₦airaland Forum

Corruption flows in the blood of the average Nigerian. He thinks, dreams, drinks and eat corruption. Nothing is new.

We all know that Dariye was unjustly removed from office by the hawks at Aso Rock. We all read about the persecution this guy faced in London and right here in Nigeria from the hands of blood-thirsty demons in Aso Villa. The courts have ruled that he should be re-instated. Let that be and let peace reign.

Funny. Very funny!

But this same EFCC recently gave IBB (Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida) a clean bill of health. And I heard that means the man is free to roam about town without fear. Now that tells a lot about the outfit's reputation.

What's the meaning of ''clean bill of health sef''?

Guys, I have before now taken this forum as the most authentic source of information about Nigeria. But, with this YarAdua's case, I'm beginning to have a rethink. Maybe I should have waited a while longer to get the true picture of events. Well, I didn't. And it hurts so bad that my colleagues in my office have now tagged me a rumour peddler.

I hate rumors, and I urge everyone here to verify that what he/she is posting as information on this forum is the real stuff.

I saw this coming, so, I'm not surprised one bit.

domwas2:
He has now gone to ANPP, a party you cannot pronounce. “And what is the symbol of that party? Corn. He had now become a chicken holding corn. Chop Chop party.

Funny. Chop Chop Corn party.

donnymikky:
We criticise them because we are at the recieving end. They all have their children study abroad because our educational system is zero; they go for medical check up abroad because there are no hospitals in Nigeria but clinics; they have free MTN, GLOBACOM, VMOBILE, STARCOMS, etc line with free units but we have to pay through our noses to make use of these services; they fly in government and private jets while we have to go through the menace of pothole ridden roads coupled with long ques at fuel stations; they sleep well in their various houses with full security while we keep vigils at night against the possible attacks by armed robbers; worse of all they are protected by immunity which Yorubas reffer to as I M U N I T I but the law has no provissin for our safety, Many reasons to criticise these bunch of gold suckers.

True words.

But a bunch of suckers feel otherwise. They think we should be proferring solutions, when in reality the solutions to our problems stare us all (including the bunch of misinformed, misguided, opportunistic, never-do-well, gold diggers, and idiots at Abuja) in the face. Do I need to advise some Minister of works to put the East-West road in order before he needs to do so? What about the Benin-Lagos expressway that has been a source of concern for everyone. The list goes on.

Why call urself Man-eater? Are you a cannibal?

I think the words on the notes should be in Ijaw, Isoko, Urhobo, Akwaibom and Ikwerre; because the bulk of the country's wealth comes from the areas where these languages are spoken. Rite?

The other tribes just sit where ever they are and feed fat on the proceeds from the sale of the resources of the above mentioned tribes. It will only be fair to the Niger Delta people if the notes are written in their languages.

drlawng:
While i empathize with the people of the Niger-delta and believe they deserve better than the deplorable conditions they currently live in, I totally despise the criminal activities of MEND. There are other ways to fight for your right. Terrorism is sure not one that yeilds lasting dividends.

If the cause is "better standards of living" (simply put) then it is achievable. RESOURCE CONTROL or CESSATION from Nigeria is chasing the wind and absolutely impossible. The issue here is survival of the fittest. Nigeria will never let that happen. The only proceeds from this "ill-conceived MEND aggression" will be years of anarchy in the region while the hoodlums in the name of MEND fighters enrich themselves through ransoms (which in my opinion puts them in the same category as the corrupt Nigerian politicians) and the poor Niger-deltans they are supposedly fighting for, wallow in poverty and die in the cross-fire between them and the Nigerian military.

I dare say this will drag-on till the last drop of oil is taken from the region. Nigeria will rather endure this "MEND insurgency" than risk the impact of loosing the benefits from the oil. Its the lesser of two evils and at the moment, it makes sense to stay with the present arrangement. The people benefitting from the oil are living in peace in their respective states.

You sound like Nigeria cannot and will not survive without the oil in the Niger Delta. Hmn, that's revealing, you know. No wonder the World Bank said, and I quote

''About 80 per cent of Nigeria's oil and natural gas revenues accrue to just one per cent of the nation's population. The other 99 per cent of the population receive the remaining 20 per cent of the oil and gas revenues, leaving Nigeria with the second lowest per capita oil export earnings at $212 per person in 2004."

Because the oil wealth was fraudulently acquired in the first place, the oil proceeds is in the hands of fraudsters.

OBJ is the most corrupt man in the universe. I think he's the most corrupt man alive. His name reeks of corruption and corrupt practices. Every steps he takes brings him closer to doom.

Wetin be all these yarnings about Atiku? As at 1999 when the going between the two Kingthieves was good, nobody raised any dust about who's clean or dirty. Now that their relationship have turned sour, everyone's pointing accusing fingers at the two of them.

As far as I'm concerned, this is not the type of question people should be replying on this forum. The truth is obvious for all to see, so why bring the question to the market square?

As for me, my headache now is the reason why the likes of Donald Duke, Prof. Pat Utomi and other good people were not allowed to come out and cotest the Presidential post of this country. All these other people, cankerworms, rogues, thieves, demons should never be allowed to see Aso Rock, talkless of entering there. I heard the one running for President under PDP cannot even stand upright to pee like a normal man. Why on earth would any right thinking man allow such a person to rule this country? Are we cursed or what?

dblock
I have not heard or read anywhere yet where Atiku was declared corrupt by any court of competent jurisdiction. Not even a court of incompetent jurisdiction have ruled so.

So all of your statements are just mere speculations and maybe jokes.

If Atiku is corrupt let the courts say so. Until then, he's a free man (albeit corrupt).

Na wah o. Wetin may eye no go see. Person name sef na Crude Oil?

alabiyemmy:
What is the major problem in the Niger Delta? What is lacking in the region that is not lacking in every other part of Nigeria? The resources belong to the government and albeit - to all Nigerians, not to the people of the region - yes - not to them alone. Thus, what is it that is missing in the region that is not missing elsewhere? I guess we should all carry arms and fight ourselves because we all want to share in the resources of the country. I have seen developmental projects in the Niger Delta - yes, this is true - Ken Saro Wiwa fought for the way the region was poluted environmentally, now his efforts are being politicised by so called Militants. All of us can lay claim to the resources of the Niger Delta because it belongs to all of us.

Who owns the gold deposits at Ilesha in Osun state? To what extent have the owners of the gold deposits use the resources of the area to develop the Niger Delta since gold was found in the area?

Who owns the coal deposits at Enugu ? How much of coal money went into the development of the Niger Delta towns of Portharcourt, Warri and Eket at the time coal was a substantial foreign exchange earner for the country?Why is it so that we cannot point out anything to show that, for example, this 'X' at Warri, Portharcourt or Uyo is the structure that was built in the Niger Delta with the proceeds from the sale of coal or gold?

The tin deposits in Jos truly is owned by the FG, rite? But the proceeds from tin mining you will definitely see in Jos and it's surroundings. Government deemed it fit to plough back the proceeds from tin sale into Jos and Plateau state in general. How much of the proceeds from the sale of tin did the FG use in developing the Niger Delta area all through the time tin was another major source of foreign exchange earner for the country?

texazzpete:
Every month Rivers state Govt gets 4 billion naira as oil derivation, that excludes the normal state allocation and the HUGE amount (billions) obtained yearly as tax from oil majors. A recent publication by Mobil alleged that Shell pays 8Billion naira yearly as tax to Delta state, not to talk of rivers.
So stop asking why people don't have drinking water. They have the money! a one-time expenditure of 4 billion naira will provide drinking water for all the communities in Bayelsa state (im sure). an additional 10 Billion will provide electricity for many communities. Yet this is not done. Why? because crooks who are south-south in origin steal all the money.
Alams stole N50 billion, yet MEND are demanding for his release. An Ijaw man, from an ijaw community ruling an Ijaw state stole enough money that could provide water and electricity and employment for many people in his state and what do these people do? they ask if he's the only governor stealing money. What happened to simple logic? What happened to common sense?

Don't these guys know that if the force some companies to close shop their people lose their jobs? Go ask how many jobs were lost when willbros and Michelin pulled out.

Those who are sympathetic with the kidnappers with the dumb reasoning that they are being 'well treated' should see how it feels locked up against your will by criminals, no matter the quality of food you receive you'll not enjoy it, and neither will your family!

OK. We don't have saints governing us in the Delta. As per stealing, why don't you ask yourself why someone like Chimaroke Nnamani, Governor of Enugu State has some 172 houses scattered all over the world credited to his name by the EFCC/ICPC?

How on earth did OBJ, poor as he was pre-May 1999 suddenly turned to the owner of 1) Bells University of Techology, 2) Obasanjo Farms - whose worth is in the Billions of naira range and a huge share in Transcorp?

If OBJ, IBB, Abacha, Nnamani, indicted Tinubu, Alao-Akala and Atiku can own such stupendous wealth by pilfering from the national treasury, the treasury that was filled mainly (90%) with the proceeds from the sale of crude oil from Alams, Ibori, Odili and Attah's backyard, why on earth are you so angry that they[b] ''stole'' [/b] some thing that actually belonged to them and their people?

Afam:
My position is this, if you have a problem to sort out with anybody, do so and do not harm innocent people in the process.

MEND claims it is fighting for the rights of the Niger Deltans, it is a good thing but it must face squarely those responsible for the state of affairs in the Niger Delta and with all sense of responsibility I will say that the state governors in the Niger Delta should be held responsible before you start calling the Federal government.

Afam,
It's very easy for you to sit way up there and say that they should channel their grievances to the authorities. But like Orikinla rightly said, you need to go right inside the creeks and stand face to face with the MEND guys to tell them that their leaders in the Delta are the ones to blame for their ordeal, to deal with the situation.

The situation in the Delta requires zeal and genuine efforts on the parts of the FG at developing the area. I have posted in one of my entries before now that all those bulldozers pulling down buildings in Abuja needs to be sent down to the delta to pull down trees and jungles to pave way for meaningful development . What obtains presently in the region is unacceptable and some folks have vowed to make sure that nothing is taken away from the region so long as their breath remains with them. Many examples abound in this country how the FG have shown laxity in bringing development to the area.

1) The East-West road:

To date, all I see is some very big bill boards positioned at Eleme Junction,  Kiama, Ughelli and Warri showing that the contract has been awarded to dualise the road from Oron to Warri. Not even a pint of ashphalt has been laid at either the Warri or Oron end of the road. But I heard that the power plants at Papalanto (OBJs town) is nearing completion and would be commissioned soon. Tell me if the FG is really sincere in developing the area.

2) Olokola LNG:

The Olokola LNG was initially proposed to be sited in Warri. But OBJ in his infinite foolishness decided to site it in a border town between his home state (Ogun) and Ondo state. The natural gas that will feed this plant will be piped all the way from oil/gas fields in Delta and Bayelsa states. Initial feasibility studies carried out showed that it will be uneconomical siting such a plant in Olokola, but OBJ insisted that it should be sited there. Now if OBJ has the interests of the Delta people at heart, will this plant not be sited in Warri area to provide jobs for the teeming population of Niger Delta youths who are unemployed and roaming about the streets?

(3) Independent Power projects:
Some will say Odili should be partly blamed for the power problems in the Delta. I'll tell them that the problem is beyond Odili. It's a calculated effort on the part of the powers that be that the Niger Delta man and his surroundings should not witness any meaningful development, never mind that the oil used in feeding other constituents of the country is from the Delta.

Orikinla, good posts.

Mariory:
Do you understand what you're saying here cause I don't. When did he take out the loan? Wasn't it after he was freed from jail?

Poor poor boy. So much pain that no one cares about (including me) or recognizes. Even the militants don't give a shit. Must be torture to think all you wrote of people inhabiting an entire region. Poor poor boy. Excuse me while I reap where I did not sow, while I take resources from "your people", while flashing my dirty teeths (didn't know people could have teeths). Oh joy.

How is it that I changed my initial stance of not joining issues with you again on this forum? Well this is the last from me to you. The very last, Mariory, cause we're always never coming to an accord on anything.

Mariory:
How do people pay back loans. It's been said that the farm is now a world class facility. Isn't that a means to repay the loan?

That's all fine and good. But the people of Lagos and Ogun states are not kidnapping foreigners and killing Nigerians and blaming it on lack of developement.

That ''farm'' became a world class facility only after OBJ became the president of this cursed country. If he had remained in the gulag (where he rightly belonged) I guess by now, he would have turned to manure in Yola prison. I wonder how he would be able to pay back a loan worth N10, talkless of a N2 billion naira loan. Of course we know that he dipped his filthy hands into the treasury. Treasury filled with the proceeds from the sale of the Niger Delta people's God-given resources.

The people of Ogun and Lagos state have nothing to loose. At best they're just a bunch of opportunists waiting for ''manna from heaven'' to help develop their lands. The present skewed arrangement has made it possible for them to flash their dirty teeths reaping where they did not sow, and taking from the resources of other people's lands. All of the power projects at Papalanto, Geregu and Mambilla will all be funded by the FG with the proceeds from the sale of crude oil, right? Or is it the proceeds from the sale of cassava and cocoa that they will use? Open your eyes, Nigeria is destined for failure, as long as the present arrangement remains.

Afam:
Interesting responses.

So, the guy was drunk yet he made statements that every Israeli believes in and is the sole reason for seizing arab lands?

@4Play,

Since you can write the words racist bigot I presume you know the meaning and if you do then I wonder why that tag does not fit well with you.

I guess you are too unintelligent to even understand that the title of the thread is from the body of a message concerning the video link, but what do I really expect from you?

I have never seen anyone more stupid than you in my lifetime and I do not believe there is anything you can do to salvage your already sorry state of intellectual faculty.

Lawd!! LOL!!

OK. It's N2 billion.

Now, where/how on earth did OBJ come about the means of paying back such stupendous loans to the banks?

And what about Gbenga Daniel and Bola Tinubu,whose building/mansions in the UK is the talk of the area where these properties were located.

Leave the Niger Delta governors alone. Remove the log in your eyes before you can help remove the dirt in another person's.

McKren:
@Boli
Is the FG owing the Niger-Delta people any allocations Odili used Rivers allocation to set up Air line bussiness and you are suggesting that the whole Nigeria should implode because Niger-Delta leaders are depriving Niger-Delta people of basic amenities.
They should direct their course to the immediate government and trust me every other part of Nigeria will follow suit. They should leave foreigners alone. The idea behind foreigners is about the ransome involved. PERIOD!!!!!!!1

McKren,
Listen up man, all that Odili, Alams, and other Niger Delta governors stole?? in their respective states is so small, it's negligibile compared to the Zillions stolen and is still being pilfered by the likes of OBJ, Danjuma, IBB, Tafa, Atiku etc etc.

I know that a thief is a thief. But would you blame the governors of the area when they were handpicked by OBJ himself to inflict sorrows and woes on our people? Do you think these governors will behave the way they are doing if they were voted in by our people to bring about meaningful development?

Besides all these, what manner of man will you be called if you allow people from other places to carve up your lands in the name of oil blocks and sold to the highest bidders. That's the problem. The fact that we cannot by our own will do what we want with our God given resources. That's excatly what myself, Owo and well meaning Niger Delta people have said and still talking about on this forum.

Before now, in the 60's, resources were shared in a favourable ratio where the producer/owner gets a large chunk of what's obtained from his lands, so that he can use such funds to develop himself and future generations. The rest is given to other constituents of the country so that the blessings on the lands will go round.

But we now have a situation where we cannot even say anything about what's under our lands. Rather, we have cursed people sitting way up in an arid land (before now, Abuja was a dry savannah with nothing short of grazing lands in view) dictating to us how much should come to our purse of the proceeds from our lands. And when we complain, they send in troops (composed maily of the Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba stock) to come and silence us. Punishment and curses awaits all of them and their future generations.

Now, you guys wants us to keep quiet in the face of oppression, utter neglect and improvishment. Well, we won't. And we will continue to support all those who helps to project that sorry state we're in under a wicked arrangement (Nigeria) as the CNN have done.

GNature:
When there wasn't an NDDC, na wahala. Now there is NDDC, still na wahala
Lewa,

what about the money received by the Niger Delta Governors ? Abi, is it OBJ's fault that the money is not spent judiciously ? You forgot to mention the million dollar mansion Alamiesiegha owns in the UK and the thousands of pounds caught on him.

what about that ?

* And where/how did OBJ manage to convince banks in the country to grant him a N200 Billion loan to finance his farms at Otta?
* Where did he get the money to build Bells University of Technology at Otta?
* One of his sons recently bought a mansion in New York after graduating from the Uni. Where did he get such stupendous amonut of money to buy such property?


And who told you Alams was voted in by Bayelsa indigenes? I have told you guys before now that these people were handpicked by PDP and foisted on the Delta people to actualise their selfish aims.

And talking about governors, please check the records of Donald Duke of Cross Rivers state before you come around here to blow hot air.

Point blank: OBJ is a thief. CNN only helped to blow open what he's been trying to cover all through these eight years. His NDDC is a ruse for siphoning dollars from the Delta. Mad man that he is.

We all are just beating about the bush here. Lets face facts. Without ''trouble'' as in real trouble in this country, your voice will not be heard. You need to smash some bottles and throw dynamites for your voice to be heard, and that's exactly what Ejarune has clearly stated.

What are the problems in the Delta: Unemployment, Underdevelopment, Marginalisation, Ethnic bigotry, Institutionalised corruption, Nepotism, etc etc.

Has the government done anything about it?: NO

What are they (FG and stakeholders) waiting for: Kilings, kidnap, maiming, destruction of lives and properties, bombings, terrorism and MEND - whose fear is the beginning of freedom

Afam:
Meanwhile, if Nigeria will disintegrate soon then it will be fuelled by the likes of the US who will effortlessly speed up the process if only they are guaranteed free access to our oil as the middle east is becoming too hot for them.

For me, I'll prefer the Americans having free access to our oil than what currently obtains, never mind that the access is not really free.

In times like these I'll rather not discuss what the militants or military capabilities in terms of sophistication of weapons used or knowledge of terrain is. I'll rather think about what their demands are and look at these demands fairly: I will also look at ''time'' within which the FG was expected to react favourably to the threats from these people.

Demands

1) Release of Asari Dokubo and Alamieyeseigha

2) Development of the Niger Delta region.

3) Full implementation of true Federalism (leading to resource control, of course)

Now, how far has the FG gone to pacify these ''aggrieved youths''? From the much I know about the area, nothing has been done to put a smile on the faces of the people. And if you blame the governors of the area, I will tell you that the governors were selected by OBJ to govern the people, with a mandate to continue the pauperisation of the area.

As regards if the militants are fighting for themselves or the Niger delta, I'll say they're fighting for both the Niger Delta and themslevs They're fighting for their lives. And irrespective of what the FG does or say, this fight will not stop until real development comes the way of these people.

Timeline.

The FG did not respond to the request of these group of boys. They in turn started destroying the exploration and production equipment of the operating companies and later had to start the ''lucrative?'' business of taking ''white people'' hostage.

If the FG had heeded the call for true Federalism and justice on the part of ''true'' leaders of the area, hoodlums wouldn't have hijacked the true struggles of the Delta people. A genuine reaction on the part of the FG (on time and with zeal to correct the injustice meted to these people) towards developing the area would have prevented the brazen disregard for law and order as we see it today in the creeks.

I think I'll rather go for Buhari. Let me explain.

I was in this country when Buhari and Idiagbon came up with the WAI (War against Indiscipline). It worked perfectly in my locality. You could see order and decorum on the way we do things in the country. No doubt, Buhari had his weakpoints at the time, but you will all agree with me that it's an onerous task ruling a country like ours.

Buhari is not a saint, and he's prone to making mistakes and coming down heavy on people due to his military background. I want to believe he's changed now, who will not change after retiring from the military 22 years ago? That's enough time for one to go back to the drawing board and come up with some solutions for solving problems associated with governing a complex and multi-ethnic society like ours.


All said, I think it's better to live with the devil you know than some angels presented by the likes of OBJ, who has a reputation for acting in the real Devil's capacity, whenever he ( the Devil) is away.

I will like all the EFCC supporters and all those who have given one form of praise and kudos on this forum to Mallam Nasir El Rufai to go back home and cower their heads in shame!

Folks,
I got this link about polygyny from a lady friend. Much as the generality of women (and men too) look at this in bad light, I think the writer of this article has some very strong reasons to justify the practice of polygyny among people of all races and kind.

Here's a sample of what I gleaned out from the write up:

'' In any case, from a ‘fitness’ perspective, polygyny(polygamy??) is, obviously, a good deal for men in a position to marry and multiply. And, despite our intuition, choosing to share a husband can sometimes be a rational choice for a woman as well. So why have most modern societies come to forbid it? And why should we as individuals, deplore it? As it turns out, our gut instinct that polygyny generally benefits men is even more seriously in error than our instinct about the consequences for women. In fact, it is nearly the inverse of the truth: if there is no shortage of men in a breeding pool, then polygyny is a bad deal for all men who are not rich, a terrible deal for men who are poor, and a hazard to society at large. It has also, in modern times, come to pose a serious danger to the stability of the world.''

Take the link below:
http://www.thezaxis.org/2006/02/polygamy_an_evolutionary_guide.html

In all these, much as I'm not favourably disposed towards the practice, I'm beginning to look at those who practice it with some level of objectivity and reason. What do you think?

Every evil machinations against the people of the Niger Delta will be ''shut down''.

Christino:
@
Can u imagine, I was at Ijora Oloye yesterday for a friend's Islamic Wedding and I saw a registeration centre somewhere around only to get there and be told I have to vote in my LGA of residence. I just thanked the guy and walked away.

Now, this is news.