₦airaland Forum

So because Victor Ndoma Egba was among the buyers of yellow cards (fake or not), we should kill ourselves abi? Those of you calling for nationalization of SA companies are so funny. When the OBJ govt nationalized Barclays Bank (Union Bank) and British Petroleum (African Petroleum), what happened; these companies got sunk. So you want to replace MTN with who: Globacom (a one man company that has Lebanese as its most senior staff) or replace Multichoice with who; HITV (a rundown company that never had a clear plan of what it was doing). Truth is this issue is just a distraction from the failures of governance just like the anti-homosexuality bill was. They know myopic Nigerians will clap for them. Naija did Ghana Must Go, today Nigerians are paying thru their noses to do business in Ghana. When a nation treats its own people like dogs, why shouldn't another nation treat them like s***?

Abeg who get the phone number for the reverend father wey baptize Lionel Messi when them born am?

Abeg who senior pass inside Onigbinde and Mandela cos Mandela still dey try but Onigbinde don get senility for that im black pot of nonsense him dey call brain.

Abeg which glory una dey yarn about? The one for corruption (Undisputed World Champion) or madness (Boko Haram, MEND, ritual murder, all sorts of stealing), which one?

Everybody who has been to MMIA knows that those vaccination cards are sold without testing so why blame S/A for Nigeria's corrupt nature? Because you helped them during apartheid, does that mean you must transfer sickness to them? The government is using this useless issue to cover up their ineptitude, you are clapping for them. Same thing they did with the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, u people clapped for them. The only reason why this is news is because a SINATOR was on the plane. Thousand of Nigerians have been executed in Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China et al for real or imagined offenses), why aren't the useless dogs in the National Assembly talking about it?

FIFIY GBOSAS!!!! for the Oba of Benin, he has shown good sense unlike the rest of the greedy, fat, useless dogs called traditional rulers (e.g Ooni of Ife).

Why on earth would I do such an idiotic thing, was it M.T.N that asked Nigerians to be buying vaccination cards at the entrance gates to the airport? Is it the fault of South Africans that despite their high crime rate, high number of HIV positive people and other vices, Nigerians will kill to be given an S/A Visa.?When you behave like a dog, you will be treated like shit. Malaysia, China, Singapore execute scores of Nigerians (guilty or not) every year, why haven't the buffoons in govt done anything about it? Is it the fault of DSTV that HITV ran itself into the ground? When u fail to develop world class businesses, others will come and do so in your country and cart the profit away (Julius Berger and all the multinational oil companies are prime examples). The Japanese have been doing it to the Americans for decades (read Micheal Critchon"s The Rising Sun), now the Koreans and Chinese have joined them. Patriotism doesn't mean stupidity. S/A have a right to determine who enters their country. Since we are already reciprocating in kind, why should I switch off my line, was it donated to me by government?

LWKMD. Arsenal fans never cease to amaze me, una fail exam dey talk say na una get writing pass. Get real, AC Milan's negativity made ARSE(nal) look better than they are. And for your information, Financial Fair Play means you cant spend more than you earn so teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man United can afford to buy any player for any amount they so please. Una no fit win proper match, una wan pass corner corner, how pathetic.

You people really need to stop s******g your pants, its just a gimmick planted by someone to whitewash an already battered image. Not even the BRICS can dream of producing an IMF or World Bank president, they are way too critical to the well being of America and Europe. As for those singing her praises, get your brains out of your backsides, she has done nothing to deserve that position.

This is the worst example of shoddy "copy and paste" science I have ever seen. I schooled in O.O.U and drivers there use jerry cans as fuel tanks and their cars move from Point A to Point B, would you call that an "invention"? This is a very big joke and an attempt to whitewash Oyedepo's image.

But some of you are daft sha o, here's a person seeking honest advice, yet you are here saying he is saying such because he is "not born again"? How much more unintelligent can you be. . @Poster: Dude she's your wife, call her, talk to her and reason with her. Also try to attend one of her church services so you can get a better understanding of where she's coming from and a fresh perspective, pay no heed to all those holier than thou donkeys who are sitting in judgment over your case, they are sad, miserable people who forget the Biblical injunction of not judging someone else.

The way some of you GEJ supporters stand logic on its head is bewildering. Agreed, the (phantom) palliatives should be reduced since it was premised on a certain figure but if there's going to be a review of the SURE nonsense:

1. Why then was a board inaugurated?

2. Why are SURE units being created in MDAs?

3. What policy will the new board and units be working with?

4. The funding that the board members and units are supposed to get for operations; will it be stopped until a new policy framework is in place?

Arrant nonsense

@OnlyTruth: My brother, my people also said the same thing when oil was discovered in my community, it didn't turn out so well. You people need to be very careful with all these criminals called traditional rulers, "youth, women and community leaders", "sons of the soil", "well meaning individuals", local government chairmen and other blood sucking parasites.

PRAYER FOR MY ANAMBRA PEOPLE:

May the discovery be a blessing and not a curse.
May you go the way of Qatar and not the way of my people (Niger-Delta)
May the useless things called politicians and traditional rulers not siphon the money for marrying wives, buying streets in London and shopping without sense.
May the discovery not blind you to opportunities for development outside the crude oil.
May the curse of crude oil which has made brothers rise up against brothers stay away from you.
May the blood sucking vampires called Oil companies actually partner with you to help develop your land and not turn your environment into a barren wasteland.
May the crude oil not make you lazy , dishonest, badly educated and greedy like my Ijaw brothers.
May the discovery of crude oil not destroy your farmlands, rivers and culture.

I SAY AMEN ON YOUR BEHALF.

This man never ceases to amaze me. Who will teach such courses; the Nigerian lecturer fighting to retire at 70 years whose knowledge is even more obsolete or will they hire staff from heaven? And where on earth does entrepreneurship guarantee a nation's growth, someone please cite such examples. After entrepreneurship training, these same people will have to cope with the same issues that have forced blue chip companies to relocate to Ghana. And some funny people think its a good idea. Nowhere in the world do governments create jobs, they create the enabling environment for jobs to be created. Ensure adequate power supply, adequate infrastructure and the rest will sort itself.

Nice one. Seems GEJ and Elechi are brothers in stupidity.

SMH

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of former Foreign of Affairs Minister, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Senator Abdalah Wali and 83 others as ambassadors.
Two others, Hon. Mrs.Sifawu Inu-Umoru Momoh JP ( Edo State ) and Mathias Okafor ( Ebonyi State ) whose nomination was rejected by the screening committee due to poor performance, were asked to reappear before the committee.
Also wife of late Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Bianca, who did not appear before the Senator Mathew Nwagwu led Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs was asked to present herself for screening whenever the time is auspicious for her apparently due to the death of her husband.
Another nominee, Hon. Abubakar Shehu Bunu (Zamfara) whose nomination was rejected by the screening committee was confirmed by the Senate.
The screening committee dropped him for poor performance during the screening session.
But the lawmakers agreed that since Bunu was a former member of the House of Representatives, “the tradition of take a bow and go” that apply to former members of the National Assembly should have been adopted in his case.
The confirmation was not without twist and turns as some Senators commended the committee for a job well done while others criticized the unfavourable recommendations for some of the nominees.
Senator Zainab Kure (Niger South) noted that of the 84 nominees recommended for confirmation only eight were women.
She noted the more women should have been considered for the non-career slot in line with the 35 per cent affirmative action.
She said that at least 20 women should have been in the list.
Kure also said that her state had only one nominee and appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the state in future appointments.
Obende Domingo ( Edo State ) made case for Inu-Umoru Momoh who was dropped by the screening committee also for poor performance.
Senator Sunday Ogbuoji ( Ebonyi State ) made a case for Mathias Okafor who was rejected by the committee for poor performance.
Ogbuoji argued that Okafor, who was dropped because he was not forth coming in answering questions put to him at the screening session might have be affected by stage fright.
A member of the screening committee, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said that the report he was originally given recommended the confirmation of all the nominees.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news-update/36146-senate-confirms-maduekwe-wali-83-others-as-ambassadors.html

My question is this: When will governments across all levels in Nigeria get tired of these old and failed A.G.I.Ps (Kolade, Maduekwe, Ribadu et al) and bring in fresh people with fresh ideas?

You people saying "she should be allowed to do her job", please enlighten us on what her job description is , SA on Inte-rgovernmental Affairs means what exactly? She is there only because she is Ahmadu (Ali Must Go) Ali's wife. Ali was PDP chairman under OBJ. She adds absolutely nothing to governance and is just another classic example of the waste and profligacy that characterize governments in Nigeria. As silly as the appointments of Bianca Ojukwu, Reno Omokri, D'Banj and other S.As (Special Anumpama)

For Nigerian Illegals, Its A Tough and Risky Life.
Idris Akinbajo and Bjinse Dankert
Premium Times 06/02/2012


When Nigerian-born illegal, Timothy, couldn’t feed himself, he approached the Dutch food bank. But because he was an illegal, he was refused

Every Thursday, Osaror Timothy rides his bicycle to dispatch 2,600 newspapers to the same number of homes in Tilburg, a Dutch city of over 200 thousand people. Dark and of average height, Timothy’s major problem is not the delivery of the papers, but evading police arrest.

Timothy’s fear of arrest is not borne out of committing any immediate crime, but because his stay in the Netherlands is un-official. By Dutch law, he is an illegal immigrant.

“Each day I move on the streets, I move with the fear of getting arrested by the police,” he said.

ILLEGALS

Timothy is one of the 100,000 illegals living in the Netherlands. Although official statistics are unavailable for this category of people (illegals are not captured in official statistics), the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security estimates that 100,000 illegals were in the Netherlands as at 2009. Citizens of Sub-Saharan African countries (including Nigeria) make up 23 per cent of that figure.

These categories of people lack the necessary documents to live in the country. Not only are they not entitled to live, they can also not legally work, get accommodation and health insurance.

This is in contrast with the 10,000 Nigerians who according to the Dutch Bureau of Statistics, live in the Netherlands legally. This is a 300 per cent increase from the over 3000 that lived in the country in 1996.

TIMOTHY'S STORY

Born 28 years ago in Benin, Timothy arrived in the Netherlands in January 2007. He sought asylum claiming to be a member of a youth group called END in the oil producing Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Timothy claims that his group was wrongly linked to the militant group MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) and that the Nigerian Government was persecuting them. MEND claimed responsibility for the October 1, 2010 independence day bomb blast in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja that killed eight people.

“I can’t go back to Nigeria; in Nigeria, I am considered an enemy of the state,” he said.

ADURO or ASSYLUM

Aduro is a Yoruba (South Western Nigeria) word which literally means “someone who stays or remains.” It is the term Nigerians who stay(ed) in European asylum camps use to refer to a person who is allowed to stay at the camps; or to refer to permission to stay at the camp itself. Terms like “So ti je aduro,” “have you been given permission to stay at the camp is common among Nigerian illegals in the Netherlands.

Foreigners who want to seek asylum are taken to a detention centre, and then to an application centre. After several interviews, those whose stories appear believable pending investigation are allowed into one of the 45 asylum camps (aduro), while those whose applications are refused are instantly deported to their home countries.

Though not rosy, life at the Asylum Camp is not terrible, Timothy says.

“You stay two in a room, we are paid 55 euro (N12, 000) every Thursday, and are given something like an ID card with which to move around the country.”

Refugee camp residents wait for their asylum status. The wait could keep them there for up to two years during which time the Dutch authorities determine if they should be granted asylum or not. Those who are granted are given legal status to live and work in the Netherlands, while those not given are either deported or continue to live as illegals hiding from authorities.

Timothy spent the maximum two years at the asylum camp. Dutch Authorities eventually rejected his application and he was asked to leave the country in 2009.

“I was asked to leave the camp and leave the country. I was given a letter to leave the Netherlands,” Timothy said.

LIFE AS AN ILLEGAL

Timothy left the Asylum camp not wanting to be deported to Nigeria. He lived on the streets for four months feeding from the little he saved while at the camp before he met a friend in Church. He lived with his friend for another three months.

Getting a job is very difficult for illegals as Dutch law does not allow it. Individuals and companies that employ illegals do so secretly. Timothy got his first job while living with a friend. A devout Christian, he says he got the job by “divine intervention.” He began distributing papers to earn 60euro (N12, 600) a month.

When he got a wider opening to distribute more papers, he grabbed it and began distributing the 2600 papers.

“I work from 6.30am to 9.30pm every Thursday,” he says.

The monthly minimum wage in the Netherlands is about 1,400euro (N294, 000), but Timothy earns less than 20 percent of that, 220euro (46,200) per month.

Timothy does not know how much he should actually earn for the job he does.

His friend who helped him get the job collects the money and pays him the 220 euro. Several illegals get their job this way. He is however not bordered about finding out if his friend is cheating him.

“I am happy I can even earn some money. There are many like me who cannot work to earn anything. In any case, who do I report to,” Timothy says, while lamenting that as an illegal, he cannot even report a crime for fear of deportation.

From his earnings, the Benin-born Nigerian pays a rent of 200euro for his small apartment which he rented from someone he met in Church.

“My friend was treating me like a slave, so I had to get my own place,” Timothy said.

When asked how he survives on 20 euros a month, Timothy answered “I live to pay my bills, not to feed. But it’s God that keeps me alive.”


NO FOOD FOR YOU

Timothy tells of how finding food to eat in one of the largest food producing countries in the world can be difficult. At a time when he couldn’t feed himself, he approached the Dutch food bank for food. But because he was an illegal, he was refused.

“I was rejected from getting food from the food bank. That is a place where if I have my legal documents and can work officially, I would never go there for food. When I think about it, I almost cry,” he said

“I consider the food there condemned food, but I was still rejected.”

We don’t know them

Despite the hundreds of Nigerians living like Timothy in the Netherlands, the Nigerian embassy in the country has no statistics or data of the Nigerian illegals.

Nimota Akanbi, the Nigerian Ambassador stated that the embassy only has data of people who come to register willingly.

“It is the responsibility of Nigerians in the Netherlands to register at this embassy. As soon as they arrive in this country, they are obliged to register. But we cannot force anyone to come here to register.” she said.

NO PLANS TO RETURN HOME

Timothy like many other Nigerian illegals has no plan to return home.

“I fear for my life if I return home,” says Timothy. “I don’t know how I would be able to survive, that is if I am not killed.”

With a National Diploma from a Polytechnic, he plans to continue his education in the Netherlands and then settle down to work and live there.

“I will live on the streets just to go to school because I believe in education,” he says.

I don’t blame the Dutch

The situation in Nigeria was the main source of blame for the Nigerian illegals. Nigeria, the seventh largest oil producer also has one of the world’s worst poverty rates. Over half of the 160 million population live on less than $2 per day with millions of youth unemployed.

When asked to comment on his general treatment by Dutch authorities since he arrived in the Netherlands, Timothy said “I will not say the Dutch people are good or bad. They did not send me an invitation to come here. I was the one who made the decision to come here.”

Correct me if I am wrong but I am yet to see a post insulting God so why all the hoopla? If people criticize another human being (which we all are; men of God or not), why should you call down curses (which are nothing but wasted spittle anyway) on them? If curses worked Nigeria would have been paradise. If curses worked, PHCN would not cut power again, if curses worked, policemen would have stopped collecting "roger" eons ago. If you believe NL is becoming too hot for Men of God, sign out and never visit the site again, nothing is by force(not even heaven).

@Goddex: Dude apply intelligence to what you say. Sahara Reporters is not registered in Nigeria so who will ban them, your father? So to you NTA, FRCN and all state broadcasting outfits are "objective" abi? Donkey.

Una no go take laugh murder person for this Nairaland o. So Oyedepo curse strong like this, yet people for him church still dey trek go Canaanland abi? Naija and their stupidity in the name of religion sha. Please help us beg him to "curse" the policemen that collect #20 on the road leading to Canaanland. He should also help us "curse" all bad leaders. SMH.

Don't you people have any sense in your heads at all or were you born stupid? There's nothing wrong in what Fashola has done at all, in fact he should be commended, must you bigoted buffoons ascribe ethnic superiority or inferiority to everything? Like the dummies you are, you keep talking about the Civil War, a war none of you experienced and know less than nothing about. Stop acting like brain dead donkeys and think for once in your miserable lives.

@ndahbros and publisher: Thank you so very much for your incisive posts, you have just hit the nail on the head. In addition, I have said and will continue to say that the elite (politicians and their private secctor collaborators) and not tribalism is Nigeria's problem. Secession won't solve the issue because Nigeria will not divide into four component parts, it will divide into over fourty tiny nations because nobody will want to remain in a nation and be lorded over. Urhobos, Itsekiris and Ijaws can never stay together, Ijebus, Remos & Egbas hate each other, Ibadan & Old Oyo also, same with the Ilajes and other sub-tribes in Ondo so how O'dua? Idomas, Tivs, Beroms and others will never accept to be part of the Arewas. Onitsha people, Ukwuanis, Ibibios, Oguta people will never agree to Biafra so who gets what? Igbo leaders have shown themselves to be blooody bastards who would sacrifice their own kin for material benefits, in this regard they are no different from the so-called leaders in other geo-political zones so let us stop lying to ourselves. Nigeria is all we have, lets make it work.

Anybody supporting American troops in Nigeria is surely the product of an incestuous relationship, that is the only reasonable explanation for such bare arsed stupidity. America does nothing that negates its self-interest, they will only come here and fan the embers of discord b'cos then our mineral resources will be there for the taking. The U.S.A created the Taliban, using it as a proxy in its Cold War with the then U.S.S.R. Today who's suffering for it; the people of Afghanistan, their neighbors like Pakistan and countries like Somalia. The Igbos have a saying "the man who brings infested wood into his home should be ready for the visit of lizards". Read and empower yourselves.

@buchizo7: Don't mind them, most of them are frustrated graduates who have applied to all the banks but couldn't get in and are now into petty trade. What they fail to realize is that for every job loss, a potential client for their services is lost. In M & A, companies downsize or rightsize (that is normal) but what really annoys me is that the people who caused these problems in the first place (the banks' directors, majority shareholders and co) are still feeding fat. As long as we remain an import driven economy where almost 90% of businesses are into retailing, buying and selling and service delivery, things will get worse. Countries that are service based like Britain, Spain, Italy, Greece are really feeling the economic heat hence the introduction of austerity measures in these countries but countries that manufacture like China, Brazil, Germany, South Korea are surviving the crisis and will come out stronger.

The way some people seem to be rejoicing over the misfortune of others on this thread is beyond bad, its crossed into stupidity. If everyone were self employed, who would buy the products or patronize the services? Britain is a nation of self -employed people, today its economy is in the toilet. Lets be realistic, every self employed person needs the patronage of people who walk in companies like bankers do. Yes, people should try and have another business by the side (that is common sense) but lets face it, businesses (both large and small) are failing everyday in this country. Newspapers are also laying off or shutting down (e.g 234next), same for manufacturing concerns and every country needs large businesses b'cos they boost the economy more, generate more exports and create more jobs (even for the so-called self employed) . Lets offer constructive advice and stop gloating over the fall of others, your own loss might be permanent.

Its the same MD Abubakar that was indicted by the Justice Niki Tobi panel (a detribalized panel), its the same guy that was C.P in Lagos in 2007 and ordered that girls be arrested for indecent dressing. It took strong reactions from the NBA, women rights groups and Fashola to stop the trend because the police were arresting anybody they liked. To be honest, he did try in dealing with crime in Lagos but the question marks on him are way too many. The stories of his indictments (twice) are in almost all newspapers.

Open Letter To Lagos State Police Commissioner
By Damola Awoyokun Published 08/2/2007

Dear M.D. Abubakar,

We know you are new to the job, expectedly there will be lots of Initial Gra Gra (IGG). But your policy of arresting and arraigning our Lagos ladies for skimpy dressing is absurd. If we accuse you of being a sexist and enforcing Sharia by proxy, it is safe to say. This is Lagos Alhaji.

Our world, our century is on fire by those who after Faustian crises religiously insist on turning their private fantasies into a general nightmare. What exactly is a skimpy dress? How did the police arrive at a benchmark with which they are arresting our ladies? We challenge you to make it public.

You said “skimpy dress could cause public disorder.” Why should people be arrested for what “could cause” not what “will cause” or “what has caused”? Recall that the doctrine of pre-emptive strike was from bush.

Eko is for show. The women are modern, they have been free to wear whatever they wanted before Alhaji Abubakar came into power and that has not sparked any public disorder, I have no doubt that after and during him, they will still continue to do so. (Except your word ‘public’ is actually a misspelling of something else. In that case, it is private and harmless before the law. Nowhere in the Lagos criminal code is dressing, any type at all, a crime.)

We never had a public riot because of those on the Lagos beaches. Neither did the newspaper report one when ex President Obasanjo appeared on the beach with a girl wearing only pant and bra in what became that national tourism advert on CNN.
We demand that the case against the arrested ladies be withdrawn and those remanded in Kirikiri Prisons be released immediately. We demand that a public apology be offered to them and compensations be granted over and above the N20, 000 others had spend on bailing. We demand that you swear an affidavit you will never abuse your office again by tampering with our vibrant Lagos culture or smuggle in a distasteful morality already debunked by modernity.

Lagos is fiercely cosmopolitan. Its energy derives from the plurality of races, of ethnic groups, of religions and moralities, of cultural sensibilities, of fashion tastes and pleasures, the youthfulness, the underground weirdness that makes the city pump and jump. Alhaji police commissioner, Get Real and Feel Lagos.

@Seun: Please ignore the dumb buffoon who sent you that mail. If God didn't want people to criticize, he wouldn't have given us brains to think. Freedom of expression is what makes this site unique so Seun, for no reason should you interfere or act as arbiter in issues. Jesus Christ said people should bless those who curse them, if the dummy who wrote you the letter & people like him feel they are obligated to defend "Men of God", that is their problem. The curses of such people and their "Men Of God" are merely wasted spittle, of no effect whatsoever.