₦airaland Forum

carnegiefan:
I won't spoon feed you with sources. You can actually believe whatever you want because I wasn't aiming to convince you.
Why should I convince you? For what?

Making such assertions with no verifiable source! Very lame

carnegiefan:
There are other Nigerians in diaspora but they are fewer than Igbo. You wanna bet?
There are at least 4 million Igbo outside Nigeria. The other thing is that we send money home more than any other group. Go check the CBN data on that. Yearly we send home not less than $5 billion.
But perhaps the most important advantage we have is that we are MOTIVATED to be free from Nigeria, meaning that we can even starve just to send that money.
Seriously speaking, if our people's lives are on the line, we can afford to task ourselves and be sending that $5billion MONTHLY to pay the guys fighting and making sure that we attract the best fighters. We can win the war by simply outspending Nigeria over time.
The current day Igbo man outside Nigeria is very angry at Nigeria and don't even want to take any chances. Nnamdi Kanu's speeches bear this point out clearly.
Your best bet is to peacefully allow us to leave. Thats all.

Pls can you give us the link or CBN data that igbos send home @ least $5billion dollars yearly. I have searched all thru the net and can't find any info on that. We wld appreciate it if you can post the link here. And also a census least showing igbos are more in the diaspora than any other tribe in nigeria. Thank you.

kunlesufyan:
Nah...when I removed them from the nylon I bought them in,I put them in a bucket ...I later transfered them into the tyre

Pls can you post pictures of this how this tyres were arranged and the snails inside them. Thanks

www.gamji.com/article6000/NEWS7879.htm
One Country Four Economies Discussion Points

chuna1985:
look around u, ur neighbours na igbos.

igbos dominate commerce in Nigeria. As we speak, the only Nigerian making cars is Igbo, I can go on n on...

As for Lagos, na DAT place Igbo dominate pass...by all standards.

https://beegeagle./2013/07/15/made-in-nigeria-proforce-pf2-armoured-patrol-vehicle-world-exclusive-photos/

businessdayonline.com/2013/11/proforce-dicon-partner-on-locally-made-armoured-vehicles/#.VYmzb-tw2gg

www.proforcedefence.com/index.html


A simple google search cld have save u this ignorant statement

Three different Nigerian-born track champions
are the fastest men for Africa, Asia and Europe.
That’s right, one country on one continent, has
three different athletes representing three
different continents. How to explain this? You can
blame a badly run sports administration and a
scarcity of resources needed to keep finely tuned
athletes at the top level. And, of course, personal
ambition is also a factor.
Take the case of the European record holder
Francis Obikwelu, 36, who left his homeland as a
teenager and settled in Portugal. He continued to
represent Nigeria until 2001.
The circumstances that led him to switch
nationality were unfortunate. After suffering a
career threatening injury at the 2000 Sydney
Olympics, the Athletics Federation of Nigerian
(AFN) abandoned the star in his hour of need.
Not only had he to foot the medical bills himself
but also spent a few months in hospital
recuperating after surgery complications led to a
blood clot. A year later, he became a naturalised
Portuguese citizen and his silver medal
performance at the 2004 Athens Olympics was
his career best as he set a European record of
9.86sec. The record is still standing.
Asia’s fastest man is Femi Ogunode, 24. He has
said the move to become a Qatari national in
2010 was a calculated risk that paid off. He
alleges nepotism and corruption in Nigerian
athletics. Last year, he set a career best of
9.93sec at the Asian Games. This April he ran a
few seconds faster to set the Asian record of
9.91sec at the Asian Athletics Championships.
The one who stayed is sprint master Olusoji
Fasuba, 30, whose 9.85sec record is yet to be
broken since 2006. This was a one-hundreth of a
second better than the old record of 9.86sec
that was set by Namibian track and field legend
Frankie Fredericks for a decade. Fasuba is
currently the ninth fastest 100m runner ever
with a time below the 10sec mark.
It’s becoming something of a more frequent
narrative for African athletes to leave their home
countries and switch nationalities after facing
perennial frustrations with how their local sports
bodies are managed. Career civil servants with
no sporting backgrounds bungle the
administration of the sport by turning them into
citadels of corruption and inefficiency.
In 2011, the African 100m record holder, Fasuba
predicted African sprinters will continue to be
underachievers, unless they get proper training
facilities and adequate remuneration. As a result,
well-funded athletic bodies from rich countries
eager to be competitive and boost their national
pride by any means necessary exploit the
situation by coming to lure Africa’s young
talents.
While several European countries and the US
have taken African athletes, Qatar, Bahrain and
the United Arab Emirates have been more
aggressively pursuing talents from the continent
in the last decade.
Last year there was a somewhat farcical scenario
at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea
when 14 of the 22 individual running events
were won by athletes of African origin who had
switched nationality. China’s Su Bingtian, who
came second to Ogunode at last year’s Asian
Games, told AFP that the Gulf states’ African
contingent is “unfair”, because “they are taller
and have a longer stride,” meaning Asian born
athletes are at a physical disadvantage.
Nationality transfers by African athletes are not
just limited to Asiatic countries but Europe and
the US are some of the biggest beneficiaries. Star
athletes from Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, have
mostly gone to represent Nordic countries such
as Finland, Denmark, Sweden among other
countries.
While African countries are busy exporting
talents elsewhere they have no means to keep
young talents or attract foreign based athletes to
return.
• Culled from Quartz Africa

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/three-different-nigerians-hold-100m-sprint-records-for-africa-asia-and-europe/212898/

mandarin:
Igbos are the greatest beneficiary of Nigeria as they are traders especially the Anambra folks.Howbeit the wrongs that can be alluded to contravening economic growth within their ranks, they are traders making money through :
1. Imports from abroad that kills Nigerian industries, more so imports of items that kills Nigerians like expired and rebranded drugs, and so on. Well its not limited to any ethnic group but what can people do to get money.
2. Nigerian spirit, the Igbo are very energetic and pursue their goals with unwavering synergy, I love that.
3. They make more money selling outside the southeast and outside Nigeria, they are distributors of goods and so their prosperities depend on Nigeria more than others.
ARE THE YORUBA ACTUALLY LAZY
I don't agree as Yoruba has their areas of dominance even in trading. They are much in hands and crafts as craftsmen, they dominate that area in the north, they dominate some trading sectors and are competing with the Igbo in importation. The largest indigenous industries in Nigeria are owned by them and they are the best administrators and business strategists therein in Nigeria.
EVERY ETHNIC GROUP HAS ITS OWN VALUES
Many people feel money is the ultimate thing. In rich and much more advanced countries, suicide rates are more than poor countries because as much as you place premium on money, you are reduced to nothing. As good as money and great wealth can represent comfort et al, it can become an inhibitor to discovering a life of peace that is why money rituals, drug pushing, imports of contrabands etc cannot guarantee sustainable wealth and joy. Traders who support their job with rituals and so on only add sorrow to their struggles.
In Nigeria of today, I admire the Yoruba though you can call them lazy or whatever they are the only ethnic group(not excepting others) that build institutions based on different levels of values.
To them there is a place for hard work, integrity, and wealth. They have economic, cultural and religious institutions that are distinct. Religion and culture are separate, spirituality is important, and culture is admirable.They have a more complete society.
They are builders, they have religious organizations, social organizations, etc that can compete in the world in their little ways. Every complete society must have the wealthy, the rich, the average and the poor, that is what you see. It must have history which is why you see those rust roofs and must have a future which is why parents forms bedrocks for their folks.
People, no one is better than the other but time and chance happen to them all

Nice

CSTR2:
How much has Nigeria and indeed ondo state earned from the phantom cocoa?
Not very much.
Your award is shallow.
The last time the SW had a budding cocoa industry was in the early 80s.

A simple google search wld have showed u that cocoa is THE LARGEST NON-OIL FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNER for NIGERIA.

Nigeria records highest
Cocoa exports of N131b
POSTED BY SEGUN ADEBOWALE ON
MARCH 25, 2015 IN BUSINESS,
ECONOMY | 5 VIEWS | LEAVE A
RESPONSE
The exportation of the products is part
of the Federal Government’s plans to
develop and enhance market
opportunities for non-oil export sector
through the National Strategy Export
Products
The Nigeria Export Promotion Council
said the country recorded the highest
exportation of Cocoa and its products
valued at N131.2 billion in 2014.
This was contained in statistics made
available to the News Agency of Nigeria
by the council on Wednesday in Abuja.
The exportation of the products is part
of the Federal Government’s plans to
develop and enhance market
opportunities for non-oil export sector
through the National Strategy Export
Products.
“Cocoa and Cocoa preparations were the
highest exported products in 2014 with
the trade volume on Cocoa amounting
to N131.2 billion,” it noted.
The statistics showed that the country
recorded N43.191 billion exportation of
the products in the first quarter of the
year, while more than N18. 558 billion
was recorded in the second quarter.
It noted that more than N24.845 billion
was recorded in the third quarter, while
N44.695 billion was recorded in the
fourth quarter.
It said cotton, yarns and woven also
yielded N2.201 billion, N834.919 billion
and N1.275 billion in the first and
second quarters of 2014 respectively.
The statistics showed a grand total of
N460.3 billion on all the products for the
2014 business trade.

theeagleonline.com.ng/nigeria-records-highest-cocoa-exports-of-n131b/

Ondo leads in healthcare – FG
Posted: 6:53 pm, July 7, 2014 by
Businesstoday
The Minister of Health, Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu has commended the Ondo State Government for setting the pace in all health programmes especially in the Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services in the state. Chukwu made this known in Akure at the weekend during a stakeholders meeting on Integrating the Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Services into the Primary Health Care Facilities in the State. The Minister who was represented by Head, Gender Adolescent, School Health, Elderly Division of the Family Health Department, Abuja, Dr. Ugboko Christopher said the purpose of their visit to the state is to promote the integration of adolescent/youth health services into primary health care facility in the state, which the state had already started. He said: “Ondo State is already prepared for the purpose for which we are here. We simply came to give them additional information and to also fortify their resolve to the direction to which they are going. ‘We are happy that the Primary Healthcare Board in the state is standard, knowing full well that they will adopt what the Adolescent Health Care officer is already doing”. He said the issue of Adolescent and Youth must be structured properly, considering what they are passing through in the country ‘We need to do this, it is important, knowing what the youth and the adolescents are passing through in the country’ he said. Chukwu said Ondo state has already known what to do adding the Federal Government is only partnering with the state to go through the process. Commenting on the development the State’s Commissioner for Information,Hon.Kayode Akinmade said the country must appreciate the significance of its youths both now and in the future. He said there has to be a deliberate effort to ensure that the future of the youth is secured adding that there is the need to integrate them into the system so as to have proper belonging to the society Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr.Dayo Adeyanju who described the youth as great assets the country has, said they can also constitute a great challenge if they are not properly managed. According to him, attention has been focused on the tertiary health facilities and emphasised the need to reform our health care system through Primary Health Care.” He also said the youths must be gainfully employed for them to appreciate their integrity and value same. Adeyanju called on stakeholders and all Ministries that there must be synergy among them for the programme to be successful. Posted in: Health

www.businesstodayng.com/ondo-leads-in-healthcare-fg/

“Sokoto is the poorest State,
Lagos is the richest” – National
Bureau of Statistics


By Bisola Adeniran on January 8, 2013
@dailypostngr

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At the end of 2012, Sokoto State remained the
poorest state in the country, with 81.2 per cent
poverty rate, the records of the National Bureau
of Statistics have shown.
According to the information on states of the
federation, posted on the bureau’s website, other
states with over 70 per cent poverty rate include
Katsina, 74.5 per cent; Adamawa, 74.2 per cent;
Gombe, 74.2 per cent; Jigawa, 74.1 per cent;
Plateau, 74.1 per cent; Ebonyi, 73.6 per cent;
Bauchi, 73 per cent; Kebbi, 72 per cent and
Zamfara, 70.8 per cent.
The state with the lowest poverty rate was Niger
with 33.8 per cent, followed by Osun with 37.9
per cent and Ondo, 45.7 per cent.
Others with less than 50 per cent poverty rate
were Bayelsa State, 47 per cent and Lagos State,
48.6 per cent.
The average poverty rate of the states in the
North -West geopolitical zone remained the
highest at 71.4 per cent followed by North-East
69.1 per cent and North Central, 60.7 per cent.
The record showed that poverty was least
prevalent in the South-West, with an average of
49.8 per cent, followed by South-South, 55.5 per
cent and South-East, 59.5 per cent.
According to NBS, national unemployment rate
stood at 23.9 per cent at the beginning of 2012.
There were no figures for 2011 but the 2012
statistics represented an improvement in the
figures released by the bureau for 2010.
The Statistician-General of the NBS, Dr. Yemi
Kale, had said 112.519 million Nigerians,
representing 69 per cent, lived in relative
poverty conditions.
He said this when he released the country’s
2010 poverty profile.
According to the NBS boss, the agency arrived at
the 2010 figure, by collecting data from 20
million households having an average of four
family members.
In that report, Sokoto had the highest poverty
rate of 86.4 per cent, while Niger had the lowest
— at 43.6 per cent.
It would be recalled that as at 2004, Jigawa
State had the highest poverty rate of 95 per
cent, while Anambra, had the lowest- 22 per
cent.
For unemployment rate, Zamfara State had the
highest rate of 42.6 per cent, followed by Bauchi,
41.4 per cent.
Other states with above 30 per cent
unemployment rate included, Gombe, 38.7 per
cent; Nassarawa, 36.5 per cent; Jigawa, 35.9 per
cent; Edo, 35.2 per cent; Adamawa, 33.8 per
cent and Kaduna, 30.3 per cent.
According to the records, unemployment was
least in Osun followed by Kwara and Lagos.


dailypost.ng/2013/01/08/sokoto-poorest-state-nigeria-lagos-richest-nigeria-bureau-statistics/

Financial Times lists Ibadan as one of 5 African cities to watch!

In an article published by the Financial Times, Ibadan is listed as one of the “next 5” cities in Africa. According to the article, the city possesses a “rapidly growing economy but serious business climate deficiencies – that offer some of the biggest potential rewards – provided multinationals can stomach the risks.” Other African cities on the come up include Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Kinshasa in Congo and Mombasa in Kenya. Some of the world’s largest companies have already made inroads into these economies. Diaego, one of the world’s largest brewing companies, paid $225m for Ethiopia’s state- owned brewer Meta Abo last year, to tap into Addis Ababa’s growing consumer market. What’s more, the African Union is headquartered in the city, making it the political capital of Africa, Frontier says. That’s a bit of a stretch, but the business buzz in Addis is undeniable. Fellow beer group Heineken is spending $325m in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital. Frontier says: “while poverty and an underdeveloped infrastructure reduce market size in Kinshasa, staggering population growth and consistently higheconomic growth means the city of 10 million cannot remain ignored by many MNCs.” Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, arguably offers the best investment prospects of all. Taking into account its size, short-term stability and growth, Frontier ranks it as the third best risk-weighted business opportunity in all of Africa by 2015. An emerging trade hub in east Africa, it is increasingly handling more cargo than Mombasa, the region’s other sea trade centre. And Japanese carmaker Honda Motor has recently shown an interest, teaming up with a Tanzanian company and preparing to build an assembly plant to expand sales in the city. There are risks to expanding in all of these markets, of course – Frontier highlights the usual concerns about infrastructure, corruption, and regulation. But Africa is the fastest growing and most rapidly urbanising region in the world. The risks of staying out could be greater still. The article also forecasts that the economy of Lagos, which is listed as one of the “Big 5”, will by 2015, outweigh that of it’s nearest competitor, Johannesburg, which has the biggest economy in Africa. Johannesburg has a nominal GDP output of $51billion, while Lagos has a GDP of $40billion but that of Lagos is predicted to jump when Nigeria rebases its economic statistics next year. The Big 5′ - cities are said to be broadly politically and economically-stable, and already major FDI destinations. They are: Accra, Ghana; Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; Luanda, Angola; and Nairobi, Kenya. It would seem fate has quite the sense of humour, with this article declaring Lagos as “economically-stable” just as the state has been declared insolvent by the Revenue Commision.

http://www.ynaija.com/thenextbigthing-financial- times-lists-ibadan-as-part-of-african-cities-to- watch/

Ondo Wins London Chocolate Awards

 May 9, 2015 The Cocoa Revolution Project of the Ondo State government has received a big boost with its product clinching the Chocolate Silver Awards at the just concluded Academy of Chocolate Awards in London. According to a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, was represented at the Award presentation where the state’s 70 percent Chocolate bar won in the silver category, by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Engineer Ademola Olorunfemi . The award ceremony which took place at the Fortnum &Mason Piccadilly, London, attracted all major cocoa/chocolate and confectionary industry stakeholders across the globe. Ondo State was mentioned at the event as the only chocolate award winner from West Africa, which produces 75 percent of global cocoa bean output. The Academy of Chocolate Awards, now taking place for the seventh time, is a highly anticipated event in the international chocolate calendar. The 2015 awards received a record number of entries with over 500 products. As a result, more judges were involved in the jury panel and the judging, which took place at Westminster Kingsway College, was extended to five days. Chaired by globally respected wine expert, Charles Metcalfe, judges included chocolate experts and buyers, pastry chefs, food professionals and food journalists. A Washington DC based outfit, SPAGnVOLA had earlier in the year presented the Ondo Chocolate bar for the competition which has fetched the state a silver. Chairman of Ondo State Cocoa Revolution Implementation Committee, Dr Jibayo Oyebade, had mentioned before now that cocoa produced in the state for chocolate production, had received world certification and recognition. Oyebade had told newsmen in Akure, that the product had already been presented to the partnering firm overseas, Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate firm, Netherland

dailyindependentnig.com/2015/05/ondo-wins-london-chocolate-awards/

Ondo Is Blazing A Trail In Reviving Cocoa – Chair, Cocoa Revolution Project The chairman Cocoa Revolution Project in Ondo State, Samuel Jibayo Oyebade, is a Veterinary doctor and former commissioner for Agriculture in the state. He spoke with ABIOSE ADELAJA ADAMS on the project at repositioning reposition cocoa as Nigeria’s main export earner. What is the cocoa revolution in your state all about? The cocoa revolution is an agricultural revolution in the state. The aim is to show that our cocoa farmers, if they do things right, can tremendously increase yield. Cocoa was abandoned for a long time because of the discovery of oil, yet it was the economic mainstay in the Western Region. The state government has decided to rehabilitate moribund cocoa plantations on a 2,000 hectares land in Oda farm. It was Awolowo who instituted this estate and 70 per cent of the cocoa proceeds from this estate was used to build the Cocoa House in Ibadan. We also have another station at Ore. We have three senatorial training centres where we train farmers on modern methods that will help them increase yield and produce premium cocoa that is of international value. A sum of N450 million has been invested in the project since kick off in 2013 and since then, it has been a 24-hours service for everybody. So, what new methods are you introducing to them now different from what they are used to? You see if you are doing the same thing the same way you will keep getting the same result. What they are doing now is not producing highly valued premium cocoa beans. At the international market, cocoa is bought at N600,000 per tonne, but Nigerian cocoa is still bought at discount price of N450,000. And it is due to poor quality of our beans. That is why we try to show the farmers through this project that we can produce premium cocoa beans. The reasons for poor quality beans are also due to ageing cocoa trees and using old methods. The farmers need to be helped. How exactly are you showing them these modern methods? The cocoa plantation we met is 2,000 hectares. We have only done work on 300 hectares. This is only a pilot project that kicked off in 2013. You have to understand first that cocoa farming is very labour-intensive. The farmer has to come here every day. He needs at least 10 workers because he cannot do the under- brushing alone; he needs to spray the trees with chemicals against the black pod disease. Also, the de-poding process requires labour. So what we have done is that from the time the freshly mature pods are harvested, we show them how to grade. As you can see, we have a tent over there where we weigh the beans, so the farmer can know the number of tonnes and will not say they are cheated. Then we show them how to sort. Afterwards, we have built another house for them here in the farm where they ferment (by washing and turning); after that there is a tent where they sun dry. At the end of all these processes, we will have premium beans. Any lapses in these methods can result in poor quality beans. Also, to produce premium beans, we have to guard against black pod disease. That black pod disease is one of the things that reduces yield of cocoa farmers and many of them do not have the finance to purchase chemicals to stem it. The disease is so terrible that if one pod is affected, it will spread to the whole tree and then the whole plantation may be affected. At the end of the day, the farmer loses. So we help them to guard against this disease by purchasing chemicals they can use. We have spent N3million on chemicals alone, so far. We also train them on pruning old cocoa trees, which are no longer yielding much. We are equally introducing cocoa seedlings that have a shorter gestation period than the normal ones. The ones they were using in the olden days take 5-6 years to start fruiting, but the ones we are introducing take 18 months. Are the farmers responding? Well, initially when we started, the farmers were reluctant because they did not trust the government. They thought we wanted to chase them out of the estate, but now several of them are responding. We have about 300 farmers working with us now. What is the gain for farmers and the government? Ondo State is the highest producer of cocoa in Nigeria. So, this is our own oil. We want to revive the glory of cocoa that was once lost and abandoned, especially now that oil price is falling. We want to see how this can boost our economy as a state and as a country in the long run. We are partnering SPAGnVOLA Cholatier, a U.S company which has chocolate boutiques in 17 international airports of the world. They are going to produce the chocolate for us from our own premium cocoa and they will also sell our chocolates at international markets. On the long run, the government is also planning to set up the processing firm here. So, our cocoa will be for local consumption and international as well. The gain for the farmers is that apart from the education we are giving them, 40 per cent of proceeds will go to the farmers Trust Fund, while the State and SPAGnVOLA takes the 60 per cent. How is your chocolate going to be different from brands like Mars, Snickers? Those ones are not chocolates. A lot of these chocolates contain very little percentage of cocoa. The rest of the content are additives. That is why they melt easily once not refrigerated. But our cocoa here; the least contains 70 per cent cocoa. We have ones with 80 and 90 per cent cocoa. But those ones are very bitter. But it is like a medicinal tablet with very prolonged shelf life. You can take a tablet for three days, it will not melt away. It only needs a fairly cool place. You mentioned local consumption. How much of our cocoa do Nigerians really consume? The local consumption is very poor. According to statistics, only four per cent of Nigerian cocoa is consumed while 96 per cent is exported. That is why there is a plan to set up a chocolate factory in the state. The government is also planning to buy cocoa produced from the Cocoa Revolution Project and feed primary school children every day with a cup of cocoa. We also plan to drive local consumption by getting experts to talk about the health benefits of cocoa. Do you know that cocoa is nature’s wonder food with so many health benefits? It is good for the heart. It contains several anti-oxidants that keep you looking younger, and so many other things? Have all these efforts resulted employment of youths? Through this project we have employed 25 graduates, retirees and rural women. We have employed a total of 300 farm workers that were hitherto unemployed. We have been able to engage graduates on this project. Most are farm supervisors and farm record officers. Sometimes they join in the work. We have encouraged youths to also plant other crops apart from cocoa such as tomatoes, pepper, vegetable, okra. We also run poultry in the farm. The reason we are doing this is because cocoa is a seasonal plant. So when it is off season like now, the youths will not be idle, they can still grow other crops, harvest it and the money they make from it belongs to them. The same goes for the poultry too. It is a side attraction that will generate income for them apart from the salary we pay them. As they are leaving the university they can quickly make up their mind whether they want to continue in agriculture or not and most of them are giving themselves to it rather than waiting for white collar jobs. From this project, we have also developed a fertilizer company. So you don’t get fertilizer from the federal government? No. We have our own fertilizer company. It is what I have tested for over 13 years in my farm and it works. Some Israelis came to us to partner with us in supplying us fertilizer. So I asked them what kind of fertilizer it is and they said it was inorganic. I just told them not to bother. We don’t use chemical fertilizer here because of its side effects. We have a poultry, so we collect the droppings and mix with the cocoa husks to produce our own fertilizer. But how much can you gather and how effective will it be? If we want to harness the quantity of poultry droppings in this country, it will be in millions of tonnes. I will not tell you the proportion and other processes but I can guarantee you that we have tested it and we are currently bagging it. What is the plan for sustainability of this project? We are in the process of drafting a bill that we will take to the House of Assembly, because we don’t want another government to come in and scrap it. At least the present governor, Olusegun Mimiko still has another two years, so we are hopeful that by then, there will be a bill.

jethro2:
We have trainings schedule for July, September and November.
However I admire your brothers courage in wanting to get his hands dirty.
He can join us anytime he is ready.
People are always on the farm.
Currently, the May trainees has started their farm.
He is highly welcome

Thanks, wld sure contact you when the time is right.

jethro2:
Yes. you can participate in any of the trainings. Next one has been scheduled for July and another one for September.

Pls I hope there is one scheduled for october o! My bro is graduating in september and he wld love to get his hands "dirty" before going for service in november I guess. By the way do you take in youth coppers? Or is there any big farm in your vicinity that does? He doesn't mind working( doing his youth service) there without pay, its the experience that count. You are doing a great job. God bless u!

stanchuks:
Have you all not noticed he has changed his username from "Dr isa" to "nobody" after my last post here
https://www.nairaland.com/2362172/15-reasons-why-ogbomosho-best
Take heart Kenny....Try not to give up

Bro he deactivated his acct o! Hmmmmm........ A very "big" red flag!

Oba of Lagos Rilwanu Akiolu has
showered his blessing on Igbo in
Lagos.
He spoke in his palace when he received
some Igbo leaders at a victory palace to
mark the victory of Lagos State Governor,
Akinwunmi Ambode.
The party was held to commemorate
Ambode’s swearing-in, which held earlier
that day at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
High Chief Azubuike Ekwerekwu (Obosi)
quoted the Oba as, among other thing,
praying for the success of the Igbo in Lagos
at the event in the presence of titled chiefs.
Different ethnic groups and religious
leaders were also present. Oba Akiolu
began pouring blessings upon the Igbo. He
said: “They said I hate the Igbo, as a royal
father, I’m mandated by oath to show love
to every person irrespective of the state or
nation you come from; but what I’m saying
is that they should not exceed their limit.
As the Oba of Lagos, irrespective of my
position, I have my limit and will never
exceed it.
“Truly, Lagos belongs to all, but it has
origin and owners. Therefore, what will not
be acceptable to you, please do not do it in
Lagos State.
“Ndigbo, it shall be well with you, and your
childrens’ children, the fertile land of Lagos
shall continue to bless you.
“You shall grow old, you shall not bury your
children; instead your children shall bury
you at old age. Most importantly, we shall
live with love and in peace as one people
without a separate country, but only one
nation Nigeria.”
Immediately after Oba Akiolu’s prayers, the
crowd, including Ndieze Igbo, their titled
chiefs and the Lagos State white cap chiefs
went into dancing.
The Igbo monarchs were ushered into the
Oba’s living room where they were treated
to different kinds of foods and drinks.
The leader of the delegation, Chief
Ekwerekwu (Obosi) who is an Igbo
stakeholder and All Progressives Congress
(APC) leader, said by the Oba’s statement,
it is glaring that he never hated the Igbo.
He added: “Kabiyesi is a philanthropist who
has feelings for the downtrodden. He
stands by his words and never pretends.
And according to him, Kabiyesi has been
helpful to so many Igbo in different areas,
including himself.



southwestreporters.com/oba-akiolu-showers-blessings-on-igbo/

Rose2014:
There is also high presence of other tribes in Nigeria in Ibadan for example. I'm talking of average Yoruba man contribution to Nigeria GDP growth

Pls stop speaking ignorantly cocoa is the largest non oil foreign exchange earner for this country and yes it is mainly contributed by the "average Yoruba man" many of whom are even in the rural areas

nigerianobservernews.com/09042014/09042014/features/features1.html#.VXZqFutw2gg

cancocoa.org/president-speech.html


www.post-nigeria.com/nigeria-hits-cocoa-export-high-of-n131bn/

pazienza:
T.A had always been labelled the worst governor in history of humanity by Ndiigbo here on NL and in the real world. We always tell ourselves the truth, nobody criticizes TA Orji and his failure in Abia than Ndiigbo.

Can we say the same of Osun? I mean Aregbesola was as bad as TA yet Yorubas kept lying to themselves to save face.

The "yorubas" that support Aregbesola are pure blinded by partisan politics and jst trying to save face. This can not be generalized to include all yorubas



NB: Actually I don't derive any pleasure posting this but you guys are jst taking this too far. Its a classic "pot calling kettle black" jst plain hypocrisy

Ikpeazu and the burden of Abia workers’ salary arrears
By KESHI UKEGBU / May 21, 2015 / No Comments Less than two weeks to May 29 hand over, non- payment of workers salary arrears is still a burning issue in Abia State. In this piece, OKECHUKWU KESHI UKEGBU writes that unless the outgoing governor, Chief Theodore Orji, does the needful by paying up workers salary arrears before vacating office, he may leave a burden for his successor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu Non- payment of workers’ salaries arrears assumed the front burner during the recent Workers Day Celebration in Abia State. Parallel faction of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Abia State called on the state government to kindly clear all the arrears owed to government agencies and parastatals before 29th of May 2015. Chairman of the faction, Uchenna Obigwe while addressing workers loyal to his faction at Ibeku High School, Umuahia, observed with dismay that staff of Abia State University Teaching Hospital, ABSUTH were owed eight months salary arrears, while their counterpart in the Health Management Board were owed seven months. He also drew the attention of government to the non- implementation of consolidated salary structure CONHESS and CONMESS to health workers and LGAs and partial implementation in ABSUTH, HMB and Social Welfare Officers. Obigwe also lamented what he described as partial payment of pensions and gratuities for retirees, among other demands. Last week, Abia chapter of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners said it was going to demonstrate more if government failed to pay pensions to every pensioner. Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, Umuahia branch, Deacon Dan Amugo told newsmen in Umuahia that the union had informed the secretary of the Pension Board of the decision of the union. It will be recalled that the union had penultimate week shut the offices of the Abia State Pension Board and the Union secretariat in protest of the arrears of pensions owed them by Abia State government but the offices were unlocked. Amugo said that they had to lock the offices as a way of drawing government attention to the trauma their members were going through as a result of the delay in the payment of their pensions. He lamented that “gratuity is in prison in Abia State” adding that even the monthly pension has become a matter of government insensitivity to the plight of the pensioners. According to him, the problem of arrears of pensions started in October 2013 when they introduced half payment “and has remained the custom since then, no change.” “For example, our people are being owed from four to seven months arrears and when they pay it is haphazard; they pay A they will not pay B and we want the February pension to be paid to everyone or else we go back to the street. This makes the pensioners angry, that is the reason we locked the offices,” he said. Amugo said that retired permanent secretaries whose pensions range from N500, 000 and above collect their pensions by hand just like any other person “and by the time about a 100 of them is paid they would say money is finished.” He wondered why such huge amounts would not be paid through the bank. Nigerian Pilot reports that over 300 workers of Bende Local Government Area in Abia had some time ago marched to Government House in Umuahia to protest the non-payment of their five months’ salary arrears. Mr Gabriel Ukpai, one of the leaders of the peaceful protest, said that the aim was to bring their plight to the attention of state government. Ukpai alleged that the council workers’ problem started when an official of the transition committee returned N3.5 million to the state government shortly after his appointment. He described as false, claims by the official that the money was saved from the council’s allocation following the elimination of ghost workers from the council’s payroll. Ukpai alleged that the returned money was part of workers’ check-off dues and welfare levies. He said that the negative impact of the refund was the noticeable shortfall in the monthly allocations to the council. According to him, Bende local government currently receives about N15 million as monthly statutory allocations against the earlier N45 million monthly. Ukpai also said that the “refusal” of the local government to pay the workers had nothing to do with the newly introduced biometric data system for payment of salaries. Some others workers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also called on the state government to intervene in the matter. Recently,Abia State gov¬ernment allegedly introduced a new system of sharing allocation from the federation account to lo¬cal government areas in the state. The essence of this new system christened “balloting” is that when at the Joint Account Commit¬tee, JAC, meetings lots would be drawn with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ written on them and put in a ballot box. Then the transi¬tion committee chairmen would be called upon to pick. Any local government which is lucky and the TC chairman picks ‘yes’, would get money for the workers’ sal¬ary for the given month but those that were not lucky and their chairmen picked ‘No’, would not be paid. By twist of fate, TC chairman of Bende LGA whose workers were still being owed four months’ salary in 2012, was said to have picked ‘No’ for the month of December 2014. So, frustrated by the development, the workers matched from the Bende local government headquarters to Government House, Umuahia with the intention of seeing Gov Theodore Orji to intimate him of their suffering. But security men could not allow the workers who carried placards and sang songs of sorrow access to the seat of power. One of the affected workers, who craved anonymity, lamented: “I have never seen this type of arrangement anywhere before. Local government workers have suffered so much under this government. The past ad¬ministration in the state never owed us even one month salary, but now we are owed up to four to five months arrears of salary de¬spite the fact that we now have enhanced allocation. “What we cannot understand is this intro¬duction of giving allocation accruing from the federation account through balloting when, in fact, funds allocated to each coun¬cil by the Federal Government was enough to pay workers salary. “We are talking about our December 2014 salary at this time and as we speak, we are not sure it will be paid even in this May. Our counterparts in other states were paid before Christmas while we celebrated on empty stomachs.” It is alleged that the state got into this ugly mess through its indebtedness to a bank, which receives its money at source, immediately the monthly alloca¬tions are made. The implication of this is that the state is virtually run with internally gener-ated revenue. However, the state government has taken a bold step to shore up its internally generated revenue through the deployment of Geographic Information Systems, GIS in land administration and management. The project is a Public Private Partnership ,PPP, project involving the state government and the Cyrux Global Consortium of private sector partners. The question remains: how far can the government of Okezie Ikpeazu, the governor-elect go in offsetting the huge amount of salary and pension arrears facing his administration? Analysts have suggested that if he (governor- elect) wants to start on a heartwarming note, he must do all within his powers to assuage these workers and pensioners by bending backwards to offset these arrears. It is a huge task, but one that must be done

nigerianpilot.com/ikpeazu-and-the-burden-of-abia-workers-salary-arrears/

Salary arrears: Abia
State Accountant-
General lied, we are
owed 8-9months –NLC
Posted on June 1, 2015 by Flowrymz in
News, Politics // 0 Comments
The Abia State council of The Nigerian
Labour Congress (NLC) at the weekend
faulted a claim by the state Accountant-
General, Mr. Gabriel Onyedinefu that the
government is not owing workers,
describing it a lie.
The state Chairman, Comrade Uchenna
Obigwe, told newsmen in Umuahia that
the accountant-general is deceiving the
public in a report in a national daily (not
Daily Sun). Obigwe said over nine
parastatals are still being owed salaries
ranging from three to eight months.
Onyendinefu was quoted in a national
daily, saying that the state government
has paid its workers up till May.
Obigwe named the parastatals being owed
to include the State University Teaching
Hospital, Aba, eight months, Hospital
Management Board, seven months,
Nigeria Union of Pensioners, four months
and the State Universal Basic Education
Board, six months.
According to him, teachers are owed six
months, local government workers, three
months, the state radio station (BCA),
three months, state Polytechnic, Aba, four
months and College of Education
(Technical), Arochukwu, seven months.
Obigwe said Labour was disappointed that
the accountant-general would dish out
“such lies to the public”, when the
workers were actually suffering. He urged
him to retract his statement and tell the
public the truth.
The state NLC gave Onyendinefu one week
to retract his statement and tell the public
the true position of government’s
indebtedness to the workers



posh360.net/salary-arrears-abia-state-accountant-general-lied-we-are-owed-8-9months-nlc/

NLC gives Abia AG ultimatum to
retract denial of govt’s
indebtedness to workers
on may 29, 2015 at 12:34 am in news
Facebook Share Twitter Share
By Anayo Okoli
UMUAHIA — ABIA State chapter of Nigeria Labour
Congress, NLC, has given the Accountant-
General of the state, Mr. Gabriel Onyedinefu, a
week within which to retract his statement that
the state government was not owing workers one
kobo, saying he lied about the government’s
indebtedness to workers.
Onyendilefu was quoted in a national paper as
saying that the state government had paid its
workers up till May.
But Chairman of the NLC in the state, Comrade
Uchenna Obigwe, who gave the ultimatum
yesterday, warned that should the Accountant-
General fail to retract his statement, the union
would take the case to its national headquarters
for necessary action.
The labour leader disagreed with the Accountant-
General’s position, insisting that the government
still owed its workers several months arrears of
salaries.
According to the state chairman of NLC, Comrade
Uchenna Obigwe, the Accountant-General
deceived the public by his statement.
He said over nine parastatals still owed salary
arrears, ranging from three to eight months.
Obigwe named the parastatals being owed to
include Abia State University Teaching Hospital,
Aba, which he said is owedeight months, Hospital
Management Board, seven months, Nigeria Union
of Pensioners, four months and Abia State
Universal Basic Education Board, six months.
Obigwe said teachers in the state were owed six
months salary arrears; local government workers,
three months; the state radio station, BCA, three
months; Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, four
months; and College of Education (Technical),
Arochukwu, seven months.
Obigwe said Labour was disappointed that the
Accountant-General would dish out such lies to
the public, when workers were actually suffering.
He urged the Accountant-General to retract his
statement and tell the public the truth.


www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/nlc-gives-abia-ag-ultimatum-to-retract-denial-of-govts-indebtedness-to-workers/

Nice one

Am actually surprised and disappointed in the "secret" asset deceleration! Yaradua publicly declared his can remember seeing it all over the tv stations don't see y PMB can't.

pazienza:
Why is it that Yorubas hardly talk about Odua republic? Don't you desire a country of your own? Or is it that you are too scared to ask for one? Could it be that Yorubas are inlove with the Zoological republic?

You live in a cage in your own "Zoological republic" I live in a cozy house in Nigeria its all about mindset bro!

To your question, we yorubas are more strategic, we know the walk to independence its a process that's y we have

DAWN to integrate the yoruba nation

The yoruba sociopolitical groups have always been @ the forefront of regional govt( a step to independence) and confab bears testament to this

We continually strive to be politically relevant so as to push our agendas

Dear friend when we yorubas finally decide to call it quit with Nigeria (and that day wld come) it won't be a "never ending struggle" it wld be swift.......very swift!

pazienza:
Why are Yorubas scared whenever they hear the word BIAFRA?

Hahahahahahah joke of the century!

Before emerging as the running mate of
President Muhammadu Buhari last December
after the primary election of the All Progressives
Congress, Oluyemi Osinbajo, professor of law and
Vice President of Nigeria was known as an erudite
law teacher. Even though he had served in
various capacities and even rose to the position
of Attorney General of Lagos State, he remained
relatively unknown to many of his country men
and women. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and
Senior Partner in leading law firm – Simmons
Cooper Partners – Osinbajo knows his onions
when it comes to the business. He became a
professor at only 33 – a rare feat especially in the
legal path.
Born on March 8, 1957 in Lagos, Nigeria’s new
Vice President had excellence built in him even
as a young school boy. Starting out from Corona
Primary School, Lagos, before moving to the
prestigious all-boys institution – Igbobi College,
Yaba, Lagos, between 1969-1975, his academic
prowess led the way for him through these
stages. Adeoba Prize for English Oratory, Elias
Prize for Best Performance in History in the West
African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination
in 1973, School Prize for Literature, and African
Statesman Intercollegiate Best Speaker’s Prize
were some of the academic awards he racked up
while still in secondary school.
Higher education would come for him at the
University of Lagos shortly where he continued
the tradition of academic excellence and earned
a degree in law. Though finishing in Second Class
Upper division, Osinbajo won the Graham-
Douglas Prize for Commercial Law at graduation
from his department. He would later bag a
Master of Laws from the London School of
Economics in 1981.
Osinbajo’s journey into fulltime academic and law
practice began shortly afterwards when he was
hired as a legal lecturer at his alma mater several
years back. By 1983, he had risen to the position
of senior legal lecturer at the institution. There
was more on the way for the soft-spoken scholar.
Five years later he was appointed an Adviser to
the then Attorney-General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola under whom he
served for many years.
For his hardwork and commitment to promoting
the law practice, Osinbajo was made the Head of
Department of Public Law, University of Lagos,
after serving under Ajibola. In 1999, he became
a member of cabinet, Lagos State Ministry of
Justice, remaining in the system before finally
climbing to the topmost position in the ministry.
While still in public service, Osinbajo enacted a
number of reforms in the Lagos State justice
system which has today brought about ease for
many ordinary citizens who could not easily
afford legal services or seek redress against
injustices meted to them. The establishment of
the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights which
provides free legal services and legal
representation to persons in this category, is a
huge testament to how effective those reforms
were.
Osinbajo did not stop there. He went on to bring
more critical issues like the hiring of judges, their
wages, training and discipline to light. These
changed the face of the justice system in Lagos
completely. Today, there is the Office of the
Public Defender and the Citizens Mediation
Centre – a refuge where ordinary citizens in
Lagos regardless of tongue and religion can seek
legal help.
Upon completing his assignment at the Lagos
Ministry of Justice in 2007, the love for the
classroom took Osinbajo back to the Department
of Public Law of his alma mater where he
continued to impart knowledge into practising
and aspiring lawyers in the institution.
In total, Nigeria’s new Vice President has over 31
years of litigation experience, taking on and
turning around some of the toughest cases in
favour of his clients. He has conducted very
important constitutional and precedential cases
before many courts in the country including the
Supreme Court.
Osinbajo has received several awards for his
selfless contribution to the development of the
law practice and entrenchment of justice in the
country. He belongs to a host of notable
professional bodies including the Nigerian Bar
Association, International Bar Association,
Nigerian Body of Benchers, and Council of Legal
Education in Nigeria.
A devoted Christian and promoter of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, the Vice President was until his
latest elevation the resident pastor of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God, Olive Tree
Parish, Banana Island, Lagos. He is married to
Dolapo, a leader of women and granddaughter of
Obafemi Awolowo, former Premier of the Western
region. Their union is blessed with three children.


www.punchng.com/politics/inauguration-special/osinbajo-from-scholarship-to-leadership/

doctokwus:
What I want to ask d moderators is this:does it mean anyone can just wake up and haul insults on someone with no evidence or source as some wud demand.
Someone opens a thread specifically to insult a leader with no analysis,no source,no proof and absolutely no basis,yet the op is not banned as d rules demand.
This is a man that just sworn in y/day.
Nland should check d number of threads with deep insights compared to those with hatred all flowing from d first sentence,all bc some people are given leeway to type whatsoever they wish.
At this stage of its growth,nland is supposed to b a source itself of original news and articles, but just because stupid threads like this now fill d forum,such sources now keep a distance.As change comes to stay, nland too should do an introspection to how it has allowed such acts and gross abuse of its own rules to keep away many deep and insightful thinkers, allowing irritants and tribal bigots to have a field day and turn nland to their toy.

Bro do u actually believe we have moderators here? They are just ghost workers!

E ku posting oooooooo!
E ku gbaladun!

Uhmmmmmm.......is this not a scam?

I like this Governor the way he seems to be interested in agriculture is cool........."agriculture is the future"