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Crime › Fulani Herdsman Severely Beaten After Failed Prison Escape. by naptu2(op): 4:37pm On Dec 21, 2017

Fulani Herdsman Severely Beaten After Failed Prison Escape.

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK
DEC 21, 2017

Adullahi Bello, a 23-year-old Fulani herdsman, was on Wednesday beaten unconscious after being caught attempting to escape from Kuje Prisons, where he has been remanded. Mr. Bello, a married father of one, was said to have become traumatized by his stay in prison after seeing inmates who have been detained for as many as 12 years because of delays in their trials.

A source told SaharaReporters that Mr. Bello has also been a victim of long adjournments following his arrest and that of two others for abduction. At his last court appearance, Justice Binta Nyarko of the Federal High Court, Abuja, adjourned his case from November 5 to March 1, 2018.

The source added that Mr. Bello became depressed following a visit by his wife and infant daughter. He was said to have told the wife that he could no longer bear her seeing him in prison custody. The experience led him to start making plans for escape, which he commenced on December 20.

Mr. Bello, disclosed another prison source, went to the prison mosque for prayers. After the prayers ended, he hid himself until he was locked in the mosque. He later crept out of the mosque and went over the hole-ridden wall, but was spotted, chased and arrested. He was subsequently beaten unconscious.

“His situation is unknown. There are speculations that he may have died because of the savage beating he received,” said a source.

http://saharareporters.com/2017/12/21/kidnapping-suspect-remanded-kuje-prison-beaten-over-failed-escape

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Politics › Re: What's Happening On The Lagos Badagry Axis (2) by naptu2: 10:11am On Dec 20, 2017

Well, it's no longer just the Badagry axis. They are building the rail bridge on the Marina (as you can see from these pictures and videos that were taken late last year and early this year). They have also begun work on the Lagoon Bridge (connecting the island and mainland across the Elegbeta Channel).

Work resumed full speed last year after the hiccup caused by the refusal of the previous Federal Government to guarantee the 2nd tranche of the loan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uo4LGY3w10

Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 6:31pm On Dec 19, 2017

ashjay001:
One of d reasons I like nl, u can actually learn something new. Vast meeting of minds, if u can actually have a meaning conversation n do away with all d bigotry n inter-tribal jousts!

To think, they divested from groundnuts! A shame really n a more progressive govt wouldnt have allowed it to tapper off. With d cost of groundnut oil n feeds in present day naija

You can read more about the Dantata/Dangote dynasty here https://www.nairaland.com/891985/dantata-dangote-story-how-create

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Business › Re: The Dantata/Dangote Story: How To Create A Dynasty Of Billionaires by naptu2(op): 3:46pm On Dec 19, 2017

Gerrard59:
Is Moet Abebe of Soundcity related to the family?

@Post, Insightful and interesting. I learnt a lot.

I think that's one of John's daughters.

Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 5:28pm On Dec 18, 2017

ashjay001:
Tanx. Seems I'm learning a lot abt his era. Cant seem to find writings on his achievements, or lack of

Pls, can u confirm, if it was during his era, d groundnut pyramids dissappeared? Heard it was caused by d oil boom?! If truly he knew anything abt it, then, he failed woefully

AreaFada2:
Well we cannot blame any one person for disappearance of groundnut pyramids. Same as cocoa.

Many educated people in Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo and other places, their parents sponsored them to study abroad with cocoa money. We cannot expect UK trained lawyers, medics, economists and others to return and take over the cocoa farms. At least we Africans do not do things that way.

Failure to mechanise farming was the main cause. As a kid I saw vast rice fields and massive cocoa plantations. These plantations died out. Cocoa plants reach peak yield around 10 to 20 years depending on species. Ibadan became the envy of Africa through cocoa money. As more kids went to school and polygamy reduced, rural labour force reduced or became expensive.
All those coups that never allowed one long term plan or vision to materialise did not help.

Gowon came with plan to move FCT to Abuja/Suleja, though he initially wanted Jos to be new FCT. But he feared he would be accused of favouring his place (Jos). The mild weather of Jos actually made it a better option. He also had plans for Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos. He worked on sea port that benefited Lagos. He began NYSC to foster national unity & introduced the Naira in place of Pounds. His no victor no vanquished stance after Biafra war was a moderate and re-conciliatory one.

But people remember the negative stuff more: cement ships/contract scandal, taking over missionary schools, indigenization decree that harmed foreign investment in non-oil sector, Udoji award that caused inflation, indefinite postponement of return to democracy instead of planned 1976, etc.

Whatever his failure, we have had 42 years since to get it right but have failed too.

Exactly! The groundnut pyramids were the invention of Alhassan Dantata (Aliko Dangote's great grandfather).

He had a system in which he controlled most of the groundnut buyers (agents) and farmers in the north. They brought their groundnuts to designated centers were they were stacked into pyramids by Dantata's workers. Dantata was also a director in the railway corporation and long trains picked up the groundnuts from Dantata's facility in Kano and brought them down south to be exported. The trains returned to the north with kolanuts that Dantata had bought.

There was a time that he pointed to 60 groundnut pyramids in Kano and told a journalist, "These are all mine".

Dantata usually stored his groundnuts that were meant for domestic consumption until they were out of season, then he flooded the market with them and sold them at a cheaper price than his competitors.

The groundnut pyramids gradually disappeared after Alhassan Dantata's death. Aminu and Sanusi Dantata initially continued the business, but they eventually delved into other things, eg Mentolathum and Mercedes Benz.

Other (younger) members of the family invested in construction (Dantata and Sawoe), transport (Dantata Transport Services), telecommunications (Starcomms), cement (Dangote Cement), oil and gas (MRS), etc.

So you can see that they gradually invested more in other sectors than they did in the groundnut business

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 2:20pm On Dec 18, 2017

byemx06:
.3rd mainland bridge was build by babangida

I feel compelled to make this explanation because you are the second person that I've seen in the past week that has claimed that Babangida built the entire Third Mainland Bridge.

Once upon a time traffic flowed from the Mainland onto the Island via Carter Bridge. It was distributed across the Island via Nnamdi Azikiwe Road and Broad Street. Broad Street was the financial capital of Nigeria and Nnamdi Azikiwe Street was the home to several large markets, so, as you can guess, they were plagued with massive traffic jams.

The government concieved the idea of building a ring road around Lagos Island and also building several entrances/exits to/from the Ring Road in order to reduce traffic in Central Lagos.

General Yakubu Gowon was thd head of state at that time, Alhaji Femi Okunnu was the commissioner (minister) for works (he was replaced by Obasanjo in 1974) and Colonel Mobolaji Johnson was the Lagos State governor.

What is Ring Road?

Look at the orange road in the first map below. Ring Road begins at the end of Third Mainland Bridge, at a place known as Adeniji Bus Stop, it goes past Ilubirin, Ikoyi Foreshore, Obalende, Onikan, Marina and ends up back at Adeniji Adele.

Marina used to be a beach, like Unilag Water Front. The government poured concrete on it and turned it into a road. The official name of the road is Ring Road, but people refer to it as "Outer Marina".

There was also a little river that separated Lagos Island from Ikoyi. It was called MacGregor Canal. The government reduced the width of the river, gave it concrete sides (instead of the previous sand banks) and it became the giant gutter that you see at Obalende.

I know people who are still angry with Gowon for converting sand into concrete.

Third Mainland Bridge

The government rebuilt Carter Bridge and built Eko Bridge (which was completed in 1975). The government also had an idea of a bridge that people coming from outside Lagos can use to access Lagos Island. This bridge will substantially bypass the mainland and bring traffic directly on to the Ring Road. It would also decongest Ikorodu Road and the Carter and Eko Bridge.

Serious discussions about the "Third Axial Bridge" began in 1974 or 1975 and the first phase was commissioned by President Shehu Shagari on September 30th, 1980 (to mark Nigeria's 20th anniversary).

The Third Mainland Bridge was being used in the 1980s (before Babangida became president), but you had to get off the bridge at the Ebute Metta/Yaba exit (Look at the second map below. You can see the exit at the place where the words "Third Mainland Bridge" is written). There were barriers across the road that prevented you from going further and when you exit the bridge, you could see the place where the bridge came to an abrupt end.

This meant that you had to take Herbert Macaulay Way and Ikorodu Road if you were going to Ikeja and this also meant that there were massive traffic jams on Herbert Macaulay Way.

I remember the great traffic jam of 1989. Eko Bridge was closed for repairs and everybody had to use either Third Mainland Bridge or Carter Bridge.

There was a Queens College girl in my house and she was meant to come home with the neighbours by 3 o'clock. 3 became 4 and then 5 o'clock and she was not home. I phoned the neighbours and they had no idea what was going on. So my driver and I went in search of the two missing girls. The traffic jam was incredible. We were at a standstill on Third Mainland Bridge and when we eventually got to Herbert Macaulay Way I discovered that people were driving against the flow of traffic and cars were facing each other with no where to go.

Policemen from Adekunle and Sabo police stations were overwhelmed and they just hung around and exchanged jokes with motorists.

We eventually got to Queens College and were told that the girls had already gone home and we went back home, got in after dark to discover that she was already asleep.

Julius Berger extended the bridge by a few metres in 1988 and then abandoned it again.

I'll quote Babangida's speech at the commissioning of the second phase of the bridge in 1990. He said that a new governor was appointed in Lagos and the man came to discuss the Third Mainland Bridge with him. He said that the man kept on coming to his office almost everyday to disturb him about the Third Mainland Bridge. He said that he had to tell his secretary not to allow Governor Rasaki into his office again. He said that he knew that he had to complete the bridge if he wanted peace (Governor Rasaki was laughing behind him).

The bridge was completed in 1990 and in 1991, when the Federal Government was moving from Lagos to Abuja, the section of the bridge from Ebute Metta to Oworonshoki was renamed IBB Bridge (I still have a video of that ceremony).

So you see, Gowon's government conceived the Third Mainland Bridge, Shagari commissioned the first phase and Babangida commissioned the second phase.

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 3:40am On Dec 18, 2017

General Gowon opens the 2nd All Africa Games at the newly built National Stadium in Lagos in 1973.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI1_WzcOTIQ

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 3:38am On Dec 18, 2017

General Gowon commissions the Kainji Dam, Nigeria's largest dam, in 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiEUBKruDnY

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 6:20pm On Dec 17, 2017

bigtt76:
Who footed the cost of his studies in the UK?

He did and when the government stopped paying his pension (after the Dimka Coup), some Nigerians in the UK contributed money to assist him.

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 5:50pm On Dec 17, 2017

Another picture of Gowon at Warwick.

Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 4:49pm On Dec 17, 2017

byemx06:
.3rd mainland bridge was build by babangida

Third Mainland Bridge was conceived by Gowon. The first phase (Lagos Island to Ebute Metta) was commissioned by Shagari (I remember when it was commissioned). The second phase (Ebute Metta - Oworonshoki) was built by Babangida (I also remember when it was commissioned).

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 3:59pm On Dec 17, 2017

Ishilove:
You must be an afonja. Only Afonjas defend Gowon

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 3:35pm On Dec 17, 2017

seunmsg:
I have been looking for this picture since I read about it in Max Siollun's book, OIL POLITICS AND VIOLENCE. Murtala was so embarrassed that he immediately started paying Gowon's pension when he refused to return to Nigeria.

Gowon later had problems after the Dimka Coup. The Obasanjo government accused him of complicity in the coup, so they stripped him of his rank and stopped paying his pension. However Nigerians in the UK contributed money to take care of his upkeep.

Babangida restored his rank in 1987.

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Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 3:30pm On Dec 17, 2017

imhotep:
He was on Exile

Yes, that's stated in paragraph 5.

2 Likes

Politics › Re: Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 3:20pm On Dec 17, 2017*

ashjay001:
What I wonder is; how come he served for so long, '66-'75, yet nothing memorable has been referred to during his reign? If he was this humble n visionary, during his reign, how come nigeria didnt take giant strides towards developmental progress?

BabaRamota1980:
No Victor No Vanquished, declared after the war, is a memorable step in development.

He could have lined up leadership of Biafra and executed them after surrender and he wouldn't have been wrong for doing so because political conventions allowed that acts of insurrection, particularly taking up weapons by any section of an integral sovereingty against the authority should carry death sentence.

Gowon turned his face away from the convention and showed generosity and reabsorbed the leaders back into the Nigerian Army before retiring them on their statutory ranks.

Thats HUGE!

Beyond that, most of the famous and historical infrastructure projects were either built, conceived or completed during his tenure.

He completed the Kainji Dam, commissioned the Volkswagen factory (a joint venture between the Federal Government, Lagos State Government and Volkswagen of Germany), rebuilt Carter Bridge and built Eko Bridge and the National Stadium. His policies also led to the establishment of other car assembly plants like PAN in Kaduna and Anamco in Enugu (in 1969 the government developed plans to set up car plants across the country, in conjunction with foreign car makers, in order to fully manufacture cars in Nigeria. That's one of the reasons they conceived the Ajaokuta project).

His government concieved the Ajaokuta Steel Mill, the Third Mainland Bridge and the National Arts Theatre.

These are just a few examples of what he did.

Pictures below

1 & 2) General Gowon commissions the Volkswagen plant in Lagos.

3) General Gowon commissions the Kainji Dam. Seated behind him are Vice Admiral Wey (chief of staff, supreme headquarters) and Sir Adetokunboh Ademola (chief justice of Nigeria).

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Politics › Yakubu Gowon As An Undergraduate At University Of Warwick (Throwback Pictures) by naptu2(op): 1:56pm On Dec 17, 2017

Throwback pictures of General Gowon as an undergraduate at University Of Warwick.

A thread was created yesterday about President Obasanjo's successful defence of his PhD thesis. Quite a few Nairalanders stated that President Obasanjo is the first former Nigerian head of state to earn a PhD after he left office.

However, I know that that's not true because I remember that General Gowon got his PhD after he left office and that reminded me of these famous pictures.

General Gowon was head of state from 1966-1975. He had promised to hand over to a democratically elected government in 1976, but on October 1st 1974 he announced that the 1976 date was no longer feasible. He was thus overthrown on July 29, 1975 and General Murtala Muhammed became the head of state.

Gowon had been in Kampala when he was overthrown. The Murtala Government said that he could return home and that he would be given all the respect and courtesies deserving of a former head of state.

General Gowon accepted the change of government. Quoting William Shakespeare he said, "All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances". He acknowledged that it was time for him to make his exit, however he choose to go on exile in the United Kingdom, rather than return home.

While in the UK, General Gowon decided to study political science at Warwick University and so he became an undergraduate there. This shocked the British Government. M.E. Heath of the West Africa desk in the Foreign Office argued that,

the status of undergraduate was inappropriate to a former head of state of such importance to us. My preference would have been, had our advice been taken, which it rather pointedly was not, that a post might have been found for him as Assistant Professor of International Affairs or something of the sort. This is the procedure followed by many North American universities and was the one followed by Mr (Canadian Prime Minister Lester) Pearson when he retired from office.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/the-ex-dictator-and-his-degree-of-anonymity/200596.article#survey-answer

There was even greater shock when photos of General Gowon queueing for food in the university cafeteria surfaced in the media. The Nigerian Government was embarrassed and therefore dispatched Brigadier TY Danjuma (who, took Kano born Col. Wali along) to ask Gowon to adopt a supposedly more dignified stance. Gowon rejected the overture and reassured his "embarrassed sympathizers" that he was comfortable with his situation.

Gowon earned his BSc., MSc. and completed his time at Warwick with a PhD in political science in 1983. He taught political science at the University of Jos in the mid 1980s.

Below are the pictures that embarrassed the Nigerian Government. They were taken on October 7th and 10th, 1975.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-general-is-seen-queuing-in-the-canteen-for-lunch-7th-news-photo/592337476

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Politics › Re: Obasanjo Graduates With PhD In Christian Theology From National Open University by naptu2: 2:45pm On Dec 16, 2017

brainhgeek:
hmmm. Kudos to this great man. I feel he is the first African president to bag a B.Sc, MSc and Doctorate after stepping down as president.
PMB it is your turn. I know you can

Yakubu Gowon got his Ph.D. at Warwick University in 1983 and he taught political science at the University of Jos in the mid 1980s (I think he actually attained the rank of professor, but I'm not sure).

Below is one of the famous pictures of General Gowon at Warwick University in 1975. He bought food at the cafetaria and ate it there. The Nigerian government wrote to him to remind him that he is a former head of state and therefore he should not embarrass the government.

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