₦airaland Forum

damola1:
What does rochas do for a living?

he is a businessman and he made it by God's grace and hardwork (like all rich Nigerians)

By Modey Peters
May 9, 2011 02:14AM
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It was meant to be a private visit, with relaxation at the top on the agenda. But the seven-day stay of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Obudu Ranch Resort in Cross River State quickly became loaded with a busy daily schedule.

When Mr Jonathan left Abuja penultimate Friday for the resort, located high in the Obudu mountain range of Cross River State, to soothe frayed nerves after the arduous presidential election, attending to lobbyists and businessmen must have been far from his mind.

But two days into his stay on the hills, located in Obanliku local government area of the state, politicians, contractors and businesspersons desperate to gain his favour, quickly relocated to the plateau, in pursuit of the president. Thus Mr Jonathan was torn between sticking to the planned retreat with his aides and meeting with the army of visitors itching to attract his ear. All this affected his relaxation time as he had to work late into the night.

His wife, Patience, was not left out. She also kept a busy schedule as people thronged the resort to see her, partly as a way of gaining access to her husband.

Business mogul Femi Otedola was the most prominent person from the business community to hop along to what is being called Nigeria's ‘Camp David' to meet the president. Some national officers of the president's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were not left out. According to senior member of the PDP in Cross River State, they came to discuss the shape of the new government, including the composition of the new federal cabinet, zoning of key national assembly offices, among other issues.

The influx of visitors over-stretched the security aides attached to the president who had to cordon off the presidential lodge, located at the highest point of the mountain, to make it difficult for some of the uninvited visitors to get to see the president.

Consequently, the ranch's International Conference Centre became a strategic point where the visitors jostled for a vantage position to attract the attention of Mr Jonathan whenever he showed up.

Mrs Jonathan was similarly engaged. In-between attending to visitors and taking time off, her host and wife of the Cross River State governor, Obioma Liyel Imoke, nudged her to venture out around the resort to sample its allure. They had a ride on the cable car, visited a grotto and farms, a sanctuary for birds, a canopy walkway and meet with the local Utanga women.

Particularly, Mrs Imoke took her guest to meet with members of the twelve registered Partnership Opportunities for Women Economic Realisation [POWER] cooperative societies and the beneficiaries of the programme's micro-credit scheme in Obanliku local government area of the state.

With Pelebo Banigo, wife of former minister of science, Ebitimi Banigo, in tow, the ladies visited vegetable farms cultivated by women farmers of Kigol village in the Obudu Mountain Resort area.

With women farmers

Mrs Jonathan, ever on the lookout for a female audience, took time to interact with the rural women. She commended them for voting for her husband in the April 16 presidential polls.

"Agriculture is very important in Nigeria and we want more rural women to embrace farming in order to better the lot of their families," she said, promising that the present government would give more support to agriculture in the country.

She expressed pleasure at the production efforts of the women of POWER, who cultivate large farms where they grow tea, strawberries, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, green peas, watermelon, zucchinis, Irish potatoes, mint, spring onions and rhubarb mallows, among others.

During the farm inspection, Mrs Jonathan transplanted cabbage seedlings, carried out cultivation of carrot seeds and harvested ready-to-eat cabbage and marrow. She made a private donation to the women farmers to encourage them and also promised to provide them with seedlings and other inputs in order to increase their vegetable production.

Mrs Imoke, who is the executive director of POWER, commended the women for putting to judicious use the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) micro-credit loans guaranteed to enable women farmers become self-reliant. While carrying out a symbolic planting at a vegetable farm, she pointed out that the vegetable farms on the ranch were carried out without artificial fertiliser.

"We encourage all to enjoy the health benefits attached to organically produced vegetable from the Obudu Mountain Resort," Mrs Imoke said.

The special assistant to the governor on food processing, packaging and marketing, Anthony Ubi, said the major objective of the POWER initiative was to "put money in the hands of women," adding that the market development efforts of POWER as well as the ongoing production of temperate vegetables in the resort, was geared towards conferring the status of viability on the registered cooperatives in the ranch.

Mr Ibi said efforts have begun to train bee farmers in the areas. "The training of bee farmers in the region is to improve funding access for Cross River State women via the CBN's micro-credit scheme," he said.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5698487-146/story.csp

I thought second half we came out, we had nothing to lose and went for it and dominated. It just would've been interesting to get that second goal and get it back to level terms."
sometimes you just wonder what strong thing John Terry smokes?
His sense of entitlement and arrogance is bewildering.

^^^
good one.
Mr. Lawyer, over to you.
the floor is yours.

i am surprised tht this argument is still going on after Lawyer's most intelligent post in the previous page.
I would be glad if the supporters of this project could look t his post and criticize it constructively.

blink182:
They should accept what ever comes to them, since money is everything to them, let him bring his wife back to life with that. . . no sympathy from here.

did he collect money from you?

please add Jerry Gana to that list.

Gbawe:
involved more in our politics rather than the numerous political jobbers and retrogressive AGIPS (like David Mark) who stand for nothing in particular and are never principled enough to do what is best for Nigeria. I wish Ribadu the best in his endeavours.

sometimes i think that the likes of David Mark and Ojo Maduekwe have done more harm to this country than Ibori and Abacha.
these AGIP men are most dangerous cos it is difficult to quantify the harm they do.

all this talk about how the airport will generate revenue and provide jobs are a bit funny.
i doubt anyone is denying it.the question i whether it is the best use of resources at present?
are there not more pressing issues on ground?
after building an awesome airport, if the roads and road transport situation are not addressed,what is the end product?
to me it seems the state of roads in lagos and the lack of a road transport system that would decongest the roads of a good portion of the cars clogging it is a must for this govt if lagos is to become a mega city.

i don't buy that argument of the govt will do all simultaneously.
the funds are not infinite and four years is not a very long time.
as it is MMIA is slightly manageable but the roads in lagos and transport system are not manageable.

finally, this govt really needs to execute projects that will directly impact the poor.


all these talk of Lekki free trade zone, we don't want another Tianapa on our hands o!
the govt should look well before leaping o!

i guess it will be built and managed by one of BAT's companies.
probably NATION airline will have a terminal dedicated to it.

is this yuguda chap sane?
is he an illiterate?
to believe that this was a bank MD?No wonder the banking system is in the state it is.
the man just opens his mouth and you wonder if he is a motor park tout.
how such inept,unintelligent i diots rise to power in our country is a sad matter.
this is a man that was touted as the CBN governor and even a presidential candidate.
he should just stop talking and we will probably forget.

zstranger:
You think OGD is bad? Bisi Akande was worse.

How can you make such a comment?
It is so untrue that it is painful.
Fo a start Bisi Akande is a morraly upright man and one of the few Nigrian politicians that is known to be not corrupt.
you can accuse him of being old school and a bit slow but comparing him to OGD is a horrible injustice.
it is like comparing night and day.

J.S. Park's performance was probably the most energetic midfield performance i have ever seen.
It rivals Keane's performance in Turin in 1999.
That lad must surely have an extra lung in him.

the scoreline did not reflect the gulf in quality on display.

copy cats.
i made the suggestion days back and now they have copied my idea.
grant them amnesty, pay them a monthly allowance and send them on courses in South Africa, Ghana and the UK.
They need to be rehabilitated.
While t it, the northern militant leaders should be hosted to lunch at Aso Rock by the C-in-C.

amaechijay:
I thought Gene was denying saying DBanj is not her type of guy, so what is going on now?

maybe she has changed her taste.
it is not illegal, you know?

This girl seems to be suffering from over exposure.
She seems to be all over the place and looks very tired and worn out.

I always knew VDS will have a problem finding his size when it comes to clothes. that shirt seems too small and i won't be surprised if it is XXL.

where is TKB?

correct boys.

glorified SPL

i don't leave in that axis.
where do you ask?
you want to watch the procession?

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=655601.msg8226635#msg8226635

even Ameachi said on Thisday the other day that their is no completion date in sight as their is cash crunch as it concerns the project.
it is like 25% complete so far.

Sagamite:
Slow it a bit.

I kind of agree with you that degree (and a box load of them) is not the panacea to good governance.

That said, it helps immensely. Most of these degree holders that fail, fail due to the quality of working environment they were immensed in for most of their lives in Nigeria and also lack of innate personal qualities.

On average, someone with a good degree from abroad that has worked in sane environments in sane countries will be more productive than ON AVERAGE someone in Nigeria that has not been exposed to best practice. The advantage the home-based has in terms of performance is local knowledge and that counts.

explain the misery called Odili.
With medical degree from Nsukka (when it was very good) and a first lady who is a an appeal court judge,he practiced in the state and his wife has risen to the top of her legal career.
Did they not have enough local knowledge?
were they not educated enough?
That family single handedly ruined Rivers state.
The sycophancy and deceit of that govt has never been seen in the annal of naija's political history.
Not even Abacha can compare.

Dis Guy:
Will Amaechi still perform well without all the funds available?

should the question not be, with all the funds available, can he not do better?

port1976:
Good job,

Your comment about Rotimi Amachei is correct. This guy has done tremendously well for his people. The best thing that ever happen to Rivers people in last twent-five years. Rivers state  has best public school in Nigeria nay Africa compared only to school in United State- (No exagerration), so also primary health care center. Free texbook, free school uniform and shoes for the pupils. Elementary school has basketball court, standard football field with Tartan track. Two hundred and fifty  of such high grade school has  been commisioned, while he promised to build another two hundred and fifty schools in next four years.

My prediction is that in ten years time, Rivers state will move from Education less advatage state to dominate all universities in South east and South-south region

Quantity and quaity of roads network is unbielevable.

My prayer and hope is that he will not drop the standard in his second term in office.
This guy philosophy is social welfarism, which is distinct from Fashola capitlist-welfarism. Both of them are the stars of the Nigeria democracy. Two goods guys with different approach to solve infrastructure rot in Nigeria. My only worry is  what Rotimi Amachei is doing in PDP?

still on Amaechi;
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=655601.msg8226635#msg8226635

i agree with you that one day, someone will damn the consequences and give him a slap for his utterances that are devoid of respect even for his elders.

what he is doing in PDP?
where do you want him to go?
it is not like he is a saint.
while he and his team are working, his cabinet members are also amassing wealth like crazy.
They seem to have bought up most of the factories in Trans Amadi.
At least he is a huge improvement on Odili.
That one seem to thrive on sycophancy and delusion.
Those who are making so much noise about education should take a look at the Odilis.
He and his wife were as educated as they come and accomplished in their careers.
Yet governance couldn't be worse.
That family was a curse sent from hell to Rivers State.

owing 165 billion naira?
that is some dough there.

oyb:
brokeass thug

apprently Access bank has seized all his personal assets

this after zenith bank seized business assets

you are insulting your landlord??

hercules07:
@Mbulela
Niyi Adebayo did not do anything in his state, Lam Adesina too was sleeping, they had the Afenifere weight on them and they were too relaxed, I hope they have all learnt their lessons now and are ready to develop the region.

my sentiments exactly.
igbokwe is trying to hoodwink us by rewriting history.

i was enjoying the article until i got to the part about Niyi Adebayo.
SMH.