₦airaland Forum

Gbawe:
Of course he is the victim . When his fellow thieves warned him of the consequences of not recognising "gentlemen's agreement" GEJ simply let OBJ and Anenih sooth him with lullaby noise about how the easy billions will buy peace, stupendous wealth, security, endorsement and support. Now that the reality is turning out slightly different to what naive GEJ expected , via being placed way too far and scarily above his ability, is it ordinary Nigerians , already "living in hell", who should emphatise with him?

Written by Leon Usigbe, Abuja Monday, 09 January 2012

CONTRARY to speculations that President Goodluck Jonathan travelled out of the country to South Africa, the president’s spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, said the story was far from the truth.

Dr Abati said the rumour being spread about showed the extent enemies of the government could go to discredit the president, who was in Abuja to inaugurate the 1,600 mass transit buses.

Performing the ceremony at Eagle Square, Abuja, Jonathan used the opportunity to debunk claims that the Federal Government had engaged in the mass procurement of buses.

He also emphasised that the government was not inaugurating buses, but formally launching a mass transit programme for the country.

According to him, “the Federal Government is not buying any bus. There is a lot of mischief makers going around to misinform Nigerians, especially through social networks, the Twitter, bb, Facebook and others, to communicate very wrong things to Nigerians.

“Even as I am here with you, people are saying that I am in South Africa with about 100 Nigerians. But that is Nigeria for you. There is a lot of wrong information that is being pumped into the system.

“We are not buying a single bus as a Federal Government, but we are subsidising the mass transit sector. That is what other governments do. We have to come up with programmes and policies to bring the cost of buses for mass transit down."

He added that those involved in the mass transit initiative included the federal, state and local governments, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), several commercial banks, transport unions, manufacturers and importers of mass transit vehicles.

The president, who explained that governors could not be present on the occasion because they had to be present in their states in view of the planned labour strike, regretted that the nation had no mass transit culture.

According to him, “in this country, we don't have a mass transit culture. When you travel out, people who go to school, people who go to visit friends, who travel from one city to another, enter buses or go by train. They don't use taxis. Taxis is for urgent movement or for those who have more money than the stomach would need.

“But here, that mass transit culture is not available. It comes and goes."

He said deregulation or no deregulation, the Federal Government's intention was to develop a mass transit culture which was sustainable and, therefore, the government would subsidise the manufacture of buses to bring down their cost.

efisher:
I wonder how many times you see govt officials line up in bank or go to the market to buy garri. Most of them have Mikano silent generators which run on diesel (Diesel which is supplied directly to their homes). Some of them have fuel stations and others have friends who have fuel stations.

Here's where it hurts: Shut down oil production and Obama, Cameron et al will come knocking at our doors. How labor can achieve that is a subject for another discussion. Focus is key.

efisher:
As the killings continue, the migration pattern will eventually define the fault lines.

oyb:
^^^^^
we know those who expend their energy on deceitful spin and spell

go somewhere and lie about[b] Lagos benin expressway [/b]

jp philips:
@ papabrowne
I can confidently tell you that this administration that makes over 140,000,000usd on daily bases can comfortably afford an annual subsidy of 200bn naira.
the question is,
how did corruption push it to 1.3 trillion a quarter which we cant afford?
the round tipping guys have they been arrested?
the custom guys that encourage smuggling through our borders have they een arrested?
you should start from the simple step before going to the more difficult step.
I propos local production capacity as the soln but I knw we cant achieve it in a day,
while we pursue the solution, we can maintain a low subsidy void of corrupt practices.
go to any depot and see what is going on there, corruption at full glare and our scrotu.m of a president chose to do nothing instead make the crimminals richer from my own pocket.
WTF

nyxus:
Why did our heroes past made all the sacrifice like building kainji dam, national theatre etc. Now the same people that first benefited from this labour of our founding fathers are saying it is impossible for govt to manage, Ask ursef why the founding fathers did free education and all etc. LASU school fees an instance of what is coming. The poor are doomed in this country. I cry for children unborn. TRUST Trust has died with the awolowo's, azikwe's, bello's. Now they spend billions of NRN in the name of catering service!!! I am scared. They privatize and do the buying of the said institute. When all is privatize, They should remeber to privatize Aso Rock too. A government with no corporate social responsibilty their primary Role. After removal of subsidy the next president will tax fuel.