₦airaland Forum

davidylan:
na sweet wind of change blow am come.

lol. Sweet wind indeed!

What degrees or diplomas does this institute offer? How many programmes do we have there? How many Professors teach in the school? How do the ''products'' from the school compare with others? Is the school truly a Petroleum University?

Questions.

Aside from the last two examples, several others abound to lend credence to the fact that the Niger Delta question goes beyond mere rhetoric about ''thieving governors'' of the South South. Why should we have bridges linking lands in Lagos and Abuja, whereas, creeks and other riverine areas of the South South have no bridges linking them.

Also, why is the headquarters of NNPC sited in Abuja? Why not Portharcourt or Warri? What have they got to loose by siting the headquarters in these areas where the hub of oil activities abound?

I think the Supreme Court should have ordered a fresh election in that state - not imposing someone on the people, just like that.

Debosky,
There's what we call ''cumulative effect'' of something. Here in the delta, the criminal neglect and utter disregard for the peoples right, opinion, welfare and care by successive military and civillian administrators has created a sense of hatred, despair in the minds and hearts of our people. Almost 50 years of continuous exploitation and exploration of not only the wealth of our areas, but our people too and you come here to say 13% or 30% is good enough to address the sins of the past? Think again.

Why would some places in this country enjoy all of the good things of this life, feeding fat on the proceeds from my region, why my area wallop in abject poverty? Why should Abuja, carved out of some northern states and made Federal capital be so highly developed that Portharcourt, the hotbed of oil operation is completely dwarfed by the sheer beauty and splendour of Abuja? If there should be any difference between Abuja and Portharcourt, I felt it should be just the administrative set up of Abuja. But, lo and behold, the roads, streets buildings, parks and residential areas of Abuja are in no way comparable to the filth we have in Portharcourt, where the wealth of this country practically comes from. What manner of justice is that?

I believe it will take more than the meagre 13% or 30% presently doled out from what belonged to us in the first place, to redress the crime of the past. We want to see the Federal government physically involved in developing our states. Right from Delta to Akwaibom, to Cross Rivers State, we want to see the FG using the military might of the country to ''forcefully'' bring succour and the stolen wealth of our areas, back to us. We want to see the FG ''truly'' in support of the delta progress with all the resources needed for our development, returned back to our areas.

An example will make this clear. The FG has failed to dualise the only strategically important road in the South South region of this country - East-West Road. I gathered that hoodlums from some other parts of this country who feel their areas will be ''economically threatened'' by the construction of this road mobilised men and equipment to disrupt the construction activities going on on that road. The FG should react swiftly by deploying military men to provide all-round security for the construction workers. Just the way the same military guys provide round-the clock security to the oil gathering stations in the area.
Another example. The Portharcourt international airport is actually not even comparable to some local airports here in Nigeria, let alone the ones in other countries. An airport befitting the status of Portharcourt and Warri as the nerve-centres of oil exploration activities in this country ought to have been built in Omagwa. But the FG delights in sending troops to guard well heads and flow stations - chasing shadows and leaving out what's important.

Truth is that many of us do not understand what it takes to look at the big picture. Some of you guys say the Delta region received 13% derivation from crude oil proceeds since the inception of the Obasanjo administration in 1999 - and that these amounted to several billions of Naira. You guys did not say anything about all that accrued to the FG and other states that contributes little or nothing to the Federal purse. We did not say anything about the 87%, we just delight in zooming into the internal affairs of the Delta region states in order to castigate the ''selected'' leaders of the area.

Much as I do not rule out the fact that many of the past leaders of the area did not live up to expectation, considering what they were given, many of you failed to realise the enormous and daunting challenges the task of developing the Niger Delta poses. I have written in previous entries on this Niger Delta issue how the cost of constructing roads through most of the Niger Delta terrain is typically 3 times that of any other place in Nigeria. Only a heartless individual will leave the real problems in the delta and chase the shadows of bad leadership. I have said time and again that what's on ground in the delta requires a force greater than what any state in the region can muster. It requires Federal might. We need to see the FG showing genuine interest in developing the area to the satisfaction of the people in the area.

lare4u:
So Please the scavengers were not Nigerians.

So then, who on earth are they?

Interesting things happening here on Nairaland these days.

Jakumo:
It is at once baffling and supremely ironic that a woman who demonstrates her utter lack of a formal education with every utterance could be elected to the position of "Speaker" in any government that expects to be taken seriously by the international community.

Even more bizarre than the selection of a stark illiterate hair-dresser to house speaker is the fact that baying hordes of "elected officials" rose to engage in fist-fights over whether or not to remove the joke of a speaker, to the amazement of a transfixed Nigerian television audience, with one out-of-shape buffoon actually having a cardiac and dropping dead during the melee.

Now what was that DNA scientist saying about black people again ?

Two thumbs up for Jakumo! You never fail to bring out the crux of the matter. Hmn, I'm just wondering if there's any difference between the stark illiterate hairdresser and the ''stark'' literate boxers, who wasted no time at painting the gory picture of desperate and selfish ''legislathieves'' at the lower house .

Much has been contributed on this matter in this thread. I am against violence of any sort anywhere in the world. But I'm also against cheating of any type.

I hate a situation where I cannot voice out anything about the way my God-given resources is being used by anybody simply because we are in a ''Federal arrangement'' where sadists and jihadists living somewhere far up an arid region of this world holds 'sway'. I simply cannot understand why it's difficult for some numbskull people who claim they are policy formulators and have the best interests of this damned country at heart cannot read the handwriting on the wall; that this country is sitting on a keg of gun powder! Why can't they just allow everyone to sit together and think through their problems and seek ways of addressing them or part ways peacefully?

MEND and their threats aren't something new. This what has been with us right from the days of Adaka Boro. And we knew it will come to this. These ungrateful lot stealing from other peoples land knew that nemesis will catch up with them and their children to the fourth generation! But they were damne concerned about themselves only. So sad.

Why should I be surprised at MEND's threat? The government of the day and the ones of past administrations created the fertile grounds for such ugly stuff to rear their heads. So, let them deal with it. And for your information, MEND is just one ''crude way'' of some angry people in the delta expressing their angst against the scourge in their lands. And while I do not subscribe to violence of any sort, I'm really helpless and handicapped on how to advise these MEND guys to stop their threats and put their energies to something useful.

How can one tell MEND to shelve their weapons when some people in this country have zillions, proceeds from sale of crude oil, stashed away in Zurich, New York, UK and elsewhere? How can we tell them to stop the violence when the children of the past president OBJ are living in affluence while the average Niger Deltan can hardly afford to eat once in a day? How can we, when OBJ and his disciples holds the country under a firm iron grip, with the likes of Ettehgate arrow head, mama Etteh, Ali must go, Baba Bode George, the god-father of Amala politics, the able Baba's Commander at Ibadan Garrison - Lamidi Adedibu, etc etc. What about the rest from other places, feeding fat on the proceeds from crude oil sales?

Go tell MEND yourself to sheath their swords, cause I can't.

@tayo4me,
No one supports the bombing of anything. Rather, what we're saying is that if we have such structures - like the third mainland bridge in Lagos, linking several hamlets and villages together in the Delta, perhaps the threat we're receiving now will never be heard of in the first place.

Get that into your thick skull.

All that's going on in their ''house'' is just normal ''family affairs'' thingy. No shakings. All is well. You guys should worry about other things. I mean, men and women of conscience should worry about how the Delta could be turned to another Abuja overnight. . . . . .or don't you think the place should be developed?

Leave all these Gbomo gbomo and his friends out of the Delta struggle. The real people struggling for the Delta cause are people who cannot drink fresh pipe borne water while well heads supplies millions of standard cubic feet of gas to an LNG plant at Olokola - a remote area close to Lagos and Ogun. These people have well heads and xmas trees supplying millions of barrels of crude oil to oil terminals where they are sold at $84 per barrel.

These are the people we should be talking about. We should not worry much about criminals and the likes. We should concentrate our energies on how to paint the gory picture of events in the creeks and riverine areas of the Niger Delta.

omogenaija:
God will not let them succeed , awon oloshi

Awon wo ni oloshi? S'awon ti won fi gbogbo owo ti won ji ni Niger Delta ko companies si Lagos (EKO) or awon to won o care fun awon ti won ngbe ni Niger Delta?

You'd better direct your anger to right place.

Hmn. . . . . .MEND. . .

But I thought they have all the figures with them. They knew how much the man is worth, they also know the details of all the money spent by him in building the refineries he has in South Africa, Dubai and even Malaysia. They also know how much he spent in buying his estate in London. How did they arrive at 75 Million pounds as the total sum of money stolen by Ibori while he was in government if they do not know the figures in the first place?

Or are they trying to compare the state account (which I suppose they have access to) to what will come from the state government?

I don't get it.

Chop off the pricks. That might help.

McKren,
Please state one naija newspaper with NL posts - with links, and I'll believe you.

All you need do is to check the antecedents of Ibori. He has been winning all the civil cases brought against him - even when he was Governor. The odds are much against his detractors. These people should find something worthwhile to do. And I can assure you all that he's going to win this one again.

Between, I think people should come up with facts and not fallacies. The first story I read on this matter said the guy stole £35 million. Now it's £70 million. Smacks of incompetence on the part of some people. Nonsense. Beside, the Crown Court in London said Aondoakaa did not in any way influence the ruling of the court.

I'm beginning to think that IBB is innocent of the charges brought against him. I will take some time out to go and see that Hiltop mansion in Minna so that I'll not be fooled by rumour peddlers.

I'll continue to read what others are posting here until such a time that I can make some meanings to what this is all about.

Well, I may not know what the FG is up to in the Delta. But I have travelled round the creeks in boats and on the roads. I even did my NYSC there. There's practically nothing a 60-year old woman would want to spy on and disclose to the outside world that's not already in the archives of most developed economies who do business with us.

Let us not deceive ourself, this country is very much stark naked in the eyes of other countries doing ''business'' with us. There's practically nothing to hide. I will not be surprised if a country like Malawi have in their kitty the architectural design of the residence of our president, Aso Villa.

Yeah, sure. Nigeria we serve - indeed!

Well, I don't think the Niger Delta people will like some smelly, bad ass, lousy, lazy guys from the North, West or East of Nigeria assimilate them. They sure know better than to swallow the Niger Delta people. It won't work.

Personally, nobody, I repeat, nobody can assimilate me.

Hi Nferyn!
Nice to have you here. I guess you're from Belgium, rite? Thanks for the clarification. But reading between the lines of your entry, I noticed we're practically saying thesame thing.

Botton line is that until such a time that Nigeria set forth to practice true federalism, peace and unity will continue to elude us.

Now, what is the major obstacle to the practice of true federalism in Nigeria?: The presence of oil in the Niger Delta. Will the oil ever dry up in the Delta so that Nigerians can start thinking of true federalism again?: Unfortunately, research has shown that the oil will not dry up - going by the present geological processes going on in the place.

You're too fast. Next time wait for my message to simmer down before ''quoting'.

Anyway, the present arrangement in Delta is not a favourable one. There's suspicion everywhere. True, there's some strenght in diversity, but when the chips are down, the Aniomas will align with their kiths and kins across the Niger. They're already doing that as we speak.

@Almond,
Are you trying to tell me that we don't have women pounding Akpu at Ogwashi-Ukwu, Asaba, Ukwani as we speak or what? Without them, some of us won't last you know. All those blue-mouth, yellow foot, avian flu infested chickens and beef from those yankee and other places sure can't keep you up for a long while.

Me, I'm eternally grateful for all those women who are hairdressers, fufu and akpu pounders spread across this country in general and Delta State in particular. I think Mrs Iweala can ''go on soun'' with her laude.

almondjoy:
I am one BTW, as you can already figure out--a SUMMNA CUM!!!l! I did not have to go searching WIKI-doodle to help me out. It means your faculty of study recognizes you with "great honors."

Really? Well, we're even then. A First Class product here. So, what else is new?

It's called ''shakara'' in here. Nigerian assessors can as well come up with a ''Ogbologbo'' as ''our own'' version of ''AB Cum Laude'' and attach it to our degrees . . . rite? It will only make people wonder, that's all. Just the way the Germans have their own version.

For an avid admirer of Nigeria and her unity, I'm amazed at how you so much get thrilled at stuff from other places. You should be thinking of a Nigerian equivalent. Well, it's typical of peeps who read stuff like Economics and the likes. Engineers are the smartest set of people you can relate with in the world.

True, MIT is one of the best schools in the world. So, if they devise a way of ranking their students' performance for separating the sheep from goats, why should I give a 'f' for that matter?

almondjoy:
There is nothing special about the words Magna Cum Laude right? Okay. I guess it it was given in Nigeria with all the fake degrees there and education by pamphlets you will think it special enough kwo?

Did you read up that wiki link at all? Read it again.

There's no point ''scaring'' ignorant people with latin words.

@Almond,
I'm not in the mood to start another ethnocentric argument with you. Almost all professionals are unique in their own field. Today, Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah, an Ijaw, is renowned worldwide as an industry leader in Petroleum and Gas Engineering, and currently is the Honorary Special Adviser on Energy and Strategic matters to the President. Read up a bit on him in this link: http://www.geanco.org/default.asp?show=egbogah

Read up on the latin honors for Mrs Iweala and get to understand that there's really nothing special in that word A.B cum laude http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_honors.What's all these hype about her class of degree?
I sure acknowledge her achievements in the area of economics and leadership and I respect her for that, but for you to now latch on to that and to imply there's no one like her, then you sure are deceiving yourself.

Well, idiots ruling Nigeria? fine. Ibori a thief? well, OK. People come people go. Life goes on. They all know where they are. And I'm not ready to lose sleep over nothing.