₦airaland Forum

folks pls ignore my last comment. I mistakenly posted it on the wrong topic. oops!

Fhemmmy:
So is there a way forward at all?
I have always known we have a problem, when we are not able to give light to the people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Amigo, the only way forward is to hold this Govt accountable. How? I suggest all Labour Unions (not Just the NLC) negotiate and demand a linkage between fuel subsidy removal and project implementation. Example:

20% reduction in subsidy starting in April 2012 for the next 5yrs. Yearly increment will be tied to tangible implementation of projects in key areas: completion of refineries, building of roads, Improvement in power supply etc. For instance, if by April 2013 an agreed upon project is not completed then Govt cannot increase prices.

Does the Labour Union have the stamina or will to stand up to this Govt? Sadly, I don't think so, but wish I'm wrong

The issue is not about reverting to N65, but ensuring Jonathan is held to his promise to develop our infrastructures.

Fhemmmy:
Yes, i do agree that Nigeria could do a lot of things and we dont have to depends on just Oil, but then we have govt that fart thru their head  . . .  Where would someone that is yet to even get money to drink gari get money to get land to farm or even eat to have energy to farm?

Amigo, the only way forward is to hold this Govt accountable. How? I suggest all Labour Unions (not Just the NLC) negotiate and demand a linkage between fuel subsidy removal and project implementation. Example:  

20% reduction in subsidy starting in April 2012 for the next 5yrs. Yearly increment will be tied to tangible implementation of projects in key areas: completion of refineries, building of roads, Improvement in power supply etc.  For instance, if by April 2013 an agreed upon project is not completed then Govt cannot increase prices.

Does the Labour Union have the stamina or will to stand up to this Govt? Sadly, I don't think so, but wish I'm wrong

The issue is not about reverting to N65, but ensuring Jonathan is held to his promise to develop our infrastructures.

Breaking News: Nigerian Oil refineries working at full capacity. Hallelujah! fantastic news.  

Waking up from my dream: abi na Story story?

Fhemmmy:
I just would like someone to tell us how come the refinery have not been fully functional before, is it money, is it human power or just selfishness and corruption?

This people can't tell even us why N1.3 trillion was spent on subsidy, and you want them to answer this kind question. The "C" word; that should give you a clue.

terrykarl:
reverting to 65 naira maybe politically correct but will amount to government committing economic harakiri,a compromise arrangement  of 100 naira per litre will do in the short term while government put the pallliatives in place

Why are we so quick to raise the white flag in this country? Why are you so gullible? Hundreds of billions of dollar have been budgeted over the years to develop Nigeria; result: zilch. And you believe $ 7 billion will suddenly transform the economy?

Well keeping on enjoying Jonathan's kool-aid

boy t:
I want the subsidy removed moderately, e.g 100Naira/lit. should be good for all and also to discourage unnecessary fuel smuggling outside the country. secondly,  Nigerian don't pay taxes enough, [b]so the govt. need money to  move the country to  a better standard. A little bit of sacrifices from the  citizens would also [/b]help, instead of sitting back and hoping for a magic govt to provide ALL amenities for free because we are OPEC member.

You really trust this govt to do the right thing? SMH

Govt is asking Nigerians to make sacrifice, yet billions of Naira has been allocated this year to feed Jonathan and buy him new cars. N45 million to read newspapers, over N1 billion to maintain Aso Rock.  

Get hold of this year's budget proposal and you'll quickly change your mind about making sacrifices for these thieving bastards

Labour union should only agree to a proposal that holds this govt accountable. It's not only about reversing it back to N65 but ensuring this Govt. keeps its promise to  

- A 20% reduction in subsidy starting in April 2012 and for the next 5yrs. Yearly increment will be tied to tangible implementation of projects in key areas: completion of refineries, building of roads, Improvement in power supply etc.  For instance, if by April 2013 an agreed upon project is not completed then Govt cannot increase prices.

- Cut in salary for all Federal elected officials. 25% cut in basic salary and 50% cut for all other allowances. Plus a firm commitment to cut wasteful spending in the budget. Allocating N18.5 billion for Aso Rock is a prime example.

-  An independent investigation into the N1.3 trillion subsidy for this year and overall oil subsidy regime. Forget that Senate investigation; that's just show and tell. I just don't know who can handle this

- Reject any palliative measures. We don't need that crap. This is only for Jonah and his boys to chop money  

This is the way to go; if not this govt will come back in 2yrs or 3yrs and  tell us the economy is collapsing and they need to remove oil subsidy

studyineu:
@occam, wots your own here. We have our own issue to face. OIL subsidy is not our problem and will never be one. So if you don't know what to say better close your mouth. Ah ah ah

l
Look nation of Biafra is dead. finito. let's focus on more pressing and important matters. Now oil subsidy is not your issue; but you benefited too. Men!

we dey talk about oil subsidy and its impact on the masses, you people are talking about a dead man. seriously, what's the matter with our igbo brothers?

989900:
Ahead of the tripartriate negotiation in Abuja involving the Executive, National Assembly leadership and the unions, [b]the Jonathan Administration is considering a mechanism aimed at subsidising aspects of petrol pricing and bringing down the cost to around N120 per litre or up to 20% subsidy in the interim.

Labour is also said to be willing to propose a shift in the commencement date of the deregulation policy from April to March subject to agreement and milestones. They are said to be disposed to phased deregulation.

These three items form the agenda for the meeting for this evening.
[/b]
--from this day http://www.thisdayonline.com/

We await final agreement. This govt proposal is a non starter and should be rejected by the labour union.

imagine all this wahala for N120 per litre. Really depressing. I have a bad feeling this labour guys can't stand up to Jonathan

OAM4J:
Anything above N100 should be a no no for now

seconded

LeoMax:
There is no going back. CPC and ACN party is going on daily at Gani's arena I guess,

This GEJ minister reminds me of the comical information minister for Saddam Hussien during the Gulf war

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s27Oq5ot0ZI

989900:
Budget Office of the Federation Federal Ministry of Finance 1 2012 FGN Budget - Proposal FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA
2012 BUDGET


TOTAL STATE HOUSE HQTRS ALLOCATION:                                        18 344 524 169

PERSONNEL COST                                                                                  2 028 544 570

SALARY                                                                                                  1 646 866 288

SALARIES AND WAGES                                                                          1 646 866 288

CONSOLIDATED SALARY                                                                          1 368 213 359

OVER TIME PAYMENTS                                                                             278 652 929

ALLOWANCES AND SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION                                             381 678 282

ALLOWANCES                                                                                             210 651 612

NON REGULAR ALLOWANCES                                                                     210 651 612

SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS                                                                             171 026 670

NHIS                                                                                                                68 410 668

CONTRIBUTORY PENSION                                                                              102 616 002

TOTAL GOODS AND NON - PERSONAL SERVICES - GENERAL                   9 205 179 599

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT                                                           2 012 198 825

OVERHEAD COST                                                                                   7 192 980 775

TRAVEL& TRANSPORT - GENERAL                                                           1 674 811 793

LOCAL TRAVEL & TRANSPORT:     TRAINING                                              118 479 835

LOCAL TRAVEL & TRANSPORT: OTHERS                                                      605 303 573

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL & TRANSPORT: TRAINING                                      164 022 554

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL & TRANSPORT: OTHERS                                      787 005 830

UTILITIES - GENERAL                                                                              265 121 871

ELECTRICITY CHARGES                                                                                85 209 564

TELEPHONE CHARGES                                                                                56 483 025

WATER RATES                                                                                                42 941 329

LEASED COMMUNICATION LINES(S)                                                                80 487 953

MATERIALS & SUPPLIES - GENERAL                                                           1 332 637 265

OFFICE STATIONERIES / COMPUTER CONSUMABLES                              343 299 190

BOOKS                                                                                                        12 273 286

NEWSPAPERS                                                                                                45 081 353

MAGAZINES & PERIODICALS                                                                          8 703 967

PRINTING OF NON SECURITY DOCUMENTS                                              121 248 260

DRUGS & MEDICAL SUPPLIES                                                                      314 323 463

TEACHING AIDS / INSTRUCTION MATERIALS                                                10 741 419

FOOD STUFF / CATERING MATERIALS SUPPLIES                                      476 966 327

MAINTENANCE SERVICES - GENERAL                                                   2 438 638 672

MAINTENANCE OF MOTOR VEHICLE / TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT                      382 317 777

MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE FURNITURE                                                        53 387 659

MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE BUILDING / RESIDENTIAL QTRS                   1 736 208 393

MAINTENANCE OF OFFICE / IT EQUIPMENTS                                              137 827 111

MAINTENANCE OF PLANTS/GENERATORS                                                        15 215 500

OTHER MAINTENANCE SERVICES                                                              113 682 232

TRAINING - GENERAL                                                                              269 680 160

LOCAL TRAINING                                                                                        86 471 699

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING                                                                      183 208 461

OTHER SERVICES - GENERAL 0

SECURITY SERVICES -

CONSULTING & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - GENERAL                                86 270 690

FINANCIAL CONSULTING                                                                                82 500 152

LEGAL SERVICES                                                                                          3 770 539

FUEL & LUBRICANTS - GENERAL                                                              168 722 871


ALL FIGURES IN NAIRA

Over N18 billion allocated for upkeep of Aso Rock and to maintain Jonathan & Patience, yet  they're asking Nigerians to make sacrifices

Some of the line items are just insane: 161 Million to buy new buses, N45 million to read newspapers in this age of the internet,  
N 173 million for Honorarium & Sitting Allowance (and what the heck is that!)

This budget proposal reveals a level of waste that's mind boggling. Iweala should be sent back to Washington for putting forward this budget proposal.    

Anyone supporting this increase in petrol prices should bury their head in shame.  Nuff said

hercules07:
@occam

Why u dey call my name?

with a heavy name like that, na only u fit do the job

Seun:
Fuel is primarily consumed in productive activities. It's consumed when you go to work every morning and return home every evening. It's consumed when you run a generator to power the equipment needed for your business. It's consumed when any product is transported from the point of production to where it's needed, e.g. veggies from the north to the south. It's consumed when you manufacture things. It's consumed by tractors during the practice of agriculture by farmers. You can't produce anything without consuming power, and most power comes from fuel.  

Subsidizing fuel consumption subsidizes the production of almost anything you can imagine. Even when fuel is used for pure consumption, like powering your generator to watch a Nollywood movie, or a Fan so you can sleep at night, it contributes to your mental health, which also helps your performance at work. So subsidizing fuel consumption is much smarter than you would initially think. Fuel subsidies are smarter than many other forms of government expenditure, because people will use the subsidized fuel for activities that benefit them most, whether productive or otherwise.

Good points. Yet Sanusi makes this hair splitting difference between subsidy for production and consumption.

Implementing this your idea in Nigeria will be a herculean task. I can see every govt official/civil servant becoming "mekunu" (poor man) in order to get more fuel vouchers. The bureaucratic cost alone will be too high

Kobojunkie:
The Seun or Segun Kuti man asked some good questions


a) At what rate are our local refineries really working? I heard some days ago from Jonathan Goodlucks own mouth that all 3 are running at ~90%. However,Nigeria is still importing about the same amount, even more, as it did back when the reports had the refining rate at 30%?

b) Also, Why is locally refined fuel selling at the same rate as imported fuel?

In all this discussion, Nigerian govt never answered this question. This is one of the reason we can never trust all the figures pumped out daily by Iweala

abbey621:
Another example of ignorance, calling Lithonia a rural part of Georgia, enough of your glaring misguidance, and talking about predicaments, how much have you contributed to the Nigerian economy? You made reference to someone earning 20,000 naira per month, why didn't such a person protest the condition of the refineries or the fact that there's too much corruption, why wait till it hits home before doing something? The answer is simple, most Nigerians are guided by this simple philosophy: If it doesn't affect me, then wetin come be my own. A philosophy that got us to this very predicament, why must we wait till the removal of fuel subsidy before protesting, we watched the government continue to steal billions of naira and infrastructure and basic ammenities such as electricity and security dwindle down, nobody said anything but now because everyone is hooked on fuel, there's an uproar! Nigeria is one messed up country and unless true deregulation happens, it will continue to be an hell hole for the poor and a fountain of wealth for the rich, the choice is yours, support deregulation or continue with the way things have been for the past few decades, no infrastructure, no stable form of electricity and definitely no security, enough said!

I suggest you get off your soapbox and discuss the key issues about this oil subsidy:  

Issue 1: [/b]Govt asserts that [b]some [/b]of the N1.4 trillion spent on oil subsidy is lost due to corrupt practices in the subsidy regime. Why not go after these corrupt minority instead of passing the cost on the vast majority. A responsible government will act in the best interest of the masses and not shield their corrupt buddies in the oil industry. Some petroleum experts and economist still dispute the number put forward by Iweala.

[b]Issue 2: Increasing petrol pump prices will not yield tangible benefits as long as supply bottlenecks (decaying infrastructure, bad roads, lack of power etc) persist within the economy. This is a very counter productive move.

Issue 3: Nigerians do not trust this government to spend any money saved wisely. Anyone that seriously believes this government to act prudently is surely living in cloud cuckoo land. Besides, most of the contracts for projects will be awarded  to their thieving buddies.

Issue 4: This government does not understand the real impact of petrol price increase on the economy.  Did they undertake any assessment of its the impact on overall economic activity and living standard of Nigerians? Sanusi & Iweala (Nigeria's economic brain trust) claim that subsidy benefits mainly the middle class driving jeeps around Lagos. Really?

abbey621:
Don't be naive! The U.S has other forms of energy and it has fully working refineries! You people need to wake up and smell the coffee,never compare the U.S to Nigeria, even Saudi Arabia and Qatar are better off because they have refineries that work and don't have to import refined oil. Nigerians are not getting it, we are not an oil rich nation because we can't refine our own oil, what's the purpose of raw cassava if you can't turn it into garri. Instead of a protest on getting the refineries back to working order, useless NLC and other unions are busy protesting fuel subsidy, if government should return fuel subsidy, Nigeria is still in big trouble, not only would we remain underdeveloped but the whole country risks going bankrupt, with corrupt leaders stealing money and the people continuing to enjoy what they can't afford, Nigeria would become the laughing stock of Africa. Greedy people,you compare yourselves to the U.S., how many of you can pay the taxes levied in the U.S? How many of you follow the law? You complain of drainage problems but are the ones throwing rubbish into the drains, you complain of no electricity yet you refuse to protest to the government, our graduates are rendered useless because of lack of employment, how can there be jobs, when the government can't afford to pay it's salaries and subsidize the economy at the same time. GEJ realizes that he can't stop corruption, it's bigger than him, so he plans on giving the people the tools necessary to effect change, starting with the removal of fuel subsidy and the privatization of NEPA, if after a year things don't look better then you can start complaining but as for now, you people are barking up the wrong tree.

Living in a rural Georgia town perhaps clouds your understanding of the issues confronting Nigeria.

Corruption in the oil industry is the real culprit and GEJ has to confront it. Jacking up the price of petrol by over 100% is a shallow approach that will result in unnecessary suffering and impact on economic activity. Too many small businesses, people living on the margins, rural dwellers and urban low income earners, will bear the full brunt of a sudden jump in petrol prices.

Responsible governments do not act this way. Gradual removal of subsidy spread over 5 yrs while developing mass transit and other infrastructures is a smarter approach. Right now, power supply is now in the back burner with all these palaver on oil subsidy removal

Asking someone on N20, 000 per month to bear the pain while N1 billion will be spent on feeding GEJ and his family, underscores the folly of leadership in Nigeria.

[quote author=ekt_bear link=topic=838429.msg9891723#msg9891723 date=1325664418]BTW, lest anyone try to tribalize this. . .

There are several other prominent companies (including Capital Oil) who also make money from the fuel subsidy.

Everyone enjoys making money, regardless of tribe. So let's not use this to say that one group is holy and another is not.[/quote]Posting a shallow write up by the Economist does not mean Nigerians after to accept this removal of subsidy. The real problem is corruption in the oil industry which GEJ is afraid to tackle. Even the Economist article that you referenced also pointed this out:

"The subsidies also highlight the tortuous ways of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has deliberately overestimated the cost of importing refined products and then pockets what is left over."

Why is GEJ and Okonjo-Iweala pushing the cost of corruption on innocent Nigerians? Can't they go after the real culprits?

The N1.4 trillion spending quoted by Iweala is bogus. Most sane people know that the figure is inflated by crooked Oil marketers in conjunction with corrupt Govt officials.

Atouba:
Its not only the ones that sell NIgerian used cars but even the ones that sell the so called tokunboh cars. Imagine one posting a 2005 pathfinder with almost 180k miles(about 260,000 km already),basic options for N3.5m?? How many more weeks do I use the car before I start replacing the entire car all over again? Another posted a 2007 (he called it 2008)lexus Gx 470 for N8.5m? How much is it to buy a new one then? I would rather go take a loan and add to buy a new one instead of buying a 4 year old car at that price. One daft posted a used(with considerable mileage) GL550 for N15m? When a brand new one,2011 model,highest package with all the utilities MB ever thought of goes for $76,580( about N12m) including transport,destination charges,all taxes and shipping. Some will say that is not the last price so you can negotiate. How will i start negotiating for a used car that is way more expensive than a brand new one with more options? Does it sound logical? Do they think everyone is a politician,another pseudo name for thieves in Nigeria who put spending before thinking at all? bleep!
There are a few of them though that you can see clearly are not out to take advantage of you and i cant resist mentioning Bizbooks here.i do not know him from adam, but his prices are usually not far from realistic prices and he comes out a honest and str8 person. At least from testimonies here on nairaland.

You have a right to complain and a responsibility to do your research before buying a used car. Yes, there are some greedy dealers but there are indeed a lot of reputable ones as well. In the free market buyers should always beware.

Car prices in Nigeria will always reflect the constant depreciation of the Naira relative to the dollar, shipping costs and Custom clearance charges. Sadly, most people do not take the time to find out about all these costs before painting car dealers as greedy people.

My perusal of posted car prices on this site suggests there is very stiff competition in Nigeria, considering the average car prices in North America.

jay bee:
Crisis time in bean town. We need fresh legs mehn
What da heck is wrong with that Jermaine dude?

I say no need to press the panic button yet. The games against the Knicks and Heat went down the wire without Pierce - their closer. I was very impressed with their 4th quarter performance against the Heat. So relax and lets's see more games

[quote author=Mynd_44 link=topic=832478.msg9857353#msg9857353 date=1325173788]did you notice that Timmy sat out the better part of the first half? Their offence might not be all that but you have to agree that they are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA today.[/quote]I expect Pop to rest Timmy a lot in this compressed season. So far OKC and the Spurs are the teams to beat in the West. The way Spurs demolished the Clippers last night suggest they still have plenty in the tank. Let's wait and see more games to get a better sense on how good your Spurs are.

Roland17:
The players that left the Mavericks did that based on their own decision, they wanted a new adventure, they were never forced out, they were grateful and felt fulfilled after achieving the biggest ambition of any NBA player, they wanted something new, especially 2nd team players like JJ and stevenson, Caron Butler was injured all through last season.

As for the Lakers, i am sensing Kobe would soon voice his anger about the lack of depth in the squad, Paul Gasol is still not playing with his heart (still sulking), his movement on the court tells me he is holding a big grudge against the management for wanting to trade him to either Houston or the New Orleans, i just think they need a new team spirit, i would never lay a single blame on coach Larry Brown, he is doing his best based on the resources he has got,  the Lakers need a major overhaul, Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) needs to step up (although he played better last night against Sacramento Kings), Bynum hopefully Matures with his temperament and stays fit, if the Lakers can land Dwight Howard, that would easily make them top contenders in the west,  for now, with this present squad and situation, they would make the playoffs but nothing too exceptional,  Kobe has nothing to prove to anyone,

And who the hell thinks the San Antonio Spurs are done? you beter have a rethink!!!!, its going to be a very long season, injuries to key players would play a huge role this season as always.

Rookies to watch out for: Rubio(Minnesota Timberwolves), Jimmy Fredette ( Sacramento Kings) Kemba Walker, Augustine (Charlotte Bobcats) these talents are awesome and to imagine that all four are point guards makes me excited,

Mark Cuban made a bone head decision by letting all those players go. C'mon he should have given this team a better opportunity to defend their crown. At the very least bring back Tyson and the rugged Butler. Odom and Carter are not gritty players and these are the kind of players the Mavs need to compete. Carter is a talented player but he will quit on you; that's a given.

Yes, they want to be flexible to land a prized free agent in 2012, but is there any guarantee Howard or Williams will sign with the Mavs?

[quote author=Mynd_44 link=topic=832478.msg9841032#msg9841032 date=1324965772]didn't look like it. That was some wimp over Memphis. Ginobili posting 24 points with Tony Parker having 15 points sweet[/quote]It's only 2 games but I'm impressed with the Spurs. However, will they be able to handle young athletic teams like OKC, Bulls or the Heat come playoff time? With a very thin front court (Only Timmy) surviving a grueling 7 games series against any of these teams will be tough.

[quote author=Mynd_44 link=topic=832478.msg9835553#msg9835553 date=1324879632]And where do you put the Boston Celtics? I guess we have to wait and see then.[/quote]I think the Celtics' bench is very solid and come playoff time they will be tough to beat. Plus KG & Pierce have too much pride to allow the Heat roll over them twice in a row. I fancy the Bulls to come out of the East.

The West is a toss up. The Grizzles are the sleeper team and are very dangerous. With Rudy Gay back from injury, I expect this team to be a real headache

[quote author=Mynd_44 link=topic=832478.msg9839129#msg9839129 date=1324926162]What about the Spurs guy? What do you think their chances are?[/quote]this is the end of the road for Timmy and co. This team needs some new, young pieces to contend

[quote author=Okija_juju link=topic=828867.msg9810989#msg9810989 date=1324483007]The truth is that; WE may not like it, neither will many of us see the need for it to be removed, but this subsidy has got to go.

I know that the adverse effect of its removal would be big, but if my assessment is fair, then I wonder how so, but then again, sacrifices have got to be made.

Funny enough, I have been to Italy severally and to greece once and on the surface, both those countries looked way better than Nigeria. So it hit me quite hard to hear that both countries where in financial problems. I am not an Economist, neither an Accountant, but if the brains that own this field say it has to go, then I want to believe that removing it would have some positive effect. We as a country are not immune to these financial crisis happening all over the world.

It makes absolutely no sense to me for us to be spending so much money on financing loans and debts and also keep a monstrousity of a sinkhole such as this subsidy of a thing and yet keep borrowing to fund projects.

Lagos state reverted to PPP for projects and indirectly threw that cost back at us (e.g MMA2 and the 2000 Naira levy, Lekki road and the Toll gate), and look how people have fought it tooth and nail. Forgetting that these deveopments we all camour for cost money.

I know that the past has actually affected our ability to trust and rightly so, but in this case, I think removing it is the way to go at the moment.





P>S; My only qualms with the entire removal process was the lack of sensitization on the part of the government, and it is this that might come to hunt them in the end.[/quote]I disagree completely.

GEJ and his Prime Minister Okonjo- Iweala are only selling us gold dust. Too many Nigerians are living on the margin and a nearly 50% jump in gas prices can be catastrophic. I don't believe this govt conducted a detailed analysis to understand the full impact on living standards, small businesses and overall economic activity. For instance, the 2012 budget is based on nearly the  same inflation rate as this year. This tells me the inflationary pressure from oil subsidy removal was not factored into their projections. Did they even consider impact of a sudden increase in oil prices or continued depreciation of the Naira?

They'll simply force this down our throats and let the people feel the pain

Kobojunkie:
Fuel we have struggled for years to get access to is now considered a comfort that we already need to give up. Only some months ago, we were paying more than N100 for this so called comfort. Just when we were finally rejoicing that we have gotten the break the politicians have told us of for years, we now have to give up this comfort.

Y[b]es, Nigerians ALWAYS SEEM TO BE GIVING UP COMFORTS for better tommorow . . . while their politicians don't ever have to do same[/b] . . ., and when Tomorrow finally arrives, our politicians and their goons demand we give us some more comforts.

How come people in other oil producing countries are not being forced to give up their comforts just when they get em?? 

Plus Governors like Udaghan et el will share N400 billion from the anticipated savings. We all know where that money will disappear into a deep black hole.

This "oil subsidy removal" scam was sold to GEJ by that snake charmer Okonjo Iweala. She convinced GEJ Nigeria will collapse in 2yrs if we don't remove oil subsidy. Last year, he was focused on Power, but that has now been pushed to the back burner.

A certain gap-toothed general also told Nigerians that SAP would be a temporary pain and things will be fine. Well, the rest as they say is history. As with GEJ, he was also backed by his World Bank/IMF experts .

Oil subsidy is not the issue; corruption in the oil industry is the tiger that needs to be slain. But I don't believe GEJ has the balls to fight corruption hence diversions that "Cabals" need to be hammered into submission by removing oil subsidy. And the poor Nigerian masses are collateral damage in this epic battle of wills

BTW - when did this word "Cabal" creep into the Nigerian lexicon

LeoMax:
North Korean president was a nice guy. He wouldn't be nice to you and the Americans. He highhandedly built nuclear reactors in the midst of no resoruces and pays his citizens $$ monthly. Feeds them and buys them mobile phones.

Are you serious? Kim and his father terrorized and impoverished the people of North Korea for more than six decades. And their suffering now continues with Lil Kim (his son) taking over. Please do some reading before making this kind of statement.

George "Dubya" Bush famously labelled Kim's regime one of the "axis of evil". Dubya was not a great US president, but that description was spot on.

These people are only crying because they can be thrown into the gulag for not mourning "dear leader"

LeoMax:
Are you serious? Kim and his father terrorized and impoverished the people of North Korea for more than six decades. And their suffering now continues with Lil Kim (his son) taking over. Please do some reading before making this kind of statement.



George "Dubya" Bush famously labelled Kim's regime one of the "axis of evil". Dubya was not a great US president, but that description was spot on. He wouldn't be nice to you and the Americans. He highhandedly built nuclear reactors in the midst of no resoruces and pays his citizens $$ monthly. Feeds them and buys them mobile phones.

Are you serious? Kim and his father terrorized and impoverished the people of North Korea for more than six decades. And their suffering now continues with Lil Kim (his son) taking over. Please do some reading before making this kind of statement.

George "Dubya" Bush famously labelled Kim's regime one of the "axis of evil". Dubya was not a great US president, but that description was spot on.

These people are only crying because they can be thrown into the gulag for not mourning "dear leader"

manny4life:
^^^^

That's cool man, thanks again for the info and the effort, I will assume everyone appreciates it. You have no idea how long I've been seeking this information to compare and contrast, which I have done, so it's cool.


You're right, security gets more attention as opposed to Agriculture that contributed 43% to our GDP, based on 2010 figures, Agriculture lost about twice it's amount since 2010. While I'm not questioning GEJ's Administration, I, somewhat do NOT agree with this budget. Security was increased so as to oppress the fellow Nigerians who will speak out in the wake of a protest. There were threads that was out that stated that Police Officer and their commands "were ready" to crush any protest that will cause instability to peace of the people.

How do you intend to improve in the economy where less than 3% of our GDP is spent on Capital Expenditures? Like seriously, how do you intend to grow?

Yes, reduction in budget for agriculture really stood out. So the question is why? It doesn't make sense given GEJs commitment (well based on what he keeps saying) to make agriculture a top priority. A nearly 50% reduction in 2 yrs considering is rather puzzling. Do they plan to reduce the level of investment in agricultural projects?

Also does the 2012 budget reflect the potential savings from removal of oil subsidy? Can anyone clarify this

Btw - thanks VoodooDoll for putting this together (hope your voodoo is not the very potent Haitian type )