₦airaland Forum

ekt_bear:
But you have to be careful with your message.

If you wrap yourself in religious rhetoric and go hunting for terrorists in the core North, then even Muslims who don't like BH might feel sympathy for 'em.

So you increase the # of potential enemies you have. And if your own region is mixed-religion, then decrease the # of allies you have.

It just seems strategically unsound to me to cast this as a religious war.

It helps BH if you do that, and doesn't hurt them.

It is not strategically unsound my brother. Religion plays a very key role in the activities of BH. Shouting 'allah akbar, while blowing up churches, and killing Christians, is not the way to wage political war either. Denying the religious dimension is akin, to burying one's head in the sand.

If the size of the enemies increase, so does the size of the target! BH is enjoying it's invisibility due to it 'small' size, increase their numbers slightly, then they will make more mistakes and show themselves. Akhwat Akwop will achieve this by declaring it a religious war.  I rather an all out warfare, than picking off innocent people in cold blood!

Beaf:
Don't mind bluetooth. I hear so many people sayinmg the same things and wonder what planet they are existing on, the civil war he mentioned was fought almost entirely in the east. in any new war, Lagos will be first to fall, in fact it will be one of the hottest battle grounds as both a border area and for its strategic sea ports. Apapa will be like hell, it will be attacked from within. Oyo, Kwara, Ekiti and Kogi will be gateways to the North and boys will roam freely.

Its funny how while others have thrown off the yoke of the Hausa-Fulani and are ready to face them eyeball to eyeball, some are talking about feminine war strategies that will leave their people disenfranchised. In fact the SW is already very disenfranchised, but the fact is yet to sink in. Minority groups like the Urhobo and Itsekiri command more say at federal level which is quite strange. Other groups will end up forging the SW's destiny.

You will be snoring and dreaming of the beautiful house that Nigeria is, when it will suddenly fall on you.

I wont mind him Beaf,
Another thing most people fail to comprehend about the consequence of an all out war is the position of the international community. Keen observers of international politics will know that the West (US, UK, France) will not support a terrorist North against a christian south, that is basic. China, Russian have substantial interest in the oil rich south, this will further tilted the balance in the favour of the South. If Yoruba and (SW) remains 'neutral' (read as sly) as expected, a good buffer and natural buffer zone between the North and willing South will emerge. We all know how buffer zones work!

The other side of the coin is that, the war will not necessarily be fought with oil money, a good portion of remittance ($5-10billion annually) sent in by Nigeria workers abroad will fund this war, even if it lasts for 50 years!

Anyway, and as a matter of fact war or no war, Nigeria will never be the same again. New alliance are needed, and are being forged!

ekt_bear:
Hrm.

Christian Boko Haram? So in other words, a religious war?

So strike at emirs, mosques, Muslims, etc?

How is this compatible with:
So Christian terrorist organization fighting for the interests of Christian and Muslim middle belt minorities. Seems. . . inconsistent.

And how does "political power must return to the old Eastern Region" fall in line with their mission? I can understand being against core North succeeding GEJ in 2015, but does this necessarily imply next president should come from the east?

All of this seems kind of. . .strange. An odd kind of flavor to it.

I guess we'll know if they are for real or not over the next few months.

Bros, it is called Fogs of War.
The Army has already accused Boko Haram of waging guerrilla warfare against Nigeria; I suppose guerrilla warfare has it merits, one of the strategy of this type of asymmetric warfare is misdirection, and confusion. This new sect are just adopting the difficult and confusing objectives of the Boko Haram sect.

Misdirection!

Seun:
If the participants in the survey were chosed randomly, then 1000 participants would be more than enough.
If the respondents were not chosen randomly, even 1 million participants won't give you an accurate answer.

I agree with Seun on this. Besides, the location chosen for the survey are places you will most likely find the largest collection of middle class people - Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. And most survey conductors are professional enough to understand the essence of randomness in any survey. Unless there is substantial evidence, I am inclined to agree with the survey. The few people that have also voted in this poll, also corroborate the fact that the middle class is indeed growing.

The Renaissance Capital survey was conducted with 1,004 middle-class Nigerians, residing in the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, 70 per cent of whom were aged 40 or younger.


“The Nigerian middle class we surveyed has a monthly income of some $500-600 and nearly half will be buying fridges, freezers and other white goods, suggesting a consumer boom is under way,” said Charles Robertson. “We cite the upside for consumer lending retail, white-goods retail, lifestyle and leisure, housing development and home improvement.”


The survey made various findings on Nigeria’s middle class. Among them were the following: Average monthly income is in the range of N75,000 - 100,000 ($480-645, or roughly $6,000-7,000 pa).

~Bluetooth:
If the same tactics yorubas adopted during the civil war is what you under-estimate,then i care less of whatever you think.Secession spirit is still low among the yorubas and there is no point raising the bar when all still look well with naija but that doesn't mean we won't defend our territory when the time comes !ing the civil war is what you under-estimate,then i care less of whatever you think.Secession spirit is still low among the yorubas and there is no point raising the bar when all still look well with naija but that doesn't mean we won't defend our territory when the time comes !

Demography, stu.pid! The demography and politics of the civil war is markedly different from what we have now. Before civil war, there was no MEND, Boko Haram, etc, radicalism was left for the Army. Continue to adopt the same strategy, and hope for same result. In the next war, neutral turf might just be the stomping ground, as they will support no side!   Goodluck to you in your defence of your yorubaland!

~Bluetooth:
Atleast yourbas have not been threatened so we don't need any serious militant group.btw,don't under-estimate opc.

Funny how this idiocy and cowardliness of a comment reminded me of the World War II comment regarding Warsaw, Poland: "Warsaw did not see war, until war saw Warsaw"

You think Yorubaland will be left unscathed if MEND, IJAW Militants, and Akhwat whatever decided to use counter terrorist tactics to defend the regime of GEJ. I will hope for the best, but prepare for the worst if I were you. Naivety is bliss! 

Beaf:
Fair enough, but I wonder what part the telling of bare faced lies, fraud and deceit have to play in your assessment, because that is what most of the "guidance" and "criticisms" are? As for being hard on him, what sort of reaction would you call boko haram? Hard or beyond the pale?
Dude, I don't doubt that you mean well for the country, but you've got to open your eyes and see around the corners, so that you do not  unwittingly aid the battle of evil against progress.

Most people don't have the slightest clue about how the country was structured from day one to fit into the pockets of a select group of ex-generals and their cronies forever, and most are too lazy or blinded by bigotry to dig deep and find out why the reactions to GEJ from the country's elite are so extreme. I will list just four areas:

[list]
[li]Improving power supply (research what that has done to the generator mafia and transformer sellers)[/li]
[li]Pushing uncompromisingly for the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) against international and local vulture interests (research who really owns Nigeria and why)[/li]
[li]Metering oil pumps at the point of lifting and moving aggressively to meter oil wells. In the past, Rilwanu Lukman or some other mallam would crawl on their belly to Shell to ask how much oil Nigeria had drilled for the day; Shell would pass a brown envelope under the table and give any figure, then tell the official where to go for bunkering, Shell would get their cut from drilling free oil and the Nigerian fool would get obscenely rich from the mortgaging of the country (research what this has done to big time bunkerers like IBB, Atiku etc)[/li]
[li]Making fuel available and at the right price (research what this has done to petroleum black-marketers and "fuel subsidy" collectors)[/li]
[/list]

Who has dared do any of these in the past? Who dared face the mafia's in the past? Nobody. Yet you find all sorts of ill-bred clowns with the morals of a dung heap lining up to call GEJ unsalutary names, as if they were brought up by Neanderthals in the worst pigsty.

GEJ is moving this country in a direction it has never gone before, but many are too willingly unintelligent to be able to tell that the ship has swung full circle and is finally headed in a positive direction, so they fight the person that's helping them on the path they always wanted to tread. Shameful really.

No sir, Nairaland critics are not interested in functional progress! They are interested in the mocking and antagonising the president's barefoot while relaxing at home, these simple minded critics are pissed at his humble prayers to his powerful God, they loath his sincere frustration at a bad system, and pay no second attention to his vow to deal with many issues.

This mundane fixations aside, GEJ critics other pipe dream is to see him give way for Ayatollah Buhari  to run the show. A pipe dream it will ever remain nonetheless.

That is the sad reality that so many so-called intellectuals have reduced themselves to. Very sad and shameful. I weep for Nigeria, while I pity them!   

DrummaBoy:
@PointB
despite your lenghty discuss U make no point at all
Like Gbawe said what is stoppin dis govt operatin a leana govt

If you were not too eager to lick Gbawe's a$$ despite his poo, you won't be talking this sort of trash!

General Almajiri Boko Haram Buhari another reason to

https://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/aug2009/4/2/man-yawns-correct-pic-rex-image-1-971024047.jpg

texazzpete:
So all GEJ's committee could recommend is 'dialogue and negotiation'? With a group that has killed hundreds of Innocent Nigerians in cold blood? What a pathetic Government we have.

Indeed! But one thing I have come to realise with FG is that they hardly carry out recommendation.

^^^

[i]Protecting [/i]your own.

Regurgitation of same old tale. Reading this whining who wouldn't

https://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/aug2009/4/2/man-yawns-correct-pic-rex-image-1-971024047.jpg

Hi mod,

Pls can we have this topic on the front page.

We need to know what Nigerian's thinks about reported growth of the middle class.

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=770370.0


Thanks

Kindly use the link below:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-770370.0.html#msg9236528


Admin kindly lock this thread, as I could not edit the poll. Thanks

It has been reported that Nigeria middle class is growing.

Survey: Nigeria's Middle Class Growing
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/survey-nigerias-middle-class-growing/99455/


Nigeria records economic growth, as GDP hits $247 billion
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62515:-nigeria-records-economic-growth-as-gdp-hits-247-billion&catid=31:business&Itemid=562

Have you as an individual witnessed any sort of growth in your finances/business. Have your earnings increased over the past five years,  2006 - 2011 for instance?


Honest poll appreciated pls.

It has been reported that Nigeria middle class is growing.

Survey: Nigeria's Middle Class Growing
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/survey-nigerias-middle-class-growing/99455/


Nigeria records economic growth, as GDP hits $247 billion
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62515:-nigeria-records-economic-growth-as-gdp-hits-247-billion&catid=31:business&Itemid=562

Have you as an individual witnessed any sort of growth in your finances/business. Have your earnings increased over the past five years,  2006 - 2011 for instance?


Honest poll appreciated pls.

Handsome bobo!

Congrats Enyojo!

Nigeria records economic growth, as GDP hits $247 billion
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 00:00 By Taiwo Hassan Business Services - Business News

MIDDLE class Nigerians have been responsible for the growing economic activities that have increased the nation’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP), a recent report by Renaissance Capital has said.

The report, based on its recent survey of the country’s middle class, said the activities of the middle class Nigerians had helped in increasing the country’s GDP, from $46 billon in 2000 to $247 billion this year.

According to the report, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic would be equivalent to that of the Asian Tigers of Vietnam or Bangladesh, as the nation’s per capita GDP at market exchange rates  increased from $390 in 2001 to $1,541 this year.

The survey by Renaissance Capital, a leading emerging-markets investment bank, which was released yesterday, showed that the country’s economy was being turn around by the middle class, who accounted for 23 per cent of nation’s population.

The report showed that the investment opportunities presented by Nigeria’s rapidly growing middle class, against a highly favourable macro-economic backdrop, indicated that the nation’s GDP rose fivefold within the same years, even as the population increased by more than one-third over the same period, from 119 million to 160 million.

“The magnitude of the increase in Nigeria’s population between now and 2016 is the equivalent of adding another Romania (22 million people); while, based on cautious IMF forecasts, the increase in Nigeria’s GDP in five years will be equivalent to the addition of another Vietnam (90 milion)or Bangladesh (142 million).”

According to the report, “Nigeria’s per capita GDP at market exchange rates rose from $390 in 2001 to $1,541 in 2011, based on IMF figures, with prediction that it will hit $2,000 in 2016,” said the Renaissance’s economists.

The company’s survey was conducted with 1,004 middle-class Nigerians, residing in the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, 70 per cent of whom were aged 40 or younger.

“The Nigerian middle class we surveyed has a monthly income of some $500-600 and nearly half will be buying fridges, freezers and other white goods, suggesting cosumer boom is underway.”

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62515:-nigeria-records-economic-growth-as-gdp-hits-247-billion&catid=31:business&Itemid=562
https://www.guardiannewsngr.com/images/resized/images/stories/2011/september2011/okonjo-iweala-1_200_160.jpg

Abujabir24:
No cause 4 alarm. If dis is jst wat dey need, den it shld b grantd. I was in maiduguri during d crises. D prblm wit d military is once a bomb detonates in a certain street, dey wil cme in2 d street, storm peoples houses, shoot any youth dey cme across, violation d young ladies nd their mums. Is dis fair? Afta sme days d soldierz strd dyeing miraculously. I was walkin nd i saw one army wit a gun, suddenly he jst fel dwn nd died without anybdy touchng hm nor shootin hm. D fg shld jst review dis demands nd grant d ones dey can so peace can be bck in nija.

The man who brings ants infested woods (Boko Haram) home, invites lizards (Soldiers) to his house! - Nigerian Proverb

Relax101:
Council Poll: Protest Rocks Lagos Over ‘imposition Of Candidates!

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI & IFEANYI OKOLIE
IKEJA—Ahead of the October 22 local government election in Lagos State,  hundreds of aggrieved members of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, yesterday,  stormed the party secretariat in Ogba, Lagos State House of Assembly, Alausa, and took to the major streets in Isolo Local Government Area to protest alleged imposition of candidates.

The state party had, Monday, released the names of candidates to be fielded in the council polls in the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.

The protesters, who accused state party chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, of not following due process, called on the party’s National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, Governor Babatunde Fashola and members of the state assembly to intervene immediately. failing which they would disrupt the polls.

Also, major streets in Isolo LCDA   witnessed massive protest as aggrieved residents, traditional chiefs and politicians stormed the Osolo of Isolo palace to register their grievances.

Market women and men, including traditional cult, popularly known as “Osugbo” trooped to the streets to invoke evil spirits at a junction called [size=18pt]“Orita Esu” (devil’s junction)[/size] in Isolo with various placards to show their grievances against the imposition of one Shamsudeen Olaleye, against the popular choice of Mojeed Adam as the party’s candidate for the coming council poll.

The protesters, who walked from Isolo Bus- Stop to the palace of Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, said the party did not hold primaries but arbitrarily chose Olaleye, the incumbent chairman, as the candidate for the forthcoming election.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/council-poll-protest-rocks-lagos-over-%E2%80%98imposition-of-candidates%E2%80%99/

Devil worshipers, my goodness in 21st century?

@topic
Trouble in ACN paradise happens when the electorates refuse to be taken for a ride. ACN should stop this fraudulent practice and allow for internal democracy!

Martmore:
This niger delta militants are talking trash.A Sect that the nigerian Army couldn't bring down, they are claiming to face.BOKO H is not like them that have camps and barracks, they are suiciders.It will only take a combination of US ARMY nd NATO forces to reduce their activities.

US Army, and NATO will require payment with oil exploration and they will use bombs and missile strikes. We need extra boots on the ground to support what the Nigeria Army is doing. MEND will draw the out for free, Nigeria Army will finish them off!

alj_harem:
I can see u are sick again. Maybe you need to rest

No one is supporting Boko haram, but Mend threatening to chase all Muslims back to the north and talking of them coming to borno as they are a sought of liberation army

Lol, so MEND should fold their arms while you ruin the party for their brother GEJ, huh? If no one is supporting Boko Haram in Kanuri land and other Hausa Land, how many of them have been reported to the security agents? Anyway, I support MEND motions, lets do it. Boko Haram vs MEND winner takes all!

~Bluetooth:
For crying out loud,this is democracy where due process is the order of he day.I just hope your not following due process doesn't tanslate into massive corrpution and looting sir ? Anyways,EFCC shouldtake note,please.

GEJ is [i]slow [/i]because he follows due process; Rochas is [i]nimble [/i]because he can't follow it; fashola is [i]smart [/i]because pass the shit through Tinubu.

@Topic

This is how blackmail terrorism works.

Terrorists make demands; government meets demands, terrorists use government benevolence to recruit more members more weapons, and territories.
Terrorists make more demands; government meets more demands; terrorist improved the networks, and legitimacy

Terrorist makes more demands; government say no; then Kaboom! Kaboom! Gbosa! Gbosa!! Government looks helpless and confused having fed terrorists fat.

The best response to give the boko haram savages is bullets, hot leads!

BetaThings:
Boko Haram has killed more more muslim imams than christian leaders.
Does this mean that the Egbesu boys are christians? Because it looks like christians agree with them
Boko Haram originally erupted in 2009 and was put down by Yaradua. So what am I to make of this idea that it was created to frustrate GEJ
MEND is saying that they have killed and can kill again. Do the victims of MEND killings care about the academic distinction of criminal and terrorist organisation
Is it right for a criminal organisation to be fighting for a legitimate government
And if MEND is calling for military action in the North, then should they also be threatening
In all, those supporting MEND now should think 2 years ahead, this matter may come to haunt them

I doubt the bolded. There is only one of the following consequences to Boko Haram versus Ijaw Militant situation
1) They fight themselves to a no-winner no vanquished situation - stalemate, or
2) A mighty conflagration will consume and disintegrate this illusory edifice

Whichever way it ends, it ends well. Allowing a section of the country to boast monopoly of violence is what is not acceptable!

^^^

You need some sort of bench mark or reference point to measure progress.

Pukkah:
The issue here is not as simple as you have put it.  Mr Jonathan may trounce Mr Buhari 1,000 times in an election but the issues are far deeper and more profound. One of the issues here is the Nigerian system which seems not to be able to produce the best of us to govern us, due to so many reasons. How did we end up with those two folks that you mentioned as the front-runners of the last election?  

For the benefit of our country, let's stay on this article and try to engage ourselves on the far-reaching problems which are keeping this country down and preventing it from achieving what those 4 countries would likely achieve by 2015.  How come Nigeria was not mentioned?  What can we do to achieve the MDGs? Are we willing and able to do those things?

In the honest and objective process of doing this, Mr Jonathan (as the President) might get mentioned and criticized.  This is not enough to call anyone professional pessimists or other unsalutary names because doing so will not solve the problem.  In fact, doing so is tantamount to evading the issue and throwing a smokescreen over the matter at stake.

I doubt if there's any sincere/patriotic Nigerian who doesn't want Jonathan to succeed but it's not a crime to guide, critique and be hard on him, when necessary, in order to achieve this. There's absolutely no reason for Nigerians, given the level of suffering and the pace at which so many countries are moving, to be shy of this except they are ignorant/not exposed, too tired to care/bother or have been compromised.

Most critics on Nairaland for instance fall into that category. They simply wish the man to fail simply because their favoured candidate did not win.

Now if indeed you want to discuss the issues raised in the article, here is my take:

High-Priced Mediocrities By Okey Ndibe
Posted: September 27, 2011 - 04:07
I wonder how many Nigerians read a report in the online edition of Next newspaper titled “Four African Countries Will Achieve MDGs by 2015”. One suspects that some Nigerians who didn’t see the report must wonder whether their country made the list of four.

Perish the thought!

Indeed we need to perish the thought. Every keen observer will know that as far as Core North remains with Nigeria with their conservative and religious dogmas, many of the MDG goals will never be met. Polio is still prevalent in Northern Nigeria despite all best efforts!

Next’s account cited a World Bank report issued at the annual general meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It revealed that, of the fifty odd countries in Africa, only “Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Malawi will likely achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 or soon thereafter.” The document also gave credit to three African countries – Cape Verde, Rwanda and Zambia – for being among the 10 economies in the world that most improved the ease of doing business in 2010.

Cape Verde is a country of 500,000 people. In order words, shouldn't have feature in this article. Some local government areas in Nigeria have more population than this country

Ethiopia [/b]was never colonized. Ethiopia is uniquely positioned to achieve the MDGs. I am surprised they have not by now.

[b]Ghana

They are covered with World Bank loans and foreign aid (Ghana’s budget is 50 percent aid-financed and Uganda’s is 60 percent). If the aid is insufficient, the rest of the budget shortfall is financed by printing money.  .  .  . In 2003, some 30,000 ghost names were discovered on the payroll of the Ministry of Education, costing the government $1.2 million a month in salaries heisted by living workers. When Ghana demanded foreign aid to purge the payroll of these ghost names, Japan coughed up $5 million.
http://www.africanexecutive.com/modules/magazine/articles.php?article=135

Malawi
Malawi is highly aid-dependent; currently 37% of the government budget is financed by international donors. With 85% of the population engaged in subsistence farming, a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS, poor infrastructure, high rates of population growth and a susceptibility to both drought and flooding, Malawi’s prospects for future economic growth are constrained.
http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/Malawi.asp

Ghana and Malawi are a laugh. How can over 40% of their annual budget be financed with foreign aids/donors and you they are still struggling to meet these MDG goals? These countries are uniquely placed, yet . . .?

The Millennium Development Goals – for that’s what MDG stands for – are a set of objectives adopted by world leaders in 2000 with the aim of achieving significant improvements in socio-economic indices. The eight goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; the achievement of universal primary education; the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women; the reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal health. In other words, the MDGs were conceived as a global tool for combating the scourge of disease and poverty. Each country had fifteen years to meet the goals.

Some countries went to work, determined to meet – or even surpass – the targets. These committed nations, with Brazil as a leading example, were fueled by the desire to transform their citizens as well as environments. Other countries – predictably Nigeria and the majority of African states – seem to have gone to sleep, determined to show up, not on the success lists, but on the rolls of the nations that can’t, won’t – or don’t care.

Obviously something is wrong with the time set for the target. Besides, Nigeria challenges is even more unique. Keeping the country united and functioning is a bigger challenge/goal than MDG. Wonder why Okey didn't see that. Or does Okey believe in the fake illusion of one Nigeria?

The difference is clear. On any score, the World Bank’s report is sobering, and shameful. The four success stories – the exception that proves the rule that African nations are still deeply mired in excruciating poverty – are products of “accelerated growth and progress on social indicators.” Four success stories in the midst of close to fifty failures is a portrait of abject failure. It’s no surprise that the World Bank implied that the four countries’ impressive showing served to highlight “serious development challenges [that] remain in Africa.”

Success stories indeed! Lazy journalism is the bane of Nigeria. How can this man write all this without verifying any of the 'facts' and circumstance. Na wa o! 

It’s true, the report contained (the faintest) signs of progress. It found that the maternal mortality rate in Africa had declined by 26 percent between 1990 and 2009; even so, as many as 645 women per 100,000 still die during pregnancy and childbirth. It also noted a slight dip in child mortality and stabilization of HIV infection rates. The most dramatic positive showing is in the area of direct investment flows. In 2010, African nations – with estimated receipts of $21.5 billion – surpassed such investments that went to India.

I can't make anything out of this, is direct investment flow also part of the MDG?

Nigerians (as well as other Africans) ought to be outraged that their country did not make enough progress to earn a spot on the list of the few African nations that stayed awake to their responsibilities. Imagine the salutary impact that Nigeria would make in West Africa (and beyond) if it were to discover and embrace its mission – rather than persist in the prodigal habit of betraying it. Many Nigerians are jealous of Ghana’s steady, discernable progress. If Nigeria were in Ghana’s position, then its strides would have energized not only its 150 million citizens but also millions from neighboring countries.

There is nothing to be outraged by. Nigeria's budget is not funded by any donor, however Nigeria is making steady progress.

The Nigerian president, governors, legislators, ministers, commissioners and local government councilors are in the top tier of the most highly paid officials in the world. The president, governors and some ministers stow away hundreds of millions of naira each month in the scam called security votes – funds that are frequently and easily pocketed because, as a rule, they are never to be accounted for. Members of the National Assembly – senators as well as representatives – cart await millions of dollars each year in the name of “constituency allowances,” another entrenched scam. And one hasn’t counted the billions of naira embezzled through such schemes as fraudulent or over-inflated contracts.

Yet, for all that they are paid and all that they steal, most Nigerian officials won’t even spare a decent hour in a day to spend thinking about their dispossessed fellows and to figure out how to solve the nation’s manifold crises. It is as if the country wastes its scarce resources on certified mediocrities, men and women so bereft of vision that they don’t realize how ridiculous they look in the eyes of the world – and for all their loot.

This is the most recycled item, but no one has actually made effort to find out the truth. Okey Ndibe, please make use of the FOI bill, lazy journalism has gotten us no where!

A Nigeria run by its least visionary and enlightened elements – men and women whose imagination is fixed on the size of their bank accounts – is in no shape to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. How is the country to reduce its health woes when hospitals are not just ill equipped, they are often not equipped at all? With Nigerian officials (and their families) skipping off to Europe, Asia or North America for medical treatment, who is left to think about the hapless condition of Nigerians beset by all manner of diseases?

Indeed, some of those 'least visionary and enlightened elements' running Nigeria are Barth Nnaji, Okonjo Iweala, Babaunde Fashola, Sullivan Chime, Olusegun Aganga, Deizani Alison-Madueke, Rochas okorocha, Rotimi Ameachi.

W-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l  

I must illustrate with my home state of Anambra, a place where one man has instituted propaganda as the substitute for governance. A few weeks ago, former Commonwealth Secretary General Emeka Anyaoku and a few others gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the creation of Anambra State. Mr. Anyaoku, who chaired the event, was content to cheer Governor Peter Obi, describing him in superlative terms. Yet, Mr. Anyaoku knows – he must know – that doctors in the state have been on strike for more than six months in a dispute over modest increments in their pay. Is it not a scandal that any government would treat its people so callously, indifferent to something as critical as their health?

Israeli doctors strike finally ends after five months as landmark deal inked
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-doctors-strike-finally-ends-after-five-months-as-landmark-deal-inked-1.380681

Time to End Lagos Doctors' Strike
http://allafrica.com/stories/201103150833.html

Oga Okey Ndibe. Just say you dont like the face of your governor.  

One wondered whether Mr. Anyaoku would be satisfied with the state of affairs in Anambra were he compelled to seek medical attention in the state? If enlightened Nigerians would not raise their expectations of those who govern; if they would not advocate for decent healthcare, better education and improved lives for all citizens; if they would not voice their outrage at a situation where the lowliest citizens are denied access to affordable medical care, then it is no surprise that Nigeria now lags far behind Ghana, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi – and many more African countries – in measurements of quality of life.

Oga just continue to position yourself very well. You need to sharpen you pencil or ink you pen; it worked for Segun Adeniyi, it worked for Reuben Abati, certainly it will work for you. You willl soon be invited to see the truth, as Senior Special Adviser or Presidential Spokesman. Governance is not a joke!

@Topic/Commenrts,

If the election were to be re-run today, with the same candidates, GEJ will amass more votes than he did in the last election. The reason is obvious, despite all his so called flaws, discerning and rational Nigerians know that his is better able than the bigoted General and the clueless Czar to lead the current Nigeria.

But since we are entitled to our freedom of speech, cursing, ranting and raving is your unassailable right to let our your frustration and hatred for our humble and hard working president. And Nigerians who voted him in (22million and counting) are in full support of him and they way he is tackling substantive issues raised by the erudite Ndibe, and other objective critics.

Professional pessimists, and hypocritical critics can cry their heart out, while GEJ keep doing his thing!  

Populist, not populist?

Whichever way we look at it, at N300 a year, it is not as expensive as the case outline below:

[Ghana] Government to develop School Feeding Programme sustenance policy
Last Updated: Sunday, 29 May 2011, 12:70 GMT Previous Page

Government will soon develop a policy to govern the home-grown School Feeding Programme and ensure its sustainability.

In addition, an evaluation of the programme would be undertaken to ensure that the current reach of 700,000 pupils is increased to one million by the next academic year.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development announced this at the ninth edition of United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) annual walk to raise funds and create awareness about meals served in schools to address child hunger and malnutrition.

The walk dubbed “End Hunger: Walk the World” organised by WFP in collaboration with Unilever Ghana, TNT and DSM Nutritional Foods and Golden Tulip Hotel serves as a platform to unite the world with the common belief that hunger, which is simply unacceptable must be eradicated.

The 7.5 kilometre walk, which started from the Golden Tulip Hotel, ended at the Athletic Oval of the University of Ghana, Legon.

The Sector Minister noted that government was committed to reducing the number of hungry poor people especially children and determined to work extra hard to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

He explained that Ghana’s model of home-grown school feeding programme was an effective outlet for food produced by local farmers and government was instituting measures to enhance food security and reduce income variability for farmers.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said hungry children must be reached and should not be denied education because of hunger as hunger affected healthy growth in early childhood.
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http://news.myjoyonline.com/education/201105/66493.asp


Last time I checked, Ghana is not wealthier than Nigeria.

haka_nai:
^^^^^^My Brother You couldn't have said it any better.Anyway it is not short memory is called tribalism and religious bigotry.Sometimes called political harlotry.Under a bold title called ethnocentrism and a mix of North-phobia !!!! They hate the man not for anything else but lies upon lies upon speculations upon lies upon sentiments upon corruption and brainwashing by PDP and Co.

The bolded is very childish. So PDP managed to brainwash over 22 million Nigerians including many in the North to reject Gen. Buhari? You probably sh.it this stuff from your a$$. Keep deluding yourself, as your messiah will never lead this nation again, unless he kill all those 22 million voters who rejected him at the poll. He has already started the process with his Boko Haram terrorists. Lets see how far he is willing to go.

Bliss4Lyfe:
Wen dey start condemning cold blooded murders, violation and boko-haram, we will consider just how useful dey are to preserving the unity, peace and progress of dis country.

Yes oo my sister. 

X-factoria:
The same Monarchs who would be spokesperson for Boko Haram members at the government negotiation table wants more role in government

May they all burn in hell!!!!!!!!

X-factoria has done justice to this thread; what more can I say.