₦airaland Forum

So what they are fighting for is the oil money and nothing to do with Nigeria's development?.

I see nothing wrong in asking for the question to be debated, they are more of a topic and he is right in asking for advanced knowledge about this questions. Better still they should just strike those contentious issues out of the debate like the Jos crisis, excess crude account, foreign reserve or anything related to the budget. I would not have even gone far like this if i was goodluck, there is absolutely no point in having a debate before a presidential election.

There was no basis for them to blast the PDP as corrupt individual could be found in those same parties as well simple.

PDP has every right to celebrate a reformed member that has realized his mistakes and is now ready to contribute positively to the nation's development.

Kobojunkie:
I get your point but you fail to note that this is not the first, second or third year of this ministry refusing to catch up with the rest of the world. That we are low is no reason why we should start with the ABACUS – there is no point in going that far back when what is available today is more than sufficient in getting us a more meaningful start.

You are right and i remember now from the yar-adua period this same thing happened but i can't get my hands on those links now. I really feel we are just too backward to start using everything as it is obtained out there in the developed world. Maybe we should just peg ourselves to a certain level like for example the BRIC countries or maybe Singapore. South african has already been invited to join the BRIC countries, we still use chalks and blackboards in most of our lower schools. What am saying is that we cannot start at the highest level but somewhere at the middle though this present level is just too low and a disgrace actually.

Kobojunkie:
We said it was welcomed development back during the Obasanjo years when the ministry presented us with crap. We said the same thing during the Yar adua administration when the ministry presented us with yet another list of archaic machines.
You argue against our subsidizing the cost of equipment instead with all that money, but isn’t this exactly what the minister, or spokesman claims this is to help with? I mean the claimed inventions are to help our local businessmen (I believe they will be provided at a lower cost or maybe for free). Isn’t that a form of subsidizing cost of equipment in some way?

I am not against subsidizing but subsidizing local home grown solutions for our local business. If we have to do so for foreign products then we should go the asian route by making a provision for re-engineering and technical acquisitions from these solution to develop our own products. Subsidizing local home grown solutions with a demand for improvement and cost reduction is one of the idea i was just trying to propose. You are very right it is a form of subsidizing the cost but it is homegrown and with time there would be improvements that there might not be a need to subsidized it anymore. Subsidizing foreign solutions does not add much value to the society except cheap equipments for local business if we do not have a provision to re-engineer this products and make local solutions from those.

Kobojunkie:
I don’t believe the question is how we try to fix the various problems affecting us. Because I think it should be why we don’t seem to want to change things and fix problems that are obvious. It is obvious that this research development nonsense needs to end – our government needs to stop spending billions of our naira each year researching and developing nonsense when it could spend that money on more practical solutions.

In this particular case, I don’t believe we need to change much else but this particular ministry and it’s practices. Change in this case is simple – get educated people in to research and develop the right solutions to help our local companies be more competitive.
I am not glad they are spending billions making crap – I would rather they told me that money was stolen so I at least have a chance of getting it back, some day( a future probe or something and something goes to jail for this). But telling me that millions of naira was spent to produce an axe, a match box, etc. That is an insult.

Well on the spending part i think this cheap money from crude oil exploration makes us to throw money around wastefully if they are not stolen since those in position of power are clueless what to do with it. I am sure if you give nigeria to some western countries with all these resources, they would have made changes even within five years.


I really believe this ministry has to change because there is actually no unique system of innovation as it is obtain in developed country, the various units are not connected ( Ministry, Government, schools, research institutions, financial sector, investors and businesses ). Even i am not sure how these multinationals go about research and development in Nigeria if not just to grab the talented human capital only.

Also i don't think they make only crap metals and it could be also that most of those products do not need commercialization, here is a list of the parastatals that make use of this funding research money http://www.fmst.gov.ng/parastatals.php. Also i wonder why a graduate would develop a product of such magnitude without involving the school, ministry or financial institutions like in the link below which suggests that there is a loose connection between all the different key elements of this system http://www.africanbrains.net/2011/01/10/nigeria-inventor-seeks-govt-support-for-amphibious-cars/ .

Lastly i think Nigeria do have companies but most of them are just there for profits making and do not see reasons for development that would require such research. Peanuts came from Ghana before we could open our eyes that there are other products that could be made from just selling groundnuts only. Companies are mostly the arrow head of innovation with close cooperation with schools, research institutions, financial sectors and the government but in the case of Nigeria this need a fix. I believe what the ministry is producing is a reflection of the level of our development and we need to really grow fast to start thinking of doing quality stuffs.

KnowAll:
?

What do u mean by see what I meant?, do u think we have to roll out the talking drums with fanfare for a mundane and routine duty of a president. If he cannot pull this off then he might as well step I side. I am sure my vulcanizer can do better than that.

This is what i don't really like about opposition, you guys should just contest and fix the damn country instead of complaining here on nairaland from the sidelines. Get involved one way or the other and fix your country if you are better than the present occupants, its not too much to ask i guess?.

Kobojunkie:
I agree we have to start from somewhere, but like I said about 2 or three years ago when the same agency came up with a list of humdrum items as well, we do not have to RE-INVENT what already exists and has been perfected elsewhere. We can as well copy the BEST out there, and provide that to our businesses to work with. You only have to google to find those very 5 items listed freely and available for anyone to learn how to build and use. Matter of fact, you can google better alternatives for those and all free. Granted that that this is just 5 out of 132, but if this is a taste of what we are to expect, I am not encouraged at all.

Another thing to consider is that these so called innovations (according to the article --- [size=13pt]were developed from research and development efforts conducted by agencies and parastatals under the ministry[/size].)probably cost us millions, if not billions to ‘create’. I don’t know about you that I don’t think we should continue spending our money on such things anymore when the same can be used to subsidize the cost of better equipment for our local businesses.

I understand your point and actually to say the truth some of those products are too low for a federal ministry to produce from research. My point is just that we have been very low in this regard and anything would do for a start. I believe maybe someday they will partner with Nigerian experts in the future or maybe the right person would get there and fix things. I have a friend who has worked in the ministry of science and technology, he said the place is filled with corruption and people with low education or skills to run that place and they don't want any technology that is above their expertise.

The last time he was there they still insist on using type writers over there and with the level of corruption described i doubt if those millions actually went into the development of these products. But now it is a welcomed development. Yeah the subsidizing thing is good but it might also breed laziness and unwillingness to produce homegrown solutions. We are too big or sophisticated ( if things were right ) to depend too much on so many foreign solutions as those will not create the jobs or needed technological development. We have engineers, polytechnic and technical graduates that needs to be in charge of these things but so many things are not right.

We have been wasting money since God knows when and am not in support of it like the importing of dustbins from the united kingdom. The question is how do we try to fix the various problems affecting us, is it by fixing the presidency or policies?. I for one am interested in seeing the country move upward but with emphasis on education, technology and economic development. There has to be changes in these ministries and even the people occupying the present position else i don't think we can ever get anything more than what has been posted here. What am glad about is that at least they are making progress and the next batch will include other different things and not this same list of products.

jason123:
No, he did.
But I agree, he should STFU!!!

He did not abuse the southwest and i stand by that position except you want to prove me wrong.

Tinubu should just keep shut because goodluck never abused the southwest and he should go back to school for simple English language comprehension.

^^^^

That is the spirit and not those of the opposition that will not even come and give a little commendation to this evacuation.

debosky:
Fcuuk Tevez for not scoring today.

I woulda put Nani as my captain as planned, but I was deceived.

Nani is even playing twice this game week .

TB Joshua needs to be consulted very fast . . . .

rasputinn:
More confusions,we certainly have not seen the last of this.The vacation or otherwise of this pronouncement will come from the court appeals by the aspirants and not the pretentious one by INEC

They should just hurry up before the election date is near and i think it was the supreme court that settled the situation in anambra.

aguiyi:
^^ they will conduct elections but not in april,i think it should be june or there about

You are right but only if the previous tenure was factored into the equation unlike those of the five governors where they are just simply having another four years now. We really need to dig up the past rulling of the supreme and appeal court on this matter if not, there will be court cases flying here and there before the election proper.

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=613023.msg7809447#msg7809447 date=1298803618]LOL I wasnt attacking you, trust me. I'm well ware of your motive.

How does language on census = most relevant? I understand if you meant most populous tho. Everywhere in S. FL, every sign is in both English and spanish. In N. FL, its all English. Does that mean the Hispanics are relevant in one area and irrelevant in another?[/quote]Lol stick to the population angle and what was my motive if i may ask?.

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=613023.msg7809430#msg7809430 date=1298803053]Sweetie, Yoruba is also one of those languages . . .so now what are we analyzing? [/quote]Easy dear, they did not mention yoruba language in the first link hence my question because i know yoruba is the most spoken nigerian language there in the UK. I have been there many times so that was why i asked that question in the first place because i don't see why they could translate in igbo and not in yoruba too. I have nothing against any language as i can speak both languages, lived most of my life in southwest as well so drop the attack please.

[quote author=eku_bear link=topic=613023.msg7809412#msg7809412 date=1298802576]A more useful article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1360147/Taxpayers-fury-census-forms-printed-57-languages-including-Tagalog-Igbo-Shona.html[/quote]Thanks for this link and i can see yoruba there now because i was afraid that how come there are more igbo speakers than yoruba speakers in britain.

presido1:
I do not know who is most populated but Yoruba is the most spoken Naija Lingo in UK. This is cos most other ethnic groups from Naija( Igbo,Benin, Ijaw) speak yoruba so you cannot easily say who is who when you see people speak yoruba on the street.

You are right and you can check the link by eku_bear, yoruba is among the 57 languages so it is a balanced act then. I think britain of all people should know that most nigerians over there can speak english and there is no need for translation. What are kind of message are they trying to pass if they as our former colonia masters do no have faith in the quality of our enlgish language.

Do nigerians need to take any english language test before studying in britain?, i know we take the toefl if going to study in the united states. This translation is a slap on our face in my own opinion and we should reject this. Well i won't blame them when some nigerians already messed us up in some parts of europe or even there in britian.

British authorities have said the country's census forms will be printed in 57 languages, including Igbo, the language spoken in the South-East and some parts of the South-South and North-Central of Niegria.







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Among other languages to be used for the exercise are Shona, spoken in Zimbabwe and some parts of Zambia and Mozambique; Tigrinya, spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia; and Swahili, spoken in Tanzania, Kenya and other parts of East Africa.

The 57 languages are more than double the number a decade ago, according to The Mail of London. Printing the forms with all the different translations will cost an estimated £50,000 - and the move has been branded 'time-consuming and bureaucratic' by critics.

British Prime Minister David Cameron had pledged to cut spending on translations to encourage people to learn English. Hotlines will also be set up to help citizens fill out the forms in the census, which will cost £482m.

The paperwork will even be translated into Swedish and Dutch - even though almost all the native speakers in Britain are good at English. Seven translations will be produced for different Indian languages.

http://odili.net/news/source/2011/feb/25/830.html

So igbo is the most populated nigerian tribe in UK or the most relevant from this census case?.

Kobojunkie:
^^^ What INVENTION do you have listed up there? Does one have to HAVE AN INVENTION OF ONE's OWN to point out the ridiculousness in a statement/claim made?? ROFLMAO!!

Yes, manual Brick making machine, which have been around since before the time of the Romans is a new INVENTION in your world, right?? lol

I never said they were inventions or innovations but just trying to reply[b] egift[/b] that went towards that direction. You can see clearly from the article that they called them end products from the various research and development carried out that needs commercialization. They never claimed if they were innovations or inventions but it was egift that went towards that direction.

We have to start from somewhere and if these products can replace existing solutions that are provided by foreign providers then it is something. I believe with time there will surely be improvement and we might then be seeing some innovations. I strongly believe that we have to develop some own grown products to replace the existing expensive products and solutions right now.

N.B They mentioned just 5 products out of 132 and you guys just want to crucify them without trying to find out the other products lol.

They should just rescue everyone first before any action is taken on libya . . i heard sanctions is right on the way now from some western powers.

blacksta:
hence the ruling only references elections conducted before 2010 and cant not be applicable to elections after 2010.

The elections mentioned where those of the governors that went to the court for interpretation, uduaghan has already been sworn in before the new electoral act came into place. He is going for four years trust me and as for me i am laughing here until when INEC fools themselves again by trying to conduct election in delta state.

The title race is over . . . . abeg ooo na who dey test the mike hehehehehe . . . see raping for their back yard.

Funny thread . . .

I really one do owambe party for here tonight.

I doubt those laughing have any inventions or innovation to their name, keep on laughing ooo.

Very good analysis but nothing is constant in life except change.

We really have to win every matches as we progress on and wait for barca to drop some points before el classico.

[size=14pt]Mourinho: Benzema now ready to be Real Madrid starter[/size]

I don't really know why people just hate this Jose of a man because to me he has not offended anybody to say the truth.

Congrats to him anyway but he will surely lose it someday and there are many other records in football which are better than this too but mostly at the club level.

blacksta:
Mr Pharoh . Amendment and signing was done in 2010 and not January 2011

Yes you are very correct but it did not became an effective law until the president gave his ascent to it in January 2011. The delta state governor gets another four years because the previous election result was terminated in November 2010. The previous term also does not count to the mandate he got from the re-run election which he won as well. It is very clear brother because he has just been granted a ticket for another eight years taking the total to twelve years. Fix the constitution and that's the job of the national assembly but they are sleeping and collecting fat salaries.

1025:
why can we come together with one voice and shout DEATH TO PDP AND DEATH TO CORRUPTION?

How can you honestly blame PDP for uduaghan getting another four years?.

They should try to do that quickly but it would very dangerous as we have been singled out as one of the mercenaries. I really pity for them but people should stop speaking from both sides of their mouth as they condemned the president when he tried to do the same in Egypt.

Talk is cheap anyway but kudos to them for the point they have raised.

b0dnel:
@OP, and All,
Delta state is not included in this drama. Uduaghan was sworn in in 2010 and not in 2008. At that time (in 2008), secion 180 has not been amended.
Get your facts and figures straight before jumping into conclusion like sahara reporters

Nah you are the one getting it wrong brother, uduaghan just got another four years which serves as a new first term. The constitution is very clear, the previous election and tenure has been canceled so it does not apply to the re-run election. His election was declared null last year November before the this amended law came into effect in January 2011.

About time, let him receive a taste of his own medicine.