₦airaland Forum

Well, I spent a large part of the weekend editing my M.Sc. dissertation that will be submited tomorrow to the business school. `can't wait to dump it cos I'm SOOOOOOOO tired.

[quoteWe're reaping the benefits of Sanusi's poorly thought through actions.
The most dramatic effect maybe on fuel importers, and the potential for very long fuel lines very soon.][quote][/quote]@ naijaking1, are you trying to say that Sanusi should have covered all the bad debts and unethical practises of those affected banks while the rot continued to go deeper and deeper? Maybe you should read about ENRON. its story is quite similar to that of these banks.

namun:
for anyone that can think and understands the import of all that is going on would immediately realise that the banks represent the economy of any nation and no nation can outgrow its bank.
its like asking china to come and control a nigerian economy or whoever they are flaunting for.
it is about time the south resist all forms of slavery by the north or its representations

Why must everything turn to "North vs South"?

Ileya:
The article specifically says "indicated interests in buying over the banks".

This does not soind like an investment. It is more like a takeover. Full ownership. Trust you are aware of the differenece.

When a company, be it foreign or domestic, aquires a new company, won't they invest in it so as to maximize their profits? Anyway, you make it sound as if it is some sort of hostile takeover.

If true, then the bid of the Chinese will be accepted ONLY after the boards of directors and shareholders of the affected banks accepts it.

What has sovereignty/independence got to do with foreign investment? Personally, I don't see anything wrong if a foreign company, be it Chinese, American, European, etc, wishes to invest in the sector. Anyway, the CBN denied this allegation. We'll just have to wait and see.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1992/AAA.htm

Nice article.

It's between Brigadier General Benjamin Adekunle(black scorpion) and General Olusegun Obasanjo.
They guys led the Nigerian side in the civil war against ojukwu-led biafra. Adekunle was a master strategist, a brilliant soldier, while Obasanjo's gallantry during the civil war was also highly commendable.

The Generals of the 1960's thru early 80's are the Generals I respect in Nigeria, not those who never went to war and became Academic General.

Apart from Obasanjo other notable civil war heroes include David Bamgboye,Theophilus Danjuma,Alani Akinrinade,David Jemibewon,David Ejoor,Musa Yar'Adua,Mobolaji Johnson, Hassan Usman Katsina and other Generals of the 1960's-70's!!!

Go and read about the 1967-70 civil war.

@ Jarus, you have a point there. The 3rd Marine Commando Division (now 3rd Armoured Div) then led by Col. Adekunle and later by Obasanjo was the division that pioneered the use of amphibious tactics during the war. These guys really had balls of steel  . However, i'll have to give kudos to Col. Shuwa as his 1st Infantry Division (the current 1st Mechanised Division-the country's most prestigious) were responsible for pushing the biafrans away from the western frontiers. Gen. Murtala Muhammed's 2nd Infantry Division's (now the 2nd Mechanised Div) perforamnace wasn't so great, but it was ok given the fact that it's initial manpower consisted mostly of administrative soldiers (clerks, cooks, etc). But I give him kudos for turning the division into a lethal fighting force.   

That said, i think we should also include the late Nigerian General responsible for the recapture of Freetown after its initial fall in the hands of the RUF during the war in Sierre Leone.

Well, an MBA from an Ivy League school is definitely OK. But one can still opt for a different business degree from a good business school and still have an edge. For example, an M.Sc. in Management. `though cheaper, It is VERY similar to the MBA programme, though a bit more research intense. But I think it's better as it covers strategic management (business and corporate level) and management (operations mgt-TQM, 6 sigma,etc), financial resource mgt and entrepreneuship. But unlike the MBA it also covers HRM as I believe that business leaders ought to have this skill. Then again, I may be a bit bias as that's what I'm currently into   .

savesoul:
Most of you posters on this topic are a disgrace to this country.

As Nigerians we are not supposed to take shit from anyone, what has this Apology got to do with electricity bad roads or bad governance?

So because we have various forms of corruption in our country, when somebody insults us, we should keep quiet? Nonsense Absolute nonsense!

WELL SAID, MY BROTHER!!!

Well done Nigeria.Well done.

To all those that support this SONY ad, SHAME ON ALL OF YOU. The fact that you find it ok for a foreign company to drag YOUR country's name and your fellow citizens through the mud is makes me want to puke. You people are the main reason Nigeria is currently in the state it is.

@ Kosovo, if SONY is a major company, SO WHAT? It does NOT give them the right to do what they just did. And u seem to forget that one thing: Nigeria may not have one of their assembly plants, but with the largest population in africa, Nigeria represents a MAJOR consumer market. And don't think they're the only ones cos companies like Phillips, LG, SAMSUNG, etc are all waiting to take advantage of this. Let's see how the executives in SONY will feel when they start to record losses in their African markets.

Anyway, it's about time I dump their brand, starting with that their VIAO laptop (the worst laptop I've ever worked with)



On a side, if the name Nigeria is now synonymous with fraud, maybe we should label Japan as the country filled with weird perverts and the USA as the child molesting/serial killing/healthcare fraud/hillbilly nation.

Why am I not surprised? I've been saying this right from the very start. Rather than invest their new found wealth in something meaningful, these boys blow everything on nice cars and women. B4 u know it, they'll all be back 2 square one. By the way, I wonder if they'll donate part of their wealth to the poor in the Niger-delta. Afterall, that's what they've bn fighting for.

Anyway, 'can't wait for the amnesty to end.

Kobojunkie:
Now, I disagree with you. Why MUST WE HAVE FOREIGN INVESTORS? why not INVEST in oUR OWN SELVES? Abegi !!! Positive ko!!! Leave people alone and focus on airing your own opinion.

Banking ---- FOREIGN INVESTORS!!!

Farming ----- Foreign INvestors !!!

Industry ---- Foreign Investors !!!!

Soon Education and government will also go to Foreign investors !!! What is left for Local investors? What is left for the Nigerian peoplle??

And what the hell is wrong with foreign investment   ?! Tell me. We've had an agricultural sector that has been stagnant for a LONG PERIOD despite the availability of arable land. Then a forward thinking governor brings in people that will invest in this sector, and you complain? What the, ? The arrival of these farmers has already created jobs, and then there's the technology transfer and a new source of income for the nation. And let's not forget food security for 180 million Nigerians. But "Oh Noes, it's all bad".


Anway, whether you like it or not, these farmers are here to stay, and there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING you can do about it, apart from whine as usual (since you're good at it).

JESUS, WHY MUST EVERYTHING BE NEGATIVE IN THE EYES OF NIGERIANS !!!!!!The arrival of these farmers is a good thing for Nigeria as these guys are investing in the nation, thus creating jobs for youths. And lets not forget the diversification of our exports (from just oil to agricultural produce) that it equally adds to (thus additional revenue).


Kudos to Gov. Saraki

[quote author=$poOne link=topic=317030.msg4458294#msg4458294 date=1251762924]NO! The ranking files are way too corrupt for there to be any kind of meaningful reform. One possible solution would be to form a new state and city police force that cater only to their respective states, while the EFCC operates as a Federal police with jurisdiction across state lines – similar to the FBI in the US. And the minimum requirement for entry into the City force would be University Degree or equivalent degree through the police academy. Entry into the State Police would be at least 4 years service in the City Police Force. And minimum pre-req for entry into the EFCC would be 4 years service in the State Police.[/quote]That is simply NOT possible. Compared to the EFCC that is just a baby in comaprison with other agencies, the Nigeria Police Force boasts of a whole wealth of knowledge and experience in law-enforcement, intelligence gathering, and a whole lot of activities that dates from the 1800s to the present period. Hell, the then National S ecurity Organisation (NSO) which was later dissolved to form the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) (and in some part, the Defence Intelligence Agency DIA) were ALL created from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). And guess what, these agencies were first staffed by police officers and will always be staffed by officers (except for the DIA that is now under the full control of Defence HQ/Military). Even the EFCC that you talk about is manned and controlled by the NPF at the very top and at core positions. You simply cannot replace the NPF with the EFCC. The EFCC is just made up of lawyers and other civilians, while the main law-enforcing arm of that agency which handles the main arrests is being handled by a unit of the Nigeria Mobile Police (MOPOL), which in turn is a branch of the NPF. You simply cannot do away with the NPF. It won't work.

By the way, we already have our own form of the US FBI, and that is the SSS. The only difference is that the Nigerian SSS combines similar activities of the US Secret Service (VIP Protection) with that of the FBI (Internal Intelligence Gathering, Counter-Espionage, Law-enforcement). Other activities like money laundering is handled by the NDLEA along with its primary role of counter-narcotics.

Epiphany:
, But wait please! Lets all be realistic here and very honest with ourselves.

Forgetting the nuclear technology excuse, whether for energy or power or weapons, WHAT THE HELL IS NIGERIA FLIRTING WITH IRAN FOR? IRAN, IRAN, IRAN. There are other countries that we can actually form alliances with that will yield some mutual benefits, BUT IRAN?
There has not been anything positive, developmental or encouraging, coming from that country that i fail to see why Nigeria, A WHOLE NIGERIA, will want to belittle herself to form an alliance with them.

At this stage, if we are where we are supposed to be, we should be HELPING that country overcome their problems!

And what's wrong with Iran?

The last time I checked, the Federal Republic of Nigeria was a non-aligned nation. Therefore we reserve the right to make friends with who ever we want whenever we want.

nethacker:
I think all these set of police officers should be taken to FRSC or LASTMA cos they r not worthy of the responsibilities given to them by our govt due to the fact that they lack basic education.Morally those police guys r arrrrggghhhh decayed .Only if police force can be like the NDA where we have respected and loyal officers with dignity.They should undergo some form of military training for 4/5yrs just like the army/navy/airforce. Police force lack discipline.Graduates of universities and polytechnics need be encouraged to assume post in NPF just like we have graduates in Banks,Oil coys ,Telecomms and so on.
Just my own 5cents

First of all, the Police Academy (POLAC) in Kano is definitely on par with the NDA. The only difference between the two is that the NDA is basically a military university while POLAC accepts ONLY graduates for the officer course/cadet ASP course. And the number of rank-and file and NCOs with university degrees is increasing.

Also, don't think that the Police Force is made up of illitrates. Far from it. Compared to the armed forces and other intelligence agencies, the Nigeria Police Force has the HIGHEST number of lawyers. And time and time again, Police officers tend to excel at the prestigious National War College, Abuja.

The problem faced by the NPF is simply that of neglect and corruption. Eradicate these, and the NPF will be fine.

davidif:
Chiaza, stop generalizing. You do have a point though that even the inspector general of the federal republic is corrupt so why would the ordinary policeman not be.
But i believe that "impossible is nothing" and "where there is a will, there is a way".

The steps to ensure a better police force is:

1. Raise the standards for recruiting police officers. For example all police officers must have at least a university degree

2. Increase the salary and compensation packages. This should include generous benefits for there families in case they are injured or killed in the line of duty

3. Accountability, accountability, accountability. There has to be performance review of every police man in every precinct (or district) each year to adequately assess them.

4. Better weaponry and better training on how to use them. They should be taught the rules of engagement (how to engage the enemy) in situations like armed robberies, rioting mobs e.t.c

5. They should be taught how to seal off a crime scene so as to prevent evidence from being compromised. They should also be taught latest techniques in criminal investigation like using scientific technology. This includes DNA testing, fingerprint analysis (and a database to keep all fingerprints).

6. They should be taught better interrogation techniques so that we don't have another Boko Haram incident where the ringleader in custody was shot.

Well said.

The creation of state police units will simply be a big mistake.

@ jaybee2412, my second post was in response to those made by beaf and chenss. Classifying the police force is simply wrong. That said, like every institution, be it military, paramilitary, or civilian, ought to be accountable for their actions. This includes the police Force.

the Nigeria Police Force is NOT a civilian establishment but rather a PARAMILITARY force created to preserve law and order and uphold the law. Police men and women (officers, NCOs, and rank-and-files) are NOT civilians.

I will be lying if I said that there aren't a lot of issues with the police force. But I strongly believe that this force (which happens to be as old as most of the armed forces, and the parent unit of all the intelligence agencies) can be reformed. This must include the weeding out of bad eggs/corrupt officers. Any reform must also include an improvement in the pay package of officers, NCO and the rank-and-file; constables are paid peanuts and it can't even take them or their families thru a single day. these men and women risk their lives every single day, so it's only fair and imperative that the federal govt takes good care of them.

Further improvements must include the refurbishment of all police colleges and the academies, improved training doctrines, provision of adequate equipment to enforce the law. There's also a need for the police force to improve on programs that were designed the relationship btw the force and civilians (public relations).

Finally, we Nigerians have to play our own part in appreciating and supporting the police force. Whether you believe it or not, these men and women are always out there everyday to protect us, and some have paid the ultimate price. Thus a little support (and constructive criticisms) from us Nigerians will also help

I find it absolutely hilarious that people complain about the Nigeria Police Force killing this murderer instead of using the proper legal channels to prosecute him. I would like to remind these posters that the same judicial system acquited this animal in 2008, despite the evidences mounted against him by the SSS & the police force. Our intelligence & law-enforcement agencies knew he was planning something big, but the Abuja high court thought otherwise. The consequences of that decision is there for all to see. Five northern states almost went up in flames with innocent Nigerians and police officers killed. Do you think we were going to risk a repeat of 2008? HELL NO!!

As far as i'm concern, the police and army did an excellent job taking out this monster along with his followers. Anyone against this should go and cry me a river. Or better still, why don't u all take your talk of human rights and justice to the families, friends, and collegues of all the innocent people, police officers, and soldiers murdered by this monster.

GOOD RIDDANCE OF BAD RUBBISH.

Well, I watched DISTRICT 9. And I have to say that it's the VERY BEST action sc-fi movie for the year 2009. And it's rating among critics all around has been very high. Regardless of what we may all think about the movie and were it was shot, I have to give kudos to the director for his creativity and the excellent storyline. I agree that I was a bit upset about them portraying Nigerians wrongly, but I just laughed over it.

[quote author=Sunny_bobo link=topic=281409.msg4394687#msg4394687 date=1250856353]A young russian recruit being hazed by a senior[/quote]HeeHee . Guy, u wan blind me ?

davidif:
ocelot
I found something on the web that you might like http://naijablog..com/2009/08/burma-boys.html


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8201717.stm

Ehe David! Now you're talking! Your video simply proved my point that our boys served there in Burma and served valiantly. And on the point made about the Japanese being snakes, that was SO true. Compared to other warring parties in the pacific theater, the Japanese were exceptionally good in camoflaging themselves using foilage, thus breaking the silhouette of their bodies. A natural ghillie suit to blend with their environment. It's tactics like these that are currently used in the modern art of jungle warfare.

That said, thanks a bunch for the video !I read about their exploits a few years ago, but now I get to see these warriors .

Beaf:
davidif has very solid points. However I disagree with any comparison of our local instituitions to foreign ones, as if we are 2nd class and must perpertually look up to them. Aside from that davidif is 100% correct.
There are people in Nigeria that both the govt and army see as less than maggots, so they are killed off like flies in massacre after massacre. You have to assume something is wrong when a countries soldiers slaughters some of "its people" the way even animals are not slaughtered. Consider the most recent massacre in Gbaramatu; the army were looking for Tompolo and decided that the best way to find him was to carpet bomb the places he was suspected to be in. So whole villages were levelled, and that is searching? Something is dreadfully wrong.
The trouble in the Niger Delta would not be so bad if not for the actions of the army; they and the police have taken 50,000 plus lives (before Gbaramatu) and wiped out 20+ villages. The army behaves quite like civilians are from another country; is the phrase "bloody civilian" still in use? That single phrase tells the whole story of relations between the army and the populace.
If the sort of training in these pictures is the cause of such aborminable behaviour, then it desperately needs changing. Nigeria has run the gamut of what brutal force can achieve and is now tearing itself apart.

Carpet Bombing?! 50,000 lives?! Beaf, where the hell are you getting your information from ?!! Or are you just forming it up yourself? BULLS@#T!!

Do you know what it means to carpet bomb a target? Non of our ground attack aircrafts can carry that much payload!! So please, enough with the false information . Haba!

davidif:
ocelot,

Don't get me wrong, i have respect for all the men who fought and died for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I was just attacking the structure and the organization itself.
when i mean an institutional failure i meant that it is an institution that has not worked properly because there is no accountability. The boys at the infantry division do anything they like whenever they are being called in to stop civil unrests. I saw one on youtube the other day where a soldier stripped a woman naked and i never heard that the SOLDIER WAS EVER COURT MARTIALED. When the Choba incident broke out in the news media and there were pictures of soldiers engaged in sexual acts with women of the local populace, i never heard even heard about a millitary tribunal to look into what happened. What happens in good institutions is that there is accountability. There is always a review of what went wrong and how to stop it from happening again. The guys who were involved in Abu Ghraib were court martialed and punished (by the way, what the US army did in Abu Ghraib, isn't that what we do in some of our boarding schools). Last time i checked Chris Garba hasn't been punished or even reprimanded, heck, even the exploits of OBJ and Fajuyi were never investigated after the war? That's because in the naija army its not the same because we've seen the same things happen time and time again. This lack of accountability is as a result of institutional breakdown. My guess is that the problem is because the minister of defense is almost always an ex-soldier, so instead of shaking things up in the millitary, they cuddles the generals too much a la Yakubu Danjuma. Look what happened during the boko haram incident, there has been no hearings the heavy handed tactics of the millitary. Your boys in the millitary don't know how to show restraint, they just react without thinking, most of them don't even have conscience, they treat the people that they are supposed to be protecting like animals. I even heard one general say that if people are going to behave like animals, then they should be treated as one, that is a total indictment against the Nigerian millitary.
Another reason why i call the Nigerian millitary an institutional failure is that you have a case of soldiers selling weapons to the enemy. This are the same people they are supposed to be fighting, i thought that was supposed to be called TREASON. These are not isolated incidents as there have also been case were soldiers were renting there weapons to armed robbers. WHERE IS THE OVERSIGHT IN THE NIGERIAN ARMY?
There have been several other examples showing that failure of this institution, have we forgetten what happened at the Ikeja cantonement in '02, do you think that kind of thing would have happened over here?


The US won the iraq war, the problem they had was in keeping the peace because of the blunder of Paul Bremer and Donald Rumsfeld but since we changed the gauntlet things have gotten much better. Yes, there is the occasional car bomb in baghdad but that is not representative of what is going on in the entire country. On a side note, do you think your boys would've done any better in Iraq? Tell me who can defeat the US in a conventional war? When you can answer these question then get back to me.



"We salute the rank and not the man" - Band of Brothers

The incident between the young lady and the naval policemen on youtube was highly regretable, and I personally did not support what happened. Even the President and C-in-C waded in on the matter, although I personally don't know how it was resolved.

That said, the issue of sexual assaults/rape during the assualt in Choba was simply false for one simple reason: Choba was a ghost town. How do you rape someone in town when everyone had already abandoned the town? The town itself was cordoned off during and days after the operation (standard ops procedure). And I believe there was an independent panel set up at the end of the operation to investigate the conduct of the units that partook in that operation. I would also like to point out that I saw the picture of the alledged sexual assault. Now ask yourself this simple question: assuming you intended to rape someone, will you be so stupid to take a photo of you in the act? In the photo itself, the "soldier" and "victim" were both backing the camera. So how do you determine their IDs?

And the Boko Haram incident? PLEASE! 2008, the founder of the sect was arrested by the SSS and sent to court. Despite the evidences placed against him by both the SSS and the Police Force, the Abuja High Court released. That same scum and his followers were later responsible for the recent crisis that engulfed 5 states of the federation, and were responsible for the deaths of innocent people (christians and muslims) and the desruction of properties. Do you think the military would treat the sect with kid gloves? At the sects compound, the followers of the sect opened fire on the military, and the military had EVERY RIGHT to take the actions it did to protect itself and defend innocent civilians. The wives and children of the sect followers were NEVER harmed in any way, and were sent back to their parents. Now, apart from the execution of the leader and financier of Boko Haram (which was largely supported), list out anything that the military had done wrong.

And on the issue of the sails of military weapons illegally, there are only two cases that I know of. The first being the sales of aircraft parts by some airforce officers in the 1990s and the sales of firearms to militants by some army officers recently. In the case of the first, the officers involved were tried in a military court-martial and got the death sentence. And in the 2nd, all those involved also faced court martial and are currently in jail. The Nigerian Armed Forces takes the cases of indicpline and treason seriously. Remember that the same weapons sold are the ones used against them with the creeks of the Niger-Delta.

Finally, in the case of Iraq, I seriously doubt that the Nigerian military would have done better keeping the peace. But maybe we would've tried to secure all the weapons caches spread all around the country instead of focusing on the oil wells. And please don't think that the US's victory over Iraq means that it is undefeatable conventionally. Remember that an already weakened and demoralized Iraqi military with absolutely NO airforce had to face not only the US, but the UK, Spain, Australia, Poland and other members of the so-called coalition of the willing. Even the Indian Airforce trounced its counterparts from the US during the Cope India exercise in 2004 and the Red Flag exercise in 2008 in Nevada. When the US is able to defeat the Russian Federation or the Peoples Republic of China, and not some 3rd-world country, then we'll talk about the US's supremacy.

FL Gators:
@ocelot2006

Stop it right there!!!

Stop encouraging and inspiring brain damage by excusing it as military training.

You've been there and done it right? That's why

If I don't stop, what will you do?

@ poster, WELL SAID.


And to another poster who talked about Akwa Ibom seceding to 'biafra', pls shut the f#@k up. Akwa Ibom will FOREVER be part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and not some pipe-dream failure called 'biafra'.

Military rule was the very form of government that brought Nigeria to its knees. 40 years of military rule led to the decay of our national infrasture, the looting of the nation's coffers, and the jailing (& execution) of pro-democratic Nigerians. But most of all, it had a very negative impact on the professionalism of the military as it planted the seeds of mistrust with the ranks.

Now this fool Nwobodo wants to incite the military to plan a coup. Maybe the govt should lock that idiot up at the detention facilities of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI). That'll teach him a bit. Unam ikot.