₦airaland Forum

By Paul I. Adujie
Since the political and constitutional upheaval in Tunisia, then followed by Egypt and now Libya, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen and so on, some Nigerians have publicly commented that Nigerians can only dream of Egyptian and Tunisian style revolutions and political uprising.

Some Nigerians have even gone to the unreasonable extent of actually saying such will not, and could NEVER happen in Nigeria! And we must ask, REALLY?

Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives drove the last nail into this revolution-is-impossible-in-Nigeria argument several days ago, through his address to parliamentarians from Germany who were visiting Nigeria. Speaker Bankole, whose only claim to fame, infamy, are series of scandalous dealings and revelations against him thinks Nigerians have no reasons to revolt?

One wonders what exactly gives Mr. Bankole these sorts of supreme confidence Mr. Bankole is a man, a Nigerian politician who is not known for driving a particular policy, law or ideology. He actually had the audacity and temerity to publicly proclaim that a revolution is impossible in Nigeria! Are Nigerians content and happy?

Who and what gave Dimeji Bankole such overconfidence or unmitigated arrogance? How can he and the House of Representatives and by extension the current crop of Nigerian political class which he represents, be so cocksure that Nigerians have nothing to complain about and we have no need to engage in any revolt, uprising and indeed, a revolution similar to and better than the world have seen recently in Tunisia, Egypt, Wisconsin and Belgium?

Dimeji Bankole and Nigeria’s current crop of political operators must not be allowed to take Nigerians, long suffering Nigerians for granted. He and his ilk must not be allowed to demonstrate their utter contempt and insensitivity to the plights and predicaments of millions of Nigerians.

What Nigerians Want? The Same Things, Simple Things which citizens of Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan want!,

http://www.saharareporters.com/article/revolution-impossible-nigeria

The Central Bank governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, warned Saturday that the current civil unrest in some countries in North Africa could be experienced in Nigeria if the nation’s leadership failed to take full advantage of the enormous potentials that abound in the country.

This is coming against the backdrop of the federal government’s approval to site six new universities in the six geo-political zones of the country, which is meant to give youths access to tertiary education and by so doing, exploit the potentials inherent in them.

Speaking shortly after receiving an honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration, at the 40th convocation ceremony of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Sanusi said that Nigeria was blessed with abundant potentials, which if properly harnessed would “astronomically” improve the nation’s socio-political and economical development.

“This is a country we must always have hope on, not out of pity but because it has great potential to be realised. Universities are the conscience of the nation and a whole lot of potentials are developed here.

“We therefore need to take full advantage of these potentials because if we don’t, what we are witnessing in Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt will happen here.

“We have oil and gas, but we import energy; we have large land resources, but we import food; we have been number the one producer of cassava in the world, but we import starch; we have a large cotton belt, but we import textiles from China; we have hides and skin, but we don’t have the necessary industry to develop it.

“By addressing each of these areas in a well structured and articulated manner, we will move this country out of poverty and be the China of Africa. This is not going to be done for us by the Chinese or the Americans.

“We are the ones to do it. We don’t need to treat this country with despair and despondency, but with hope and ambition,” he stated, adding that by the time the right things are done, the country would emerge a global giant in the foreseeable future.

In their separate speeches at the convocation, which witnessed the presentation of honorary doctorate awards to Rear Admiral Allison Madueke and Mr. Cletus Ibeto, the Vice Chancellor, Pro-chancellor and Chancellor of the University, Prof. Bartho Okolo, Prof . S. O. Igwe and Alhaji Shehu Idris respectively, all confirmed that the school had recorded enormous achievements in the past years.

According to them, UNN now ranks third in Nigeria in the local university league, 54th in Africa and 5,176th in the world as a result of the commitment of the administration to take the school to greater heights.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110227204475
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/n-africa-revolution-sanusi-cautions-nigerian-leaders/86920/

Mr Anti-Corruption joins the fray
The man who hounded politicians over graft is now facing them at the polls
Nigeria's doughty presidential candidate Oct 28th 2010 | ABUJA | from the Economist print edition

NUHU RIBADU’S decision to run for president against the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in elections early next year is courageous. The PDP pretty much always wins. But Nigeria’s former anti-corruption chief is used to tilting at windmills. As first head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, set up in 2003, he pursued politicians and civil servants who were embezzling the revenues of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest oil producer. He did not make much of a dent but became a darling of Western aid donors.

Some critics said he singled out foes of the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo, whose successor, Umaru Yar’Adua, sidelined Mr Ribadu. Fearing for his life, he moved abroad in 2008, returning only after Mr Yar’Adua died in May this year. Mr Ribadu now says that winning the presidency is the only way to clean up the country. “I need political power at the highest level,” he says. A Volkswagen Golf, two megaphones mounted on its roof, is parked on the street below his modest campaign office in Abuja, the capital, a far cry from the political elite’s flotillas of jeeps.

Mr Ribadu hopes his headline policy—fighting corruption by reforming the judiciary and protecting whistle-blowers—will strike a chord with the public. He says the fight against graft has slowed. He arrested seven former state governors shortly before his removal but only one has since been convicted.

His chance of winning is barely better than that of previous opposition candidates. His rivals have far more cash. They include two former military rulers, a pair of serving state governors and a former vice-president, not to mention Goodluck Jonathan, the incumbent. Most belong to the PDP, which has ruled since 1999, when the army gave up power, and now runs 27 of Nigeria’s 36 states. Mr Ribadu’s Action Congress of Nigeria runs three.

Buying elections is getting more difficult but there is little time to adjust the system fully before elections due by April. Some of Mr Ribadu’s supporters say he should wait until the next election in 2015.

[url=http://www.economist.com/node/17369787?story_id=17369787[/color]http://www.economist.com/node/17369787?story_id=17369787[/url]

In terms of resources to rig elections or the capacity to win people's votes?

semid4lyfe:
Ribadu[b]+[/b]Fola Adeola still no match for Goodluck/Sambo

Biography :

Tajudeen Afolabi Adeola Known as Fola Adeola is the Nigerian current chairman of Eterna Oil & Gas plc is a Nigeria-based company. It is engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of lubricating oils and petro chemicals, importation and sale of fuels through its retail outlets, gas, power, upstream supply and technical services for companies in the oil industry.

Mr. Tajudeen Fola Adeola, FCA; OFR serves as the Chairman of Eterna Oil & Gas plc since July 2007. He received his professional training at Deloitte, Haskins and Sells as well as D.O. Dafinone & Co. He also received further professional development training at notable institutions worldwide including Havard Business School, INSEAD and the International Institute for Management Development. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and Institute of Directors, Mr. Fola Adeola was the founder and the founding Managing Director/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, a bank he managed until 2002 during which period GTB grew to become one of Nigeria’s strongest and credible banks. He successfully handed over in 2002 to his deputy and took up fellowship at Corporation for Enterprise Development, Washington D.C. to continue his research on economic development, looking at pension’s reform, entrepreneurship and financial services provisioning for poverty reduction.

In May, 2004, Mr. Fola Adeola was invited by Mr. Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, to serve as a commissioner on the Commission for Africa, through which he attended the 2005 G8 meeting at Gleneagles, Scotland. Since then he has played a significant role in the public sector, where he became the pioneer Chairman of National Pensions Commission, following the promulgation into law by the National Assembly of the Nigerian Pension Bill, principally authored by him. He was also a member of the National Honors and Awards Committee and The Solid Minerals Committee. He served as Chairman of Asset & Resource Management Company Limited and is currently Chairman of Omatek Computers Limited, Socketworks Limited and Lotus Capital Limited and a director of UTC Plc. He served until 2006 as a member of Global Advisory Committee on Philanthropy at the World Economic Forum, attended the HRH the Duke of Edinburgh Commonwealth Study Conference in the UK and was invited to join 24 other business leaders for the Aspen Institute ISIB Annual Business Leaders Dialogue in Aspen, Colorado.

He is currently the Chairman of FATE Foundation, a non – governmental organization dedicated to encouraging the creation of wealth through entrepreneurship, using an innovate mix of training, mentoring, loan support and consulting to support young Nigerians, which to date has serviced over 5,000 young Nigerian entrepreneurs. Mr. Fola Adeola graduated from Yaba College of Technology in 1975 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1980.

http://www.africansuccess.org/visuFiche.php?id=660&lang=en

[color=Black]http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fola-adeola-is-nuhu-ribadu-s-running-mate/86548/[/color]

Barring any last minute changes, Mr. Afolabi Tajudeen Adeola, former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc,  former chairman of the National Pension Commission (Pencom), and former member on the (Tony) Blair Commission on Africa, may have been named the running mate of the fledgling candidacy of the anti-corruption czar, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Ribadu is the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). If this happens, it would follow on the heels of the Chief MKO

Abiola-Alhaji Babagana Kingibe Muslim-Muslim ticket, which was widely accepted by Nigerians across regional and ethnic lines in the annulled 1993 presidential election.

Analysts believe it may work again because both Ribadu and Adeola are not known to be religious champions, practising their faith privately and quietly. They are equally known to work across religious and tribal lines.

Party sources confirmed that discussions and consultations are still on-going on the choice of Adeola, and it is expected that matters relating to the pairing of duo will be concluded later today in the evening to beat the INEC deadline tomorrow (February 21) for the substitution of presidential candidates and their running mates.

When contacted last night, Adeola confirmed that he had been approached by the leadership of the ACN but that they were yet to conclude discussions.

The former banker, who likened the decision to a marriage between two people, also admitted that issues relating to the development must be concluded today.
“By the grace of God, everything will be resolved by this time tomorrow (today, Sunday).”

Adeola added that all related issues have to be carefully looked into before a final decision is taken. He said the offer is not what he is taking lightly.

Also confirming the story, one of the ACN governors said the choice of Adeola as Ribadu’s running mate is one of the intelligent decisions the party has taken at this time of the year.

He described Adeola as a detailed person who would naturally pair with a Ribadu, an administrative hand.

The governor said there is the need for a running mate, who would take up all the detailed assignments that the presidential job demands, especially in the quest for a better Nigeria.

He said the Ribadu-Adeola ticket would go down in history as one of the best ever produced in the country by any political party, adding, “We are in this to win and not to consider what some class of people would think about a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“Even the political class is waiting to break away from the old order. They don’t just know how to go about it.”

The governor, who sounded excited about the development said Adeola is a respectable young man who has paid his dues in the development, of the country.

As co-founder and ex-managing director of GTBank, he said Adeola walked away when the ovation was loudest. He posited that Adeola had also handled many sensitive and vital assignments in the country and beyond.

“He has what it takes to rebuild this country. This country needs rebuilding and not rebranding like the PDP is doing. Nigeria needs root and branch reformation.

“So, we can’t have people who are part of the problem as part of the solution. It would not work. That is the difference between the PDP candidate who is though a nice guy, but is clueless,” he said.

PROGRESS!

Nigeria's Foreign Exchange Reserve fell from $41 billion to $33 billion between Feb, 2010 and Jan, 2011 (with oil price always at or above $75/barrel while the 2010 budget was pegged at $67/barrel).
Nigeria imported $7.6 billion (N1.15 tr) worth of petroleum products in the past eleven months, out of an estimated $60 billion crude oil earnings (65% of gov't revenue) in the same period.
The excess crude account (ECA) has dwindled from $20 billion to $3 million in the same time frame.

What is going on?

This is a condensed issue because is brings out quickly the management credentials of our present gov't.

WILL YOU VOTE FOR THIS?

I put this together from looking at various sources:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/sweetcrude/2011/january/pageflip.html
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/01/political-uncertainty-may-hinder-nigerian-oil-output/
http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/editorial/letters/24119.html
http://www.cenbank.org/IntOps/Reserve.asp
http://oil-price.net/dashboard.php?lang=en
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004050574.html

Sky Blue:
Are we to trust that the other candidates will? Is this even a discussion or what exactly is the point of the thread, I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to compare between candidates that are actually on the ballot if this thread has anything to do with elections? You ask people if they would vote for "this"? Vote for "this" over what exactly? And perhaps that is the crux of the matter for anyone who wants to sell their candidate of choice or disuade others from voting a particular one, isn't it?

This is not necessarily a vote for GEJ vs Ribadu vs Buhari vs Utomi vs etc

It is about looking at GEJ fiscal management record so far and discussing if we as Nigerians can live with this.
If we do then why and if we do not then what are the alternatives.
What do the numbers mean for our country moving forward?

Issues then the people.

Past 11 Months: This is more like GEJ credentials since he has been president

ShangoThor:
[size=18pt]Fix the State and you will fix the problem![/size]

It's simple!

So are we to trust that GEJ and the present crop of PDP are going to "fix the state" if "voted" in?

I dunno who you'll vote for, but think 'bout this:

Nigeria's Foreign Exchange Reserve fell from $41 billion to $33 billion between Feb, 2010 and Jan, 2011 (with oil price always at or above $75/barrel while the 2010 budget was pegged at $67/barrel).
Nigeria imported $7.6 billion (N1.15 tr) worth of petroleum products in the past eleven months, out of an estimated $60 billion crude oil earnings (65% of gov't revenue) in the same period.
The excess crude account (ECA) has dwindled from $20 billion to $3 million in the same time frame.

What is going on?

This is a condensed issue because is brings out quickly the management credentials of our present gov't.

WILL YOU VOTE FOR THIS?

I put this together from looking at various sources:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/sweetcrude/2011/january/pageflip.html
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/01/political-uncertainty-may-hinder-nigerian-oil-output/
http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/editorial/letters/24119.html
http://www.cenbank.org/IntOps/Reserve.asp
http://oil-price.net/dashboard.php?lang=en
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004050574.html

LRNZH:
This is like saying Cholera is not the cause of weakness in a sick person but the vomiting and incessant purging associated with Cholera.

What led to the lack of political will and the security problems?

tensor777:
I knew you would come up with such a banal question. But sorry I can't help you there as I am not in the habit of refuting convoluted conspiracy theories.
You see what you want to see and believe what you want. That is all I have to say on this matter.

I will find it difficult to agree that you are unaware of the answer which is institutional government corruption.

To fight it would mean taking out too many powerful people.
Hence the lack of political will.
Insecurity is one symptom of the ineffective system that has resulted from poor management of the country.

We all learn everyday. 

tensor777:
So government corruption, such as it is, is not what is hindering foreign direct investment in Nigeria. What is hindering it is:-
1 Lack of political will to fully implement the privatisation and commercialisation program.
2 The appalling security situation.

This is like saying Cholera is not the cause of weakness in a sick person but the vomiting and incessant purging associated with Cholera.

What led to the lack of political will and the security problems?

tensor777:
I would expect a presidential candidate to be talking seriously and at length as to the policies that he would introduce that would facilitate rapid economic growth and development. In other words about how he would multiply the size of the national cake.
This means foreign direct investment. And the only way to attract this is following through with the privatisation program and crucially setting up a National Guard that would tackle Nigeria's appalling security situation.
These should be Ribadu's main focus not just yarning about his antecedents as a crimefighter.

Good point! But you gotta look at other issues too.

FDI and the growth of the economy are preposterous without providing an enabling env't. Security for all and sundry in Nigeria is absent.From kidnapping to religious fundamentalism to bombings due to marginalisation/unemployment/dirty politics. Now GEJ cannot even do anything about the security situation in the country because he does not want to lose support of people that matter.

Jos is a prime example. Formerly a relatively peaceful town with an egalitarian structure, it is dying today due to corrupt politics. How will businesses thrive in this env't?
Aba is another one. Look how businesses are being crippled due to kidnapping.

We need more than GEJ of today to make progress. FDI will come once there is good and effective governance. Tackling corruption will be the first sign of such a gov't from my perspective.

tensor777:
The point is I would not want Ribadu to be making a loud song and dance about fighting corruption when in reality as a president he cannot do much more than what I said.
For example the mere setting up by the Obasanjo regime of the EFCC and the appointment of the right person to head it- Ribadu himself- had a dramatic effect on the war against corruption.
If you were observant you would realise that Nigeria's position on the transperency index has dramatically improved since then. Just appoint the right people to head the  existing crime fighting institutions.
My own submission is that RIGHT NOW there are much more pressing issues that need to be tackled in Nigeria. Things like the general state of insecurity and the privatisation conundrum.

I am not fully convinced that Ribadu is the man yet. I am watching but I can categorically state that he has a better public management track record than GEJ.

OBJ was a dynamic leader but he was also very corrupt hence his good works are equally offset by his bad legacies.
OBJ foisted Yar'adua and the subsequent zoning conundrum / GEJ on us.
So you imply GEJ is not corrupt even when he can sacrifice security (and lives) in Jos, or the case of Folarin, or Anenih's stinking past and bring him into gov't all to win delegates support for the PDP primaries.

Look. in all honesty, GEJ should have conducted a free and fair election and not contested himself.
PDP would largely be removed from many positions in this scenario creating an enabling env't for choosing folks with effective leadership qualities.

@ Tensor
You do not need to know my level of exposure or qualification to hold a decent discussion.
It is what I referred to as the "expert syndrome". You assume only an expert can think straight.

I notice your tone is less antagonistic now. Which is a good thing.

You argue that the amount of obstacles to businesses are what matter in measuring the level of corruption in a country.
You are right but that isn't what the IMF study is based on. They used bribes from businesses to gov't.

Lack of proper development plan implementation due to massive government corruption are costing businesses and the masses access to functional railways and roads, security, skilled labour in Nigeria.
Are these not obstacles to business too?

Look those studies are for foreign investors who care about how much they will have to spend to recoup their investments.
They can overlook gov't corruption because they can work around it. Those are more dire for the masses.

I think you may have learnt one or two from a non-expert here.

tensor777:
Absolute rubbish. It may bother you and cause you discomfort but it is way way down the list of items to be tackled in Nigeria. What is the big deal about fighting corruption anyway? What are the police, the EFCC and the courts for? 
When these institutions are strengthened the battle against corruption is automatically stepped up.
There is no need for any leader or presidential candidate to keep going on about that other than to ensure that he leads by example,makes the right appointments, and periodically reviews the effectiveness of control systems in the government department for which he is responsible.

LOL @TENSOR

You seem to be biased in your understanding of Nigeria's problem.

Ok please let us know how a president in Nigeria is to lead by example if he is not to tackle corruption.
Even appointing the right people or monitoring controls system is to put mismanagement (usually due to corruption) in check.

We are just helping you summarise that all the points you are making boil down to
lack of effective leadership that can tackle corruption.

I hope this helps.

tensor777:
You just don't know what you are talking about and are bringing up entirely irrelevant issues. What has the IMF got to do with foreign direct investment and developmental issues?
For your information the IMF is an institution set up to render short term financial assistance to members who run into balance of payments and budgetary difficulties. They do not give develpoment loans which is mainly the prerogative of institutions like the world bank and the African Development Bank.
Every big developing country has corruption issues not just Nigeria  and the results of the studies do reflect that vital fact. The idea that you know more about the economy than the well trained experts that carry out this study is just laughably arrogant and ludicrous.  Who are you anyway and what are your credentials and international business experience for you to challenge such a detailed and referenced report??
You think they are myopic enough to focus on small private companies and not on the bloated government parastatals?

I know your type but I will overlook your idiosyncracies.

Let me give a you a little background.
If you have been following this thread from the beginning you would have seen where some folks claim that corruption as Nigeria's major problem is overstated.
They also quote some IMF study which compares the level of corruption in Nigeria to that in Kenya, Indonesia and Venezuela.
The study concludes that because the level of bribe requested from businesses in Nigeria is less than those in comparable countries, Nigeria is not as corrupt as perceived.

Moving to my comments.
I stated that the corruption archetype in Nigeria is not the type that focusses on businesses because there is enough gov't revenue (from oil) to perpetually steal from.
If you take out oil as a source of gov't revenue today their taste for stolen money will shift to demanding more kickbacks from the private sector.
I am in Nigeria and I can tell you that as long as a business is not dealing directly with gov't parastatals or agencies,its overhead is mostly from power generation, security and transportation. Ultimately, the amount of corrupt practices that go on in the gov'ts of Nigeria are grievously higher than any business in Nigeria.

So these studies are put together by foreigners and the indices they generate are more likely to the benefit their countries who are into foreign investment.
You think they care if you get bad governance as long as their businesses thrive in your country undisturbed?
They can use the amount of corruption in businesses in Nigeria to measure the level of corruption in Nigeria and it works for them.
But for us the masses, it is the level of corruption in the gov't that bothers us most. It is stopping us from access to quality food, education, security, employments etc etc.

Please wake up and stop suffering from the "expert syndrome". Think for yourself!
Put studies in context before you runaway with interpretations

This is a very interesting possibility to ponder
>>>>>

1025:
ribadu is nothing but obj's plan B. as long as this 2011 is concerned, obj is not putting all his eggs in one basket hence two candidates.
in a normal world (outside nigeria), pdp has been arround since 1999 with nothing to show for it  so deserves no place in 2011 but what do we have in an abnormal country like ours.
it is a shame that folks here celebrate failures because most of us do not know the real meaning and implications of success.

Ribadu has an undisputedly better track record in public service than Jonathan.

He (and ACN) will need to work more than extra hard to beat a structure like PDP's.

But if elections are free and fair, and ACN do their homework, who says it isn't possible?

By the way I'm flabbergasted that people can actually argue that corruption is not the backbone of Nigeria's quagmire today.

Please forget educated studies that do not reflect reality on ground. Those IMF (etc) studies are not carried out for the benefit of the citizenry but for foreign investors.
Of couse their findings will be unrealistic for Nigeria because our corruption is largely in gov't not business. Why? OIL is the major revenue hence there is no neeed to milk businesses dry.
Implication is that public projects are mismanaged and not implemented. Institutional government corruption is our major problem.

A scenario where oil dries up and the gov't needs to rely on taxes and duties etc from businesses in Nigeria is too grim to even imagine.
Right now, businesess are suffering from a lack of infrastructure (due to gov't corruption) not corrupt gov't officials asking for all sorts of bribes.

Nuff said.

To all the experts in the house,

I've been considering suggesting the 2008 ML 350 to my dad (he's getting a replacement ride this year) but I'm also attracted to the Acura MDX ('07/08) and there is the Toyota Highlander (~'09).

My question is -----> which would he buy and if he looks back in say 2013, he will still smile and nod ------> good buy?

Take reliability, cost of maintenance, fuel consumption and prestige into account.
For use in Naija.


Thanks.

ping pong:
^^^^^^^^  Its not about a free and fair election simpliciter for a free and fair election can still throw up a dunce like GEJ.  Its about electing a strong character that knows his onions - in a free and fair election.

If elections were credible even in the party primaries,  Yaradua & Jonathan's types would not have come this far.

Was Donald Duke (and the likes) not "shot down' to pave way for GEJ?


Is Rivers State not better today because Omeiha was rightly removed by the courts for Amaechi who won in the PDP primaries?

^^^^^^

These guys have booked all the hotels in Abuja with your money and my money.


Papa deceive Pikin.

Only if GEJ would conduct a free and fair election (in which case he would not run to ensure this).

Only if,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[quote author=ndu_chucks link=topic=577473.msg7444551#msg7444551 date=1293894730]Let me repeat my comments

"It is unfortunate, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan did not deem it fit to issue a personal response to the event, but designated his Chief Press Secretary Ima Niboro (Beaf) to issue a statement on his behalf. The said statement absolved MEND, General Togo, and other South South criminals who have threatened to carry out precisely the kind of bombing which took place, of responsibility for the bombing.

This act by GEJ is quite shameful. He is not fit to lead our country."

Which part of the statement above do you disagree with and why? I will not participate in your obsessive reaction to anything "North" olodo

Defend your uncle/president if you can.[/quote]Nuff said!

All this "Military come this,,,,,,,,Military come that"
I laugh. When Military comes it will be more difficult to even have a say in who rules or what goes on.

If it was in the Military era (say continuing from Abdulsallam) do you think a South-South person would have got as lucky as GEJ?

Think before you spew.


Ethnicity and bipolarity as shown by many folks here is a cursory sign that many Nigerians are not aware of what their real problems are.

Thse corrupt people will never want you and I from across the opposing sides of the Niger River to think alike because we will start to see clearly.

Our problem is not caused by any region per se.

Corruption and mismanagement are the major issues.

Please remove the lead in your eyes.


GEJ give us free and fair elections and we will carry on from there.

Beaf:
Maybe you can tell us why the Nigerian constitution is 310 pages long, while the American one is just 22?
310 pages of directionless crap forced down our throats by illiterate soldiers!

Which is better, the American consititution that is just 22 pages long and packed with principles and ideology, or the 310 page Nigerian one that is full of useless controlling crap? What do you think gave us our ramshackle govt style?

Paste the Nigerian constitution into MS Word using Times New Roman font at 12pt, then do the same for the US constitution:
http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

A country based on a crap constitution will be only amount to a chaotic mound of crap.

OK great. I like the dimension of this discussion.

Do you realise that the American constitution is a codified prescriptive law? Meaning it says what your rights are?

That is why it is a single short document.

On the other hand, the British constitution for example (and some might even argue that there is no such thing as a British constitution) is a collection of different documents like the Magna Carta, The Bill of Rights and is also contained in the Common Law? It is not any single short document.
In contrast to the American Constitution, what we call the British constitution is a non codified proscriptive set of laws. Meaning it tells you what you cannot do?


Does this make the British set of laws crap? No!

The 1999 Nigeria constitution is descriptive in my opinion, that is, it tries to be both proscriptive and prescriptive.
That is understandable because we are a developing nation. The aim was to make sure every law was explained clearly unlike the US constitution.


The issues with the 1999 Nigeria constitution include repetitions and some contradictory statutes.
That can and is being looked at (albeit by an incompetent NASS) for ratification.


Beaf, not everything is done the American way by the rest of world ok?
Anyway I understand your worldview. You are the same person claiming that northerners are behind the bombing in Bayelsa and the assassinations/kidnappings in the South East. 

I still insist that our primary challenges as a Nation are to:

1. Hold free and fair elections so that credible leaders chosen by the masses can be at the helm of affairs

2. And with these credible public offcials we can all tackle corruption.

Until we achieve these, development and even the process of questioning our Sovereignty will be futile.

oyb:
has no one claimed responsibility yet?


gej has been blathering power reform

time for him to start on 'security reform'.

the SSS, police and other internal security apparatus are clearly out of their depth here.

Does it matter if GEJ declares a security reform program?

Is the power reform project making any progress?

Beaf:
Maybe you can tell us why the Nigerian constitution is 310 pages long, while the American one is just 22?
310 pages of directionless crap forced down our throats by illiterate soldiers!

Which is better, the American consititution that is just 22 pages long and packed with principles and ideology, or the 310 page Nigerian one that is full of useless controlling crap? What do you think gave us our ramshackle govt style?

Paste the Nigerian constitution into MS Word using Times New Roman font at 12pt, then do the same for the US constitution:
http://www.nigeria-law.org/ConstitutionOfTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria.htm
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

A country based on a crap constitution will be only amount to a chaotic mound of crap.

OK great. I like the dimension of this discussion.

Do you realise that the American constitution is a codified prescriptive law? Meaning it says what your rights are?

That is why it is a single short document.

On the other hand, the British constitution for example (and some might even argue that there is no such thing as a British constitution) is a collection of different documents like the Magna Carta, The Bill of Rights and is also contained in the Common Law? It is not any single short document.
In contrast to the American Constitution, what we call the British constitution is a non codified proscriptive set of laws. Meaning it tells you what you cannot do?


Does this make the British set of laws crap? No!

The 1999 Nigeria constitution is descriptive in my opinion, that is, it tries to be both proscriptive and prescriptive.
That is understandable because we are a developing nation. The aim was to make sure every law was explained clearly unlike the US constitution.


The issues with the 1999 Nigeria constitution include repetitions and some contradictory statutes.
That can and is being looked at (albeit by an incompetent NASS) for ratification.


Beaf, not everything is done the American way by the rest of world ok?
Anyway I understand your worldview. You are the same person claiming that northerners are behind the bombing in Bayelsa and the assassinations/kidnappings in the South East. 

I still insist that our primary challenges as a Nation are to:

1. Hold free and fair elections so that credible leaders chosen by the masses can be at the helm of affairs

2. And with these credible public offcials we can all tackle corruption.

Until we achieve these, development and even the process of questioning our Sovereignty will be futile.

Beaf:
You have toilet roll that was forced down your throat by soldiers. Nigeria's consitution might well have been written by an almajiri. It has so many pages packed with crap, rather than being a short crisp document that encapsulates the country's principles and ideology as obtains in the civilised and progressive World.

What is Nigeria's ideology or philosophy, do you know?
It even sounds bloody funny to imagine Nigeria with an ideology.

We have a functional constitution. It may be faulty in some places or you may not accept sections of it.
But it not being enforced at all.

A constitution is open to ratification by the lawmakers. You have corrupt inept people who are not even conversant with the content of the constitution they are upholding.
Until we kick out corrupt govts and politicians through credible elections, we are wasting our time.

Let me remind all of you that you're supposed to have a copy of (at least) the 1999 constitution in each of your households before you come to claim in a public forum that Nigeria has no laws.

Big B1:
You're wrong.
A country that has no laws has no criminal. Nigeria has no laws; and that's the root of most of our problems.

Nigeria has laws. We have a functional constitution.
The problem is nobody enforces the law or constitution.
Because of this very few people go in to see d content of what is indeed d law in Nigeria.

I hope you are clear on that.

youngmonie:
This is to all dat sai ONE NIGERIA, i say  2 hell with you, Becasue ti cann never be possible, NIGERIA  is a mere collection of different tribes and religions. Today it is mend 2morrow it is boko haram. Security is zero, so wht works in that country things jus keep getting worse everyday, no value for human life, people are getgting poorer as  prices of common things keep sky rocketing

Nothing works because you have corrupt people siphoning money for development n security into personal pockets. If u don't maintain any system it will collapse.
Its simple to see.

Beaf:
Do you have a better idea of those that have been threatening violence? Or a better idea of those who have threatened to make the country ungovernable?
You heard the Presidents words, no man born of woman will achieve that.

Big B1:
Forget PDP and their mess; I say hello to Buhari. The only focused and simple candidate that will work very hard for you and I.

This is not just about Buhari. It is about change.

If we have credible elections in 2011, even if PDP wins at the FG level they will not have lanslide victories in the State Govts and legislative houses.

That brings more focused people chosen by the people, who will be more inclined for the nations development causes into governance.

That is change