Beans and Eko

Hmmmmmm .......its been a while here......Wheatmeal and Efo riro....

i missed this place


crab and Shrimp

If there is anybody I can vouch for in Buhari’s Cabinet, it is Senator Udoma Udo Udoma. I have known him, and his best friend Keem Bello Osagie, for 30 years. All three of us are graduates of Oxford University, England, although I was there before him and Keem. Udoma is as sharp as a razor; he is one of the most intelligent people I know. Better still, he is a man of unimpeachable integrity. Udoma cannot be bought. He has a very successful law practice; the last thing he would do is fiddle with public funds.

Udoma was a two-term Senator of the Federal Republic, where he distinguished himself representing Akwa Ibom. His people would always remember him as the man who ensured that Akwa Ibom now receives one of the biggest, if not the biggest, share of oil money from the federal government. While many of his Senate colleagues pocketed N50 million bribes to support Obasanjo’s dastardly third-term bid, including those who nevertheless voted against it; Udoma rejected the bribe and joined the campaign against the scheme.

Thereafter, he knew even his re-nomination as PDP Senate-candidate from Akwa Ibom would be blocked. So he quietly bid the Senate and politics goodbye. But righteousness will always exalt a man. Udoma was sought after by blue-chip companies. He re-surfaced as Chairman of UAC and a Director of Unilever. He also became in 2010 chairman of the Governing Board of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Planning in a hurry

On November 11, 2015, President Buhari appointed Udoma as Minister of Budget and Planning. Six weeks later, the president presented the 2016 budget to the National Assembly. This makes the budget an inevitable casualty of timing. A new Nigerian president is sworn in at the end of May in an election year. He is expected to have his cabinet in place by June. That would give a Minister of Budget and Planning six months to work on a budget.

However, when Buhari became president in the middle of an economic crisis, the first thing he did was to squander the first five months. In that time, anti-corruption propaganda became a substitute for policy. The economy nose-dived; going from bad to worse. Queried about the delay in choosing his cabinet, the president bad-mouthed anticipated ministers as “noise-makers.” When he finally succumbed to the Constitution by unfolding his Cabinet, the year had virtually come to an end.

Udoma is a man well-prepared for public office. However, in the short-term, he will have to defend as, a team-player minister, a budget unlikely to be his brainchild. Udoma could not have known he would be the Minister of Budget and Planning. But now he has to defend a budget he could not have planned. Frankly, there are a number of things in this budget that are indefensible.

In the medium-term, Udoma is in the unenviable position of being an economics minister to a president who clearly has very limited understanding of economics. Worse-still, he is minister to a president who castigates ministers as noise-makers. That indicates Buhari is not likely to be open to wise counsel. It would not surprise me if schemes like the ante-diluvian counter-trading are mooted again from Aso Rock sooner or later.

Pretend Budget

The first thing that becomes noticeable in the 2016 budget is that it is a budget of pretension. Nigeria is still a monocultural economy. The oil, on which the lionshare of the nation’s income depends, has suffered a drastic decline in price in the international market. But the government has decided to pretend as if nothing has happened. No austerity whatsoever is entertained. As a matter of fact, in the name of stimulating the economy, the president has decided to present a budget that assumes Nigeria has suddenly become richer overnight, when in fact we have become poorer.

This is a very neat trick. In 2015, the total federal budget was N4.45 trillion naira. In 2016, in the middle of an economic downturn, this has been increased dramatically to N6.08 trillion. The new 2016 budget is based on the price of oil being $38 a barrel, ignoring the fact that the price has already fallen below that to $36. Indeed, the IMF projects the price might fall even further in 2016 by $5 to $15; bringing it down to as low as $20. But the government is not prepared to contemplate that eventuality. How can the APC enjoy the trappings of power if, after so long in the political wilderness, its turn is now to be constrained by austerity?

Therefore, observe the following contradictions. In the middle of looming economic adversity, the government has decided to be even more profligate than the previous administration. For example, in 2014, the budget for Aso Rock was N12 billion. In 2015, President Jonathan judiciously reduced this to N6.6 billion. But in 2016, Buhari has raised this by 50 percent to N18 billion. One of the more ludicrous aspects of this is the N3.6 billion earmarked for the purchase of an unspecified number of BMW saloon cars!

Clearly, there will be no austerity in Aso Rock in 2016. As a matter of fact, it would appear that elephants will be on the menu for lunch. A whopping N1.75 billion has been budgeted for feeding in Aso Rock in 2016. Goodluck Jonathan was pilloried for spending N1 billion in 2011. He reduced this to N717 million in 2013; N542 million in 2014; and N530 million in 2015. But now Buhari has decided to increase this by more than 100 percent. N115 million is budgeted for foodstuffs and catering materials for President Buhari alone, an increase of over 64 percent above that of President Jonathan.

If you were of the view that the president has spent too much of his honeymoon period gallivanting abroad this year, think again. N1.4 billion has been allocated for his travel expenses in 2016; N470 million more than that of Jonathan in 2015. The maintenance of the 10 aircraft presidential fleet that the president attacked as wasteful when he was asking Nigerians for our votes will cost N3.6 billion in 2016. N764 million is budgeted for the construction of recreational facilities just for Mr. President.

The same lavishness is also proposed for the vice-president. Not to be left out, the National Assembly will cost us nothing less than N115 billion. These are the kinds of changes the APC has in store for Nigeria in fiscal 2016.

Voodoo Buharinomics

Where is the money for all the extra expenditures in 2016 supposed to come from given the sharp reduction in our income? There is a lot of talk about squeezing more money out of taxation, creating greater efficiencies in the MDAs, and generating more income from agriculture and solid minerals. But it is just talk.

Only N29 billion is devoted to the Ministry of Agriculture, while more money, N39 billion, is earmarked for Ministry of Information and Culture. But of course, Lai Mohammed has already told us he plans to have one cultural festival a day, 365 days in 2016; although he has already missed a few days.

Principally, the government has decided to go a-borrowing. It proposes to borrow N1.88 trillion in 2016; 30.9 percent of the total budget; N1 trillion more than was borrowed in 2015. This is where the whole thing gets even more ludicrous.

When the APC came to power, the first thing it attacked was Nigeria’s debt-profile under the previous Jonathan administration. Vice-President Osinbajo complained that: “Our economy is currently in perhaps its worst moment in history. Local and international debt stands at $60 billion.”

The APC answer to this predicament is now to borrow more in 2016 than we did in 2015. Osinbajo complained that our debt-servicing bill in 2015 was N953 billion. How then are we to understand the APC decision to increase that debt-servicing bill to N1.8 trillion in 2016; an increase of nearly 100 percent. Osinbajo complained that our debt-servicing bill was 21 percent of the budget under Jonathan in 2015. But now Under Buhari, 30.9 percent of the total federal budget in 2016 is going to be financed by debt.

Suddenly, the same government that complained it inherited a huge burden of debt from the PDP now argues that Nigeria is under-borrowed. That is the new truth now being dished out by government spin-doctors. Kemi Adeosun, the new Finance Minister, now says Nigeria’s debt to GDP ratio is low at 12 percent. She compares this conveniently to Angola (57 percent) and South Africa (48 percent).

In which case, our indebtedness is no longer an albatross. Since the APC has replaced the PDP at the centre, we can now borrow as much as we like. This is all well and good. Except that it is exactly how we got into the debt predicament of the 1980s and 1990s. It means in 2016, we will spend N4 billion every day on debt-servicing.

Productive debt

The government promises that, this time, it is only going to borrow for capital projects. But it cannot tell us precisely what these capital projects are. All we have are promissory notes that they will be for infrastructural projects like roads, rails and power supply. However, promissory notes from this APC government are no longer worth a dime.

In 2015, the federal budget was N4.5 trillion. Nevertheless, the government was able to gather as much as N1.5 billion into the TSA account. This represents money not spent from previous budgets. This should tell us that we did not even have the capacity to spend what we earned. Monies voted for recurrent expenditure gets gobbled up more or less. But capital projects are either ignored, uncompleted, or big chunks of the earmarked money are stolen.

What the government now proposes to do is to increase even that usually unspent money, without first fixing the underlying lack of capacity-utilisation. Since the government actually has no structural anti-corruption policy, beyond declaring its enemies guilty without trial, all that might happen here is that we are simply making more money available for graft.

Then there is the brilliant idea of employing 500,000 graduates as teachers in the rural areas. Quite apart from the difficulty of assembling and equipping these graduates, the cost of the project is prohibitive. A modest 50,000 monthly wage bill will come to N300 billion per annum, while the total amount allocated for education is N369 billion.

My conclusion is simple. The APC won the election in the wrong country. The government should be shipped elsewhere; perhaps to France.


Source: http://blogs.premiumtimesng.com/?p=170314

I could remember what I experienced at a Police check point in Ilorin (Kwara state) on Sunday 12/07/2015.
The vehicle I was in got flagged down by did tout without any thing identifying him as a police officer except d rifle he carried and just one of his colleagues putting on d SARS tee shirt. Seeing the one in Tee shirt, I became relaxed knowing that they are Police officers not knowing that I will be in a small brawl with them.
One of them came and started looking at us all in d vehicle one after the other, getting to me he asked me to come down of d vehicle which I did confidently, he asked for my phones and what I'm coming to Ilorin for which I answered him politely. Before I knew what's happening this fool that I know could never pass WAEC said "how on earth will I be using a blackberry Z30 phone, a laptop and also 4 ATM cards" I was amused, amazed and dumb founded at d same time. He called his colleagues and told dem dat I'm an Internet fraudster and for them to let me go I will have to settle dem. After about 30 minutes of shouting, it came to their understanding that I'm a bad market for them that morning and they've got no other option than to let me go.
Since that day I tried getting in touch with the Force PRO using their twitter handle, nobody responded to my tweet.
The Police force in dis country is made up of the literates and illiterates but I think the illiterates in the agency are so much and they are increasing day by day.
I'm sorry for the guy that was brutalized.
They said "Police is ur friend" not in Nigeria sha...

Ewuro4:
Uglybetty and Palacious .. You're da bomb

Rice, plantain, Asian stir fry chicken.

Thanks

Thank God oooooo Na so we finish NYSC Congratulations to all my Brothers and Sisters here.

Garri and egusi+bitter leaf+waterleaf

Rice and fish stew

Boiled plantain and egg

Egusi, bitter leaf and waterleaf

It's been a while
Egusi with bitter leaf

Dats how one left here for without telling anybody where He's headed, it was after 3 days dat we heard He's been arrested by SARS because d lady He ran to was involved in d sale of hard drugs. Male Corps' members just have to be careful and think before they use their "device".

yokiti:
senior friend Imanuelle, Raod, Palacious and Okusebi, we need you to tell us about Kaiama camp and Bayelsa state as a whole. Thanks in advance!

.
Bayelsa is cool, Kaiama is water-logged and don't expect so much from the Camp. Enjoy d hustle, craziness and d fun there. Life in Yenagoa could be expensive if U don't have a settled accomodation but in d in-lands (other areas aside d capital) accomodation is settled for Corpers going there.
If U are a great Hustler, there is money in Bayelsa to be made especially for Teaching-Corpers. Welcome to the Glory of all Lands

Please help me check :
AYENI, ADEOLA ANTHONY
State: Ekiti

USHIE, CHRISTOPHER ADIDA
State: Nasarawa

Thanks

chycoroxie:
I rep april 5th

Wow!!!! A birthday mate

ShahzadNonso:
Wow, I feel so enlightened

Good
That's the essence of this e-family.
Expect something crazy very soon.
@everybody, please can all food bloggers on platform send me a PM here.
Thanks.

The Shell is the wonder that baffled me at the start of the journey into the Snail wonderland. To every eyes that have seen dis, all they ask is will the Shell be eaten with it? I'm glad to tell U all NO, the shell will not be eaten. This method I believe came existence out of creativity and to present animals in their real state even while about to eat them (like in d case of Clam, Oyster and Periwinkle).
The snails were removed from the Shell at first to be cleaned of all saliva, Spiced and returned into the Shell as a whole. It is then cooked like normal peppersoup.
I'm glad I'm African
@AderibigbeAAA, life in the creek is Sweet ooooooooooooo
@others, the xperience is second to none.

Snail Peppersoup

ambrosini593:


My bother, you can't compare life in yenagoa and those areas. I know everybody can't go to yenagoa but at least that should be their prayers. Everything about bayelsa is yenagoa. Constant light, banks, atm, fastfood, quality health care services, drugs, post office, cheap market prices etc. How many corpers posted across water are enjoying?. Majority of them don't feed well, loneliness, over quiet environment, birds are your best friend, Eating Ice fish everyday, buying a bag of pure water almost 200naira, eating the same food everyday, if you need money, you must travel to yenagoa either by car or by speed boat running into hundreds of naira or thousands. poor gsm or no network at all. Only few areas outside yenagoa that corpers enjoy. Like sagbama town, ogbia (kolo 1 to 3) town, nembe town etc. Brass is a no go area because of the high sea. . It can take years for one to get used to these places except u were born there.
The problem with corpers in yenagoa is just accomodation if not corpers don't suffer like that. If you have good handwork, you will make extra cash and also get connected. All my nairaland friends must get yenagoa posting in Jesus name

Well said, just like U said Yenagoa is a cradle of accommodation problem but if U are posted to the village like our colleagues will call it, take it in good fate and learn how to survive where ever U find urself. I've got peeps in Brass and they are enjoying the place just dat they just can't come to mainland anyhow.

I vote Amefrica
cc Dygeasy Mizmycoli

MizMyColi:



CC: Kachisbarbie

My group 4 vote(s)

1. Tintingz
2. Kilokeys
3. Rilwayne001
4. Emoboy
5. Amefrica

Amefrica

Seunkn:
I'm a graduate of Banking & Finance from Redeemer's University.

Shoki of Lyf
How U dey?

ambrosini593:
Those coming from lagos, pls go to agofure or God is good motor park. They will bring you directly to kaiama, from there you get a bike for 50naira. Those coming from ibadan, ogun, osun, etc. If there are no direct bus to bayelsa from these areas, simply get a vehicle to benin and from there you can get buses going to bayelsa. You can get agofure, God is Good motors, bob izua, etc. Those coming from the east, yours is direct. No cause for alarm.
Make sure you get posted to yenagoa after camp. Life outside yenagoa is terrible. In most places you can hardly get gsm ntwk apart from the LGA headquarters and nearby big towns. Get involved in any activity on camp, like OBS, Sport, Cultural group etc. You will definitely be posted to yenagoa. I thank God I served in bayelsa and I got a job there as well.
Please love bayelsa, praise the state. The state is very peaceful and accommodating. Nobody should deceive you. Bayelsa is not a war zone. The two major hurdles are inflation and water. Your allawee go finish o
Welcome the glory of all land. Ping me for a friendly chat. 3330648C

Hmn..........
I'm in Bayelsa presently with B'14,
Nothing so much about the Camp, just go there and enjoy urself in ur own way. Make sure U sample the Boli and Fish in Mami mkt (ma best xperience)
Unto d PPA matter, pray dat where ever U are thrown to U see favour. I'm in a village and I can say that I'm enjoying the village
People in Yenagoa are even jealous, reasons;
Accomodation is crazily xpensive in Yenagoa.
Even d Corpers Lodge is crowded and d best option available are d Family Houses (NCCF, RCCF and Catholic) I believe U know what's attached to the Family houses.
I have people in Brass, Sagbama, Nembe etc that all have personal room to their self. Where I am, I rejected a room given in d lodge and was given another one in Staff Quarters.
Everything here is about FAVOUR OF GOD.

I can't just but laff when I hear or see the set of people called Professors and Doctors in our Ivory Towers.
*These are the same people that want to teach us to start our own business (entrepreneurship) but relied on Salaries and allowances from FG.
*They are shouting that Nigerian youths are unemployable, yet they falsify their age to remain in service till they kick d bucket.
*They are saying d government has killed education when what they are busy doing is training people how to cram.
*Here they are again saying a colleague of theirs is not fit to run that affairs of the nation when they cannot account for all d grants that comes from Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation etc to their respective Schools which happen to be the Nation which they are in-charge of.
#Awon ma shanfani Eda# who are too lazy to face the challenges of the world.
COWARDS !!!!!!!!!

@toogentle,
I've sent a mail to U from here, pls reply

If you are interested in starting a specialised digital TV station here in Nigeria, U can contact me by sending a PM here for further talks.
Investors (Financially and Technically including creative bloggers) is what we are looking for.

cococandy: nice job shey mama put na your kitchen so

Na cook I cook the food myself oooo
#obeying d clarion call in a south-south state in Nigeria. Just doing it in their own way#
..........Fisherman's soup loading........

White Rice and Catfish Pepper soup

O ma se oooooooo
See the way my people are thinking.
Is our educational system a true representation of what education is in South-Africa let alone mentioning US, UK, Canada, Singapore and other fast moving (economical) countries.
A first class graduate of Agricultural economics that knows nothing about Commodity exchange in the global market, A graduate of Mechanical engineering with a "Strong 2.1" that finds it difficult to explain the principle of aerodynamics as it affects a moving object (e.g a car).
The system has been able to turn us all to recording machines dat will always give out what has been given to it without value addition.
Hmn................I weep for the future of this nation.

Proudly Ekiti

Valto: Not a corper, but i welcome u guys to bayelsa state.. Its actually a state that like corpers, especially female ones to ensure a better PPA. Strive to be among those posted to Yenagoa as 80% of Bayelsa is full of water side communities.. Good luck to u all..

100% of d camp is made of water..........Yuck!!!!!!!