₦airaland Forum

Icon4s: What type & year model of car ar u talkin abt? Can u say some1 hustling with a 1945 Volkswagen beetle shows prosperity. And can u say Some1 that purchases a 2012 Range Rover HSE sports with other cars parked in his garage doesn't show sign of prosperity?

Dude, 1945 VW Beetle would be an oldtimer, it could be worth over €50.000. Do you have one? Only rich guys like Jay Leno can have such a an oldtimer in their collection. I forgot we are in Nigeria , where old cars are seldom appreciated .

Even if it's called "Kwarikwata", does it sound like Ghanaians 'Asonto' beats? Since Ghanaian musicians choose 'Asonto' over their beautiful Highlife music, I have no likeness or sympathy for their music .

I nearly cried last November when i went to Enugu train station. I was at the same station in 1988, my last journey then was from Aba to Enugu. At the station last year, i saw a run-down station where almost nothing would suggest it was a busy train station just about a little over two decades ago. I saw where we used to queue for tickets. The eight counters were in alphabetical order. The whole terminal building was empty, only a little bar is left. I couldn't do anything than order a bottle of Amstel malt; remembering dozens of times i boarded train at the station. It was fun in those days, my mind would do calculation of the towns our train would call at on our way to Aba - Agbani, Nnome, Oduma, Afikpo, Ibeku, Ovim, Umuahia etc. I was particularly trilled by the 5 to 10minutes stop at Afikpo. In Afikpo, passengers would have the chance to buy different types of well spiced, cooked Bush meats. Another highlight town was Ovim, folks there and the villages around Umuahia Ibeku, make the best 'Agidi-Biscuitbone' I've ever eaten. Aba train station was a special place for stockfish lovers. In early 80s, well cooked and ready to-go stockfish was sold between 50 to 80Kobo, depending on the size.
It's really sad that Nigeria's endemic corruption has killed our once boisterous rail system. Nigeria Railway Corporation was also one of the companies employees considered their jobs and pensions safe. In a normal clime, we would be talking about high-speed trains in Nigeria today - Port-Harcourt to Kano in 6hrs. Corruption is evil, period !

shymex: I don't know but I can NEVER represent another country apart from ancestry..

And my kids will NEVER represent another country apart from my ancestry..

Hakeem Olajuwon played for America - but they still refer to him as a Nigerian.. So, he's more of a paid mercenary...

All the ones who represented the UK, are still black Africans when they fill employment forms tomorrow after the olympics - but I'm not here to critique anyone, each to their own..

Hakeem " the dream " Olajunwon made tens of millions of dollars playing in the NBA for Houston Rockets. He was invited to play for US dream team at Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. Hakeem was Nigerian born, but that never reduce his popularity in the US during the 90s. He was on Larry King live talking against Abiola's arrest during Abacha's despotic regime.

I'm really fascinated by the fact that there are billions of planets and stars in the universe. Imagine having the opportunity when one dies, to explore some of those planets and stars. Sure, in a different form . David says in the psalms that ' only God know the depths of the universe '

bigboy3: Why push the blame on them and why not the looters. What have you done with the ones that have been returned..

Because Swiss created the system that attract stolen money to their banks . Germany was forced to issue stern warning to Swiss 2yrs ago, to do something against its banks being a heaven for German tax violators who stash billions of euros as black-money in those banks. Those public money thieves in Nigeria would be forced somehow to invest the stolen cash in our economy, if such banks in Switzerland aren't ready to accept the looted funds. Verstanden?

Mars might have huge deposits of mineral resources that could benefit mankind someday !

A country's achievement when its institutions are functional! A typical Nigerian politician would steal all that money meant for "Curiosity" development, stash it in Swiss banks, get Chieftancy titles, terrorize his countrymen and some ethnic bigots would urge him on....

Nairaland's "Ethnic Snipers" on duty. All armed against their fellow Africans. Any of you ever got niggered?

$500 million returned, but over $20 billion of Nigeria's stolen money are suspected to be currently stashed in Swiss banks. Can Switzerland do without third world countries stolen wealth? A country with little conscience.... Schämen an den Schweiz !!

Because it's Japanese - aren't made to last long. BMW for
life !! Oh yes !

Ngutor: Sir Nightshift I don't actually own a BMW just planning to get one for the wifey. Do you reside in Germany? Do you bring this babies in? Am interested in 3series 2001-2003 models

Turn to last page. I wrote a message for you there . Let's see how i can help you get a nice BMW here in Germany.

Some good lesson for "ethnic snipers" on nairaland. Folks stop hating, show some love!!

Heartthrob!!

Hopefully "ethnic snipers " will not turn this to a war front.

Ngutor: Nightshift sir can you advice on the right spark plugs, engine oil et al that is suitable for these beaus

I use Total 7000, 30w-50 oil in Nigeria. In Europe it's a different grade due to weather. I bought for the car a NGK spark plug, but I don't remember the no. now. I will find that for you, when I visit the shop tomorrow. If you text me your phone no. on 0049 152 1053 9004, I can get you any BMW spare part you want. Ate brake pads, Continental belts, NGK, Bosch and Beru spark plugs, Knecht filters and battery that can last you 7-8yrs. All made in Germany products. I hope to be in Lagos in October this year. German auto parts are expensive, but lasts very long.

Driving a BMW is something special to me. Especially on curves, engine sound, and more importantly on German Autobahns. I bought my first 320 (1990) model in 1997,why on my way to the shipping company i made sure no other car passed me. I was doing constantly 220km/h for over 150km of my journey of 200km. I bought the car from a Croatian sister of a friend. The engine was superb, only had 90.000km run. I later gave it to my brother. In 2009 i bought my second BMW, it is a 530, 2005 model, 3.0ltr engine, 170kw, 231hp. I shipped it to Nigeria, where it's easier to maintain. Tax plus expensive fuel (€1.60 a ltr) makes it impossible for me driving such a car in Germany. BMW is a great automobile,but it's not cheap to maintain.I source my spare parts here, thereby eliminating cases of fake or sub-standard parts. I also get 20% discount on parts from my supplier due to relationship i developed with the company while working for their bigger client previously. The German lovers of BMW call it Münchner, its romantic name. Their x5 is reputed to be the most sporty of all the SUVs, according to experts.BMW x6 set a standard other manufacturers try to copy. 90% of X6 driven in Europe by mostly rich European businessmen. X6M is the most powerful of the series with over 400hp. I would advice folks interested in pre-used BMW to buy ones imported from Germany, due to special care in maintenance BMW is accorded by their German owners. The designing team at BMW has been changed, lets see what the new team will bring to the table. If you own a Münchner in Nigeria, make sure you use the recommended type of oil, spark plugs, filters, change those when due; you will enjoy your ride. Happy BMW driving!!

dedeike: Yeah, I must acknowledge that work is actually slow due to funding issues. The road was hitherto abandoned by previous govts but the President had to review the contract terms and make funds available. It's captured in the 2012 budget as ongoing projects so hopefully, it will be completed soon.

They better finish the road quickly sha! I would love to reach Onitsha in 40-45minutes from Enugu, as folks were doing between 1989 and 1992 when that road was new and good.

ujchief: yes sir! Check the 2nd pix in my first post, that axis and canopy is close to osisioma junction, thats the very popular canopy production and tailoring centre at osisioma, aba. After this junction, u're heading to ph via ukwa ngwa.
Do u have anyother question, sir?

Seems like you know Enyimba City very well, that's great! Some folks are gifted to recognise places they've been on photos anytime. About 1.5km from that Junction, across the expressway is where 'Guest houses' mushroomed in mid '80s offering married men hiding joints with their lovers. Aba women are known to go for husband balls if caught cheating. Ngwa High School is not far from the other side of the road as well. I really miss Enyimba, i was there last in 2005 - sweet teenage memories!

Elueme: @OP , how could you condescend so low to lie to our responsible and integrity driven Nigerians on a hot afternoon like this? I know you have to impress your paymaster but you don't have resort to cheap blackmail cos you will look most foolish now.. I took time to peruse the achievements the said dedeike listed and Enugu-Portharcourt route isn't among the lists. The roads being massively constructed in the East oneofwhich is almost complete is Onitsha-Enugu and Owerri Portharcourt routes among others.. The said contract for the road you falsely accused dedeike for was awarded recently and some has started though not massive.. Please verify your facts.. This is my problem with some of you.. You mk your propaganda so cheap that you always look stupid in the end. You have ne'er won any debate logically.. The problem is most onlookers ll easily fall your victim cos of the disaffection they have on past Nigerian leaders but the earlier we understand that this admin mean well the better for the country.. In the meantime enjoi the fresh air

Dude, how recent have you driven on Enugu/Onitsha Road? PDP people have been using 'nearing completion' on that road since the last two years. You know what baffles me is, that the party's big wigs, Mr. Ekweremadu and Mrs. Madueke have the power to lobby Mr. President to finish that road faster.

@karlmax, Enugu-Onitsha 'Expressway' has been a nightmare since years. It used to be the most solid road in the East,but since the ruling party scrapped the entire surface for reconstructio, people were forced to use other routes or risk spending 3hrs on the 100km road.

Between 1982 to 1988, it took people like me 1hr,45minutes from Enugu to Aba, aboard VW Santana, 504 or 505. A distance of about 170km, looking at these photos, I'm sure it takes over 3hrs to cover the same distance today. Nigeria's maintenance culture is unacceptable! We can't continue to destroy ourselves like that, telling lies and stealing public money at every turn. Bad job from a company called 'Setraco', which has been doing terrible reconstruction work between Okigwe to Enugu is the result of Nigeria's endemic corruption. My stomach turns when i remember that the same company won the contract to reconstruct Enugu/Abakaliki Highway. And all the Igbo pimps in Abuja sit there and watch the vibrant East turned into Somalia?

The world's most chaotic city have new traffic laws? Not bad, if it will bring sanity on its roads. That means also, that the tag "City of Excellence Confusion" will be a thing of the past? Oya....

What a lucky president! I've been saving some cash, hoping to holiday in those beautiful Caribbean islands, especially Trinidad and Tobago. They've got some of the most beautiful women on earth. Their rums are said to be very potent as well.

The 'Deep South' that gave birth to KKK - Eveready to display their nazi instincts. Shameful!

Antivirus92: my brother, anybody that have seriously studied the igbo nation will know definetely that they are the same group of people with common anscestry. This sub-group of a thing is a fallacy. Dialects is natural becos as people move further away from their anscestral settlement,they disintegrate and dialect is the next thing that will happen. Guy just sit down one place and ask ur self why the igbo language is the same,culture and tradition and even character. Just ask ur self,if there are different sub-groups, which group is the original owners of the igbo language,custom,tradition etc, then why did other groups bury their language to embrace the language ,tradition,custom of one of the groups. Then check whether there are traces of dead language,tradition,custom in igbo land or do those different sub groups miracleously happen to have the same language,custom and tradition. The truth is that during slave trade and other heavy trades between igbos and non igbos, the igbos got in their mist some foreigners who were igbonised with time

I understand your argument. My opinion is that we should focus more on what unite or bind us, than on what divide us. We have a unique culture, though flawed in some aspect.Great cultures are the ones that evolves with time. Udo dili gi!

Ewu amugo n' ogbili! Hopefully they will not succeed in turning our towns to mafia enclaves.

Antivirus92: so u think that from ur post we cannot deduce that you are not an igbo? Our culture is already rich and developed,so we don't need advice from under-developed ethnicities like yoruba.

When I talk about developed ethnic nationalities, I mean like France; but most importantly I would prefer like Germany. Igbo people have many things in common with Germans. The inborn urge to be successful, to become an achiever, the scattered dialects and sub- groups within their common nationality, etc. I nuu'la?

Antivirus92: so u think that from ur post we cannot deduce that you are not an igbo? Our culture is already rich and developed,so we don't need advice from under-developed ethnicities like yoruba.

You surely don't understand what I've written. If you've read my other posts, you will know that I'm onye Igbo. I am from Nkanu West LGA, Enugu State. My hometown is Akpugo. The town of notable military men, sports people, academicians and Business people. Where do you know in Igboland?

The chanting of "Chino" shows that Ndigbo must strive to educate its people of the importance of unity, love, peace and understanding. The mentality of separatism must be abhorred in our flawed culture. Each of the 5 Igbo states have its strengths and weaknesses. The dominant of neo-conservatives like "Chino" will definitely spell doom for Ndigbo in our quest to be like other developed ethnic nationalities, where social justice is paramount.

My fastest speed was in 2008 on A81 between Singen and Stuttgart. I was speeding 230km/h, car was a Münchener 335 (BMW 2008 model) I leased that car from Eurocar; was on way from Zurich, Switzerland. If you've ever driven a car on German Autobahn, you know that it's where speed freaks show their muscles.Once I saw a Porsche GT doing about 300km/h on A8.
Whoever is comparing BMW M (Münchener) series to any Japanese models on Nigerian roads doesn't know much about cars.

The new kid on the block, Luanda Angola,showing petrol-dollar muscles with lots of construction works. After brutal 30yrs civil war, new investments on roads, housing and education has nearly wiped the physical memories of the war away - a demonstration of hope for the continent. I wish that Congo DRC recovers, it has mineral wealth to power on like Angola is currently doing.