₦airaland Forum

Ebonyeyes:
Im not bitter hun far from it actually. Hope you are well. I agree we Nigerians gals should not seat and wait for Nigerian guys like we have been doing. There is a whole world of men out there and we should explore.

POSAKOSA1:
G B A M!

VGA:
Are we not the one complaining we dont like MR too nice, now we"re saying something else. we go to church and pray to meet MR right at the same we"re not giving these guys opportunity. we"re still looking for MR bad.

Ebonyeyes:
Responsible men in general are hard to come by regardless of geographical location. The good men are nearing extinction. Its high time ladies realized that they can be somebody with out a man rather than settle for scums of the earth.

ayo84:
rubbish, i think this should be rephrased as creative,beautiful,unsophisticated and understanding women are difficult to come by.

The issue is not with us men, but i think is the ladies.we are witnessing a scenario where material wealth is a necessity for a stable relationship,gone were the days where couples fell in luv, even without no money.but these days the lady folk have created this illusionary world where money is everything, men are imprisoned by this trend , they disregard all forms of honest simple,truly luv at first sight incidences, and chase money, hoping that after accumulating the money they now have what it takes to get any woman they want.it's all the ladies fault-their obsession with material things drive men to do what they do.

Anabel:
speechless

osbar67:
It like all the Ladies in the house sees the situation as normal(it's no big deal she should have been ready for that or refuse to take the job)Is that how it is supposed to be?

One March morning, Kunle Ifeola (not real name) was going about his day 's business when at Cele Bus Stop, in Odogunyan, a settlement in Ikorodu, he came across a group of soldiers, who dragged him from his bus and beat him up.

The men did this to him because he was "too slow" in paying for the N50 ticket they issued to all commercial vehicles plying that route. "They beat me like a thief that day," the 32-year-old said.

"They less (deflated) my tyres and I didn't work throughout that day. I don't know why we should be collecting tickets from army people." Barracks-cum-tollgate Odogunyan is on Ikorodu Road, which connects Lagos to Shagamu, a town in Ogun State.

It is home to the I74 Battalion of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The army officers' compound is opposite the PZ Industries Plc, . Cele or Mammy Market Bus Stop is a two-minute walk away.

The bus and truck drivers, who spoke to NEXT, said the military officers rule that community with a strong
arm. Most of them refused to have their names published for fear of retaliation from the soldiers. They said they have been paying the soldiers money to allow them carry passengers at Cele Bus Stop for years.

When NEXT visited the spot on Thursday, a man in a white T-shirt and shorts was seen issuing tickets to bus drivers and collecting money from them. Many of the drivers called out "Awua" (Lagos slang for soldier) to him as they drove off. He responded by either waving or saluting.

Sitting under shades close by were three other army personnel, equally in mufti. They looked relaxed, hardly expecting anyone to challenge their collector for the day.

Drivers moan

"They started with all these trailers that come to lift products from the factory," said one bus driver, in Yoruba.

"They were collecting N200 from them every day. Then, we used to give them N20 or N30 in the mornings. Now this year, they became bolder and started forcing us to buy N50 tickets daily. If you don't pay, you can't carry passengers at Cele."

A truck driver confirmed this. He said failure to pay attracts beatings and tyre deflation, after which the ‘offender' must pay before he can inflate them again.

"We pay them (military officers) N200 for morning and evening tickets," he said. "We sometimes have to wait for some days to get the product, so for every day we are here, that is N400."

Further investigations revealed that the soldiers take turns to stay at the stop. The common punishment for those who ‘default' is their buses, trucks have their tyres deflated, or the buses are detained in the barracks.

"You can't argue with them," said a recharge card seller in the area. "Even stubborn drivers become soft when they get here."

Protectors or oppressors?

The drivers said they wished to know what the collection was for. Attempts to reach the battalions commander were unsuccessful . An officer, who was coming out of the compound, said he was unavailable on Thursday afternoon.

A civil lawyer, Gbolahan Ore, said collecting dues was out of the soldiers' work scope.

"It is shameful that these soldiers are doing this," Mr. Ore said. "Even if there is hunger in the land, must protectors become robbers? If (Governor) Fashola does not want trouble one day, he should tell or ask them to stop this."

This is not the first time the men of 174 Battalion are involved in a controversy. In mid-November 2004, some residents of Igbopa, a small Ikorodu community, handed over two male officers to the Ikorodu Police Station. They said the men were hired to chase them off the land.

Newspaper reports said the men were later released.

Meanwhile, those who have to board early buses at Cele Bus Stop share in the drivers' misery. They are getting to work late, as most drivers refuse to pick passengers there before 6am to avoid the soldiers.
One of the drivers justified this with this question, "Why will monkey work and baboon chop?"

Princelyod:
The fouth finger is the only one that has a vain connected to the heart.

justwise:
Honestly my blood boils each time i read stuff like this. This is why i hate those morons in travel, Money, Education or business section trying to rip pple off by advertising for visa or admission just to dupe innocent pple

ThiefOfHearts:
Their same culture believed twins should be killed

These people just like to yarn dust

jextoban:
aint no big deal in dating or marrying a lady older than me .am not surprised at those that said no or never.it shows how immature they re when it comes to love.when you love someone ,age will automatically be a mere factor of numbers. yall need to grow up and handle biz like an adult and stop using culture as a motherfucking excuse.

chiogo:
LMFAO!!! They woulda killed my siblings with their so-called culture. SMH!!!

Oh please. Agreed, it has nothing to do with culture. But saying you can't date or marry someone who's older/younger doesn't make one immature. It's called choice/preference. It's only immature if there's no reason behind it except "culture".

@topic, younger guys?? nah. Ok, I have so many reasons. If he's younger then he'll be in school with me or something and myself, I'm gonna be in school for a LONG time as far as I know. We can't both be in school struggling when it comes to marriage. uh uh.

Again, I like to feel protected and pampered. If he's younger, I'm supposed to be doing the pampering?? oh hell no That's like raising another child.

From experience, some of 'em like to be spoon-fed, some can be very mature for their age. But um, nah. Considering that women age faster than men. That's another factor. I can't be looking like his mother.

omar22:
This is a perfect case of letting society predict or colonizing on how you should live your life?

Its called shallow minded or narrow vision,  how long before the word "Our Culture" pops out!!!

chic2pimp:
I bet you are only pulling the poster's legs .

@ POSTER

Abuse On Women: Is It Justifiable? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE

Abuse On Men : Is It Justifiable? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE

In May 2009, Mrs. Ekwunife L. Akabogu signed as a contract employee at the Enugu branch of Skye Bank Plc (the bank), based in Lagos, Nigeria. For the salary of N45, 000, Akabogu joined the Bank under the title of Priority Sales Support Officer and was posted to the Enugu branch for a period of six months, at which point her employment would be up for review.


This new position signified the realization of a longtime desire for Akabogu—to work in a corporate atmosphere.  She applied for the position following ample suggestion from various parties that she possessed the skills and attributes suitable for the banking industry. It did not take Akabogu long however to realize the ulterior motives behind the flattery.

Once Akabogu had agreed to the contract, the Branch Manager asked if she was familiar with Chief Christian Uba of the PDP, a client whom the Bank had been unsuccessfully wooing for some time.  Upon admitting her acquaintance with Chief Uba, the Manager suggested that in order to prove her dedication to her new employer, Akabogu pursue Chief Uba on the Bank’s behalf.  The Manager made clear that he did not wish to know the details of what would transpire however, yet assured Akabogu that Uba would be interested in a quid pro quo agreement and that the end would certainly justify the means.

She told her husband, who suggested that she ignore the request.  Once the Bank recognized that she was unwilling to partake in the scheme, they corralled her involvement in the Bank’s activity to only fixed deposits and certain priority accounts, which she sees as bogus free Priority Passes for lounge access that the Bank uses to pilfer money from clients through hidden charges (interest, ATM and guest fees, lounge beverages), which the Bank officers are prohibited from warning the patrons about.  More common practice (as is practiced at Barclay’s) is to have an upfront fee for the Priority Pass and then offer services and amenities within the Pass free of charge.

Not only was Akabogu demoted in this manner, even the accounts that she had opened were passed on to other Bank officers, depriving her from taking credit for the sixteen accounts that she opened totaling a value of almost six million naira.  She was also denied a proper workspace and computer as well as a vehicle (providing a company vehicle for marketing purposes is general practice).  Her argument is that the reason behind her status as a contract employee rather than staff employee is that they are not listed as account managers, and given the high turnover rate for employees at her level, they would likely no longer be working at the Bank once the fees were noticed by the customers.  Under this scheme, the Bank escapes culpability.  She was being used as bait to entice new clientele.

During Akabogu’s second month of employment, the Bank Manager reprimanded her for whiling away the hours collecting her salary, and not pulling in big clients such as contractors and politicians in return.  He warned her that the central office in Lagos had communicated their disappointment with her performance, questioning why she had not "mopped the entire monies on the streets of Enugu."  He demanded that she toughen up and gave her the new task of marketing at the new local hotels where movers and shakers spend time.  He advised that she wear pricey perfume and short skirts in order to flaunt her legs, and also suggested that she not hesitate to take perspective depositors to the Zodiac Hotel if the occasion called for it.  Her job description began to transform based on verbal alterations, not through written declarations of her “job description and performance target” as had been agreed upon.  She never even received a proper ID card and was consistently the object of ridicule at weekly managerial meetings for what they saw as the misuse of her god-given assets and her loyalty to her husband over her bank.  The stress began to take a toll on her, and she frequently needed medical attention and was admitted to the hospital on two occasions after collapsing, although the Bank doubted the veracity of her ailment.


Upon her return to work, a co-worker named Maureen Okoye stridently accused her in front of fellow staff and bank patrons of stealing her phone, an allegation that Akabogu denies and deems to be proof of the co-worker’s collaboration with the Bank Managers.    Okoye also accused Akabogu of stealing her certificate, only to find she had left it in the copy machine.  When Akabogu complained to the manager Chinedu Oguejiofor, he simply proposed that she not tell her husband and refused to grant a review of the security camera footage.  It was not until after ample prodding from her husband that they permitted the evaluation of the footage a week later.  Simultaneously, she was issued a query to explain what had transpired.  Although she thought it was common knowledge who her accuser was, it became apparent from the footage that the phone had actually fallen out of the accuser Maureen Okoye’s own bag.  In the wake of this event, Akabogu was transferred to another branch while Okoye remains at her post.

When Akabogu reported to the new post, the branch manager greeted her and lamented over being sent a non-performing employee.  He assigned her a monthly quota of 30 million nira, to be accrued through any type of account.  When Akabogu stated that the central branch in Lagos had warned her not to open other types of accounts, the manager insulted her and told her to do as she was told.

Soon thereafter, Lagos sent an employee named Edna Samuels to Enugu to inquire as to why Akabogu was not opening ten priority accounts per week as had been agreed.  She was called into the manager’s office and told to sit in his chair for a one on one chat.  She asked to pull up another chair; they refused her request, and as she sat down in his chair the manager entered and threw a fit upon seeing her in his place.  Akabogu insists this was a set up, another example of her colleagues trying to make a fool out of her.  The manager continued to castigate her, declaring that not even in ten years would she be in the place to have that seat and that she should "fly away from [his] office."

After Samuels left, the manager Donatus Ugwoke summoned a staff meeting, at which he persisted to deride Akabogu, expressing his hope that Lagos would not send him any more non-performers, but instead hire the much sharper women who were applying for jobs in increasing numbers.  He demanded an Amen from the employees, and they dutifully responded with applause and an Amen. Ugwoke then gave her the ultimatum to open ten accounts that week, or she would be terminated. Ekwunife Akabogu refused the offer and resigned.

She has since petitioned the Human Rights Commission and the EFCC, and has filed a lawsuit against the Skye Bank in order to call attention to the plight of female staff “who are forced to sell their soul to the devil by prostituting on behalf of the banks.”

In a novel civil litigation that is bound to test the ability of a US citizen to sue Nigerian-based defendants, Patrick O’ Keke has brought a Nigerian bank-Skye Bank, a Lagos-based newspaper, “The Nation”, and ten “John and Jane Does” to a US court over allegations of breach of contract, interference with contractual relationship, and harassment.  According to the court documents, obtained by Saharareporters, the suit claims stated that on October 30, 2009 Mr. O’Keke signed a contract for the purchase of an advertisement to be printed in the November 2, 2009 issue of “The Nation” for the price of N253, 000.

The advertisement space was to be used for a rejoinder denouncing civil rights abuses in Nigeria, namely incidences wherein the corporate banks love-peddler their female workers in order to secure powerful clientele.  After hearing about a specific case in the Nigerian High Court, where Skye Bank was accused of encouraging a female employee to use her feminine appeal to bait potential wealthy patrons, O’Keke further researched the issue and found it to be widespread.  It is in response to this practice of using prostitution to gain new accounts that O’Keke drafted the rejoinder.  It is also a response to ads that Skye published on two accounts, slandering the plaintiff in the Nigerian trial and her family.  O’Keke felt it was his place as an attorney and a believer in equal rights for women to write the rejoinder.  Similar ads criticizing this practice of prostitution were to be printed in The Nation in the coming months at a discounted price.

Upon hearing of the impending rejoinder, Skye bank allegedly offered The Nation a sum of money to refrain from publishing the piece.  Skye also contacted many other newspapers and publications and paid them to refuse to publish the rejoinder.  John Doe and Jane Doe 1-10 are also suspected to have been hired to threaten the life of Mr. O’Keke if he did not cease attempts to publish the rejoinder, and also to indicate to Mr. O’Keke the power that Skye holds over courts and publications in Nigeria, should they choose to wield it.  When the advert condemning Skye and other Nigerian banks did not run in The Nation, O’Keke contacted the paper and was told that Skye had paid a large sum for it to not be printed.

O’Keke seeks compensatory and punitive damages for financial and emotional distress after having his life threatened repeatedly and as a result, having to continually change his travel and living arrangements.  Further incentive for O’Keke to file a suit arose because in the failure of the rejoinder being published, women all over Nigeria were refused an opportunity for an audience of millions to be made aware of Skye’s civil rights violations.

Because O’Keke is a citizen of the United States and the monetary sum of the allegations exceeds $75,000, the suit has been brought to the United States District Court rather than the Nigerian Court.  Jurisdiction has also been invoked under the Aliens Tort Statute, which allows cases of human rights abuses brought by foreign citizens to be tried in United States courts, even if the abuses took place abroad.

   Case information:
U.S. District Court
Brooklyn Office
Filed: Dec. 14, 2009
Case #: CV 09-5455

   
Plaintiff: Patrick O’Keke

Defendants: Skye Bank, The Nation, and John and Jane Doe 1-10

A civil society group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is threatening legal action if the President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua government “continues to fail and/or neglect to collect overdue revenue from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC); Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd; Agip Nigeria PLC; Chevron Oil Nigeria PLC; Total Nigeria PLC; and Exxonmobil Corporation.”

The group said the alleged failure by the government to “fully collect overdue revenue from the oil companies involved and ensure its transparent and efficient use for infrastructural development and the good of the country is a violation of Section 16 of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Contracts Act of 1999; the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations and commitments.”

In a letter dated 18 October 2009 and signed by Solicitor to SERAP, Mr Femi Falana, and sent to Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Michael Kaase AONDOKAA (SAN), the group threatened to “take steps to seek the leave of court for an order of mandamus compelling the government to discharge its responsibility under Section 16 of the Act if the government fails to act within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of the letter.”

Section 16 (1) of the Act states: The provisions of this decree shall be subject to review to ensure that if the price of crude oil at any time exceeds $20 per barrel, real terms, the share of the government of the federation in the additional revenue shall be adjusted under the Production Sharing Contracts to such extent that the Production Sharing Contracts shall be economically beneficial to the government of the federation.

“Under international law, Nigeria is obligated to use its maximum available resources to achieve economic, social and cultural rights of its citizens. Implicit in this obligation is the responsibility of the government to exercise due diligence in the collection of all due revenue. The more resources a state has the greater its ability to provide services that guarantee economic, social and cultural rights. The failure of the government to collect accruable revenue therefore constitutes a violation of Section 16 of the Act and of the international legal rights of the deprived, and itself constitutes an international wrong”, the group argued.

According to the group, “the Administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo between May 1999 and January 2007 failed to collect over $18 billion owing to negligence to propose relevant amendments to the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Contracts Act of 1999 to the National Assembly. Most of the operators have been producing at close to peak production since they brought the fields on stream in 2005. A detailed breakdown of what each of the fields produced shows that Shell’s Bonga did 58.5 million barrels in 2006, 93.4 million barrels in 2007, 64.4 million barrels in 2008 and 16.7 million barrels in 2009. Other figures are: Mobil’s Erha - 53.4 million barrels (2006), 74.9 million barrels (2007), 72.4 million barrels (2008), and 23,325,664 barrels (2009); Chevron Agbami – 19.4 million barrels in 2009; while Agip’s Abo produced 3.6 million barrels (2004), 10.4 million barrels (2005), 9.2 barrels (2006), 6 million barrels (2007), 6.6 million barrels (2008) and 3 million barrels in 2009.”

“When these volumes produced by the IOCs are computed against the average price of crude oil (in real terms), which OPEC’s website put at $42.04, $59.09, $70.98, $75.21 and $98.50 per barrel in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively, this translates to $34.7 billion that has accrued from four of the five fields between 2004 and 2008. Given that the price of crude exceeded $20 per barrel from 2004 to date, had the government’s share been adjusted under the PSCs to such extent that it is economically beneficial to it, the amount that could have accrued to the Federation Account would be over $18 billion”, the group further added.

The group argued that “however, the persistent failure and lack of due diligence by the government to fully implement the provision of the Act, by proposing amendments to the Act, is a failure of responsibility, which has also contributed to a massive reduction in resources available to the government, which in turn has limited the ability of the government to access, harness and use the country’s maximum available resources for the full realization of human rights of millions of Nigerians who continue to face absolute poverty. It is also contributing to underdevelopment and exacerbating inequality in the country.”

“It is difficult to image how genuine and significant reductions in poverty would be achieved or how Nigeria would meet its commitments with respect to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) if accruable revenue to the Federation Account is not diligently collected by relevant government agencies and authorities”, the group further argued.

Signed

Executive Director
18/10/09

babapupa:
But the rest of Nigeria is not running around kidnapping, blowing up and killing innocent people.

SeanT21:
~~Ever heard of e-mails, private messaging on facebook, etc. Do U really have to explain you guys private business on here.~~