Bookmarked.

1.5B Naira per day to buy weapons for 2015!!!. God will save us from these people.

Bookmarked for future reference.

GEJ was also joking when he said that he would not contest in 2015.

“Without security, there is no government. So it is not debatable, it is something we have to addressed and we are working towards that with vigour. But if I’m voted into power within the next four years, the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.”

Jonathan said this while interacting with Nigerians mainly diplomats working in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, and the African Union, AU, in Addis-Ababa.

While fielding questions from those present at the interactive session on whether Nigerians abroad will vote, Jonathan said: “I would have loved that the Nigerians in Diaspora vote this year but to be frank with you, that is going to be difficult now. Presently, the law does not allow the voting outside Nigeria and so this year Nigerians in Diaspora will not vote but I will work towards it by 2015 even though I will not be running for election.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/i-ll-not-contest-2015-election-jonathan/

He was also joking when OBJ said he will do only one term and GEJ was by his side keeping silent.

Words on Mable.

Asari said Jonathan must be president whether or not we voted for him. Otherwise we should be prepared to face war. All these figures won't matter.

Is giving multi billion naira contract and latitude to steal oil the same as addressing the poverty and injustice in the Niger delta?.
In my opinion, the opportunity cost of Tompolo's private Jet is the continued deprivation, pollution and injustice that is still going on in the Niger delta.
More pollution is being experienced nowadays in the area because of increase in pipeline vandalism. When these rouges finish stealing the product from vandalized pipeline, the don't have the means or patience to repair broken pipe lines, they leave them to continue flowing until the companies come to repair them. Sometimes, they turn around to accuse these companies of polluting their environment and even demand compensation.
These are some of the price we pay for bad governance.

Give a cat some money to watch over your meat.
Hmm, 2015 will be brutal with 400,000 barrels of crude oil missing per day. Nigerian army will be overwhelmed with the type and quantity of arms that will come out of the Niger delta

"The Opportunity Cost Of Tompolo’s Private Jet" - 08 SEPTEMBER 2013

For those who haven’t heard, 43 year old ex-militant, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) on Monday 26th August 2013 received his Bombardier SE60 LearJet. The Jet according to aviation sources cost a whopping sum of $13.3 million (N2.12 billion).

The aim of this article is not to rubbish the person of Tompolo, [what is there to rubbish anyway] but to address inter alia; the scenarios that continue to play out in favour of his ilk, institutions and systems that perpetually endeavour to make his likes overnight celebrities. I would also analyse the opportunity cost of his latest toy.

The Man Tompolo
Tompolo was born Government Oweizide Ekpumopolo in 1970 into the family of Chief Thomas Osei Ekpempulo and Mrs Sologha Ekpemupol of Okorenkoko in Gbaramatu kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of present Delta State. He attended Edah Primary School, Madagho and Kunpa Primary School, Kunukunuma before later proceeding to National Comprehensive College, Warri where he completed the SSCE in 1993.

After a brief stint as Managing Director of his father's family business, Tompolo Nigeria Limited, his militancy career began in 1997, during the struggle to ‘liberate’ the Ijaws from the dominance of its neighbours -- the Itsekiris. General Sani Abacha had then relocated Warri South Local Government headquarters from Ogbe-Ijoh to Itsekiri’s Ogidiben and thus, an Ijaw ‘Soldier’ was born.

After the struggle, he relocated to Oporoza due to threats to his life and there, he started the struggle against the oil majors and the federal government for what he perceived as injustice against ‘their land’–usually the rhetoric for Niger Delta militants.

True to his name, Government Ekpumopolo was an authority of some sort. Traditional rulers, local council men, lawmakers, governors differ to him. To show the power Tompolo wields, during the visit of then Vice President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to his terrorist headquarters at the notorious Camp 5, he instructed all the Vice President’s entourage, security details, and other officials to stay outside the camp, allowing only Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in for ‘consultation’ (I wonder what they must have agreed in secret).

He led several ‘successful’ guerrilla attacks against Shell, almost crippling their production capacity in the Niger Delta. The company had no choice but to start paying some sort of ‘security fees’ to the warlord.

Tompolo started consulting in security matters for the oil companies, the Federal Government and the Joint Task Force to maintain some level of peace. Things got out of hand after his men beheaded 11 military men comprising of 1 officer and 10 rank and file of the Nigerian Army. That development forced the Chairman of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Brig. Gen. Sarkin Yaki Bello to declare him wanted, dead or alive.

His Entrance Into The Nigerian Billionaires Club
When the late President Musa Yar'adua took oath of Office in May 2007, he promised to bring an end to the Niger Delta insurgency, offering them a state pardon for all their criminal atrocities.

In June 2009 when the implementation of the amnesty programme started, thousands of youth surrendered their arms and ammunitions, with a report stating that Tompolo along with 1,500 militants handed in a cache of weapons that included general purpose machine guns, grenades, rocket propelled grenade launchers, explosives and a large number of assorted weapons.

Unfortunately, President Yar’adua who originated the idea died of some ailment and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice President as it then was, took the reins of power.

In what seemed like an opportunity-comes-but-once-so-lets-seize-it-and-settle-the-boys-bigtime-kind-of-contract, the Goodluck administration through NIMASA, headed by Ziadeke Akpobolokemi (said to be Tompolo’s candidate for the NIMASA job), awarded a contract worth $103.4million (N15billion) maritime surveillance contract to Tompolo’s company--Global West Vessel Specialist Limited (GWVSL). The contract stated that GWVSL will provide security for oil pipelines, repel pirates and oil thieves, guard the nation waterways and also (wait for this), COLLECT LEVIES ON BEHALF OF NIMASA. The agency said about N124billion is expected to be generated by GWVSL for the federal government.

In a memo dated 9 November, 2011 with reference number PRES/99/MT/61 and titled Award Of Contract For The Strategic Concessioning Partnership With NIMASA To Provide Platforms For Tracking Ships And Cargoes, Enforce Regulatory Compliance And Surveillance Of The Entire Nigerian Maritime Domain, President Jonathan approved the contract and it was rubber stamped by the Federal Executive council in one of its weekly contract awarding bazaars on 5 January, 2012.

The contract will run for 10 years, though President Jonathan through NIMASA has promised not to renew the contract after the expiration of its present term. But to show how desperate Jonathan was in securing the contract for his friend and personal confidant – Tompolo – he wrote to the National Assembly, withdrawing an earlier similar proposal submitted by his predecessor which sought to create a coast guard comprising of all the security agencies to man the country’s maritime domain. But why should he not, when NIMASA presently pays Tompolo’s GWVSL N49m weekly for vessel hired by the agency?

The Nigerian Debacle
We have heard over and over how the Nigerian system rewards honest labour with hardship and award criminal endeavours with the juicy contracts and patronage which only feather the nest of cronies.

Fellow militants who didn’t labour (killed) as much as Tompolo weren’t rewarded as much. I pity men of the Nigerian Military who daily sacrifice their lives for nothing. I hope Abubakar Shekau will not be given the same ‘heroic’ welcome whenever he leads his comrades-at-arms to accept the amnesty proposals of the Jonathan-administration.

Nigerians must realize that voting for Jonathan come 2015 is a vote for more money in the hands of those who have wronged and robbed Nigerians of our God-given resources.

Despite the huge amount being paid to Tompolo, Nigeria’s Maritime Domain has been less secure. Crude oil theft has reached an all-time high, threatening Nigeria’s income. Coordinating minister of the economy last July, lamented the alarming rate at which Nigeria’s income from oil was being depleted due to oil theft and bunkering. Tompolo’s militant colleague, Asari Dokubo has threatened to destroy Nigeria and march his opponents’ bullet for bullet, bomb for bomb, and missile for missile if Dr. Goodluck Jonathan isn’t re-elected in 2015, because only his stay in office will guarantee Tompolo's business which will in turn guarantee continued oil bunkering and theft in the Niger-Delta.

This is the right time to revoke the Tompolo’s contract. Only a fool employs a man with a history of dubious character (though forgiven) into a position of trust, he will always stay true to who he is.

The Opportunity Cost Of Bombardier 60SE Learjet
Economist define opportunity cost as the alternative forgone. It is the cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, it is the benefit you could have received by taking an alternative action. In layman’s terms, opportunity cost is the other product that would rather have satisfied your want.

An Example: If you need a Plasma Television and an iphone; and you divert your limited resources to purchase the iphone, the opportunity cost (i.e. what it is costing you) is a Plasma Television set.

Investopedia cites this vivid example: if a gardener decides to grow carrots, his or her opportunity cost is the alternative crop that might have been grown instead (potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc.).

In both cases, a choice between two options must be made.

A bombardier SE60 cost $13.3 million (N2.12 billion), a N2.12 billion we could have invested into other productive ventures had the contract not been awarded to Tompolo in the first instant.

The opportunity cost of Tompolo's private Jet are enormous, I have defined what opportunity cost is, please fill up the comment section with your suggestions of public goods we could have purchased with our collective N2.12 billion in the hands of an ex-militant.

Kikiowo Ileowo is the editor of The Paradigm and a public commentator. Engage him on twitter via @ileowo4ever

Emai: ileowo4ever@yahoo.com

Classic

There are still a few Nigerians who abhors corruption, but getting there to make a change is very difficult. I know a Gen. Buhari struggling even at old age to change the situation but the very young people that should support him are the people who hates him most especially from a particular region of the country. If somebody like him ready and prepared to make a change is so much opposed, how will the situation get changed?

Words.

I have lived and worked in the niger delta now for 15 years and I am surrounded by very brilliant minds, indigenes of the niger delta.
I am however puzzled at how niger deltans do find themselves pushing forward the worst among them for political leadership.
If I was to draw a list of 100 niger deltans to lead nigeria in 2011, I would surely not put GEJ on that list. But here we are, a GEJ surrounded by the likes Orubebe, Evans Bipi, etc.
Can they not give the people better leaders than Alams, Ibori, uduaghan, sylva, Dickson, Odili, GEJ.?
The only leader God had given them through divine intervention of the judiciary is being chased about with thugs.
They can not force on Nigeria incompetent leadership in 2015, no matter how much tribal and religious campaign they will use.

Meanwhile, why is this thread full of intelligent contributions like these. I have not seen the nairaland kids on this thread talking about gari and first to comment rubbish.

emsheddy:
if only u knew how evil the said man is, u wont say what u just did. Someone who could beat his chest and say if he loses, he will make the country ungovernable for the president. Arrant nonsense

Another bloody liar, this is one of the lies that has been repeated several times that has now become the truth. Atiku Abubakar said this on national television, not Buhari.

Jarus:

How he got that job, which I ot from a very reliable source close to him and presidency.

He begged around for the position.

Still not sure, PDP top guys, knowing him as a 'radical' and fearing he may turn the job down and score a point that he turned down presidential offer (a la Gani to Abacha, Achebe to Obj and GEJ), asked him to write application letter, which will be used as evidence against him in the event that he did that.

He wrote the application letter. He is the only GEJ political appointee that wrote application letter.

He was made to prostrate to top PDP hierachy.

He was made to write articles favourable to GEJ. He did: Google: The Jonathan Presidency 1-8 by him around April 2011He As Editorial board chair of Guardian, misled Guardian to do editorial with wrong accusation to Buhari (Guardian must have realized later to retract the editorial 2 years later), Guardian not knowing it was for his personal ambition.

Gen. Buhari shed tears once seeing many of you daunces that can not see beyond your noses that you will shed tears for a very looong time.
He is not in need of anything material. If he was, he would have turn a blind eye to your suffering, sit down and accept patronages that would have been coming to him in torrents.

If Gen. Buhari choose to forgive them, God will not forgive them. This was the lies they recycled so much everywhere that has become the truth even among ethnically and religiously bias nairalanders. How many people will ever come to read their useless apology. Is it not on the basis of these lies that some idiots were calling for his arrest?. It is also based on these lies that Reuben Abati got his job. A reward for concocting lies against Gen. Buhari. I hardly feel any sympathy for Nigerians. We deserve what we are going through at the moment.

Jarus, count me in full time. I will do anything to rescue Nigeria this time around. Sitting on the fence is no longer an option.

Our last opportunity to rescue this nation is 2015. If we mess it up,I am sure Nigeria will not be able to survive another 4 years of business as usual.
The high time we stopped these ethnic/religious madness and it is our turn syndrome, the better for us as a nation.
No nation had ever made it on any of these sentiments, leaders are carefully chosen.

Ikology: This further proves that moslems actually occupy principal positions,whereas christians are left with deputies and regional roles. Very sad indeed.

So, what will you say to the PDP list that has 18 christians and 3 Muslims? Merit and competence? Smh.

How will the list not look like a muslin only executives when you people mischievously selected 18 of 37 names you saw on the list. Why not publish the whole list?
Now, check this out. Is PDP a christain party? Going by your warped logic?
Bamanga Tukur- Chairman
(muslim)
Sam Jaja- Deputy Nat. Chairman
(christian)
Olagunsoye Oyinlola- Nat.
Secretary(christian)
Kema Chikwe- Women Leader
(christian)
Hanattu Ulam- Deputy Women
Leader(muslim)
Olisa Metuh- Publicity Secretary
(christian)
Victor Kwon- Legal Adviser
(christian)
Bolaji Anani- financial Secretary
(christian)
Abubakar Mustapha- Organizing
Secretary(muslim)
Okechukwu Nnadozie- Deputy
Organizing Secretary(christian)
Adewale Adeyanju- National
Auditor(christian)
Claudius Inenga- Deputy National
Treasurer(christian)
Garba Chiza- Youth Leader
(muslim)
Denis Alonge Niyi- Deputy Youth
Leader(christian)
Goodluck Jonathan- National
Leader(Christian)
Tony Anenih- Chairman BOT
(Christian)
Godswill Akpabio- Chairman PDP
governors forum(Christian).

THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

GENESIS AUTHOR One of the "five books of Moses."
EXODUS AUTHOR Generally credited to Moses.
LEVITICUS AUTHOR Generally credited to Moses.
NUMBERS AUTHOR Generally credited to Moses.
DEUTERONOMY AUTHOR Generally credited to Moses. 
JOSHUA AUTHOR. Major part credited to Joshua. 
JUDGES AUTHOR. Possibly Samuel, 
RUTH AUTHOR AUTHOR. Not definitely known, perhaps Samuel.  
FIRST SAMUEL AUTHOR. Unknown. 
SECOND SAMUEL AUTHOR. Unknown.
FIRST KINGS AUTHOR. Unknown.
SECOND KINGS AUTHOR. Unknown.
FIRST CHRONICLES AUTHOR. Unknown, probably collected and edited by Ezra. 
SECOND CHRONICLES AUTHOR. Likely collected and edited by Ezra.
EZRA AUTHOR. Probably written or edited by Ezra. 
ESTHER AUTHOR. Unknown.
JOB AUTHOR. Unknown.
PSALMS AUTHOR. Principally David,though there are other writers.
 ECCLESIASTES AUTHOR. Doubtful, but commonly assigned to Solomon.
ISAIAH AUTHOR. Mainly creditedto Isaiah. Parts may have been written by others. 
JONAH AUTHOR. Unknown.
HABAKKUK AUTHOR. Nothing known of the place or time of his birth. 

The above facts are from Collins' R.S.V. 1971. Pages 12-17. 

Can we still say that the bible is the word of God?

II CHRONICLES CHAPTER 9
25. And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

I KINGS CHAPTER 4
26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

Truely, the bible is the word of God.

I KINGS 72
6. And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.. 

II CHRONICLES 4
5. And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.


Truely, the bible is the word of God.

II SAMUEL 10
18. And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.

 I CHRONICLES 19
18. But the Syrians fled before Israel: and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.

Truely, the bible is the word of God.

II CHRONICLES 36
9. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. 

II KINGS 24
8. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mothers name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.  

Truely, the bible is the word of God.

II SAMUEL 24:13
13.So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue, thee?

 I CHRONICLES 21:11
11. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee 
12. Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee;  


Truely, the bible is the word of God.

II SAMUEL 24 "AND again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah".

While the author of Samuel 24 above, makes God the boss of the situation, the author of Chronicles below gives credit to the Devil.

I CHRONICLES 21 "AND SATAN stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel".

Truely, the bible is the word of God.

The Ops moniker nearly got me confused. I thought it was that God forsaken I'm.be.cile.
Very soon again, Bayelsans will tell us how we have been unfair to them instead of asking the right questions from their looting leaders. We will then be made to increase the percentage derivation for more looting.

What is happening in the niger delta right now is supervised stealing of our crude oil. The boys who got the contract to protect pipelines are the ones supervising the theft. They are building a formidable war chest ahead of 2015 elections. Ask oil companies around the area and you will be shocked how much they are spending on pipeline maintenance, security and compensation for spills caused by vandals.
It has never been worse.

Afam4eva: Is he a Muslim?


May he RIP.

No, he was a Christian. Are you happy now?. Bigoted mind.

ideycraze?:
What sort of a cleric is this? Oga,stop heating up the polity.CAN should call this man to order.

Which CAN?. You mean the political arm of the PDP?

jafre: Well, its your opinion and your definitely entitled to it.

For folks who reason logically, before you label Buhari as BH, you'd at least have proof. Its notable that Ruben Abati was sued for inferring this.

http://www.informationng.com/2013/01/libel-suit-presidency-buhari-
reach-out-of-court-settlement-on-abati-article.html
In reality, if elections are free and fair, the electorates would decide if Buhari will be president.

This Abati fabrication is what they have repeated so many times on nairaland that have been registered as the truth.
The only reason they hate Buhari so much is because he is a Muslim and a Northerner. Every other reason is farication which cannot be substantiated.