₦airaland Forum

Abagworo:
Obigbo renamed Oyigbo and Etche are so igbotic that to call them Rivers people is difficult. IMHO obigbo should go to Abia while Etche goes to Imo. They have no future here.

what does this your post mean? abagworo,this post is rubbish!! no apologies!!!

ujoinme:
your campaign is in vain you know it, I know it, Rivers state people know it. Rivers Is A PDP state, no matter the kind of lies you APC fan and Gov. Amaechi tell, come 2015 a New PDP governor will be sworn into the rivers state government house as Governor. And All the good works that PDP started under will be completed. Since the gov. joins APC he has become insane and stoped delivering projects to the citizens. No matter how loud you scream this fact is not lost to the people of rivers state.

ujoinme,abeg you are too mature for this kind of post o jare

you think i bloody care which party the next governor comes from i dont! just give me a solid individual and ill vote him.
my best governors cut across all the parties

amaechi
fashola
chime
kwankwaso
akpabio
oshiobaba

hardywaltz:
Adokiye Amesimaka Sports complex 95% loading...
It's always difficult getting pictures of Amaechi's projects coz according to him only failures need to advertise their works if the masses can't see it then there's no need putting on the billboards..

the bolded is what many nigerians dont get. commissioning, IMHO is a totally unecessary function. as a leader,do projects for your people and open them for use without any fanfare. this is one reason i rate chime of enugu very very highly. no hype! little wonder he is the best governor in the south east.

megaik:
Bros I think you are a confused man. Also you don't like progress. You are one of those people that cant be pleased no matter what!
You're only a good judge on ur matter...
I no go waste my MB on you. bye

1.i didnt post that. a friend of mine on facebook did. obviously you didnt read the article
2.why not pick each point he raised and argue logically against them?

the greater PH project is taking shape gradually. i wish the next governor will follow this through for the next 8 years. i hope amaechi and the rivers assembly have put in place a rock solid legislation to protect this project.
the masterplan has to be followed to the tee. we need regulation in PH.we need order.

this is why when i see wike talk on TV,i am almost moved to tears. moved to tears because our useless system presents such people to lead us.
wike who swore to burn down the banana plantation in tai because hes not intelligent enough to see the benefits of that project.

how can i vote wike when its obvious he will abandon most of the solid projects in the state because of gross corruption and myopia.

culled from a friends post on facebook.enjoy!


The New Akwa-Ibom Stadium: A Worthwhile Venture or Needless Ego Trip?

First off, let me admit that it will be worthy of note that the current Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Goodwill Akpabio will be leaving his state more beautiful than he met it in 2007. He embarked on numerous utility and beautification projects that will leave many to argue he is not your average governor. True, I know Akwa-Ibom state has earned a lot since Oil broke through the $15 per barrel ceiling over a decade ago, and it will be difficult to place his absolute/actual performance in the face of all the national sleaze going on.

It will be difficult to say how Mr. A managed $1,000 for instance when $500 gets stolen and he is able to invest the remaining $500 compared with Mr. B who had only $300 for starters. So, for all we know, Akpabio's achievements may be an illusion of performance when relativity is taken into account, but no doubt, he has been able to put some of it into good use, and his sins may not be as obvious as those who despite their very low allocations used theirs for building Mosques and carrying out Mass weddings.

As regards the stadium, I notice some singing his praises, while some question the rationale behind such venture. I will pitch tent with the latter, and while I will not deliberate Akpabio's performance as a whole, will offer insight into how we are supposed to reason as a people and call those ruling us into account at every turn.

1..Yes, Nigeria is a sports loving nation, but we do not have the kind of sports industry that can CONSISTENTLY sustain investment in sports. No nation grappling with back breaking poverty can ever have a profitable sports industrial machine. Winning International trophies is different from having a home-grown, self-sustaining sports industry. Ask England, the nation with about the most publicised and most profitable league on the globe, but has not won a world cup since 1966, or any trophy of note in a long while.

2. Even in countries with super-leagues and sports systems, Public built and funded stadia are seen as a waste of funds. Remember the riots in Brazil prior to the last world cup? Brazil is a country far richer than Nigeria, with a higher GDP, higher Per Capita, and much larger economy (larger than the UK, and currently world's number 7). Yet many Brazilians felt it was unwise expending such on stadia, despite the fact that the same facilities will be used in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

3. Have we not learnt from the past? We spent over 60 billion naira building the stadium in Abuja for the COJA Games in 2003. The stadium became overgrown with weeds shortly after. Even today, NOBODY can really fathom what can be done to bring the stadium to profitability. I am not sure the stadium has made a tenth of what it was built with, over a decade later.

So you see, unless there is a miraculous wand Akpabio is going to wave, that stadium is going to be more of a drain than otherwise, unless my Akwa-Ibom brothers tell me they are more than satisfied that the feeling of owning a world class stadium is much better than the opportunity cost that the money would have found use for. As per opportunity cost, while I am a Nigerian in diaspora and cannot start counting how much has been invested in Education, Roads, Health care and the like, I am sure there are many worth-while projects that 39 billion naira could have finished from scratch, within the incumbents tenure.

1. Unless you want to tell me every house-hold in Akwa-Ibom can boast of clean water, 39 billion can construct a full-fledged water treatment plant that can serve millions.

2. The last time I checked, power generation was on the concurrent list, which means state governments can actually build power stations. At the very least, Uyo can be pulled off the national grid and a 500MW station built to serve the state capital. 39 billion naira, or slightly more, can easily achieve this.

3. We complain we do not refine enough Crude for our local consumption. What stops the administration from partnering to build a refinery that will serve not only the local populace, but environs while raking in very large profits?

I have not even mentioned Housing, Rural road network, Agriculture and many other areas. These projects will be self-sustaining, not only because they are sensible, but because they serve the very basis of the populace needs. It is for this same reason, with all its epileptic service, the telecoms industry still remains alive today. It serves a basic need. Electricity is a basic need. Water is a basic need. Fuel is a basic need. Any investment channelled to these areas will be self-maintaining, generate profit (especially with private-partnership), while easing the lives of the average citizen. A stadium? Apart from crusades that will be few and far between, occasional matches and a very high over-head maintenance ( a culture which we are yet to imbibe even in more crucial areas ), that stadium may face the same fate as the National Stadium in Surulere, the Teslim Balogun Stadium just opposite, The Abuja Stadium, and wait for it.......yes, the stadium in Athens, Greece which hosted the 2004 Olympics, currently over-grown with weeds. The argument is also not helped by the allegation that Akpabio is actually planning to name the stadium after himself.

P:S- If it is actually true that a modern stadium, with all the amenities and the like was built with 39 billion naira in 2014, why the hell did they need 60 billion to build Abuja stadium in 2003, over 10 years ago?

kuderrich:
if amaechi is ur own definition of one of d best leader den I feel sorry for u, d man lack decorum, he's nt a diplomatic person and I don't see him as a good politician. No offence pls.

he is an exceptional leader. his performance as a governor has been top notch.
yes he talks irrationally at times but it does not take anything away from his performance as governor since 2007

amaechi himself has admitted that he has failed oyigbo people but inspite of that i hear that some roads are being worked on.

the state of oyigbo roads and the monorail project are amaechis failures in rivers state and he knows..

this post is from a friend of mine who lives in the UK. he raises some pertinent questions.thought i'd share it here. enjoy!
the bolded(the last paragraph) really got me thinking..


The New Akwa-Ibom Stadium: A Worthwhile Venture or Needless Ego Trip?

First off, let me admit that it will be worthy of note that the current Governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Goodwill Akpabio will be leaving his state more beautiful than he met it in 2007. He embarked on numerous utility and beautification projects that will leave many to argue he is not your average governor. True, I know Akwa-Ibom state has earned a lot since Oil broke through the $15 per barrel ceiling over a decade ago, and it will be difficult to place his absolute/actual performance in the face of all the national sleaze going on.

It will be difficult to say how Mr. A managed $1,000 for instance when $500 gets stolen and he is able to invest the remaining $500 compared with Mr. B who had only $300 for starters. So, for all we know, Akpabio's achievements may be an illusion of performance when relativity is taken into account, but no doubt, he has been able to put some of it into good use, and his sins may not be as obvious as those who despite their very low allocations used theirs for building Mosques and carrying out Mass weddings.

As regards the stadium, I notice some singing his praises, while some question the rationale behind such venture. I will pitch tent with the latter, and while I will not deliberate Akpabio's performance as a whole, will offer insight into how we are supposed to reason as a people and call those ruling us into account at every turn.

1..Yes, Nigeria is a sports loving nation, but we do not have the kind of sports industry that can CONSISTENTLY sustain investment in sports. No nation grappling with back breaking poverty can ever have a profitable sports industrial machine. Winning International trophies is different from having a home-grown, self-sustaining sports industry. Ask England, the nation with about the most publicised and most profitable league on the globe, but has not won a world cup since 1966, or any trophy of note in a long while.

2. Even in countries with super-leagues and sports systems, Public built and funded stadia are seen as a waste of funds. Remember the riots in Brazil prior to the last world cup? Brazil is a country far richer than Nigeria, with a higher GDP, higher Per Capita, and much larger economy (larger than the UK, and currently world's number 7). Yet many Brazilians felt it was unwise expending such on stadia, despite the fact that the same facilities will be used in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

3. Have we not learnt from the past? We spent over 60 billion naira building the stadium in Abuja for the COJA Games in 2003. The stadium became overgrown with weeds shortly after. Even today, NOBODY can really fathom what can be done to bring the stadium to profitability. I am not sure the stadium has made a tenth of what it was built with, over a decade later.

So you see, unless there is a miraculous wand Akpabio is going to wave, that stadium is going to be more of a drain than otherwise, unless my Akwa-Ibom brothers tell me they are more than satisfied that the feeling of owning a world class stadium is much better than the opportunity cost that the money would have found use for. As per opportunity cost, while I am a Nigerian in diaspora and cannot start counting how much has been invested in Education, Roads, Health care and the like, I am sure there are many worth-while projects that 39 billion naira could have finished from scratch, within the incumbents tenure.

1. Unless you want to tell me every house-hold in Akwa-Ibom can boast of clean water, 39 billion can construct a full-fledged water treatment plant that can serve millions.

2. The last time I checked, power generation was on the concurrent list, which means state governments can actually build power stations. At the very least, Uyo can be pulled off the national grid and a 500MW station built to serve the state capital. 39 billion naira, or slightly more, can easily achieve this.

3. We complain we do not refine enough Crude for our local consumption. What stops the administration from partnering to build a refinery that will serve not only the local populace, but environs while raking in very large profits?

I have not even mentioned Housing, Rural road network, Agriculture and many other areas. These projects will be self-sustaining, not only because they are sensible, but because they serve the very basis of the populace needs. It is for this same reason, with all its epileptic service, the telecoms industry still remains alive today. It serves a basic need. Electricity is a basic need. Water is a basic need. Fuel is a basic need. Any investment channelled to these areas will be self-maintaining, generate profit (especially with private-partnership), while easing the lives of the average citizen. A stadium? Apart from crusades that will be few and far between, occasional matches and a very high over-head maintenance ( a culture which we are yet to imbibe even in more crucial areas ), that stadium may face the same fate as the National Stadium in Surulere, the Teslim Balogun Stadium just opposite, The Abuja Stadium, and wait for it.......yes, the stadium in Athens, Greece which hosted the 2004 Olympics, currently over-grown with weeds. The argument is also not helped by the allegation that Akpabio is actually planning to name the stadium after himself.

P:S- If it is actually true that a modern stadium, with all the amenities and the like was built with 39 billion naira in 2014, why the hell did they need 60 billion to build Abuja stadium in 2003, over 10 years ago?

when you tell them akpabio is no match,they won't listen.
let me repeat it.....amaechi is second ONLY to fashola,and EVEN THAT,is debatable! take that to the bank!

....Kai amaechi....smh! if truly he said this,its a pity. we have a long way to go as a nation if one of our very best leaders talks like this.

bigtt76:
Mtscheeeeeeew!

oduastates:
All these unviable airport which a good functional government would have turned into remote landing strips until a time when there are enough passengers to make them profitable and economically viable . The Only reason why they are spending scarce resources on airports with little or no utility is to be able to park their ill gotten private jets.

why do you want to throw away the baby with the bathwater?

brilliant piece! this is not an avenue to take sides. there is a lesson and its that we have set the standards so low for our leaders that we clap for them when they do the most basic things for us.

this is the reason I called eko ile out the other day when he posted pictures of fashola turning on street lights.

I know a very hungry man will be glad to eat cabin biscuit,but he must not forget that cabin is not a proper meal.

Lagos definitely has the best skyline in the country.

Lagos is beautiful from the sky but on getting close, the story changes...

oduastates:
This is getting boring.
Lagos was not developed by the federal government as ilu Eko predates your useless federal government.
If anything at all , the federal government presence destroyed the ambience of Lagos,cannibalised her architecture and brought too many wanted JJCs or should I say Johnny come latly. This has been proven time and time again.
comparing apkabio to fashola is becoming the joke of the season .
It like comparing a man with a tacky house(so-called " mansion" )in surulere or elsewhere with a professional with 5 townhouses in newyork or detached house in central London.
If you are talking about physical structures and getting the biggest bang for the buck,
Bring your apkabio and compare him to 3 years of amosun in ogun state.
But I will not go into this dumb ,low level argument on your understanding of governance .
Governance is a process and a science . The lack of governing institutions and processes makes every other thing plain window dressing.
That is why one governor builds a road which ends up looking for cars , while the other is building mini power station to bypass the useless power grid and supply electricity to her governing institutions (rather than free electricity to bayela). Already LASG Generates almost 100MW and more and more are being built( using brains to get around the corrupt centralisation of everything.
It is the same reason why the mass transit rail is being built.


your apkabio is not different from other African dunderheads. In fact , amaechi is more of a modern and better leader. This is because rivers state not only share similar social and demographic challenges with Lagos , but is saddled being neighbours with a lawless state like bayela and banditory on the high seas.
My advise is for you to compare him with delta state governor.

OP....dont you think this your post belongs in your diary

very funny! he can't even beat amaechi,na fashola?
akpabio has done very well don't get me wrong BUT when you look at what is on ground compared to his allocation, he is not wonderful! QED.

the earlier we realise that APC=PDP, the better for us

later someone will get up and tell me that this country is not a failed state.
a country where I.diots and mor.ons lead the intelligent.
thinking about it makes me want to puke.

nigerianvenom:
where in the world has the government bin responsible for building factories?
are u just writing because u feel u can write?

what he should have said was that government should have made an enabling environment for factories to thrive...lol

bigass:
Nigerian leaders always getting their priorities wrong since 1959. Billions of Naira spent on a stadium whereas maternal mortality is still high. No basic amenities of life no pipe borne water pry schools look like shanties no basic learning tools. How many well equipped pry health centres so they have in AK state. We need to fix basic thing before doing this. This is like America trying to go to the moon when many cities have untarred roads?

......truth!

ajebutter. you want to call the shots in a state filled with thugs and touts.

push wike out of PDP or settle with him.

ujoinme:
Well your views were simillar to that of the APC South west propagandist, i know that most of the people that are doing the useless comparism are the APC propagandist with a vested interest in Making SS Disunited. because of the threat that a united SS will pose to their interest and Amaechi is allowing himself to be their lackey. Afterall all the resources that this country has been running on is from our land. The South West fought Obasanjo in his first term but they all got wiser in his second term and gave him their support and they are better for it today.
I hope that the SS will wise up and and vote governed
rs that will support the president for his second term so we can have a chance of writting the wrongs that has been visited on the SS for somany years, for after this chance it will take a while before presidential powers comes back to SS.

I am not an APC or PDP fan. as far as I'm concerned, that whole thing is childish.give me a fashola or an amaechi or even an akpabio any day and I'll vote for that person. what is PDP and APC?
but let's look objectively at the center. "our brother" in aso rock has done poorly. what has he put on ground? all we have are a group of corrupt individuals who come on AIT or NTA and just talk and talk and talk.
corruption is at its peak in this administration.the country is going backwards.
I can't be blackmailed to vote for a man because hes village is a stone throw from mine and we both do 'the sign of the cross'. I am too mature for that sort of thing.
ethnicity and religion can't pull me back.
Jonathan has not done well. in 4 years what has he done for the niger-delta? my people in the east have sworn to die for him but pray tell,where is our Niger bridge? where are our federal roads? where are our refineries?

ujoinme,i am Igbo but was born in PH.I have always lived and currently work and pay my taxes in PH so in effect you can say I am even more "rivers" than many of the indigenes,so I don't understand you first paragraph.

FG heavily invested cities... abuja and Lagos.. yes! PH? no!

what has the FG put in rivers compared to lag and abj?
refinery,eleme petrochem,onne port,LNG? what else?
things are still shipped to Lagos.PH port is dead.
what you see in PH is solely from past STATE governments.

the past 8years have been soo good for rivers state. amaechi has built more flyovers than spiff,okilo,odili and the various MILADS put together.
the FG built only aba and ikwerre roads and currently,east-west.

....AND PLEASE FOR THE RECORD I HAVE BEEN TO UYO COUNTLESS TIMES. in a month, im in uyo at least 4 times so i know whats going on there.

for those of you saying akpabio built or is building a city from scratch,its indeeed cheaper for him. its cheaper for akpabio to develop akwaibom from scratch than amechi who spends money demolishing to rebuild.
amaechi has more challenges to surmount and money is needed to surmount such obstacles.

so in effect if one looks at how much each state has recieved and compare to what is on ground,AMAECHI HAS USED HIS MONEY BETTER THAN AKPABIO and thats a fact!!!

Demdem:

In addition to this, it should be noted that in the city of port harcourt itself, we already have the liberation stadium and sharks stadium which govt still continue to maintain.

exactly!!!! amaechi built the new stadium really as a DEVELOPMENT MAGNET FOR GREATER PH AND NOT TO WASTE MONEY, SO THERE WAS REALLY NO NEED FOR A 70,000 SEATER STADIUM. thats a foward thinking governor if you ask me. where everyone sees a stadium,he sees beyond a stadium.

ujoinme:
What has Amaechi done on all that regards beside build a few model schools on the main roads of rivers state for publicity? How many of the planned model schools/healthcare centres that amaechi started has been completed? I commend him for the quality of the schools and PHC centres he completed while a PDP governor, But since joining APC he has been infected with the pull me down syndrome that permeates that party that it has beclouded his sense of project delivery and accountability to the people of rivers state. Being an opposition government dose not mean he should stop delivering on projects. blaming the president for everything will not cut it.

i agree that hes approach to criticisms of the govt at the center may be a little to brash or crude but amaechi is an exceptional governor. i say it without reservations.

the peter odili-woji-elelenwo road is ongoing as i type this.true or false expansion of transamadi is going on. true or false?? iwofe road and elioparanwo are going on.true or false?? things are happening ujoinme and you know it.

let us not throw away a good governor just because hes in the opposition party. it makes no bloody sense.
until we as nigerians learn to be objective,learn to reason,we are not going anywhere. our ethnic and rerligious lines are toooooooo strong and its KILLING US!
since amaechi started his criticisms of jonathan,looking at things objectively,tell me ONE ISSUE HE RAISED THAT WAS NOT TRUE.

his beef with the wife of the president started BECAUSE HE WAS REASONING ALONG THE LINES OF PROGRESS WHILE SHE WAS REASONING ALONG THE LINES OF ETHNICITY.
"dont demolish anything here.that word demolish, i dont like it. my people dont have land" she said
she was being clannish for something that would have made life better for her people.
didint amaechi complete the ring road in okirirka? didnt he reclaim land for them

we should start reasoning properly in this country honestly otherwise,come 50years,we will still be doing this back and forth as a nation.

the fact is both governors have done very well BUT in this SS region,akpabio will always be second to amaechi. maybe we can compare akpabio to oshio-baba but not amaechi. truly! what amaechi has done in health,education and human development ALONE IS CRAZY I TELL YA.
my very good friend's younger sister has just graduated from a university in canada. she was sponsored by RSG. infact i personally know 3 families whose kids were sent out by amaechi.
i can bet you many people who live in PH personally know at least 1 person the state is sponsoring.

if thats not governance,please redefine it for me.

poor rivers children can now go to school FREE. just show interest and youll be admitted. for the first time in rivers state,public school children are writing entrance exams with kids from montessori,the grove,hilltop,norweghian international school, yitzak rhabin etc.
rivers public schools are competing courtesy amaechi


health centers are EVERYWHERE. tell me where you live and ill point out the nearest health center to you. for the first time in my life,i saw the ozuoba health center pulling the kind of crowd i can only see at BMH or UPTH.
my cousin immunized her three kids at elekahia health center close to her house. wetin she dey come find for UPTH.
BMH is becoming a center for specialist training for doctors. departments are getting accreditation one by one.

i am sure any wedding in UYO will have either grand malt or grand lager beer on the tables. those are products of pabod breweries amaechi revitalised

ujoinme:
nonsense those are pictures i personally posted in skyscrapercity about that stadium because of my vested interest in the project, i thought you had images of any new development of the disgrace that amaechi built and called it a stadium in this 21st century. the design of this stadium main bowl belongs to the 18th century. I hope that Rivers people will vote into power a new governor that will salvage that edifice and turn it into something respectable.
Amaechi should know that you do not award mega projects to political contractors and expect good result.If he was not busy fighting his brother who is more successful than he is or will ever be in life, maybe he would have focused on getting things right.

i posted those pictures for people asking for pictures. the fact you posted them on skyscrapercity is inconsequential in this discourse. amaechi built a stadium that is not comparable quality wise to akpabios.fact!
but the fact that it is on only this stadium and a few roads that we are comparing both governors,should tell you something??

where is akpabio on
education?
health? apart from the 20th anniversary hospital
security
agriculture
IGR
job creation and human development
okay lets talk roads and flyovers,since thats what you guys hammer on.
mention one road and ill give you two for each you mention.

dBard:
Dude,get ur head outta Amaechis ass.
If I didn't know beta,I'll swear u were under d influence of. ...
Came back from Uyo recently n frankly , comparing both of them is like comparing the best student in Baptist high school PH to the Best In King's College..Amaechi is Nowhere close to Akpabios achievements, and I say this with all sincerity.
How many major projects has Amaechi completed successfully
How many roads in the state are completely devoid of portholes n d likes
Most importantly, how many citizens of the state can stand t say they're satisfied with wat Amaechi has done f d state
Amaechi can't hold a torch, candle,searchlight or wateva t Akpabio.
Development is not built on excuses or wishy washy activities, but on focused, concerted efforts That Yield results.
Mtscheeewww

P.s..we suppose hook up dis week. How far??

o boy you dey craze. you go uyo go see shine shine road,come leave your senses for there you no see the grinding poverty all around you for the first time your people fit drive go andoni. no be good thing? o boy forget shine shine things. i repeat,amaechi is second ONLY TO FASHOLA,AND EVEN THAT,IS HIGHLY DEBATABLE

how far?? i go try come your place this weekend or in the new week.YOUNG MAN, I HOPE YOU HAVE PUT SOMETHING INSIDE THAT THING?

stadium....