McLuhan's Posts

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Health › Re: 13.47-Pound Baby Born In Germany Without C-section by McLuhan(m): 10:22pm On Jul 31, 2013

Nweike1: Poor management by her obstetrician. Shows that her blood glucose was not tightly controlled. No wonder baby is still with the paediatricians (to manage problems with baby). Currently, the ACOG recommends elective caesarean delivery where the estimated fetal weight is greater than 4.5kg in a diabetic. This is to reduce risk of problems such as cephalopelvic disproportion, obstructed labour and shoulder dystocia with their sequelae.

No come intimidate us here - o. Which kind Patrick Obahiagbonesque grammar be this?

Politics › Re: Pictures Of A Pro-Amaechi Rally In Lagos by McLuhan(m): 5:04pm On Jul 31, 2013

Billyonaire: I didnt see Tinubu's kids there.

I didnt see Amaechi's kids there.

I didnt see Wole Soyinka's kids there.

I didnt see Fani Kayode's kids there.

I actually saw no Governor's kid there.

As always, the poor masses have been paid kobo kobo and given placards to walk around under the tropical African sun, chanting God-knows-what. In Lagos, not PH, and not Abuja, what a conundrum.

In the end, when the battles are over, whether you win or you lose. The success is that of the political vultures, who feed from the carcasses of the victims AND victors.

Amaechi needs to understand, that the courts of public opinion and lamenting at press conferences has never saved a man from himself.

HUMILITY costs NOTHING, yet Amaechi can not afford NOTHING.

#SHAME !

My brother, humility is the scarcest commodity among politicians today. And yet it is the most rewarding of all virtues to cultivate, for everyone who exalts himself shall be abased and everyone who humbles himself shall be exalted. That is why I've always feared that Amaechi might ultimately suffer political shipwreck. He is a relative of mine, but I've always feared that he is much too arrogant for his own good. I wish I could tell him this myself, but he has so outgrown me in wealth and circumstance that I can hardly go near him anymore, even if I could muster the courage to advise him. I do still pray for him though, and I hope - I sincerely hope - everything will end well.

Politics › Re: Jonathan May Recognize Amaechi As NGF Chairman by McLuhan(m): 10:23am On Jul 30, 2013*

samuelkaykay: Later some political chameonic mumuaturu will flood Nairaland to jubilate the victory of Mr stubborn Amaechi over Mr Jangluck,forgetting the diffentiation of equilibral matrices of Nigeria politics as regards to statistical geometric surd of 2015 which is prime factor of cummulative histogram.

This is madness-o! What's the relationship between differential calculus and Amaechi's political woes? Are you trying to teach us statistics or geometry? Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, have you seen what you have caused? Mad people are now using you to plot graphs and calculate the geometric progression of their insanity!

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Politics › Re: Ijaw Militants Warn Soyinka & Falana To Keep Off Rivers State by McLuhan(m): 9:02am On Jul 30, 2013

Lordlexy: The boko haram issue is presently being taking care of by fg, and it is right for someone who care so much about the unity and democracy of our dear country to voice their concern against power who are neck deep to unjustly remove a sitting governor. Gej is a president of Nig and that of ijaw, and thus making threat to prevent a suppose lawful and peaceful protest shows the total breakdown of security and the ineptitude of the Nigerian force. Places where justice and law prevail, these miscreants would have been put behind bars for incitement.

Oh, so the FG is currently "taking care" of the Boko Haram problem? That's news to me. But if the FG is currently tackling such a serious challenge as Boko Haram, why is Soyinka, who loves good governance so much, not organising rallies in support of the FG's commendable efforts in this regard? Which problem poses a more serious existential threat to Nigeria - the political intrigues in Rivers State or the Boko Haram terrorist insurgency in which countless Nigerians have already died? Isn't it hypocritical to devote such time and energy straining at the speck in Rivers State while ignoring the log of genocidal murderousness that is being condoned by some of the "saintly" northern governors with whom our so-called activists are in league? As the professor himself rightly wrote: "The first step towards the dethronement of terror is the deflation of its hypocritical self-righteousness".

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Politics › Re: Ijaw Militants Warn Soyinka & Falana To Keep Off Rivers State by McLuhan(m): 8:43pm On Jul 29, 2013

I support the demonstration being planned by Soyinka, Falana and their colleagues. These are fearless pro-democracy activists who will protest against injustice anywhere. I really commend their courage. My only suggestion is that their activism should not be selective. The Boko Haram problem in Borno is no less an injustice than the crisis in Rivers State. So, immediately after the Port Harcourt rally, they should visit the Boko Haram camps in Maiduguri, Damaturu, and Potiskum for similar demonstrations. I know that Soyinka is totally against the heinous human rights abuses being perpetrated by the Boko Haram terrorists and I know he will surely storm their hideouts very soon to protest the killings.

Politics › Re: Boko-Haram Kill 20 Civilians In Borno by McLuhan(m): 6:36pm On Jul 29, 2013

Even with this shocking litany of murderous attacks staged in their very backyards by the terrorist group Boko Haram, the northern governors have not deemed it fit to pay a "solidarity visit" to the people of the affected communities so as to appreciate the dangers faced by these people and by the JTF that works to protect the people. But they were quick to travel hundreds of kilometres to visit Amaechi in Rivers State to commiserate with him over the purported "insecurity and threat to democracy" posed by five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. To my knowledge, none of these governors has deigned to utter a categorical denunciation of Boko Haram and its activities. Yet they claim to be fighting for democracy! A bunch of grubby hypocrites, worse than scum! One day this charade will come to an end and scoundrels like the one who calls himself "Chief Servant of Niger State" will be exposed for the frauds that they are.

Education › Re: ASUU Denies Plan To Call-off Strike by McLuhan(m): 4:05pm On Jul 29, 2013

AnodaIT: I weep for all the Nigerian students begging for ASUU to call off strike so that they can finish school.
After school what?
You graduate from a system that cannot compete with 2000 world rated universities.
The paper you collect only shows that you are capable of learning as companies will have to train you again to learn what you need to know when others in other land spend 4 years to know all the theories and practicals that will take you 10 years to acquire in Nigeria.
ASUU is fighting to correct this. Instead of you to put pressure on the FG to make tertiary education world standard , you are call on ASUU to return to you dirty, ill-equiped classroom and labs.
The mere fact that you are satisfy with the status quo and want to go back to it means that you have no education.
Because the number 1 objective of an educated mind is to know that something is wrong and a solution should be found and implemented.

Exactly my thoughts as well. I should also like to add that if ASUU relents in this struggle and succumbs to government's pressure instead of insisting on the implementation of the 2009 agreement, then the union shall have lost all credibility and will find it very difficult to convince its members, not to mention the public, about the need for any future strike.
This is, after all, the country that boasts the most expensive democracy per capita in the whole world, where a senator earns more money in a month than President Obama earns in a year! And yet this is the country where chemistry lecturers resort to the use of kerosene lanterns to conduct experiments and their colleagues in faculties of engineering are forced to teach courses like "theory of practicals" because of lack of equipment.
In this same country, universities are compelled to write letters and beg community colleges in the US and Canada to donate used books that were discarded in the 1970s and '80s to them for use for purposes of accreditation! And yet this is the country where the government says that one billion naira is not enough for the president's feeding in a year!
In this same country, the most senior professor in a public university earns about 400,000 naira monthly (about $2,500). Yet, the least paid member of the House of Representatives receives at least 15 million naira (about $93,750) every month, excluding the regular windfall called "constituency project allowance".
This country has one of the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality in the world, and yet this is the same country that budgetted billions of naira for a first ladies' mansion.
With all due respect, I think anybody who criticizes ASUU for embarking on this strike should have his head examined.

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Education › Re: ASUU Denies Plan To Call-off Strike by McLuhan(m): 4:05pm On Jul 29, 2013

AnodaIT: I weep for all the Nigerian students begging for ASUU to call off strike so that they can finish school.
After school what?
You graduate from a system that cannot compete with 2000 world rated universities.
The paper you collect only shows that you are capable of learning as companies will have to train you again to learn what you need to know when others in other land spend 4 years to know all the theories and practicals that will take you 10 years to acquire in Nigeria.
ASUU is fighting to correct this. Instead of you to put pressure on the FG to make tertiary education world standard , you are call on ASUU to return to you dirty, ill-equiped classroom and labs.
The mere fact that you are satisfy with the status quo and want to go back to it means that you have no education.
Because the number 1 objective of an educated mind is to know that something is wrong and a solution should be found and implemented.

Exactly my thoughts as well. I should also like to add that if ASUU relents in this struggle and succumbs to government's pressure instead of insisting on the implementation of the 2009 agreement, then the union shall have lost all credibility and will find it very difficult to convince its members, not to mention the public, about the need for any future strike.

This is, after all, the country that boasts the most expensive democracy per capita in the whole world, where a senator earns more money in a month than President Obama earns in a year! And yet this is the country where chemistry lecturers resort to the use of kerosene lanterns to conduct experiments and their colleagues in faculties of engineering are forced to teach courses named "theory of practicals" because of lack of equipment.
In this same country, universities are compelled to write letters and beg community colleges in the US and Canada to donate used books that were discarded in the 1970s and '80s to them for use for purposes of accreditation! And yet this is the country where the government says that one billion naira is not enough for the president's feeding in a year!

In this same country, the most senior professor in a public university earns about 400,000 naira monthly (about $2,500). Yet, the least paid member of the House of Representatives receives at least 15 million naira (about $93,750) every month, excluding the regular windfall called "constituency project allowance".

This country has one of the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality in the world, and yet this is the same country that budgetted billions of naira for a first ladies' mansion.

With all due respect, I think anybody who criticizes ASUU for embarking on this strike should have his head examined.

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Politics › Re: NLC Threatens To Join ASUU Strike by McLuhan(m): 4:48pm On Jul 24, 2013

Acidosis: Wow, thats a very f00lish decision

The ASUU I know will never join anyone (not even the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities) in any solidarity rubbish.

The problem with our lecturers is: They think PhD equates Large, Fat money.. Too many demands.. high expectation.

Some of these profs, earn between N700,000 - N1,000,000 basic salary monthly.
Plus sabaticals, free lecture hours (for business), other income from affiliate programs (Pre-degree, Post-Graduate, Professional degrees etc), allowances, visiting lecturers to other schools (not free), consultancy (not free), books and publications (for sale) etc..

They keep complaining about the time spent writing journals (journals meant for their OWN quick promotion, money, not STUDENTS).

Yet they keep comparing themselves with people who earn average sums working almost 20hours a day without any opportunity to do other works.

Now it would be very foolish for NLC to tell someone who earn N20K a month to sit at home in solidarity for a group of people who do not care about their existence.

Pardon me, but the information contained in your post is quite misleading and demands a prompt and firm rebuttal, which I shall now attempt to provide.

First, by the current academic staff salary scale (CONUASS), no professor in a public university in Nigeria earns the kind of monthly salaries you have quoted, except such professors are also vice chancellors - and vice chancellors, as you know, are political appointees. To be frank, the most senior and most distinguished professors earn less than 500,000 Naira monthly. Here, I'm referring to scholars who have reached the apogee of formal education, with publications in numerous internationally refereed journals and decades spent in research, teaching, and community service. Do you honestly think that people so highly qualified and who have contributed so much to society are currently over-remunerated? If so, what do you think causes the brain drain by which our best talents emigrate to the US, the UK, Canada, South Africa, and even Ghana and Botswana?

You also alleged that lecturers are more interested in the perquisites of their jobs, such as sabbatical leaves, adjunct lectureships and sundry allowances, which you would have us believe are freebies. Well, every university in the world recognises the usefulness of the sabbatical leave, which comes once in seven years and affords senior scholars the opportunity to conduct teaching and research in some cognate subject matter in another university or research institute that might offer up-to-date facilities and knowledge, which the institution in which the scholar is tenured, might not offer. So, a sabbatical is not an all-expense-paid beach vacation to be spent in some exotic seaside hotel in the Bahamas. As a matter of fact, most lecturers hardly go on any leave, as other workers in the civil service do. During holidays, they teach part-time continuing education classes, for which even the government and the vice chancellors have conceded that the lecturers are currently paid a pittance. Besides, they supervise postgraduate research, something for which no government-owned university in Nigeria pays a dime.

You also wrote about sales of books by lecturers. The truth is that in most universities in Nigeria, the sale of books to students is highly regulated. Handouts are strictly prohibited in many. In the universities with which I am most familiar, no lecturer is allowed to make the purchase of his own books compulsory and one has to attain a certain rank (usually Senior Lecturer) before any authored books can be accepted for purposes of promotion. Junior lecturers are encouraged to publish in peer-refereed journals.

I could go on and on, my friend. The point I'm making is that the life of a university lecturer in Nigeria is not necessarily that of greed and of indolence as you portray it to be. Such a portrayal is the stuff of government propaganda. The reality is that tertiary education in Nigeria is grossly underfunded, resulting in the near-collapse of the sector, which is why the lecturers are on strike. Rather than lay the blame on the long-suffering teachers, therefore, we should plead with the FG to implement an agreement it signed in 2009, in the hope that that agreement may begin to address some of the many anomalies in Nigerian tertiary education. Thank you.

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Politics › Re: Agreement With ASSU Can't Be Implemented - FG by McLuhan(m): 12:16pm On Jul 24, 2013*

ojubi: Sad but that is the bitter truth.
The government never sat in One table with ASUU as partners to draft the said agreement.
During the presidency of YARADUA ASSU single handedly drafted that agreement and forced the government with series of strikes to assent it, which they did due to public out cry to stop the strike then.
But come to think of it ASUU wanting the addition of another 90 billion naira to their recurrent expenditure is crazy, once the fed govt agree to do it the state universities will ask for the same amount and trust me state governments will never be able to pay the money.
If they eventually have their way which i doubt then we should be ready for the worse because the price of school fees will sky rocket and an average Nigerian will not be able to acquire university education.
Workers from other sectors will also come out and tell the government; you raise ASSU budget by 90 billion, we need a raise too which is not healthy for the economy at the moment especially with the oil theft.
So ASSU just need to find a way to lower their expectation.

To put it midly, your post is full of untruths, inexactitudes, and non sequiturs.

First, ASUU never single-handedly drafted an agreement, neither did it foist any such agreement on government. Rather, the agreement to which you are referring was drawn up by a multipartite committee headed by a government appointee, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode (who is still alive), and comprising representatives of the Ministries of Education and Labour, the National Universities Commission, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, and the Office of the Accountant-General, to name just a few. If you had been reading the papers at that time, you would have discovered that it took more than three years of gruelling negotiations to arive at that agreement in 2009. Furthermore, that agreement was not implemented, and it took a brief strike in 2011/1012 for the FG to sign a memorandum of understanding, pledging to implement the agreement in its entirety. The question one should ask is: If the FG knew that the agreement was impracticable, as the Hon. Minister now alleges, why did the FG enter into it in the first instance, and why did it reaffirm it through an MOU in 2011?

Now, as to the fear of a domino effect involving similar requests and strikes by other unions: that question does not arise. The demands and challenges of Nigerian tertiary education are unique. How many other workers have to produce world-class chemists using kerosene stoves instead of bunsen burners? Which other professionals resort to the use of mobile phone torchlights to teach practical surgery? Which group of workers must rely on antiquated libraries, with most of the books published before 1970, to teach the latest techniques in electronic engineering and the use of new media?

In your post, you also alleged that ASUU (which you misspelt as ASSU) is demanding 90 billion Naira from the FG, an amount which you claim government cannot pay, since, in your opinion, such a capitulation would result in astronomical increments in tuition fees. Since the latter part of this allegation is so obviously a case of scaremongering, I have elected not to respond to it. As to the amount that you have mentioned - an amount which is incorrect anyway and which is not for a salary hike as you seem to imply - I should like to remind you that during the banking crisis, government bailed out some private banks (note, PRIVATE banks) with a combined sum that exceeded one trillion Naira. Are you suggesting, then, that the education sector is of such little importance that government cannot spend the (hypothetical) amount of 90 billion Naira to salvage it?

My dear friend, I assure you that tertiary education in Nigeria is in a very bad state, owing mainly to years of underfunding and neglect. I am sorry if I have sometimes sounded rather rude in my reply; it is because I have seen quality education elsewhere and I know that what goes by the name of tertiary education in Nigeria is a joke. Ask yourself: Why is it that no Nigerian institution of higher learning is listed among the first 2000 universities in the world by ANY educational standards or evaluation organisation? Can all these organisations be wrong? Conduct your own research, my friend: Is there any country in the world that ever became a modern developed nation, as Nigeria aspires to be, with the kind of tertiary education we have in this country?

I agree that incessant strikes might not be the answer, but in a political situation like the one in Nigeria, where politicians are impervious to all pleas and are interested only in feathering their own nests, what else can a labour union like ASUU do? When you have written more than three hundred letters of appeal over a four-year period; when you have paid hundreds of courtesy calls on legislators, religious leaders, traditional rulers, statesmen, leaders of other unions, students' leaders and even market women; when you have addressed countless press conferences and have expended your meagre resources in publishing press releases and SOS messages in the media - when you have done all these with minimal or no results, what do you do?

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Politics › Re: Rivers Crisis-NANS Gives FG 14days Ultimatum by McLuhan(m): 5:57pm On Jul 23, 2013

It is indeed baffling that NANS is more worried by the Rivers State crisis than by the rot in the Nigerian university system, which has resulted in the strike embarked upon by university lecturers. But I am not surprised. This is, after all, the same country where some youths, led by a certain Daniel Kanu, threatened to commit mass suicide if Abacha is not coronated as life president. In every generation there will be jobbers willing to sell their conscience for a morsel of bread. The greater tragedy, however, is the pathetically low intellectual acumen displayed in the press release credited to these supposed undergradutes. Now pedestrian, now disjointed, the statement reads like the jumbled speech of a habitually truant junior secondary school student. And that is why these so-called student leaders should have been more concerned about their government's inability to provide them quality education, rather than poke their noses into the contrived crisis in Rivers State.

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Politics › Re: Patience Jonathan’s Mother Dies In Car Crash by McLuhan(m): 1:15pm On Jul 23, 2013

Must we politicise everything in this country? Is there no space for common human grieving when tragic events of this nature occur? Must we gloat over every misfortune that befalls anyone remotely connected to our political opponents? The pettiness that I sometimes find on Nairaland is quite unwholesome and unfortunate. All the same, I join other well-meaning members of this forum to extend my sincere condolences to the bereaved family. But let us remember that death is a debt that all humans must pay, sooner or later.

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Islam › Islam's Position On Paedophilia And Marriage Of Under-age Girls by McLuhan(op): 7:56pm On Jul 22, 2013*

Recently, Senator Yerima of Zamfara raised a motion in the Nigerian Senate to the effect that the Constitution should be amended to allow men to marry girls of any age. He claimed that it was consistent with the teachings of his religion, Islam, and that to set the age limit at 18, as was originally the case, is to contravene a liberty allowed by his religion. I've also been told that the revered Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was married to a very young girl, Aisha, who was still a child at the time of the consummation of the marriage. Furthermore, it is said that the Holy Quran does not prohibit this practice. Now, I ask: Is this true? Does Islam, through the Quran or the Hadith, permit marriage to a 13 year-old girl - or someone perhaps even younger than that? If so, is it healthful for the girl child involved, and is such a practice consistent with civilisation and human development? Please educate me.

Foreign Affairs › Re: Obama Mistaken For A Waiter In 2003 by McLuhan(m): 5:25pm On Jul 22, 2013

Jakumo: Watch how a person relates to subordinates, or to those percieved to be of lower social standing, for that interaction is a more accurate and honest index of character than is the manner in which the same person relates to equals or superiors.

Succinctly expressed, brilliantly
constructed. I like to read logical and well-articulated writing and yours definitely has those qualities.

Family › Re: My Husband Has Turned Me To A Punching Bag by McLuhan(m): 8:45am On Jul 22, 2013

PortHarcourtBoy: This is the problem with Nigerians...

Passing judgments without hearing from both parties...

She never mentioned unprovoked attacks like slaps, breaking my shoulder twice as well as bruising my hand on the rough wall and most recently, breaking my tablet...If all these while she attacks me without a retaliatory attack from me, why cry wolf when I attack in self defence?...

I need clarity from her on assistance in Uni days...for crying out loud, was I a hungry student even with a ride on Campus and a comfortable off-k apartment?

I have told her if she wishes to leave, she can get the hell out...women borku left, right and centre, no time...she cannot cook, she cannot do anything, such a lazy azz, no african man wants a lazy azz, she can leave if she so wishes instead of killing me...and for the period she's still around, she should stay off my phones...why should I be asleep and she's busy searching my phones, even when she chats with guys, etc, I keep deaf ears...

My 2 cents...

If you are the wife-battering husband of this lady then you're obviously a slowpoke and you should be ashamed of yourself for beating up a pregnant woman. You are just trying to find excuses for the torture you are putting the poor lady through. But thank your stars that she is not my sister. If she were my sister or even a close relative of mine, I would have made you regret the day you laid your hands on her. I've NEVER beaten up my wife and I will NEVER do so. If any pathetic so-called husband thinks he can do that to my sister, then it will be when I'm no longer alive. If I'm alive and kicking, nothing will stop me from breaking every possible bone in that fool's body.

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Education › Re: BREAKING NEWS: ASUU Calls Off Strike by McLuhan(m): 7:32pm On Jul 19, 2013

Is this a joke or something? Instead of telling your leaders in government to honour an agreement they voluntarily signed with the lecturers in 2009, you are here engaging in wild speculations. Meanwhile, Nigerian Senators, already the most lavishly remunerated in the world, have just approved a bumper pension scheme for themselves - and that in a country whose universities have become a byword for sub-standard education. Yet lecturers have been pleading for years that the Federal Government should fund education up to at least a quarter of what smaller African countries like Ghana, Botswana and Mauritius are doing. But our morally bankrupt politicians, who educate their children abroad, are saying it can never be done. So, we poor Nigerian youths are condemned to enrol in universities where those of us who study chemistry will never have access to a moderately good laboratory or even reagents for our practical lessons - except our parents provide them. Same applies to libraries and other educational facilities. They are either obsolete on non-existent. The result is that no Nigerian university is listed among the first 5000 in the world!

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Literature › Re: Chimamanda's Comment About The Caine Prize Angers Writer by McLuhan(m): 4:10pm On Jul 16, 2013

Being an award-winning author herself, Adichie should not have yielded to the temptation of belittling the Caine Prize. One can be forgiven for thinking that she did so because she wasn't considered for the prize. lt's called sour grapes - an attitude in which someone pretends to despise something because they cannot have it themselves. At the same time, I deplore the vitriolic and uncouth language that I see in Ibrahim's tweets. Both of them have behaved in equally inelegant ways.

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Politics › Re: Pro-amaechi Protesters Plan Rally In Abuja Today by McLuhan(m): 11:04am On Jul 15, 2013

THE PRO-AMAECHI PROTEST EXPRESSED AS AN EQUATION
Idleness + Foolishness = Silly Protest.
Silly Protest + Nigerian Police = Unnecessary Loss of Life.
Unnecessary Loss of Life + Poverty = Unending Suffering and Sorrow for Family and Survivors of the Deceased.
A word is enough for the wise but for the foolish, even if you express the truth as a simple equation, they will not understand.

Politics › Re: Reconcile With PDP Or Defect - Afenifere To Amaechi by McLuhan(m): 9:48pm On Jul 14, 2013*

nwadaigbo: including his mother, wife, daughters and every female he has come across not excepting his female friends and foes

Is it knowledge of grammar or lack of it that would make Soyinka to call someone's wife, someone's mother, "a mere domestic appendage"? Every human being who was born of a woman should take exception to this insult, should in fact be outraged by this fatuous and gratuitous denigration of womanhood. I am a man but I know that the proud woman who bore me and suffered to make me what I am today is not an appendage to anybody! Nor should that demeaning appellation be used on any other woman. Shame on you, Soyinka! If you were brought into this world by some disesteemed creature of a mother, you shouldn't assume that everyone had a similar parentage.

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Politics › Re: Reconcile With PDP Or Defect - Afenifere To Amaechi by McLuhan(m): 6:55pm On Jul 14, 2013

Skillbobralph: http://www.punchng.com/news/reconcile-with-pdp-or-defect-afenifere-tells-amaechi/

Yinka Odumakin, may God bless the woman who gave birth to you! May you live long and may it be well with you! In a nation of grovelling sycophants and fawning adulators, where people see poo and call it a sweet-smelling delicacy just because they want favour, you have spoken the truth and stood by it. This is something that professors, grammarians and Nobelists, with all their sophistry, could not do. Heaven will never forget that when Nigeria needed honest men, a certain Odumakin stood up to be counted. Keep up the good work, Sir. Don't mind those shameless weathervane politicians who delight in ideological doublespeak and political prostitution. Soon enough, those who played the drums for the rampaging masquerade of Rivers State will realise that they have merely goaded him to his downfall.

Politics › Re: Michael Chinda Flown Overseas! by McLuhan(m): 10:39pm On Jul 13, 2013*

dolphinife: Next time that bastard is coming to this world, I mean Dishonorable Chinda, he will always mind his biz. Infact, he's going to the pit of hell if he dies considering the situation that warranted him being maced.

The mace used to pound the rubbish out of his head is the fake mace dat bastard called Bipi smuggled to the house. I tot the constitution state that any govt official discovered to be a cultist should be sentenced to 25 years imprisonment...so what's happening to BIPI? Tot I saw him chanting cult slogans to his mother fucker bastard thugs.

For you all supporting Chinda, you people are just too daft to know that nobody can prosecute anybody in that house cos the matter is within the complex and the constitution covers it

I'm shocked that people can actually justify an act of bestiality such as the near-murder of Chinda. Granted, what he and other legislators attempted to do was unconstitutional. But does that - or even the purported fact that he first attacked Lloyd - justify the mace-wielding assault that we saw in that video? Have we become so inured to violence, or have our political and sectarian cleavages so deepened, that we have lost all sense of emphathy? Surely we are not oblivious of the potentially vicious repercussions that might envelop Rivers State owing to vengeful tendencies on the part of those who feel aggrieved by Lloyd's attack on Chinda. Instead of venting triumphalist sentiments and stoking the embers of discord, we should explore avenues of conciliation and seek to douse tensions in whatever ways we can.

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Politics › Re: Rivers Assembly Crisis: Soyinka, Falana Slam Jonathan – PM News by McLuhan(m): 10:15am On Jul 12, 2013

smartchoice: Are there no brave and courageous men in the army any longer? What are they waiting for to rid us of this pestilence called democracy? It's getting too costly n inefficient.
they should just review petroleum price to 50naira n get refineries working including new ones, tackle power problem before handing power back to these ret.arded politicians!

Be careful what you wish for. Democracy is not to blame for the crisis in Rivers State, neither will military rule bring the good governance we need. The problem of Rivers State, as I see it, stems largely from the well-known arrogance and contumacy of a governor who, I fear, might soon be destroyed by his unbridled ego and ambition. On the other hand, I think the presidency could have handled this matter with greater circumspection. As the Ibibio proverb says, when a minor rash pretends to be a malignant tumour, it is better not to scratch it until it returns to its senses.

Politics › Re: Soldiers Withdrawn From Amaechi's Governor's Lodge by McLuhan(m): 12:43pm On Jul 11, 2013

It amazes me that people can somehow manage to blame President Jonathan for every misfortune that occurs in this country. Jonathan, admittedly, is not a saint. In fact, I'll be the first to concede that in some areas his performance has been far less than satisfactory. But let's cut him some slack. Surely, he can't be responsible for all the actions and inactions of every Nigerian public official, nor is he to blame when, for instance, one legislator breaks another's head with the House mace. Furthermore, although the President is C-in-C of the armed forces, every soldier in Nigeria serves under an immediate superior, a brigade commander perhaps, who bears immediate responsibiity for the deployment of soldiers under his command and who can order a change of guards as he deems fit. To argue, then, that every slight movement of troops is done on the direct orders of the President is to stretch the bounds of credulity too far. Please note that I'm NOT an apologist for Jonathan; anyone who has read my past posts on this forum will agree that I've never acted as the President's spokesman; nor will I ever do so. But being, by the grace of God, an educated person, I was hoping that Nairaland would be a forum for mature discussions, not a hovel of gossip where conspiracy theories are exchanged and where people relate bizarre anecdotes of phantoms to whom they attribute all their woes. In summary, my argument is that no President can micro-manage Nigeria. We should therefore blame Jonathan with regard to those macro issues for which (we are sure that) he is responsible, and stop dragging his name into every teeny-weeny domestic problem that might in fact be self-inflicted.

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Sports › Re: Sunday Oliseh Replies Stephen Keshi! - by McLuhan(m): 4:58pm On Jul 10, 2013

thegoodjoehunt: A good command of English doesn't make stale points logical. What were the true points Mr. Oliseh made? Coach Keshi should call players from the top leagues? The NPL has lost its glory so there are no hidden gem?

For me those are illogical. Mikel has only blossomed under Coach Keshi since 2005. Coach Keshi was the only one that had the guts to try Mikel as a CAM. Coach Keshi is the only one that believed in players like Omeruo and Oboabona.

If Oliseh has pointed out grms Keshi has missed both locally and internationally, it would have made sense.

I do hope, I sincerely do hope, that your wholesale endorsement of Keshi's tactics will be vindicated by improved results in the short- and medium-term, because if it isn't, you can be sure that his tenure will be history in a short while. Trust the NFF! As a fan of Nigerian football, however, I always want the Eagles to succeed. My only motive in asking Keshi not to be offended by criticism is to alert him to the fact that there is some sense in every nonsense, some nuggets of wisdom in every baloney. A word is enough for the wise.

Politics › Re: Battered Rivers Lawmaker Recounts Ordeal by McLuhan(m): 11:03am On Jul 10, 2013

This gives you a true picture of the kind of cunning beasts who call themselves Nigeria's leaders. Nigeria: a country of the unfortunate ruled by the unwanted for the benefit of the undeserving!

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Sports › Re: Sunday Oliseh Replies Stephen Keshi! - by McLuhan(m): 9:50am On Jul 10, 2013

Oliseh's arguments, let's be frank, are quite logical and germane. That Keshi should find this advice annoying is, I suspect, another demonstration of the typical Nigerian's preference for sycophancy while repudiating any form of criticism, no matter how benign. Humility is the truest sign of good leadership and where it is lacking there can be no lasting success. What a circumspect coach would have done is to sift through the advice, even if offered with malice, so as to select the wheat and throw away the chaff, if any. But I think it smacks of unwisdom to deliberately antagonise someone who, let's face it, speaks so coherently and from such a wealth of experience. Next time, the advice may not be so forthcoming from him or from others. As the Bible says, "in the abundance of counsellors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14).

Politics › Re: Rivers' Speaker Impeached, Amaechi Storms Assembly As Fight Erupts? by McLuhan(m): 11:12pm On Jul 09, 2013

We should unanimously applaud the kung fu film that premiered today at the Rivers State House of Assembly. Join me in bestowing fulsome encomiums on the honourable member who broke the mace on the head of one of Amaechi's opponents, and let us give a standing ovation to the police detail who dealt Tysonesque upper cuts to those five audacious legislators! But our highest plaudits should be reserved for the protagonist himself, the star attraction, Chief Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who in a style reminiscent of Jackie Chan, catapulted himself into the legislative chambers and, in the midst of flying fists and hurtling missiles, made away with the mace! For that singular performance staged in such a dangerous snafu, he deserves an Oscar, not to mention Nigeria's highest award for thespian dexterity. In my candid opinion - although I know some detractors won't agree with me - anyone who has demonstrated such a command of legislative martial arts as Amaechi's supporters have, should be awarded the title of Commander of the Federal Republic. Their boss, who pulled off that Gestapo-like mace-snatching act, should be garlanded as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic. As for the (in)famous five, they should borrow a leaf from their aggressors: You cannot be an effective legislator in Nigeria if you have not received sufficient training in kickboxing, karate or ju-jitsu.

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Politics › Re: Students Protest In Lagos Over ASUU/ASUP Strike (photos) by McLuhan(m): 7:34pm On Jul 09, 2013

Let's consider some facts:
(1) Today, no Nigerian university is among the first 5000 in the world or even among the first 50 in Africa.
(2) Ghana spends 31% of its annual budget on education while Nigeria spends a miserly 8.12%.
(3) Last year, Nigerians spent $500million (about N81.5billion) to acquire
education abroad, much of that money going to universities in the UK, US, Canada, Ghana, and South Africa.
(4) Between 1994 and 1996, the military regime in Nigeria spent an average of 12.87% on education, whereas recent administrations have managed to keep education below the 10% threshold.
(5) Due to implementational bottlenecks, no Nigerian goverment ever succeeds in disbursing the total budgeted amount, meaning that actual disbursements are usually far less than the budgetary provisions. Factor in corruption and you'll realise that the funding of education in Nigeria is a joke.
(6) By contrast, Nigeria has the most expensive national legislature in the world, and our Senate President can conveniently pay the salaries of US President Obama, the VP Joe Biden and the principal officers of the US Congress out of his allowances and sundry perks.
(7) Nigeria aspires to become one of the 20 leading economies in the world by the year 2020. According to the world-acclaimed economist Jeffrey Sachs, a Nobel laureate and one of the world's most brilliant development thinkers, no country has ever achieved such a feat without a world-class education system, especially if tertiary education is below par.
So much for the giant of Africa!

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Politics › Re: Rivers' Speaker Impeached, Amaechi Storms Assembly As Fight Erupts? by McLuhan(m): 6:02pm On Jul 09, 2013

Before we get ourselves all agitated and worked up in support of one side or the other, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether it is proper and constitutional for the governor (as head of the executive branch of government) to march into the assembly chambers (of the state legislature) and seize by fiat the symbol of that branch of government, regardless of what situation subsisted in the chambers at that time. In my humble opinion, such an act is in itself an impeachable offence, for it constitutes a usurpation of the duties that belong properly to the serjeant-at-arms, who statutorily custodies the mace and whose duties also include maintaining order and security in the legislative assembly. Even more seriously, the governor's action, if confirmed, amounts to a display of contempt for the legislature, which, according to the law, is by no means inferior to the executive arm. It is just as if a president were to walk into the supreme court while in session and physically drag out the chief justice to prevent him/her from delivering a judgement that the president fears might be unfavourable to him. In quasi-religious terms, I would describe it as an abomination! In legalistic terms, I would call it an impeachable aberration. In ordinary parlance, I would say it is simply not done.

16 Likes

Politics › Re: If Care’s Not Taken, Nigeria’ll Go The Way Of Egypt, Says Buhari by McLuhan(m): 2:15pm On Jul 06, 2013

Nigeria desperately needs a change but, judging by his antecedents, Buhari is not and cannot be the agent of that change - at least not the kind of change Nigeria needs. Let's look elsewhere, thank you.

1 Like

Politics › Re: If nigeria had a referendum on division, will you vote yes/no? by McLuhan(m): 12:52pm On Jul 06, 2013

Is that a question? It's like asking someone who has been incarcerated in Kirikiri prison since 1960 whether he would like to be released. For God's sake, Nigeria is a disease; we need to be cured of it. But the tragedy is that instead of helping us find peaceful ways to rid ourselves of this British-imposed ailment, our politicians persist in the fantasy that it should be tolerated and its worsening symptoms managed. But sooner or later - I personally believe sooner - we will realise that this experiment is not working, and we will be compelled to call off this charade. I look forward to that day, for hopefully it will mark a turning point in the history of the disappointing, disappointed project called Nigeria.

Politics › Re: Let's Have Your Complaints, Suggestions & Enquiries Here by McLuhan(m): 12:12pm On Jul 06, 2013

McLuhan: I find it quite exasperating that successive administrations in Nigeria tend to play politics with education. Is there nothing in this country that is beyond the vitiating influence of our morally wretched political class, nothing that is sacrosanct to them? Today, the Federal Government pretends that it does not know why university lecturers are on strike. In fact, according to the Honourable Ministers of Education and Labour, the lecturers are not on strike! They are presumably taking a vacation to enjoy the largesse that government has given them. I mean, is that not madness? In a sane country, would such ministers not have resigned on account of that rhetorical gaffe? And yet these are the same public office holders who have failed to address the demands of polytechnic lecturers who have been on their own strike since April! In the next few days one can expect our (dis)honourable ministers to start their usual campaign of blackmail: 'Lecturers are greedy'; 'They should consider the plight of their students'; 'They should stop overheating the polity'. When they begin to utter those platitudes, Nigerians should ask them if indeed the FG signed an agreement with the lecturers' union in 2009 and an MOU on the same agreement in 2011, and if those covenants have been fully implemented. We should also ask if the lecturers are making any new demands other than asking for their legitimate allowances for teaching and examining overbloated classes, while also asking government to properly equip laboratories, libraries, etc. In any case, there are no prizes for guessing who between a Nigerian politician and a Nigerian lecturer is the greedier. Besides, it is common knowledge that our high-ranking politicians do not educate their children in Nigerian universities; our universities are for the children of the God-forsaken poor. And as for the question of 'overheating the polity', one can ask if there has ever been a time when those in power did not overheat our polity. Why, Nigeria has been boiling for ages. All that remains is for it to explode!

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