₦airaland Forum

Roland17: Double overtime for a home victory against a stubborn O.J Mayo and the Mavs, thank God for the turnovers by the Mavs, Without K.G our defense is just whack, he must be dead drained after this game, am so not buying this new idea of leaving last second clutch shots to Rando, keep it with Pierce, he showed why he's the TRUTH.

Needed overtime to beat a Dirkless Dallas team? Why are the Celtics struggling this year? I look at the their roster and I'm thinking this team is good. So far I'm disappointed. Can't believe K.G. and Pierce are running out of gas. Yes, they lost Allen but they replaced him with a solid shooter (Jet) and better defender (Courtney Lee). They even have the Brazilian blur.

very puzzling team

Are the Knicks for real? Sitting atop the East, yet to lose at home and Jason kiddd discovers the fountain of yourh. What a story!

Amare coming back is not the main issue but with nut heads like JR Smith & Rasheed this team can still implode. We'll see. Gotham cIty is on a high right now but....

r231: Capital NO

How can the Lakers keep up with OKC, SAS, Memphis, or Clippers? They cant even keep up with the Cavs

Writing off the Lakers in Dec? Once upon a time in 2002, the Lakers stimbled out of the gate and wenf on to win it all. I say wait till after the all stars games, then....

So this old man stole a phone from a small boy! wonders will never end. Truly hunger will drive a man to do crazy things

Men! just can't stop laughing when I see the old man's pic

blkmum700: Every Electrical Electronic student should be able to teach Further Mathematics.

Partly true. Yes, he/she may be a subject matter specialist but not have the skills to teach. Ability to communicate and break down complex concepts that can be easily understood by Junior/High school kids is what makes a great teacher. There is some validity to the claim by the Teacher's Council.

Roland17: Oooo come on Man, are u really serious about this Knick thing they are a shooting team, they live and die by 3 points with a huge turn over ratio, they do not play any form of defense, their defenders foul out before the end of the 4th quarter, those shots would not fall every day and i still maintain my stance about them being a first round, at best second round post season team.

Am not buying that circus...

The Celtics pierced my heart tonight, a triple double by Rando, but we should have won that game, we are over reliant on K.G, but i loved the performance, especially defensively as a unit.

They've got great shooters but I don't believe they're just a shooting team. Two nights ago the Heat there were so many openings. the Heat's 3 point defense was atrocious. In fact I think this year, the Heat is one of the worst team defending the 3 point shot. '

Lets wait couple of months and see how good the knicks are. But tell you man this team is loaded and right now are scary. Rasheed brings a certain edge to this team. Bosh and Joel Anthony were simply brushed aside. And trust Sheed with his trash talking. With a weak eastern conference they should be at the top 3. Remember the Knick have guys that have seen it all in the playoffs and even won rings.

[quote author=A-40]I remember telling a ninja on this thread that the Knicks may be on to something. This is the 2nd beatdown they are handing the Heat already this season this time in Miami sans Melo sans Stoudemire! The first game sans Stoudemire
I think one of the best decisions they made in a long time was not falling for the Linsanity hype.
Felton has been a massive upgrade so far.
At a point they need to look at themselves and realize they are better than getting slapped around by the Heat and Celts. Cos they have the talent and the depth and Mike Woodson is a very good coach



Where else can he go??


Lool Kobe is the exception not the norm

The Heat do need Wade to be Wade as LeBron has shown us in the past that he can't do it by his lonesome[/quote]I also thought not signing Lin was a mistake; not anymore. That was a smart move by Dolan. Did Dolan made a smart decision or luck?

Seriously this Knicks roster is so weird. They've got the 4 of leagues' oldest player (Kidd, Wallace, Camby & Thomas), 3 players with rings and 2 top players (Amare & Anthony) chasing their first ring.

Still early days yet so I'll wait until after the all star break for a better sense on this team. But that game last night? wow! what can I say

Sincere 9gerian: I'm surprised you'r falling for the cheap propaganda of these internet bandits. No matter how you look at it, a score of 27 over 100 is better than a score of 2.4 over 10. Forget the stupid formula @Gbawe.,was trying to push. Any formula outside the official ranking by TI is nonsense. I can only be objectively convinced that there was no improvement in our ranking if it can be shown that the 6 or 7 countries not including in this year ranking were ALL ranked ABOVE Nigeria in 2011(which is almost impossible). Otherwise, the propagandist have no case. Also, you need to also take into consideration the MASSIVE propaganda to PORTRAY Nigeria as the MOST corrupt country in the world by DIE HARD anti-GEJ elements? This is important because even the TI ranking is based mostly on PERCEPTION. This can only be likened to SCREAMING THIEF,THIEF at a man who is struggling to build a better image. In that sort of scenerio, how do you know the man has changed for the better? Therefore, if you minus the massive propaganda, Nigeria would have done better. Even if, without conceding, that the country maintained the same position as last yr, DESPITE the ONSLAUGHT and PROPAGANDA, that itself is progress. The full weight of the propaganda this yr was enough to push the ranking of Nigeria down to the MOST CORRUPT country in the world.
Anyway, i strongly believe that our ranking in 2013 will be much better because the propagandists are already exhausting all their arsenal.

The TI made changes to their methodology in 2012. See FAQ below. So don't place too much value to any small change. Let's wait to see 2013 numbers.
http://www.transparency.org/cpi2012/in_detail#myAnchor7

Nevertheless, corruption continues to bring undue hardship and poverty in Nigeria and the ruling elite (especially this govt) has no desire nor will to tackle this cancer.

Sincere 9gerian: Make no mistake about it. Some of us are not 'celebrating' the latest TI ranking even though those who see themselves as sworn enemies of the govt of the day 'celebrate' negative news, some of which are MANUFACTURED. However, my point is that the positive news should also be reported, just the same way negative news(whether manufactured or not) are reported. Is that TOO MUCH to ask?

This is not positive news, its same 'ol same 'ol. Leave aside this ranking and ask yourself, sincerely (since that's your name) if you know any positive move by Jonathan to fight corruption?

Read the 2013 budget proposal for instance to get a flavor of the rot with this govt. The budget is riddled with line items that's only "money for the boys". Set aside over N900 million on food, refreshment for President & VP
http://www.budgetoffice.gov.ng/2013-budget_details/1.%20Summary_Presidency.pdfsal

PointB: What is the point of going 5 years back, when the government you have built your argument on is barely 2 years old? Do you believe it is reasonable to blame the current regime for corrupt practices of incidents of 5 years ago? I think not.

What I expected objective critic to do is to compare the TI rating of last year with this rating to conclude if under the current government, it is indeed getting worse or better. Any other comparison, such as you proposed, is mischievous and lack objectivity!

This isn't about Jonathan. He's a status quo leader and has never demonstrated the will to fight corruption. He doesn't have the mental fortitude; that's his nature. Unfortunately, Nigerians voted for him and for better for worse, are stuck with him for the next 2 yrs.

No my concern is that anyone Nigerian can accept this mediocre ranking as improvement. Remember, this is only a perception index that's akin to a poll or research. We're still rocking at the bottom with the Pakistanis and Tajikistans after all hue and cry by Jonathan. Corruption is so pervasive in our country that one miniscule movement changes nothing. No serious person should pay attention to this latest ranking.

taharqa: This is d most FOOOLISH comment here; well done. 'if you ask Nigerians they will tell u that corruptn is same or even worse dan 15yrs ago', *smh*. Who told does gullible Nigerians to think so (assuming it is even true) if not for the LIES and HALF-TRUTHS that goons like u churn out? Who shld we bliv: data from TI or data from desperate power mongers and dier agents? You, my frnd, mk Mr. Stu.pid look wise

TI result is ony one data source. Smart minds will analyze and ovrelay with information elsewhere to get a picture of what's happening. Dumb people (like you) imbibe the data and accept it as gospel truth without putting things in context. Bet you don't understand that

Corruption facts: We spend billions of Naira every year on lawmakers to do nothing in Abuja.

PointB: Isn't it better that we hold bragging right over them, than for them to hold it over us? Or are you just criticizing for the sake of it? To the extent that marginal improvement count for noting in your book, but a drop will suit you better?

Guy, if the guy on the street measure stuff by their belly, must you join them? Isn't it your duty to objectively analyze issue, in such a manner that differentiate you from the guy on the street? Corruption and looting is not on the rise, unless you believe in the propaganda sold to the guy on the street. On the contrary, corruption and looting are been exposed rather than the grand cover up we were used to in the past.

Thanks to transparency in the current regime, we now have an idea how much is spent annually at Aso Rock for feeding and entertainment of staff and guests. Do you know how was spent during Obj and Yar Adua era for same purpose? I guess not!

But objective people hear the figures, and scream "looting", folks like us see the same and start with "transparency" before further analysis. I guess, that's where the difference lies between propaganda and objective criticism. Nuff said!

Comparing 2 data points (last yr vs. this year) is not a trend. Let's see the next 4 - 5 yrs if our score continues to improve. That's how you judge improvement in transparency level. You want to celebrate the 27 score? go ahead, that's ok

The bolded: Now we know Nigeria is spending an obscene amount for feeding a corrupt govt machine. And even with the knowledge and acceptance that N 1 billion is too high, did Jonathan slash the feeding and other wasteful spending? And yet you accept corruption level is improving. Gee! The kool aid served by this govt is made of potent stuff

kulutempa: Point of correction sir.

2011: 143rd out of 182 countries 182 - 143 = 39th most corrupt country (39 places from Somalia the most corrupt)

2012: 139th out of 176 countries 176- 139 = 37th most corrupt country (37 places from Somalia the most corrupt)

39 from the bottom to 37 from the bottom means you are going down the rankings not improving. In relative terms and compared to other basket cases, we have actually done worse

I'm talking level of transparency; you mean the opposite (corruption). The more transparent a country is perceived to be, the higher it scores and ranks. So Denmark is the cleanest and scores 90 while Nigerian is one of the most corrupt and scores 27

You're looking at the table from below. No sweat. Message is the same: corruption level is very high in Nigeria

jmaine: Increased ranking means nothing . . .But decreased rating is good enough to mastvbate recklessly init . . . The kind of steez we entertain all in the name of being called a critic

On corruption, most Nigerians are realist but a few are delusional. Let the govt celebrate this result all night long; We all know matter for ground.

PointB: Yet we must call a spade a spade. The country amass 27% as against 24% it achieved last time around. Slice or dice it anyhow you like, it is an improvement. Lest we forget, it was the same TI that once rated Nigeria the worst performer in the time past. Do we accept their rating when it suits our agenda of destruction criticism, and refuse it when it confutes it. With such duality, are we then better than the one we seek to 'correct' (that's if the intention is not sinister)

No one said the government has done enough stamp out corruption. But the argument raised by most objective poster is that 'there is an improvement' at least in the level of transparency. Is it enough, certainly not as more can and should be done. But painting doom and gloom and claiming things are worse to the extent of bandying mischievous figures as total money stolen by the current government as done by the Punch Newspaper is as callous as it is fallacious. In the end those who bandied such fallacy in the name of criticizing the government create more problem than the intend to solve.

Today, adept Nigerians recognise Sahara Reporters as purveyor of lies and propaganda. Won't it be sad if Punch and other normally reliable news media join in this ignoble practice.

Again, criticism should be balance, and objective should prevail. And it is in that respect that we must first recognize 27 as an improvement over 24 in the TI ranking and give credit to whom it due rather than peddling entrenched prejudice.

Holding bragging rights over countries like Eritrea, Somalia or Tajikistan is improvement? We're still neck and neck with Pakistan, a perennial offender and true symbol of corruption.

Ask Nigerians on the street if they believe the level of corruption has reduced compared to say 15 yrs ago. They'll tell you Same or getting worse. People only believe what they see. Everyday na the same thing: Corrupt politicians looting the treasury (on the rise); Custom officers exhorting money (still rising); Govt officials demanding bribes to provide service (still a way of life).

This improved ranking means nothing. Election is in 2 yrs time, so expect our ranking to fall in 2014/2015. And I'm sure you know why.

Now the issue of banning Okada has turned into tribal chest beating and mudslinging

No matter the city Enugu, Aba, Lagos or Kaduna these bikers have become a menace and should be banned. Given the population and importance of Lagos, its more urgent.

People need to chill and remember that Lagos is not a Yoruba enclave. It's a vibrant city that’s thriving due to the diversity of tribes who call this city home. I say this as a Yoruba who grew up in Lagos.

[quote author=Toppié2]just calm down, can't you comment without swearing? mental laziness at its peak indeed! As far as i know, this is a public forum and i'm entitled to my own opinion regardless of what anyone thinks.
Read my other posts, i'm not standing in for those motorcyclists whose livelihood "would" be threatened but those of us that would be affected if the government does not provide alternative means of transportation before motorcycle is banned; especially in areas where people solely depend on bikes. Who says motorcycle shouldn't be banned? It's not my headache if you think otherwise!
And until today, i never knew Lagos is now the only state in the SW![/quote]I don't agree with the "wait till we have alternative" approach. Govt may start dragging its feet to implement solutions if there'e no urgency. Also, the next Governor may play the populist card and decide not to ban Okada saying it will cause too much suffering for people. No ban it immediately and start developing a comprehensive transport system. Enough of Okada on our streets. Lagos should aspire to world class statues and not compete with cities in Benin, Togo or Mali.

Lagsoisns deserve better

Dipwater: I am not against banning okada but banning without the provision of alternative is the worst
People are suffering in lagos after the ban .armed robbers have taken it to another level .its complete breakdown of law and order .naija which way?

Nigerians are fond of supporting useless govt policies as long as it doesn't affect their own biness .put urself in their shoes and u will feel their pains .yes I agree with everyone in support of the okada ban but their things to consider b4 the ban

Things like

Unemployment

Security of lives and properties; some of those okada rider wuld end up as robbers terrorizing lagos state .we know some wuld be caught and set ablaze ,what about the lives and properties that wuld be lost b4 they are caught,the pains and scares they will leave behind .

We are truthful to ourselves ,areaboys(agberos) are still roaming about causing hardship in lagos state, the so called fashola can not do any thing about it.

No roads ,water transportation has gone into extinction,monorails are not in place ,the danfo drivers are as crazy asthe okada riders ,no bus stops,govt agencies like etc are very corrupt ,no link roads to ease traffic. And we have banned okada

Ok nau suffering continues ,I can see the life expectancy dropping from 46 to 26 and if u are above 26 ur clock is ticking u might drop dead any moment from now

For how long must we rely on Okada? Immediate ban is the best approach. Solutions are there and the ban may hasten implementation. No more excuses. We don't need dangerous bike riders on our streets anymore. Period

afam4eva: I think they should have proffered an alternative to okadas. We only know how to condemn but never profer solutions.

The Lagos state govt is already implementing some of the solutions; its just taking time

First thing first: Get rid of Okada. Lagosians will be better off without these two-wheel menace on the street. After all, before the dawn of Okada Lagosians moved freely from the Mainland to Island to Ikeja.

5 yrs is too long. One year is enough time to rid our cities of Okada. They should be confined to the villages and rural areas.

Okada was never the solution to transportation challenges for Lagos. Previous government should have acted quickly to ban it before it became a way of life. Kudos to Fashola for getting rid of this menace. He should go one step further and ban it completely in all roads in Lagos.

As for Okada riders, tough luck. They should find something else to do. Riding a bike recklessly all day is not a sustainable livelihood. In any policy decisions there are net gainers and losers. Lagosians are the winners in this Okada ban. I bet you in 3 yrs time we'll all breathe a sigh of relieve that these dangerous riders are off our street.

It's only effective as the website owner wants it to be. If you put "Contact Me" on your site and don't reply potential customers' emails or call back, then it's useless. In fact, customer may believe you're not a serious business if you don't get back.

Always reply to "Contact me" requests within a reasonable time frame (I'll say 24 hrs). You never know, the person asking to speak with you may turn out to be the customer that helps your business grow.

Seriously must these pastors travel to Jakarta and other foreign land to preach the word of God? There are millions of souls in Nigeria to be saved. They should focus on helping the destitute and the poor in NIgeria first. Besides these countries also have local pastors

Orikinla: Majority of them are unemployed, because they are too Lazy to read and think.

Here is an opportunity for unemployed graduates on https://www.nairaland.com/1059699/first-nollywood-outdoor-cinema-workshop.

You are the lazy bum to think so lowly of the unemployed.

People want real jobs in engineering, technology, nursing, teaching etc. Jobs that uplifts individuals while contributing to the development of our nation.

The opportunity you mentioned here is garbage and a scam. Luring people to fake seminars and asking them to part with N25,000.

manny4life: Wall street NEVER EVER like Obama, you don't blame them

WSJ is a Republican chop shop. and this proves it

cap28: Has it occurred to you that tv is all about entertainment and drawing in viewers?

dragon's den is just another form of entertainment just like so much stuff thats on tv - its objective is not meant to educate or inform but to titillate you, to evoke a certain type of reaction from you, its also aimed at conditioning you in a very subtle way, therefore to base any constructive thought on a tv programme in my opinion is very naive. There is nothing genuine about this programme or the so called investors - at the end of the day the programme's objective is to draw in as many viewers as possible in order to increase the volume of viewers thereby justifying further productions and of course money for the producers - how do you know whether the applicants are not speakign from prepared scripts? how do you know whether everything that the dragons say is scripted ? I find it really strange that the investors were so interested in her family background because they never usually are with the other applicants, perhaps this was just another way to make this particular episode more interesting. we now know that most of the so called reality shows are scripted and set up so why would this one be any different, tv is one of the most powerful mediums used in the western world to condition and control the mode of thinking of western populations, it is so powerful that some people can not distinguish between real life and tv and very often you find many people here in the west acting out what they see on tv due to the relentless brainwashing that they are fed day in and day out.

by the way Levi Roots' reggae reggae sauce is poison - i bought a few bottles in tescos and its absolutely disgusting so i have no idea who is actually buying that crap - which begs the question who in their right mind would invest in a product that bad.

You're quite correct; it's all entertainment.

Personally, I find it condescending and patronizing. Couple of rich white folks helping a talented, young, black lady grow her business. Gimme a break! Life just not like that for black folks in any white dominated country. And telling her personal story seems so fake and scripted.

Why should any smart business person invest without getting answers to critical questions about revenue generation, plans on getting customers, overhead costs, potential profit etc. Instead the focus is on her personal story.

Sourcing for INTERNS through a website? Really! How many businesses will fork out 100 pounds per month just to get access to interns? Even if she gets 100 customers (a highly optimistic number), that's only 10,000 pounds a month. How is this biz going to pay for itself? Clever girl. I think she'll just take the 50k and invest in some other biz.

Hopefully, the publicity generated on dragons den may help attract visitors to the site in the short term only. Generating and sustaining traffic to a online business is very EXPENSIVE. Building the web tools and platforms is only the beginning.

The whole things looks like a sham designed to attract young black audience for Dragon's den. Period.

This Trump's latest stunt is to stroke the racial fire. He's trying to make the usual racial point that Obama is dumb and only got to Harvard because of affirmative action. He also made a statement couple of weeks back that Obama should stop monkeying with the numbers

Sarah Palin same thing yesterday with her "shuck & jive" comment yesterday

John Sunnunu telling Obama to "learn how to be an American"

The right wing racial machine is now in full swing.

Sadly, this attempt to play the racial card is working. This may be the deepest racial split in any presidential election.

mr jangola: Yeye nigerians wetin, concern una w obama vs romney, how does dat affect d price of garium sulphate. Or make fuel available in kaduna. Aproko nairalanders.

More engaging & interesting. Better that reading stuff like: just vote umbrera, this election na do or die, ballot boxes stolen at NAHCO shed, PDP thugs cause mayhem at Oshodi

semid4lyfe: I hate to say this but it seems Obama will be a one-term President

2 weeks ago, I also thought Romney was heading for victory; not anymore.

I think Romney may win the popular vote but not electoral college. Obama just needs these states Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada or Iowa and its game over. Right now, according to polls, Obama has a solid or slim lead in these states.

Unseating an incumbent is never an easy task. Obama under performed in his first term, but I'll still give him a C+. This seems to be the overwhelming sentiment: better the devil I know than the angel I don't know

See their wretched, hungry faces

proO1: The tyranny of the majority is in full swing, and it is disgraceful to say the least. It's now so bad that the obtuse mods had to bar my regular handle from commenting on this topic, because they assumed that my opinion wouldn't sheepishly align with that of the majority!

JP Phillips made very valid postulations on this matter, and I'm not surprised that most posters are baying for his blood - just like the Aluu mob they hypocritically loathe - simply because he dares to hold a different view.

The fact remains that the police are playing to the gallery in this matter, as I suspected they would. The overly sentimental and illogical public outcry from the outset had already compromised the investigations and guranteed that there could only be ONE outcome - an outcome that appeals to the biased sensibilities of the public.

Most people already blindly and stubbornly presumed these 'fine boys' were innocent from the beginning, without bothering to ask/care about anything else. The current IGP is a man who prides himself as a media sweetheart; a man who is a master in the art of ingratiating himself with the public, and swimming with the tide of public opinion. As such, it would tarnish his public image if he 'allows' the investigation reveal anything that even remotely negates what the tyrannical majority already believe. If the IGP finds out that these boys were cultists, and that they in fact went with a gun to extort/threaten a fellow student, he would BURY that evidence simply because that is not what the public wants to hear. He is condemned to feed the public with only what they prefer to hear.

Now, how on earth is the said Coxson Lerebori a "mastermind" of anything? Have the police proved that he PLANNED the boys' murder by luring them to his house at midnight and colluding with the local mob to kill all four of them? If he simply raised the JUSTIFIED alarm that some cultists were subjecting him to violence in his own house, and then local vigilantes intervened to rescue him from his tormentors, how on earth does that make him a mastermind of anything? The world is truly a terrible place, considering how biased and deliberately blind-to-reason most people can be!

You are entitled to your own view; that's your right. The FACT of this case is simple: A barbaric crowd gathered to kill and burn to death four human beings. Not plank of woods; but human beings. Regardless of the mitigating circumstances, this is UNACCEPTABLE human behavior. There is no rationale for this and we must crush this in our society.

Thankfully, the video provided enough evidence to convict the wicked and despicable individuals that took part.

jp philips: Total bullish ignorance, once the boy can prove his life was threatened that night, perhaps present neighbors as witnesses, his lawyer will argue on self defense,
any sane judge will discharge him ASAP.

the only problem i foresee is the parents of the boys bribing the judge to thwart justice. Nigeria justice system is that porous.

You don't get it. do you? This is the outrage most of us feel: That in modern day Nigeria, anybody can still be LYNCHED AND BURNT to death in broad day light. This is a level of barbarism that is truly alien to any civilized society. Also, the inevitable break down of law and order resulting from this barbaric behavior, means people are no longer safe in the streets.

The guilt or innocence of those boys is irrelevant. Period

That Policemen were actually present when this heinous crime was been carried out is really alarming.

The more I learn about this tragedy I get so mad

Let see: Four innocent boys lynched to death but armed police men couldn't save them because they were chased away with sticks and stones. And the IGP can say this with a straight face? Incredible!

And one of the suspect is a woman Cynthia Chinwo wow!