₦airaland Forum

Oh noooo!! I read the whole article and it reeks of typical western bias against any progress made outside the west.
The same way they would rather focus on the slums of Lagos and paint pictures as though all Lagosians live on garbage heaps.

I've been in Dubai,. . . . . and yes, the city is cold and reeks of extremist consumerism and as such could pass for an eyesore to the morally inclined. However the tales described in the article are are very false exaggerations propagated for reasons I would ascribe to only to white supremacism.

For crying out loud, where is the moral authority for any European Journalist to speak on Dubai or China or other evolving countries??

Europe and America were built on the worst kind of slavery ever known to man such that the scars obtained haven't healed after almost 200 years of abolition of slavery. While in the case of Dubai the workers are "deceived" into building the city, in the case of Europe and America, the slaves were captured, taken away on chains and never again got to see their families. Now, thats in the past.

Lets look at the present.
Do you know how many homeless people are in America?? There were 3.5 million homeless people in US in 2008. Thats more that a full percent of the U.S population. If you've been in New York or any of the major cities in the U.S, you would be appalled by the sad story of homelessness that ravages these cities. Imagine the dastardly winter cold these homeless people have to put up with??

Now ask yourself this question?? How come you haven't seen any documentaries or read any write-ups on the problem of homelessness that have existed for ages in European and American cities??
Ok.Another question. Sex trafficking in Europe. Why are there so much trafficked girls prostituting in Europe. Do you really think it is so hard to stop?? Why hasn't the writer focused on these plagues ravaging his own continent

Abeg joor! All these westerners!! Their focus is now on China. Wait until Africa begins to develop . . . . . .

The lessons I've learnt from all these is that infrastructure development is done by cheap labour. Egypt did it with the Jews, Europe and America did it with Africans, Dubai is doing it with indians and the like and so on and so fault. . . . . .

Question is who will Africans use when our time comes??

gadogado:
Theres no such thing as core north and middle belt, its just north!!! believe it or not, the north is one bloc. Whatever the core north says, the middle belt will follow, its always been like that, the core north agreed to MKO and the "middle belt" followed, the core north agreed to Obasanjo and the 'middle belt followed" Whether you like it or not, the core north as far as nigerian politics is concerned is a major factor. you cannot be a president in nigeria without the core north's support, as much as you'd want to erode the power they have, just face reality. The core north, your sokotos and kanos run Nigerian national politics. Its always been that way, Don't forget we're talking about the same people that waged a war of conquest from sokoto all the way to oyo, swallowing kwara in the process and "emiratizing" it.
Why many southerners choose to look down and degrade northerners baffles me.

You are steeped in the past. This is the same reason the core north is loosing out fast. The middle belt has woken up. It is evident on all angles. The Northern Governors Forum and the Northern Leaders have been split evenly between middle belt and Core North.

The good news about the decline of Northern hegemonic power is that it will bring progress to all of Nigeria, the core north inclusive.

chosen04:
Nkita Ara again?

If at your age you dont know that votes are supposed to be [size=14pt]casted[/size] and not made, i pity your teachers and forefathers. . . . .

The chosen judge has also killed the English Language with the bolded!! . The right thing would be "votes are meant to be cast" not "casted".

@Hasy
Who is the North?? If you mean the core North, then I might agree that they wouldn't support him. But their support is not necessary for Jonathan's victory.
But as we have seen from the Northern Governor's meeting, the North is split almost evenly between the Core North and the middle Belt.The Core North is less than 30% of Nigeria.
If Jonathan gets the support of the middle belt, then he doesn't need the support of the core north as that would be more than enough for him to hit a home run on election day.

^^^^^
The time is too short for an insurgency. Plus I'm thinking . . . . the Donald might not have the required financial muscle at this time to run an effective insurgency. The last I heard of from a pretty reliable source. . . . his financial standing was not rocksolid.

Plus he is more likely to get his votes from the elite- lawyers, doctors, business people, youngsters, students, etc. Sadly these category of people are the least likely to come out and vote. The behemoth that the PDP is would depend heavily on market women, Okada riders, bus drivers, artisans , etc. These would never fail to troop out on election day be it rain or sunshine.  It is sad but its the reality!

Duke is my best candidate though. He is one man that would bring to bear the enormous potentials this nation parades.

America has been spending upwards of $400 billion yearly on military!! They surely have developed much more advanced systems capable of countering the this Chinese missile. US military expenditure is more than the collective expenditure of the rest of the world put together.

Notwithstanding, the Chinese are surely putting loads of pressure on the US with the way they are moving at lightening speed.

IITA has being and continues doing a great job!! This is one research center that continues to have immense impact on Nigeria and Africa in general.

I wish we have Institutes of this quality in every segment of society creating solutions the the numerous problems existent in Nigeria.

Hopefully IITA would earn millions of dollars as a result of this research!!

Nigerian scientists find cure for banana disease

August 5, 2010 05:53PM

Scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, have discovered cure for a deadly disease affecting bananas in Africa.

The scientists say that they made the breakthrough when they successfully transferred genes from green pepper to bananas. This enabled the bananas to resist the Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) disease.

The disease causes yellowing and withering of banana leaves, uneven and premature ripening of the fruits and withering and rotting of the whole plant.

They noted that the disease was one of the most devastating diseases affecting bananas in the Great Lakes region of Africa. About half a billion US dollars worth of crop is lost annually to the disease. Research to fortify banana against BXW, using genes from green pepper, started in 2007.

Dr Leena Tripathi, a biotechnologist with the IITA, said that although there was still a long way to go before the transgenic bananas would find their way into farmers' fields, the breakthrough was a significant step in the fight against the disease.

NAN

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5603426-146/nigerian_scientists_find_cure_for_banana.csp

Good! This their fight had become a nuisance!
Dangote's palaver was becoming too much sef! NSE was peaceful until he started having his eye atop.
Like onlytruth said, we really shouldn't forget that Okereke grew the exchange from a paltry 2 bil to over 100! Now, that by any count is an amazing feat.

Too much monkeytail destroys brain cells! Say no 2 drugs!!

Yes oh! I saw it and was like whao. . . there's definitely some Nigerian influence on that dress!!

Ikengawo:
^LOL.
real talk.


this is called the world silly.
One country can't claim anothers land and expect the other to start doing a historic analysis. if i ran into your house and said your daughter belongs to me would you start tracing your wifes sexual history or would you call the police?

Perfect analogy!!

@huxley
Gross Misinterpretation of intellectualism!! Sometimes, in a quest to appear intelligent, some folks end up as slaves to a system designed by others who, just like themselves are mere human. Your talk is jargon!  Whoever cares about Plebiscite and historical records? ?

The analogy given above by Ikengawo should give you a rethink.
Doesn't matter what historical records state; There is a reason countries have Armies, spend heavily on military arsenal and prepare for war. This is one of such reasons. If the Camerounioans should make the simplest mistake of putting an official claim to Obudu, then for all I care, our tanks should roll into Yaounde immediately. Or better still, we should put our kidnappers to good use and unleash them on that Paul Biya guy!
Historical date ni, plebiscite ko?

He surely does have an adviser. However, majority of the write-ups would have to be approved by him. It appears though that sometimes words come from him directly. Any how it is, its surely is a step in the right direction.

untainted:
yes FSB; He is gonna be the rallying point for the
north in 2010, (I think)

nOOOOOOO! He is going to be a breaking point. He will help in splitting northern votes! That will ease the way for Jonathan!!

daywatcher:
Transitions from one government to the other irrespective of whatever political colouration or ideological leanings must not affect valid legal agreements.

'Ideological leanings' in Nigerian political parties, that will be the day

Everybody, both politicians and political laymen have ideological leanings. An ideological leaning just defines the route through which an individual or group would prefer to take in pursuit of utopia. Our ideologies usually affect our actions.

[size=14pt]Akunyili sacks aide over Soludo’s comment[/size]

By Charles Kumolu
ABUJA— MINISTER of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, has relieved her Senior Special Assistant Media, Mazi Obi Adindu, of his duties, just as she sent her Media Assistant, Mr. Julius Ogunro, on suspension over what she described as unauthorised response to Prof Chukwuma Soludo.
She also noted that his media aides issued the press statement while she was away on an official trip to China, saying she could not have spoken in the manner the statement about Soludo was couched, no matter the level of provocation.
Akunyili, who said this in a press statement, noted that the mild family misunderstanding with Soludo should not warrant the excessive language and substance of Mazi Adindu’s response.
According to her, “I have just returned from an official trip to China and my attention was drawn to an unauthorized write–up by Mazi Obi Adindu, my Senior Special Assistant, Media, purported to be a response to some earlier defamatory statement by Professor Charles Soludo.
“I feel very embarrassed and saddened by this release issued by my SSA without permission from me. The release is too demeaning and I can’t talk about anybody in that manner no matter the level of provocation.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/07/28/akunyili-sacks-aide-over-soludos-comment/

Gbawe, you political calculations are flawed. Your reasoning is sharp, but your insight appears very limited. Many of the scenarios you've presented are political "impossicantities"!!
For instance, you have failed to see to the fact that Ribadu would never work against his number one Oga- Obasanjo. I repeat-never!! Especially not now when OBJ is the strongest politician in the country. Ribadu would not dump OBJ for Tinubu whose political clout does not stretch too far beyond the fringes of Lagos. Rather than Join AC, Ribadu would probably rather work with Soyinka's new party, but definitely not as a presidential candidate.

Secondly, AC cannot win the 2011 presidential elections. They don't have structures. I expect you to understand this. You need structures to win elections. For Obama to win elections he built massive structures out of young voters. Its so sad that AC is not attempting to build solid structures across the length and breath of Nigeria, despite what I think is a lot of goodwill that they should have.
There is barely any AC representation in the South south except  for Edo State. There is barely any AC representation in the East. APGA, PDP and PPA share the structures in the east. The North belongs to PDP and ANPP and probably CPC. Why is AC not doing anything to build structures in other states. Is it so expensive

And thirdly, Jonathan and probably Ribadu also are currently the most popular politicians in the country. You appendage that Jonathan is unpopular is false. Jonathan is already very popular for doing zero. And the reason is simple- Nigerians will identify with anyone who appears to be victimized. Jonathan thrives on that and the Northern hawks have failed to see that. The more they keep fighting Jonathan, the more they solidify his fan base.

Beaf:
This thread is toooooooooooooooooooo funny!
Imagine Oshiomole giving up his governorship for an imaginary VP post in party that has only two governors (of which, he is one)!
Na rumour! The man is wiser than that BS, ANPP is a bigger party, but I doubt he will give up his governorship for a "VP" post there too. If all these micro parties want a foot in the door, they better merge into something sensible.
Na wa! NL go kill pesin one day sha!

!!Killed it! Well described!! Only a drunk gambler would take such a risk! It is like selling off your million dollar home in say. . . Ikoyi, to buy a stake in an imaginary new island whose only proof of existence is a well drawn out Autocad presentation!
Oshiomole would never take such a fatal risk!! Except there is a provision where he can do that and still retain his Governorship position when he loses.

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=475621.msg6447693#msg6447693 date=1280099354]Very nice. Interesting read.
Thanks mehn. We need something like this.
I'm simply hoping Nigeria will open it's own medical research institute. Pardon me if we have some already in progress, as we have nothing to show for it.[/quote]Seconded!!

I am not from Delta state doesn't stop me from commenting on issues going on there. I'm pretty sure U comment on issues affecting other states.

Simple question Mr Monkeyleg;
What is your definition of performance and in what ways has Uduaghan failed to perform?? If you can come out with a logical argument, then I will know you are making some sense. Please describe briefly or I will have to assume that U have no idea what performance means.

You simply hear tribalists in beer parlours saying they dislike Uduaghan and you just follow suit! Explain to me Mr Monkeyleg in what ways Uduaghan has failed to perform. I have listed a couple of things he has done. Counter them with logic!

^^^^^
And so your new complaint now is that he should not spend money building world class hospitals, rather he should renovate the existing general hospitals. What an absurd thinking pattern.

Your hatred for a specific tribe is blinding your reasoning. It is sad that you can't see beyond ethnicity.
Well I don't care that he bought cars for House of Assembly members, it is common politics all over Nigeria. 
What is important is whether or not he is delivering on his mandate.  IMO he has performed fairly well compared to most other Governors in Nigeria, but he could do much more given the resources available to him.

I have asked you b4 and I'm asking you again, which of the politicians jostling to take over from Uduaghan is capable of delivering a pin to Delta state?? Kpopogri, Bradus or Omo Agege? ? All these are uneducated thieves with no visible source of income. If you have a more reliable candidate on mind , mention his name!

@Jarus. Nice one man! I saw the article on Thisday last week and I was like whoa!! this is going far. I hope those blind leaders get to see it and act!!

adconline:
Have you been there?? I said and I repeat it that it is the best teaching hospital in Africa in terms of structures and facilities.
If you know anyone in Africa that is better, please let me know its name.
I dont blame you when you get your information from Delta State Broadcasting Service which by your imagination is the best and biggest TV/Radio network in Nigeria and NTA which is the largest TV network in Africa according to NTA propaganda and your figment of imagination.
Just take a look at this website.
http://hospitals.webometrics.info/top100_continent.asp?cont=africa
CONTINENT RANK HOSPITAL COUNTRY WORLD RANK        
1 Angal Hospital  665    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Gambro Healthcare  850    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Netcare Group  899    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 Institut Pasteur de Madagascar  1,107    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Ecwa Evangel Hospital  1,620    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 Medi Clinic Private Group Hospital  1,814    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 The Aga Khan Hospitals  1,815    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@adconline
Please collect back all the tuition fees you paid, because your lecturers didn't teach right!! From what I see here,you wasted money.
If you read my post again, you would see that I stated clearly "best teaching hospital" and the criteria I used is "facilities and structures".The hospitals you've listed, are they teaching hospitals? ? Now you really do need to go back to school.
Secondly, the hospital in question was commissioned last month, so using an outdated webometrics ranking discredits your post automatically.

Pay a visit there and in a second , your opinions would change instantly.

adconline:
Throwing up some numbers. One of the best teaching hospitals in Africa? A figment of your imagination.

Have you been there?? I said and I repeat it that it is the best teaching hospital in Africa in terms of structures and facilities.
If you know anyone in Africa that is better, please let me know its name.

Ok. You tell me what it is you would define as success. What kind of projects would your ideal Governor engage in? Or are you the type that wants the Governor to put food on peoples tables? Or to share money the DESOPADEC way? The projects I have outlined are by no means whitewashed. They are projects that have placed Delta State as one of the best places to live in Nigeria, despite the presence of a huge number of militants.

On the issue of comparing with other states, there is something called peer review mechanism. The only ways to assess performance is either via peer review or resouces audit. If you use you own personal expectations to assess performance then I am sorry, you have a lot to learn.

Also, please let me know the candidates you would like to replace Uduaghan with? Which candidates do you know in Delta state that have some credibility. I would like to know??

My love for Fashola has nothing to do with the media. It has all to do with the actions I see on ground in Lagos. Lagos is transforming at a pace never witnessed in decades. I will be very glad to be on Fashola payroll to help launder his image. Interestingly, I will gladly do it for free.

I know your type. You are an enemy of progress. Fashola will continue to soar higher and higher, while your financier would continue to loose his money paying folks like you to help him fight Fashola.

monkeyleg:
Uduaghan did absolutely nothing. I am from Delta state and understand the politics very well, probably more than you do. I will not be bought over by cheap tricks. So Uduaghan did a bit of white wash, we then call him a hero.

And by the way, if a governor spends #100's of millions of Naira (most likely state fund) buying SUV cars for members of the house of assembly, the big question should be, where did he get the money from. The man is a damn thief.

[b]I think you really need to go and find out what a really good teaching hospital looks are feels like, that sham in his brothers village bears no resemblance to excellence, [/b]just another rattly old banger in new clothes.

God help us if we can not as a people shake ourselves away from these cheap ogogoro and garri politics. And if you dont know it, even his own Itsekiri people think he is the worst thing since gonorrhea

Oh surely, you haven't been to the hospital. If you've been there, you would gladly recant your speech. The hospital is currently the best and most equipped hospital in Nigeria.

I thought you would dispute some of the things I mentioned in the list above. If you know any other Governor in all of Nigeria except Fashola and maybe Amaechi who have performed as good as Uduaghan, please mention!
Also, if you know any other politician who would perform better than Uduaghan in Delta state, please mention. The names I hear of as those interested in the seat are a sorry bunch. I hear of Omo Agege. I hear of Kpopogri. I hear of Bradus. If these are the people you would choose over Uduaghan, then I feel sorry for you and your Delta state.

labalaba4:
Mr browne, or whatever it is you call yourself, your blissful ignorance is what will kill you in the end. This is a statement of fact. As we speak, some REALLY senior Lagos State government officials are running from pillar to post like headless chickens. This money is real. The HITV bid was real. Their loss of the rights was real, and Fashola/Tinubu's FINANCIAL support for HITV is equally real.

The money REALLY IS GONE, and I'm not trying to make anybody unpopular. In the next few months, the whole thing will become public knowledge. I really hope you are not a Fashola supporter, because this issue will give you cardiac arrest, because it will prove what some of us have always known: Fashola as an insider in the Tinubu government, helped Tinubu to perfect all his corrupt scams, and arranged for himself too. Mr. Clean is actually Mr. Stinky!

No Mr Labalaba! It's obvious your hatred for Fashola is compounding your ignorance to a point of surreal bliss. Everybody knows the HiTV bid was real! What I don't get is what makes it a scam in your thinking??
Plus it isn't news and there is nothing wrong with Lagos state Govt investing $25 million in what should have been a profitable venture. That is on the stupid premise that your story has any form of credibility.

Labalaba, the people love Fashola. There is nothing you can do to stop him. No amount of smear would change opinions!The man is here to stay. Deal with it!!

@Monkeyleg
The truth is Uduaghan is one of the best performing state Governors. Warri changed outstandingly under his leadership.
You are quick to show the car he bought for Clark.

How about Delta's new transport system which has 350 airconditioned buses that have given succour to the numerous Deltans.
How about the fact that Delta state now has one of the best teaching hospitals in all of Africa?
How about the fact that Warri and other cities in Delta are now completely lit up 12 hours nonstop every night?
How about the fact that there are hardly any potholes in all trunk A roads in the state??
How about the fact that crime has reduced drastically despite the state having by far the highest number of illegal arms in the country?
How about the Warri Industrial Business Park and the Koko Free Trade Zone both of which are in progression?
How about the new Asaba airport and the numerous other infrastructure projects going on in the state?

My take is that you are an Urhobo tribalist. I will be suprised if you are Anioma. The simple fact that Uduaghan is from the minority Itsekiri tribe is enough to make you hate on him. I'm not from Delta state but I understand the politics there. It is a very difficult state to govern and yet the Governor was able to deliver a little. I'm not trying to hold brief for Uduaghan, but I think it is disgusting the way tribalist Urhobos speak about his performance.

naijatoday:
Do you know who DSTV's majority shareholder is? Naspers. Raising $100 million will not have been a problem .

http://www.naspers.co.za/index.cfm?content=2641&intParentContentID=2636&currentpage=2641

The thing is what took HiTV this long to raise the $100 million? HiTV won the rights for nearly 2 years now and Sanusi only came in last year.

First, the bid in question took place just a few months ago. The one of two years ago has expired. This is a fresh bid with the rights starting in August.Sanusi comes into the equation because he criminalised risk taking. Sanusi's nonsensical risk management rules made it impossible for GT to raise bank guarantees b4 the deadline.

As per DSTV, raising $100 million just to protect one market in over 30 in which they operate in is by any standard a big deal. It doesn't matter that they are owned by Napzers. If they had that kind of money to dole on Nigeria before the world cup, they would have upped their bid. But they bid far less and HiTV beat them to it.
Truth is, the $100 million doesn't quite make business sense. Because in the 3 seasons the rights last, they wouldn't collect subscriptions worth N15 billion.

Labadaba or what is the name again. . . . Don't you think you sound pretty pathethic! HiTV scam Abeg go and eat pupu!