become a matter of life or death
This "bail-out" is to provide a "second-chance" for such people - a win-win situation for everyone involved.

The 'illegal' will be re-settled into a "viable business" back home in Nigeria ( not cash at hand) and the Swiss embassy will monitor such person's business progress.
Such initiative is obtainable in other European countries also. (U report yourself to immigration for voluntary deportation, they "facilitate your departure" with such funds, including a plane ticket). That to me, is better than "crating people" and choking them to death en-route as in Spain and U.K recently. This project needs encouragement, NOT CRIMINAL ABUSE.

Now, for the "sharp shooters" who think they are the smartest con-men on earth, finger prints, eye-scan, pictures and possible micro implant will ensure that you cant go back not only to Switzerland, but you can not enter any European country, Scandinavian country or America and Canada since they now have and operate a "joint database" of "exposed illegals". So, think twice about your fast moves, you might end up in some remote jail and dont turn around to blame the Nigerian Government for that also  

But for those living illegally in that country, l will suggest you show-up and sign-on for the opportunity. Around #1.3Million+ can not be picked on the roadside!
You can invest the money in  "Recharge-Card Sales" business. You can start small by opening ur own Barbing saloon with a Portable Generator  
With the money you can opt for a "Provisions shop", how about selling food stuffs? If you have any technical skills, a furniture shop, Mechanic workshop, plumbing or even selling electrical parts might just start you off!
And you never can tell, with hard work, honesty and dedication, God might just have answered that your prayer for success in life after all, we all have brilliant ideas on how to make money but getting the capital to start is the 'koko' of the matter - dont mention Nigerian banks for now, their own matta is for another day.

Forgive me but its time we stop focusing on the "criminal side of life, how to make one "fast illegal buck" here and there, it does not give us any inner satisfaction nor integrity but l guess "extreme poverty" and "integrity" are not bed-fellows!
Nigerians are one of the most brilliant people God created but we need to channel that 'mental energy' into doing positive things, having positive thoughts - I know the empty barrels ruling our country are making such rational thinking almost impossible, -  but we need to keep trying.
We can not give up on ourselves and turn our country into another Somalia, we are too blessed, too big, too diverse, too smart and too proud a nation , and people
I know l will get a lot of flak for what l have written above - it runs contrary to current mood and thinking   - but hey, its the truth.

Okay, c'mmon, give it to me, kick my butt and call me names. Its okay with me, go ahead pls.  

I have been enjoying this topic for some time!
From the beauty of those renderings, to the timely suggestions of some and then comes the "u be thief, l no be thief , (respects to Abami Eda)!" digression, cant believe what am reading!!

Larez, maybe the proper thing to do would have been to P.M you privately but you've been so open about yourself and what you do that l have no qualms, asking openly: Are you the same Larez on the now defunct www.nigeria.com? Where you contributing Articles there? Do you know my dude "Afari" , and l usually complete it for him by adding Afari (korodo )?
Why l am asking is that, "that Larez" was/is my online buddy back in 2005/2006/early 200, before "something" happened to that website, just before the 2007 elections , and we lost contact.
That same Larez is an Architect.
Forgive me if you've never been on that site or around that period (do you have any affiliation with Calabar?, like someone dear 2u), , may just be a coincidence sha.

By the way, dont get distracted.
Like others have mentioned, "adaptation" is the keyword you need to further yourself in the Nigerian environment.
I can not believe you are thinking of parking-up and leaving just because "they dont think like you do"!
Social Studies (in pry six) tells us that the "environment" we live has a very profound effect on our personality.
People who live with electricity 24/7, and brightness, day and night (no pun intended and no disrespect to fellow brodas here) cant have the same disposition towards life with people who through no fault of theirs, sleep in darkness (Never Expect Power At-all) under the drone and smoke of Generator engines. Having been blessed with "exposure", you need to contribute in the "transfer knowledge" to your brodas back home, abi? If not for any reason, for the sake of the blood that runs in your veins (Animashaun - he who has, and is not miserly with it )

If you will adapt the technology, the finesse, the technique and the diligence with which you built those houses, to our unique environment while maintaining the same level of aesthetics, then the sky is your limit.
Keep doing what you know best.
Cheers.

Expired.