₦airaland Forum

He was in the Church. His prayers are not out of place.

Resign and hand over to who?

The question can also be ask in another way. DOES THE NORTH HAVE VIABLE CANDIDATES?

If Sanusi and Sule Lamido is all they can boast of, I see no way power is going back to north. Rigging will not help them! PDP will go into extinction in the south if they pick a northern candidate for 2015.

We will be rooting for APGA, ACN, Accord, Labour. CHOOSE YOUR CANDIDATE WISELY IN 2015 PDP, IT MIGHT BE YOUR LAST TIME!

This is a very interesting topic.
how prepared is the SW?

personally, I think it depends on what the SWI really want? If they want self determination, the SW should be assured of a ready and reliable partner in the SS/SE.

If they prefer their usual neutrality, well it will be business as usual. We continue exactly the way we are going.

However, in the event of possible total meltdown, SE has no score to settle with the SW, but that also mean no 'liberation' army will be sent to prop up a neutral zone. SS minorities will have to choose a side. Trust me, the mistakes of Biafra will not be repeated.

A neutral SW should be ready to accept Sharia in the long run by the way.

My preference is for a united South, but I have no qualms if the south split in three nations.

The end of Nigeria is inevitable! THE NORTH HAVE LOST THE PLOT. It will be a miracle if we make it 2015.

Arguing with Kobo is like arguing with musiwa. Who does that these days.

^^^
Just last week the JTF fighting BH upped their game by conducting house by house searches in maiduguri; even their base was bombed not long ago. Didn't know they have been withdrawn long ago. Na wa o.

I have not time for your scheming. Go and read his manifesto. It's online.

Let hope this will not be the straw that broke the camels back. No section of the country has monopoly of violence! The cautious movement of the cat should never be construed as cowardice! North must stop this nonsense of face repercussions.

*Makes him a philanthropist? I meant to say not 'farmer'.

Paying workers 20K, setting aside 400 million for loans to farmers and constructing roads in the state makes him a farmer? See sense.

anyway just say the truth. You are worried he might be challenging your bigot Sanusi come 2015, so u r trying to pass him off in the minds of people as philanthropist in the short to long term. In any case, it takes properly planning to roll out the agenda Rochas has been unfolding. Besides given a philanthropist and a bigot (Sanusi) who do you think the people will choose. Before you start you have already lost, Sanusi's rejection will be worse than buhari's.

I reckon u think people don't realise u are a chamelon? Shame on you ahj haram.

xtianh:
@phantom i wud prefer a dashng gvnor 2 a lootng gvnor,wen i ws in d village my younger bro went collect d refond of his school fees right he is enjoyng free n quality educatn dt is wht we want, nt gvnor dt wil steal billions of naira.

Word!

icez:
Buhari;  He supports violence, could not even apologise when his silly and evil supporters killed innocent NYSC  members and hundreds of innocent nigerians. Just because he lost an election (which he did not and can never win in his life-time). They justified the killing of these young nigerians, we were told that it was an act of God ( which God? Surely not my God. Could it be the God of Buhari?); and that it was the will of God that they died (i will not say much, i leave jugdement for God).
Sanusi;  Is he not the one who said yorubas are the greatest problem of naija? According to sanusi every other tribe in nigeria apart from his tribe is the problem of naija.  . May God save us from hypocrites and liars. After using CBN money to buy land in abj to rear cattle and build hotels ( Are women going to be allowed into this hotel? will alcohol be sold?). Just heard that in sanusi's home town of kano, the state government destroyed some  bottles of beer; but at thesame time collect money based on tax from the sale of alcohol.  
 May God save us from murderers, bigots and hypocrites.  

That's it my friend. Any one but those two bigots!

Gbawe:
I am happy to comment so that my life can indeed have the same success Osun is having and will continue to have. We all don't see things the same. Your views show that you will always criticise good effort in so far as it is not what you want to see . What you write below indicates why Nigeria is where it is today.

We are a very poor Nation with serious unemployment yet you bring educational status into this? My friend, graduates are flipping burgers in the UK today !!!! Besides, what 'dignifed' jobs , paying N100,000 per month, do you want our graduates to walk into? In your opinion, it is better for our graduate to sit at home or become involved in crime rather than be gainfully employed while being trained/prepared for better future employment? I have many family members who graduated years ago and are still jobless. Believe me when I say they would rather be earning N10,000 than begging others as they are forced to do. Aregbesola is asking the entire State to partner with him in reversing devastating rot. This is no time for anyone to be filled with false pride or be demanding jobs that simply do not exist. This, for Osun, is a period where everyone, including you, should be realistic plus pull their weight and assist the leaders.

Things are being done in the right order and if you were not too impatient and judgemental you would see it. When Aregbesola's laudable efforts of diversifying economic activities and attracting FDI begin to pay off , you will see graduates gaining 'dignified' jobs. For now support your Governor and[b] educate yourself about the real state of affairs[/b]. Knowing the problem means we can understand the solution better . If Aregbesola did not create the situation where 'dignified' jobs for graduate are non-existent, why blame him for that? Why knock his effort to give these graduates some dignity until better is available?

Aregbesola did not cause the problems facing Osun. You should admit this to yourself. Rather, graduates do not have 'dignified' jobs because some , for 7.5 years, did not believe in doing anything other than brandishing begging bowls in the direction of the FG. Aregbesola is doing the only thing that can help to develop Osun i.e diversifying the economic activities of the State to secure more income, provide jobs and accelerate development. All what you want to see will only happen when Osun moves away from being a civil service State, totally dependent on allocation from the centre, to become an economically vibrant State with diverse activities of commerce, business, service provision and trading . Some were happy to leave Osun a backwater state for almost 8 years. The 'fightback' to reverse the decay  will need people to educate themselves about the efforts of Aregbesola and criticise objectively.

Does sycophancy get better than this crap?  

namfav:
it could do more harm because of the borders, how the country can be carved it will be full of controversy, i dont know why scared of unity, surely every country has problems

No one is scared of unity, Nigerians seems tired of the North killing other Nigerians without let or hindrance. Even with the advent of democracy.
We value our lives, and we can do without constant terror from up-north.

Simple?

namfav:
dont be too sure

I strongly and still endorsed GEJ
But I'll rather vote for Buhari, than Sanusi. You know what that means?

Trust me I am not alone!  

namfav:
im speaking about someone like sanusi

Sanusi will struggle in Middle Belt, lose in South West, and wont get 5% in SE/SS.

You better shop for a better candidate, than that bigot!

Nice one Rochas!

manchy7531:
@alj_harem

how come you have suddenly became a detribalised Nigerian or better still a PRO-IGBO

Do you believe the chameleon?

alj_harem:
Brother to be truthful to you, I see your point here. You see I have come to realise that Nigeria is a funny joke of a country.

If you think it is tribalism, then I can tell you that is a lie. You see, I would not say it is tribalism, rather I would put it to lack of planning and lack of conscience.

Nigeria Imports CDs, radios televisions etc every year. We have people that build this sort of thing in Nigeria why not use them.

Take a look at apapa port, do you know that tincan is not use to its capacity ever since it was built ?

In fact let me tell you something that would blow your mind away.

Do you know that we export crude oil to Ghana at a low price only for them to refine it for us at the port (NOTE :- same port) and be sold to us at a higher price ?

ONE WORD

IT IS SAD.

Don't blame it on tribalism because Nigerian are very detribalised only that we pull each others legs once a while. I rather blame it on the way Nigeria is structured to not take advantage of herself.

We have become the poorly paid consumer while the rest of Africa and the world are the rich smart suppliers.

Ignorance is bliss, we agree!

But please stick to what you know. There is no point mixing theories with fiction, just to sound knowledgeable. Ghana does not have enough capacity to refine crude oil for themselves let alone Nigeria. As as Sept 2011 (2 months ago), they could barely get enough crude oil to refine for themselves let alone export to Nigeria. This is not unconnected to the fact that Tema Oil Refinery is bad and poor managed and riddled with rising debt profile since 2008.


Ghana Tema refinery shuts unit, runs out of crude

Mon Sep 5, 2011 5:45pm GMT

By Kwasi Kpodo

ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's 45,000 barrel-per-day state-run Tema oil refinery shut its main crude distillation unit on August 28 after running out of feedstock, two sources with knowledge of the plant's operations told Reuters on Monday.

Ghana is Africa's newest crude oil exporter after starting up its offshore Jubilee field, but the country's sole refinery in Tema requires upgrades to be able to run the domestically produced oil and generally relies on imports from Nigeria.

"We don't have crude to process so the main plant is not working at the moment," one of the sources said, adding the refinery was waiting for a cargo from Nigeria. He did not say when the cargo was expected.

"We have not had a smooth production in the past months - today there is crude, tomorrow there is no crude - it's been an off-and-on situation since the beginning of the year and its getting worse," the source added.

The Tema refinery has been hobbled by repeated shortages in available crude since 2008, when its main lender Ghana Commercial Bank cut off support due to unpaid debts. Ghana's government repaid the debt earlier this year.

The repeated outages at the Tema plant have led to shortages of domestic supplies of fuel, particularly of cooking fuel, and could weigh on the government of President John Atta Mills ahead of next year's elections.

http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE7840KJ20110905


At topic, this issue has been raised several times.  These days no one is even asking government to establish industries in Anambra and co, what Nigeria is needed is clear,  a functional deep sea port in calabar, an international airport in the SE Zone, Onitsha River Port, railway system, and of  course a stable power supply.

The rest will fall in place. Relying on government to site industries in the SE is nothing but a big distraction!

JTF seizes 5,000 arms in Maiduguri house-to-house search

Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin


The Joint Task Force, Operation Restore Peace, in Borno State has about 5,000 assorted arms and ammunition in Maiduguri, the state capital.



Most of these arms and ammunition were recovered from the members of the public who voluntarily submitted them before the expiration of the October 31 deadline given by the commission.

Others were recovered during the ongoing house-to-house search as well as those dropped at refuse dumps at some locations in the Maiduguri metropolis by some unknown persons.

Some of the areas where the arms, especially guns, (AK47 rifles) were recovered from refuse dumps included Baga Road and Abaganaram Housing Estate and Jajeri ward.

The JTF spokesman, Lt Col. Hassan Mohammed, in a telephone interview on Thursday, confirmed that about 5,000 assorted arms and ammunition had been recovered by the task force since the exercise started last month in Maiduguri

Mohammed said the house-to-house search would continue in Maiduguri, appealing to members of the public to support the JTF to restore peace and order in the state.

Meanwhile, Mohammed said the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, on Thursday shot and killed an on-duty soldier charged with guarding a market.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3463:jtf-seizes-5000-arms-in-maiduguri-house-to-house-search&Itemid=542

Major marketers urge Jonathan to commence deregulation
On November 4, 2011 · In News
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By Oscarline Onwuemenyi
ABUJA – Major marketers and operators in the oil and gas industry, yesterday, expressed their support for Federal government’s plan to remove fuel subsidy, even as they urged the government to quickly deregulate the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry in order to save the national economy from ruin.

The Executive Secretary of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Mr. Obafemi Olaowere, who spoke in a briefing at the background of the 5th OTL Africa Downstream Conference taking place in Abuja, stressed that the subsidy culture had engendered corruption in the system to the detriment of competition and economic expansion.

He noted that the argument by those that oppose deregulation that the poor would suffer when subsidy is removed is baseless since many poor people hardly enjoy the subsidy in the first place.

He pointed out that the government, however, should engage different agencies and operators to properly enlighten the public on the benefits of deregulation to the economy.

According to him, “The time to deregulate the downstream sector was yesterday; we are already wasting so much time. The states are going broke and soon will have no money to carry out normal everyday business of governance. We submit that if there is a legal way to deregulate by the Executive it should go ahead and do so for the sake of the economy and future of the country.

We shouldn’t deceive ourselves any longer. Deregulation is the only way to save our economy. Some of us will continue to say it whether it is emotionally or sentimentally palatable or not. The fact is we brought ourselves to this mess and we should work now to get ourselves out of it.

He added that, “Government should not have introduced regulation when it did in the late 70s. Now, to go back has become a problem. The fact remains that until you deregulate, no investor will go and put his money into building any refinery when someone else will dictate to them how much to sell their products.”

Olaowore admitted that initially there might be a small rise in the prices of petroleum products, but noted that competition will eventually crash these prices. “We are talking about full and total deregulation of the sector and not the partial deregulation the nation witnessed in the first six months of early years of democracy.

“If you recall, the small or partial deregulation we had in the early 2000’s brought about substantial investment in the downstream sector, and gave opportunities for many of the operators in the industry today. You can only imagine what the impact of full deregulation will bring to the industry as many investors will come in and build the refineries that we badly need to get our industry out of the doldrums it currently finds itself.

“For now, we will be deceiving ourselves to say we are licensing refineries; those 18 licenses will continue to be licenses. Until we deregulate, you cannot give an investor any assurance that he will recover his cost not to talk of making reasonable profit.”

He argued that deregulation will bring back memories of old times when customers who drive into a filling station have the option of buying premium or regular, and the consumer is free to drive to any station of his choice if he thinks the price is cheaper.

He added that instead of worrying about the import of deregulation or otherwise, Nigerians should rather expend energy on finding ways to ensure that government judiciously applies the savings from the subsidy to improve the lives of citizens.

“For us, the question is not whether deregulation is desirable or not but whether the government uses the savings from removal of subsidy for the development of our decadent infrastructure. That is what we all should come together and hold the government accountable. They should tell us what they will do with the savings, and then we must monitor closely to see that those things are done.”

He added that, “Nigerians at all levels should mobilize and form committees to hold government to account. The Nigerian Labour Congress and other groups who are talking about revolution should hold their peace for now, and should unleash revolution when the government fails to do what it promises to do with yields from the subsidy removal. That will be the time to shut down the country, not now.

“We are concerned because this is about the future of this country; it is about the future of our children. We all mustn’t wait for the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee to dole out money monthly to states before they can pay teachers and carry put basic programmes.”

Olaowore further stressed that, “The only way to run a proper federation is to free up funds for states to do what they must to lift their people out of poverty, while private business is allowed to flourish. Deregulation of the oil and gas industry remains the only answer to the present state of stagnation; any other issue that comes up after that, we can sit round a table as intelligent people do and resolve it.

Meanwhile, operators in the oil and gas industry have said that they are already primed to take advantage of a post-deregulated economy, pointing out that they have already started acquiring more farm tanks, haulage trucks and filling stations to cope with the expected expansion within the downstream sector.

Organizers of the conference explained that it is targeted at increasing value across the energy chain as well as to provide an opportunity for different operators to share linkages, network and knowledge for the development of the downstream sector of the nation’s oil and gas industry.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/major-marketers-urge-jonathan-to-commence-deregulation/

^^^

Why? Have they been patronising them?

wesley80:
The pathetic ravings of an infantile mind. Obviously a man that doesnt know how to handle disappointments, a complete bufoon who's disappointment in not meeting the president close up suddenly bestowed on him mystical powers to see through pockets and tell Nigerians were roaming streets with 'pockets full of dollars'? yes dollars that could not be spent at home? Dollars that must be blown away in Australia else they exceed their short 'pocket life'? Silly mischievous piece of crap. And why am I not surprised he ended up eating efo and 'nmanu'? By their meal you shall know them!

+100
The only sensible post here.

I am surprised that people still read Sahara Reporters these days. But then, why am not surprised by the kind of people?

How Did You Vote In The Presidential Elections
I live in Northern Nigeria and I voted for GEJ - 0 (0%)
I Live in Central Nigeria and voted for GEJ - 0 (0%)
I live in South East or South south Nigeria and voted for GEJ - 0 (0%)
I live in South West Nigeria and voted for GEJ - 0 (0%)
I live in Northern Nigeria and I voted for Buhari - 0 (0%)
I Live in Central Nigeria and voted for Buhari - 0 (0%)
I live in South East or South south Nigeria and voted for Buhari - 2 (50%)
I live in South West Nigeria and voted for Buhari - 2 (50%)


What is interesting about this result set?  All I see is massive boycott, and votes by pretenders.   

Beaf:
They were probably in his backyard all the time.

I couldn't disagree with this either.

They should retrieve the rest, and send him to the gulag. People like them are parasites!

Delafruita:
I have always thought highly of rochas and with this initiative,he has endeared himself to me even more.what people who criticize this move fail to understand is that emphasis isn't on the money but on getting the kids into school.someone mentioned that the kids would only show on payday which i disagree with.am sure there would be a criteria to be met before the kids are eligible to receive.
Whether the policy is sustained or not,its a good initiative which can only yield good results

+100

ifyalways:
IMO,Recovering is NOT just enough,They should explain how and why it disappeared in the first instance.

They probably sold it to themselves. That's not beyond them.

Govt installs 150 CCTV cameras at Lagos, Abuja airports

To combat the spate of bombings in the country, the Federal Government will soon complete the installation of 150 units of Close-Circuit Television cameras at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.



THE PUNCH had exclusively reported the commencement of the installation of the cameras in the first week of September.

Aviation sources told our correspondent that the government was planning to install 400 units of CCTV cameras at the two airports.

But the Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation (Media), Mr. Joseph Obi, said only 150 units of the cameras were being installed at the Lagos and Abuja airports in the first phase of the project.

According to Obi, 100 cameras are currently being installed at the MMIA, while the remaining 50 are being installed at Abuja airport.

The spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Akin Olukunle, confirmed that 100 CCTV cameras were scheduled to be installed at the Lagos airport.

The FAAN spokesman, however, said he did not know the cost of the project when our correspondent asked for the cost of purchasing and fixing the cameras.

He said the project was being handled by the Police Service Commission.

A source said it was being undertaken by the Federal Government under the Police Security Infrastructure Project.

However, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mr. Usman Akila, said he knew nothing about the project.

Usman, who spoke through the Police Public Relations Officer, Airport Command, Mr. Dennis Ifijen, said the command did not have any information on the project.

Other sources, however, said the project was being handled by FAAN.

Our correspondent observed on Tuesday that over 80 CCTV cameras had been installed on tall poles along the major roads linking the Lagos airport, especially the international wing.

Some expatriates, including Chinese nationals, were seen fixing the cameras around the airport.

Each of the poles carried at least three cameras, which focused on different directions.

Each of the poles painted white was over 20-feet high.

A security expert said the gadgets were likely bullet cameras, since some of the poles on which they were fixed had antennas.

FAAN had recently warned that all persons found around the nation’s 22 airports without genuine missions would, henceforth, be arrested and prosecuted.

The agency said the latest strengthening of security measures at the airports was aimed at checking the menace of touting and the spate of terrorist attacks in some parts of the country, as well as ensure the safety of the airports and their users.


http://www.punchontheweb.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3320:govt-installs-150-cctv-cameras-at-lagos-abuja-airports&Itemid=543

Ekiti to shut down brothel near school
Written by Femi Makinde


Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board has begun moves to shut a brothel beside the Ansar Ud Deen Primary School at Irona area in Ado-Ekiti.



The SUBEB Chairman, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, said at a press conference in Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday, that the board was worried that the proximity of the brothel would have a negative effect on the upbringing of the pupils.

Adelabu said the brothel would be closed because the school was already in existence before its owner brought his business there.

Adelabu explained that the board had met with the commissioner of police in the state on the matter and was seeking legal advice to know the right way to ensure the closure of the brothel.

She said, "Schools should be far away from markets, brothels and other dangers. We are worried about the proximity of a brothel to our school. We met with the commissioner of police on this matter. We don’t want to go against the law but the brothel must go.

"These prostitutes go about the premises naked and this is not good for our children. It is unhealthy for pupils who come to school to see used condoms all around the premises."

Adelabu said SUBEB had embarked on sensitisation programmes to increase the number of pupils enrolled in schools.

She emphasised that the state government was doing everything to increase the school population from 155,296 pupils’ enrolment in 796 primary schools in the state to over 200,000.

According to her, the SUBEB is intensifying efforts to attract more pupils to the school by building more classrooms, building toilets facilities and painting structures already in existence.

She added that the board had also introduced the use of academic gowns for the graduation ceremony of primary school pupils, saying that was one of the attractions to private schools.


http://www.punchontheweb.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3356:ekiti-to-shut-down-brothel-near-school&Itemid=542

^^^

Abeg tell them oo. I just don't understand these lots.

UNDP: Nigerians’ Life Expectancy on the Rise

03 Nov 2011

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UNDP-1610.jpg-UNDP-1610.jpg

UNDP logo

By Tokunbo Adedoja in New York and Abimbola Akosile

Nigeria’s life expectancy rate has risen from 47.56 years to 51.9 years for the total population, according to the global Human Development Report 2011 released yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The 2011 Human Develop-ment Index (HDI) titled "Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All", was released by the UNDP using a composite measure of three basic dimensions of human development: health (life expectancy), education and income.

In the agency’s HDI, Nigeria was ranked 156th out of the 187 countries surveyed (up one step from 155 in 2010), although the country dropped four places between 2006 – 2011.

A detailed analysis of the report revealed that the country made a significant progress in the areas of provision of potable water, sanitation and child mortality. It also put the average years of schooling at 5.0 years and the expected years of schooling at 8.9 years, while Gross National Income (GNI) was put at $2,069.

The report’s Multidimen-sional Poverty Index (MPI) showed that poverty has worsened in the North-eastern part of the country, a region that was also described as Nigeria’s poorest geo-political zone.

In contrast, the MPI ranked the Southern region of the country as a zone that has seen what it called the most substantial reduction in poverty.

As number 156 on this year's HDI, Nigeria is also the least among the members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). A comparative analysis of members of OPEC showed that Indonesia is ranked 124th, with its life expectancy put at 69.4 years, education index at 0.584, and gross national income per capita of $3,716.

Qatar is ranked 37th, with its life expectancy put at 78.4 years, education index of 0.623, and gross national income per capita of $107,721; while United Arab Emirates (UAE) is ranked 30, with its life expectancy put at 76.5 years, education index of 0.741, and gross national income per capita of $59,993.
Algeria is ranked 96th, with its life expectancy put at 73.1 years, education index of 0.652, and gross national income per capita of $7,658; while Angola, which is ranked 148th, has its life expectancy put at 51.1 years, education index at 0.422 and gross national income per capita of $4,874.

Iran is ranked 88th, with its life expectancy put at 73 years, education index at 0.640 and gross national income per capita of $10,168; while Iraq, which is ranked 132nd, has its life expectancy put at 69 years, education index at 0.491 and gross national income per capita of $3,177.

Also, Kuwait is ranked 63rd, with its life expectancy put at 74.6 years, education index at 0.577 and gross national income per capita of $47,926, Saudi Arabia is ranked 56th with its life expectancy put at 73.9 years, education index at 0.689 and gross national income per capita of $23,274.

Venezuela, another OPEC member, is ranked 73rd with its life expectancy put at 74.4 years, education index at 0.692 and gross national income per capita of $10,656.

The report also showed that the world’s top five countries in terms of human development are Norway (first), Australia (second), Netherlands (third), United States of America (fourth), and New Zealand (fifth).

In Africa, Libya, with a global ranking of 64, emerged first in the continent in terms of human development, although it dropped 10 places before arriving at that figure. Mauritius emerged second with a ranking of 77, while Tunisia came third in Africa with a ranking of 94. South Africa was ranked 123rd among the surveyed nations, while Ghana was ranked 135rd.

The report, released yesterday in Copenhagen, Denmark, stated that development progress in the world’s poorest countries could be halted or even reversed by mid-century unless bold steps are taken now to slow climate change, prevent further environmental damage and reduce deep inequalities within and among nations.
This year’s report argued that environmental sustainability could be most fairly and effectively achieved by nations addressing health, education, income and gender disparities together with the need for global action on energy production and ecosystem protection.

As the world community prepares for the landmark UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June next year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the report stated that sustainability must be approached as a matter of basic social justice, for current and future generations alike.

“Sustainability is not exclusively or even primarily an environmental issue, as this report so persuasively argues,” Helen Clark said in the foreword. “It is fundamentally about how we choose to live our lives, with an awareness that everything we do has consequences for the seven billions of us here today, as well as for the billions more who will follow, for centuries to come.”

UNDP has commissioned the editorially-independent Human Development Reports each year since 1990 when its HDI, a composite measure of health, education and income, first challenged purely economic measures of national achievement and called for consistent global tracking of progress in overall living standards.

Between 1970 and 2010, the countries in the lowest 25 per cent of the HDI rankings improved their overall HDI achievement by a remarkable 82 per cent, twice the global average.

The report noted that if the pace of improvement over the past 40 years were to be continued for the next 40 years, the great majority of countries would achieve HDI levels by 2050 equal to, or better than those now enjoyed only by the top 25 per cent in today’s HDI rankings; an extraordinary achievement for human development globally in less than a century.

The authors forecast that unchecked environmental deterioration - from drought in sub-Saharan Africa to rising sea levels that could swamp low-lying countries like Bangladesh - could cause food prices to soar by up to 50 per cent and reverse efforts to expand water, sanitation and energy access to billions of people, notably in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

By 2050, in an “environmental challenge” scenario factoring in the effects of global warming on food production and pollution, the average HDI would be 12 per cent lower in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa than would otherwise be the case, the report estimated.

It added that, “Under an even more adverse ‘environmental disaster’ situation - with vast deforestation, dramatic biodiversity declines and increasingly extreme weather - the global HDI would fall 15 per cent below the baseline projection for 2050, with the deepest losses in the poorest regions.”



http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/undp-nigerians-8217-life-expectancy-on-the-rise/101923/