Idokojimmy: A move that deserves commendation is being ridiculed by people I feel Should chant a course for a betteer tommorow. What's wrong in monitoring activities of private jet owners, or compelling them to observe Flight hours and other safety rules? All these are geared towards makingg d aviation sector safer. Or are nairalanders happy that we are recording crashes every now and then?

@ Idokojimmy. I think the grouse people have with this is that our policy makers do not take a holistic approach in addressing or solving our nation's problems
Questions:
Is it normal for a country with less than 35-40 functional domestic commercial aircrafts to have over 150-200 private jets parked at our various airports (I dont have the exact figure)??
How has the Govt tried to addressed the high cost of operating commercial airlines with a view to mitigating the sharp practices currently being engaged in by operators.
Some years back over N100B was released to various airline operators to shore up their operations How has this been utilized judging by the fact that some of the beneficiaries have closed shop
Has the govt investigated the sources of wealth of these private jet owners as this may also be a source of money laundering & capital flight to this country?
The crash in question that necessitated this "Policy" was a military aircraft used as a flying "kabu-kabu" to ferry guests attending the private party of the President's SSA. How has the govt checked the abuse conversion of govt property to private use We have not mentioned how the first lady, ministers, SAs to both ministers & the president now use the presidential fleet for all manners of engagement.

I can go on and on with questions but the botomline is that our policies are knee-jerk reactions to events and are not proactive.............................................

I dont see how this policy changes anything. Nigerians should brace themselves as very soon we will have private jets falling from the skies it is only a matter of time before the sharp practices done on commercial airlines find their way into the operations of private jet operators........................................................

My mum of blessed memory used to say: "If wishes were horses beggars will ride." In my life time I have witnessed so many promises & programs in NIG. Where do I start:, Operation Feed the nation, Green Revolution, Water, Food, Housing, Health, Education, Transportation for all by the year "2000", then there was Vision 2010, then 10,000MW of electricity to be generated by 2007,they then said 2010 now GEJ say it is 2015. I bet you by 2015 it will move to 2020. We want to join to twenty industrialized countries by 2020 as if it will just happen when we just "pray, sleep & wake up". When will Nigerians wake up and stop eating this shit served by Govt.

As for the churches, they are the biggest disappointment of them all. The major developments in modern times were all done by the clergy. Slave trade was abolished by William Wilberforce a protestant priest. The civil rights movement in the US which lead to desegregation was lead by Reverend Martin Lurther King. All our churches are only interested in building Cathedrals, buying private jets & living off their congregation. With all the poverty in Nig, How many homeless children, poor families, sick people do they support. And like we Nigerians who can’t reason for themselves, we accept everything waiting for the messiah to come................... Shame on us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEAF, Ruben Abati Where are you all?

I need to hear how you will defend this one.

I bet she & the wife of the NDDC Chairman must have the necessary qualifications to be Perm Secs of the state. I bet they have the requisite skills and experience to head those ministries.

Nigeria has become a joke, a laughing stock. At this rate I wonder where we will be in 2015.

Well this is the Transformation Agenda GEJ promised.

aikuda: What is with Nigerians self. Why all this self loath and pity. When will all this inferiority complex stop. In fact this is the main problem. The Govt is trying to correct a trade imbalance, and people are saying they shouldnt just because there is no power or good road in nigeria. How does that relate to air travellers exploitation by people who still see us as their colonial wards? The economics is simple: Nugeria is the biggest market in Africa, based on economics of scale principle, we should be paying less. The risk of flying to and from nigeria is lower for any airline whether is in the economy or more premium class.

Some people dont like that the government is doing this because they feel they dont take first class, or that it is only corrupt politicians that take first class. First, pray that one day you will be able to take first class. Second, there are many hardworking Nigerians business people who need to take first class or buy first class tickets for business associates because business strive first on impression. Its the same reason westerners do it.

@Aikuda,

What has inferiority complex got to do with this issue? This is simple case of Demand Vs Supply (what his advisers have refused to tell him).

If the Govt is worried about high prices they should focus on creating supply in order to force prices down. I guess from your argument then govt should regulate prices of everything :food, drinks , call rates, clothes, house rent etc including the toll gate fees charged by Lagos state. Let me ask why are house rent prices higher in Lagos than in Ibadan, Enugu & Kano? It is demand and supply. There are not enough houses to cater for the growing population of Lagos. How do u solve the problem? By creating infrastructure and pushing people outside Lagos & creating a means to still commute & work in Lagos. This is not rocket science; it is what obtains all over the world). How did NCC break the stronghold of MTN?: by issuing Glo (a serious local investor) a license (at a much cheaper rate than that paid by MTN)

Remember that GEJ tried to force down the price of cement last year. What is the result Cement still sell for 2K/bag retail price.

Same principle applies airlines fares. We have a much higher population than Ghana & other African countries we quickly compare ourselves with, while operating costs are lower in those countries compared to our country. What have we done to increase supply by helping local airlines eg Arik, Virgin Nigeria (now dead as usual due to our inability to uphold signed agreements) Belview (also dead) etc.

On the issue of praying to be able to afford a First/Biz class ticket, like i said earlier, a hard working person will weigh the costs and the benefits of spending his/her money whether on himself or on someone else whether for BIZ or Pleasure.
This is what is missing in our country. We have a lot of "rent seekers" (imaginary/emergency big men) in this country, a lot of people who do nothing and possess no genuine source of wealth, but earn a lot of money. As a result we do not cut costs according to our real income, and weigh our actions before we take them. We now push everything we want to achieve to God without supporting it with hard work (like some people will say just prophesy it and it will come to pass!!!!!).



Why should I pray to afford a first/biz class ticket if I do not genuine need it.

I fail to understand how sanctioning BA and Virgin adds up in GEJ "Transformation Agenda" (We Nigerians never run out of phrases. I can name a few: Operation feed the nation, Health, Education, Food, Housing, etc for all by the year 2000, Vision 2010, NEEDS, SEEDS, Poverty Alleviation Programme, 7 Point Agenda, Vision 2020 now we have Transformation Agenda. It is as if we believe by saying over and over, again and again that it will meraculusly happen.)

1st what is the proportion of Nigerians who travel to the UK & other foreign destinations from NIG compared with our 160M population. To me GEJ is beginning to look like the proverbial ostrich who hides by burying its heat in the sand.

No power, No roads, No water, Boko Haram is terrorising Northern Nig., People are losing their jobs every day, Kidnapping is beginning to rear its ugly head again in different parts of the country, Factories are closing down every day, Corruption is now at a new high all over the country and the President is worrying himself with the cost of British Airways & Virgin Biz & First Class ticket prices simply becos our Senators, House of Reps, Govs, LG chairmen, corrupt biz men and looters of our common wealth say it is too expensive. Anyone who works hard for his money will think twice before he/she embark on frivolous foreign trips in the first place.

And the worst part is that some people blindly support this waste of time, simply becos he comes from their part of the country. Pls to those supporting this how does this solve any of the problems I mentioned above.

How has the President addressed the high cost of doing Biz in this country to justify this harassment from our Govt. I have tried to run a small biz in this country and failed due to in no small part, the nightmarish operating conditions in this country.

Can we compare the operating conditions to other countries? Beside should the Govt & Nat. Assembly not be trying to help local airlines who can serve as competition to the foreign ones and bring down prices through such policies as "Fly Nigeria" (compelling all govt officials to fly Nigerian Airlines as is obtained in US & UK), reducing operating fees and charges, providing credit lines and leveling the playing felid for serious airlines as is done in other countries.

GEJ has got to be the most incompetent and clueless President this country has ever had.

I am sorry I am saying this about a man old enough to be called an "elder" but it is one thing not to know anything. It is however another thing not to know that one does not know anything.

This is where we are as a country now "Blind People Leading Other Blind People.

The problem I have with policy makers in Nigeria is that they copy policies from other countries without carrying out any studies on the local environment to see its effects and implication. There is no well structured or detailed plan showing how it will be designed & implemented and how challenges encountered will be solved.

Cashless Policy is a good one but the simple question is how can electronic payment solution work in a country in the following situations

1. Where someone can issue dud cheques, where bank drafts are no longer accepted by all banks as a sure means of payment. How many people/banks has the CBN, EFCC, ICPC, Police etc jailed/sanctioned for issuing dud cheques and fake deposit slips and fake bank drafts. If we cannot manage this how do we intend to manage a more complex electronic payment system

2. How can the electronic payment system work where we done have unlimited power supply. How are the POS machines going to be powered not in places like Shoprite but in places like Balogun, Idumota, Alaba, Ladipo markets in Lagos, Ariaria in Aba, Obete in Enugu, and other major markets in Kano, Kaduna as well as other parts of the country. How will it work in place where there is no power at all?

3. Where is the infrastructure to manage this system, in terms of Hardware, Software, Security and Bandwidth capacity. This is country where we still find it difficult to make calls & carry out data transactions on our phones,Ipads,PCs, Laptops etc . Where is the internet capacity to carry out this policy? Which network in Nigeria as we speak can provide the kind of Bandwidth capacity needed to implement this policy in Lagos alone (outside the lies told in advertisements: I work for a major Telco so I know better).

3.Where is the policy framework on the operational modalities, the controls mechanisms in place to prevent, detect fraud and guarantee peoples fund. How do customers to seek redress in cases of fraud or are we Nigerians as usual at the mercy of the Banks and other Nigerian/Foreign enterprises who are always looking for the next way to reap people off.

4. How can this policy work in places outside the state capitals (if we are to assume as it is in most cases that the development in most states stops at their capitals towns).

5 How long will it take to implement a fully functional system with a clear modus operandi back up by controls and fully tested before it goes live. Or are we going the Nigerian way of fire brigade approach, rushing everything making customers pay for their inefficiency. Abi is it not people's hard earned that is involved??

I can go on and on but there is a saying that he who fails to plan, plans to fail. I am yet to see anything concrete from either the GOVT or the banks except adverts which do not say much outside cathy phases or slogans on this issue.

Besides who are the people creating this problems of cash handling for the banks and the CBN. It is the politicians and their Ghana must go policy mentality that is the chief culprit, aided by the same CBN & banks. Nigerians are just the scape goats!!!!!!!!!!

For those of us who support this saying it has worked in other countries, this is Nigeria where every policy with all it good intentions is always bastardized. I can name so many!!!

He will win this yrs election. I don't see any of the Republican candidates matching him.

I dint support all his policies but he is much better than those war drumming, imperialistic Republicans.

More of these please.

It is time we expose the lifestyle of all our corrupt Politicians, Senators, Legislators, Ministers, Governors ETC.

Nigerians can then justify whether or not it is time to peacefully protest against the "continued subsidy" of the lifestyle of Govt officials and their families at all levels while we continue to suffer No Light, No water, No Roads, No Schools, No Security, No Jobs, No alternative means of transportation, No Social welfare, No subsidy on petrol, No Kerosene even with subsidy etc and go from church to church, crusade to crusade looking for God's deliverance/miracle/breakthough eventhough he has given us all we need to arrest our current situation.

I might sound sarcastic but I think its time to say "enough is enough". If govt cannot provide anything for us, we have to demand they stop spending  the "little resources" we collectively own on themselves.

God will not come down and do it for us : "God helps those who help themselves"

I was surprised by Fashola's speech. I had to reconfirm that he actually said it when I heard it on the news.

The same Gov who hired his own army - Thugs & Policemen to disperse people who protested against the Lekki Toll Gate.

Pls what is good for the goose is also good for the Gander.

Fashola, GEJ only followed your queue, so stop complaining.

I guess he is afraid that this is a dress rehearsal of the security arrangement for the next elections.

There is no proof to back this up but. The indicators are there. How did Subsidy Payments Jump from N420B to to N1.4T (as well as consumption jump from 25M Liters/day to 35M Liters/day) in one year.

I don't care about the explanation but it does not make sense. This should automatically trigger an investigation in any circle.

My take on it is that the people responsible for this mess indirectly funded his election campaign machinery. He cannot persecute them so he chose the easy option - We paying for it.

Though I support deregulation, the manner in which the Govt went about it was wrong, Govt should lead by example.

If they want to cut waste, they should start with themselves- Plugging all loopholes & investigating Fraud. The Govt in my opinion did not did neither.

People are not fools, we could see through all the lies.

Source Please, Not Rumors

Fashola U now want tenants to deduct WHT from rent due to landlords an remit to you sorry Lagos State. This is in addition to the Tenement rate on buildings collected by the same Lagos State Govt. I ask which Landlord in Lagos will agree to this.

U can as well say that house rent for all Lagosians will increase by 5-10% next year.

I pity those who voted Fashola & GEJ in to office in May 2011.

To those of you who support this extortion in the name of concessionaire. It goes to show how short your memories are.

This road was built as a dual carrage lane almost 20 years ago by a democratically elected Govt (Lateff Jakande) along with the huge estate in order to ease housing problems in Lagos state. There has been no significant maintenance work on that road since then.

We are now meant to pay tolls for this road initially built by tax payers money. Anyone who understands how tolls work know that it  is usually levied on new roads, bridges or tunnels constructed from scratch, while the charges are minimal and adjusted for inflation since it is for a long time- 25-40 years.

All LCC did was to add one additional lane (not two or even 3 - This road is still smaller than Ikorodu road a major highway which has 5 Lanes and was built in the 70s) and some round abouts over a stretch that is less than 20KM.

How can anyone who lives in that area and provides him or herself with water, security, schools, inner streets & roads to access their houses, justify the exorbitant charge despite the other taxes & levies we are made to pay.

By my computation LCC will recover its investment in less than 5 years . How can they then justify the sums to be collected in the remaining 25 years,

For those of you who support it because you can afford it (wheather legitimately or otherwise), I put it to you nothing lasts forever (IBB, Abacha & OBJ all thought they could rule Nigeria forever). Four years from now ACN will reap what it has sown here mark my words. Tinubu's rule/strangle hold on Lagos will cease when this time is up.

[b]White Elephants The story Of Nigeria.[/

There is nothing wrong with it.

The problem is that most ladies want to prove to everyone that the house belongs to "them".

I put it to those whose are making it look like a sacrilege : Would you prefer to keep your parents to be in an old peoples home or to stay with you so that you can look after them.

Besides I come from the southeast. It is the responsibility of the children (especially the first son) to look after his parents if they can no longer cater for themselves. If he can afford to pay for their upkeep (Rent if they live in the town, Etc) separately fine, If situation forces him to move them to his house I see not problem in that.

I believe understanding is what counts here.

I also know of rich families where the sons still live with their parents after marriage in different houses but in the same compound. I wonder if the wife will object knowing fully well what paying rent in Lagos means.

Besides in the Bible there are various accounts in the old testament where sons with their wives still lived with their parents.

In most villages generaion of families live in the same compound , Grandfather with his wife, Fathers with their wives, Sons with his wives, and there were no problems. In our craze for modernization we seem to forget where we come from.

@ Wallie

Agree.

Agree. Fall into that category,

I know others like that too.

People seem to forget that not everyone is cut-out for the hide and seek that goes on in relationships

Agree. Fall into that category,

I know others like that too.

People seem to forget that not everyone is cut-off for the hide and seek that goes on in relationships

Another White Elephant.

The Gov will build less than 500, Allocate majority to himself & friends, Perm Secs, Directors and Senior Public Servants, steal the remaining funds and leave the state in more debt,

Text book method now being used by most Govs to line their pokects.

I hate to say this but I agree with @ekt_bear position on this.

This is a scam just like the one commited by Akala when he decided to buy Textbooks for students,

All words without action is like spiting in the win,  It will only land in your face.

More action : less talk please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@  jason123. I think you have a short memory. Is this not the policy of SAP being prepared for implementation again. I would also like to ask you how many times you eat Ofada rice in a week to support this policy? I  would also like to ask how the current agricultural system in NIG make up for the shortfall (if we produce any at all) when imported rice is eventually banned.

All the Govt pronouncements in the last 4 months have the resemblance of SAP developed and implemented by IBB in the late 80's (Good in theory but virtually impossible to implement by GOVT due to incompetent, lack of political will and ccorruption.

My take on this is that the Govt at all levels are broke and are looking for ways to balance their books without looking at their huge recurrent costs profile.

@ Acidosis It is people like you who buttress my earlier point. How can you talk of growth and development when there is no foundation for it, On what grounds can you achieve this when corruption has destroyed whatever is left of this country,where the level of inequality in the country is growing at an exponential rate, a system where merit is not rewarded but mediocrity is promoted, where rent seeking has taken over actual value adding economic activities, where there is so much wealth (with little economic activity to back it up) and poverty living side by side.

From your post you obviously support the looting going on and then turn around to ask why nothing is improving  in this country.

It is people like you who will support GEJ "you win" Idea when the very reason the Nigerian manufacturing sector is comatose and the entrepreneurship (and I don't mean buying and selling) is at a low point due to poor infrastructure and a very harsh economic environment which as we speak are yet to addressed.

Like I said earlier we Nigerians are a useless bunch!!! When pushed to the wall instead of facing the issue tactically and pushing back we break the wall and run injuring ourselves and anyone else in our path.

Govt Officials & Individuals steal money meant to fund public education and social welfare and set-up private schools that charge exorbitant fees obviously not meant for the poor.

We sit here and clap for them while fighting amongst ourselves over which tribe did what.

Nigerians we are all a useless bunch.

How much can I get a Toyota 4runner SRS (4WD) or Limited Edition (4WD) 2005?

Another White Elephant. No Light, No Roads, No Security etc. and this  is how GEJ wants to take us to the promised land. And to think that only between 80K & 110k jobs will be created over 4 yrs, meaning that an average of about N454M is being spent per job created by this policy. Men who drew up this policy!!!!!!!! This has got to be the worst policy ever drawn in terms for conception & practicality.

This reminds me of PAP (Poverty Alleviation Programme) initiated by OBJ where billions were sunk at the Federal, State & LG Levels for 8 yrs, which was managed by Magnus Kpakor ( I wonder where he is now: smiling to the bank somewhere). Where is the money now?  It becoming clearer by the day that GEJ is clueless as to how to approach Nigeria problems.

A lecturer on mine once defined Madness as doing the same thing in the same way over and over again and expecting a different result.
We don't learn from our mistakes in this part of the world.

So this is an example how the windfall from the proposed subsidy removal will be spent by GOVT. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another White Elephant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LWKMD This is the best post I have read in a long time @ Aringarosa u try

Is this the most important problem affecting Nigeria today. My God why are we wasting time debating this

@ Cold I guess you live in a nice house, drive a good car and have a good job/business. So I guess the CCTV will help protect you and your family from people who do not posses all the good things you have from robbing or kidnapping you abi.

It is people like you who will tell us that all is well in Nigeria and that things are improving even when things are much worse.

Now I put this question to you. How does the CCTV improve our poor education system at all levels, mass unemployment all over the country, poor health facilities which our elected officials don't patronise, the poor power situation in the country, poorly motivated and equip ed policemen etc?

Don't kid yourself there is shortcut to solving Nigeria's problems. Installing all the CCTV cameras wont solve anything. Did all the CCTV cameras in the UK deter or prevent one of the worst riots to hit them??

And by the way is the person who posted this an agent of the State Govt?

Is this a sick Joke?!!!!! Another white Elephant that will die or be continiously re-awarded when the current GOVT leaves as we have seen with the national ID card debacle (since 1970)!!!! With all the CCTV in Abuja, How many bombing has it reduced? Beautiful Nonsense!!!!!!!

With all the Gas Reserves we have what are we doing with a nuclear power station.

We cannot maintan our roads (Ore-Benin has been a state of disrepair for decades)
We cannot Martian our schools, hospitals (Every politician in this country flies out for ordinary medical check-up).
We cannot even maintain our refineries to be able to refine crude locally
We cannot even maintan in security in the country - remember Atlas Cove in Lagos was bombed by MEND in 2010, and let not forget the level of insecurity caused by dare devil armed robbers and kidnapper in the south east & southsouth not to talk of the wahala going on in the North central & North East due to the acts of Boko Haram

And we want to build a nuclear power plant, is that not madness. And someone who support this tells me that we do not want Nigeria to develop. (pls name your state, local Govt & village and send it to the FG so that the plant can be built next to your family house there)

This is like someone living in a Face Me - I Face You house in middle of Ajegunle who wants to buy a Ferrari Enzo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a complete nutjob