₦airaland Forum

FSBoperator:
A Chinese lithium processing plant was commissioned in Nassarawa a few months back.

That plant is going to see to lithium battery firms springing up.

Lol. That’s an ore concentration plant and do not add much value to the ore. When you mine, the ore comes with stone, soil and sand, and you won’t want to export all those as it’s a waste of resources. So they set up plants to crush the stones and get the main ore out so only the valuable part is shipped. It’s not adding much value and it’s a lot further away from battery manufacturing. It’s like when you harvest corn and you decide to remove the corn from the cobs at the farm before bringing them home. That’s good but it doesn’t mean you are ready to start making cornflakes.

FSBoperator:
Your negativity will only see you living a bitter life

Lol. Looks like I poked a nerve there. I was just pointing out the obvious, there is currently no much value added to the minerals we export and I see no plans to build one.

rossipki:
FREE LITHIUM?

Who is giving China free lithium?

Better wake up to the New Africa.

The age of shipping off our raw materials is over.

ALL AFRICA is saying this, and Nigeria leads in that direction with numerous legislations, especially under this Tinubu administration.

Any Chinese or other foreign access to Nigerian mineral resources must include local processing and value-addition prior to export.

Just as Shell, Chevron, Agip, Total, etc., have been adding value to the crude oil they have been exporting for the last 50 years, Abi?
Who will add value to your minerals if you don’t build capacity for it and I currently see no plans.

Lordly13:
Before the war, Russia produces 9.9 million barrels of crude oil a day, the second largest after the US,

Now, Russia is reduced to producing only 3.8 million barrels, the lowest in 20 years.

Zelensky has just crippled the 2nd largest oil producers in the world, what will he do next

This propaganda doesn’t help, it just distorts the reality and gives a false sense that one side is at the end of the road which is not the case in reality. For example, the Interfax data show that Russia produced about 8.64million/day in Sept 2026, which is far more that 3mbpd you mentioned. See link: https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/119524/.

Ukraine is inflicting real damages on Russian refining capacity but that won’t change much in the war as Russia considers the war an existential threat. The only way this war will end is via negotiations that will consider the security concerns of both Russia and NATO. Ukraine is just a collateral damage in all this.

MrSword:
Putin is going to learn the hard way.


His own people are totally agaist him but the fear of being killed is making them keep mute.

I don’t think there is any Russian President that will fold and leave the war. He/she will be killed the next day. It’s an existential threat for them.

Infamous:
What does being a political analyst got to do with one’s academic qualifications ?

Nothing and that’s not the point. The allegation is that he forged his academic credentials, so why will anyone listen to an alleged liar? You need some credibility to warrant listening to. He can still be a political analyst in his house or his beer parlour.

Kobojunkie:
44-trillion wey you fit confirm or the one you are manipulated into believing as such? 🫤🫤

China is the second-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the largest by PPP. It is also the number-one trading partner for more countries than any other country. This is a fact.

China’s manufacturing capacity exceeds that of the U.S., Germany, Japan, and India combined. This is also a fact.

China is a behemoth. You can have a problem with China, but that does not change the facts.

Krismas:
Innosen can build a plane if given the license

Lol! You guys are deluded? Innoson is a glorified, low-grade car assembly plant. Most of their parts are imported as semi or full knocked down parts from China. Even China with enormous industrial capability and know-how are still struggling to have commercial jet engine made, Nigeria has no hope in building one.

dgitrader:
Russian aircrafts are far behind US and European models, especially passenger aircrafts, in terms of quality and safety.

And so? Who asked you? You buy what is available.

Nwaikpe:
“Have you been to China?”
One of the dumbest questions I’ve ever come across.


Just like asking me: have I been to Gaza or Sambisa forest to know who Gazan terrorists and Boko Haram are.

I can say the same for Anambra. I haven’t been to Anambra but I know they eat people there.

Nwaikpe:
Absolutely.
China is a very brutal society where no one minds no one.

They can even jump and pass over their dying sister or brother, then talk more of a black person.

Have you been to China? Chinese people are far more humane than an average Nigerian.

Leepeak:
A case study of James Ibori as a governor na USA him take go jail
Nor here .so don't u think he can kill for him not to go to jail??
Carry talk

These are beer parlour arguments.
You can make the same case that Tinubu will use the Nigeria Police Force to fight his opponent and to protect himself, so Nigeria should not have its own police, but should ask the USA or UK to police us. That will be mum.u talk

Policing is local, and state police (or even local government policing) will be more effective than the current Federal system inherited from the colonial powers. All these NYPD and LAPD you hear about are municipal police units comparable to the local government police. In New York state alone, there are more than 300 different and independent municipal police departments. Just like, say, in Lagos, Ikeja, Aggege, Lagos Island, etc each has a different and independent police unit. I believe this is overdue.

Leepeak:
Nonsense talk
Governor be ready to politicize the police
Ona dey ask me if I trust my governor?


Release him na just one person then kill
If u fit use effc freeze osun state claiming your hand nor dey publicly..... Dey use police dey influence the state!!! And tell us that your hand isn't on it
Na

State police my governor nor go use

What are you saying? The governor should have all the power to control the police in he/her state. That’s why he is the governor.

Israeli media figures and commentators turned sharply against Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff this week, accusing two of US President Donald Trump’s closest Middle East envoys of helping push an Iran deal that many in Israel view as dangerous and incomplete.

The criticism came amid mounting Israeli concern over the emerging US-Iran memorandum of understanding, which critics say prioritizes regional calm and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz while leaving Iran’s nuclear program, missile program, and support for regional proxies for later negotiations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would continue to act to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, regardless of the agreement. Israeli officials also told Ynet that Netanyahu had made clear to Trump that Israel did not view itself as bound by the Lebanon clause in the agreement and would keep operating against Hezbollah threats.

But while Netanyahu avoided a direct public attack on Trump’s envoys, some Israeli commentators did not.

Channel 14, a right-wing Israeli television channel often described as Israel’s answer to Newsmax because of its strongly conservative, pro-Netanyahu editorial line and influence among right-wing viewers, carried some of the sharpest criticism.

Channel 14 anchor Tal Meir used her Monday morning program to criticize Kushner and Witkoff, accusing them of turning their backs on Israel “at the moment of truth.”

“They got a little confused in this event,” Meir said, according to Channel 14. “You are part of these people.”

Meir argued that Israel was defending the Jewish people as a whole, including Jews living outside the country.

“We are here, among other things, to defend you too,” she said. “In the end, this is your real home, and we are guarding it for you and for your future generations. And you turn your backs on us like this? Simply losers.”

Kushner and Witkoff painted as sell-outs
The comments reflected a broader emotional tone in parts of the Israeli right, where Kushner and Witkoff are being judged as American negotiators and as Jewish figures with a perceived obligation toward Israel.

Channel 14 also reported that Yinon Magal, host of The Patriots, attacked Kushner and Witkoff on X, writing that Trump had come out of the agreement looking like a “loser.” According to the report, Magal accused the two envoys of acting under Qatari pressure and “selling their brothers in Israel.”[b]

The anger toward Kushner and Witkoff has intensified because the two men had previously been praised in Israel for their role in hostage negotiations and Trump’s broader Middle East policy. Their current role in the Iran track has now made them targets for Israeli frustration over what many see as a rushed diplomatic process that does not meet Jerusalem’s security demands.

Ynet reported that the memorandum appears to fall short of four demands Netanyahu had set out only days earlier: removing Iran’s enriched uranium, dismantling enrichment infrastructure, limiting missile production, and ending support for terrorist proxies. According to the report, those goals are currently “not on the horizon.”

The media believes the US-Iran agreement falls short
The Israeli backlash is also linked to the structure of the agreement itself. Critics argue that the deal addresses the immediate crisis around Hormuz while pushing the hardest questions about Iran’s nuclear and regional military capabilities into a later stage

Channel 14 cited Israeli security officials warning that the agreement was based on a fragile structure, signed in American haste, and left the core of the nuclear threat without a real answer.

For now, the strongest public criticism of Kushner and Witkoff is coming from Israeli right-wing media rather than from official Israeli government statements. But the tone marks a significant shift from the praise the two envoys received in Israel only months ago.

Kushner and Witkoff, once viewed by many Israelis as trusted channels into Trump’s inner circle, are now becoming symbols of what critics describe as Washington’s willingness to prioritize a regional diplomatic win over Israel’s strategic concerns.

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-899553#google_vignette

Mattswaggz:
They were still enriching recently regardless.

Read! Stop being ignorant. Trump pulled out of the JCPOA in 2015 and reimposed sanctions, and Iran had no obligation to stop enrichment or follow the agreement. Everyone knows they were enriching and have enrich up to 60%. I will say this deal is worst that who Obama and the EU negotiated in 2013.

CanadaOrBust:
That young Chinese want to leave is Western propaganda?? They even have their own "japa" word for it - "run", as shown below.
Same way US is struggling to keep people out, Chinese use all means to try to keep young people in.



All those countries you mentioned young people are NOT itching to leave and some have robust immigration.

You don't have to be a genius to see that China is on an irreversible downward trajectory.
More people are dying than are being born. Add to that, YOUNG people want to leave soon as they can (especially to US, while on the other side young people are struggling to enter US). What will be left is old folks. Add to that the looming debt time bomb!

The fact that you want it to happen doesn't mean it will. Having a preconceived mindset based on what you want to believe, and then looking for sources that support it, is the height of intellectual laziness and idiocy. It certainly doesn't deserve an intelligent discourse or my time.

Sheuns:
They have to be worried. In war, you don’t ever underestimate your enemy.

You must take every possible step to ensure your enemy never gets the advantage over you.

You don’t expect US to just sit back and relax and say “We’re world power, no one can topple us”.

US has presence in all continents of the world, both militarily and economically, that’s not something China or any other country can boldly brag of.

That’s how you keep your powers. Expand and conquer more. That’s what China is also doing now, by entering many markets around the world. That’s how influence is built.

It's understandable they're worried. China is rising fast, and the US can't stop it at this point. That said, China won't become the sole hegemon like the US, a multipolar world is emerging, and it will take time for the US to accept that after decades as the world's only superpower. The most dangerous period is between now and that acceptance, but the shift seems irreversible.

Global military presence is a double-edged sword. It allows power projection but at enormous cost; paying, feeding, and maintaining hundreds of thousands of troops and equipment, including 11 aircraft carriers with rotating crews, often without combat. That's why the US defence budget keeps growing (Trump's proposed $1.5T exceeds the next 10 countries combined), much of it just for operations and maintenance. It's unsustainable. It's a natural process for great powers as seen in Rome, the Dutch Republic, the Ottoman Empire, and Great Britain.

China's economic influence will naturally grow as it expands trading partners (it's already the top partner for most of the world). You can see some resemblance of it happening a week ago when China-backed Kyrgyzstan won a secret UN Security Council vote against US-backed Philippines

CanadaOrBust:
Meaning what exactly? Did I say I was happy China is on an irreversible downward trajectory? It is just a fact. Just same way I'd say Nigeria has serious insecurity problem due to Buhari and Tinubu. Doesn't mean I'm happy about it.
China was able to lift out of poverty mainly because US (mainly) opened her market and allowed China to dump cheap goods, while China closed her own market. Everything everywhere became made in China!

Yes, China has a demographic problem that will worsen over time, but so do most countries in Asia and Europe. See the list of approximate total fertility rates (births per woman). For context, a rate of 2.1 is considered the replacement level.

Country
South Korea ~0.7–0.8
Taiwan ~0.8–0.9
Singapore ~0.9–1.0
Hong Kong (SAR) ~0.8–1.0
Macau (SAR) ~0.7–1.0
Italy ~1.2
Spain ~1.2
Japan ~1.2–1.3
China ~1.0–1.2
Greece ~1.2–1.3

To say China is on an irreversible downward trajectory is laughable. There is absolutely no evidence to support that claim. China has grown at around 5% annually over the past five years—how many $20 trillion economies can achieve that? This year, China’s economy is expected to grow at roughly twice the rate of the US and contribute about 26% of global GDP growth, which is nearly three times the US contribution of around 9%. They also recorded the highest trade surplus in history last year, and it is projected to continue expanding this year. The “China decline” narrative has been repeated for more than 30 years, yet it has not materialized. In fact, during that period, China’s economy has grown from roughly $4 trillion to around $20 trillion—about a fivefold increase.

I agree that the US moving manufacturing and technology to China kick-started its development, but that was not done as charity. At the time, China had low-cost skilled labour and a large market, so US companies shared technology and provided investment to train workers to produce products for them. These were then sold in the Chinese market, with the surplus exported back to the US. US companies made substantial profits from this arrangement. For example, a Nike shoe produced in China for about $25 (including materials, labour, electricity, and other costs) is sold in the US for around $250. That is roughly $225 in value captured in the US. This made many CEOs and companies very wealthy, but often at the expense of the working class in these industries. China, in turn, used the revenues generated to uplift its population, develop world-class cities, and invest in education and infrastructure. It is also moving up the value chain, as it does not want to remain simply a production base for US companies. The US and many Western companies are not pleased with this shift, but it is the natural outcome of development. In fact, I do not doubt that China will continue to move up the manufacturing supply chain for the next 2-3 decades and will be a leader in many areas.

The claim that the US has closed its market is not entirely accurate. Just last year, the top 100 US companies generated a total of about $368 billion in revenue from China alone. Many US companies still have a large presence there. For example, KFC has more than 12,000 stores in China (almost twice the number in the US), Starbucks has more than 8,000, and McDonald’s has around 7,000 stores across the country and continues to expand. Even Microsoft controls more than 80% of the desktop operating system market in China. In 2019, before China’s EV expansion accelerated, General Motors sold more cars in China than in the rest of the world combined, although it has since been losing market share due to increased competition and a lack of innovation relative to local EV players. This does not seem like a country that is closed to US companies.

Sheuns:
The one who controls trade, finance and holds the largest military power becomes world power.

A large percentage of the world’s payment systems are owned or controlled by US corporations. US controls a large portion of the world’s economy.

They have the largest and strongest military in the world.

They have wealthy individuals and corporations.

It’ll take a major war and balkanization of the US for them to lose world power.

Population doesn’t matter, what you build and control is all that matters. That’s how it has been since time immemorial.

If the US have all these, then why are they worried? Why all the propaganda here and there? I know the rise of China can be scary; they rose from nowhere and are here now. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the US hasn't had any near-peer rival until China came, and they will be here for a while. The US will just have to accept it and live with it. This will take time, but they have no options than to accept.

CanadaOrBust:
Yes China had stupendous growth, but everyone is now saying they're on their way down, and it is irreversible

So why are you interested in their downfall? What do you gain as a Nigerian from China’s downfall? China lifted more than 800 million of her people out of poverty in less than 30 years. This has never been done in human history. A country that moved from being dirt poor country to one of the most technology advanced country in the world in less than three decades. Instead of you looking at what they have done right and try to implement it, you are looking and happy for their downfall. I understand that the US government as the world leader are not happy to have a peer competitor in China but how does that help you and your family. Let’s image China crashes today, will that improve your life and that of your children? Just think about it and stop consuming news and information not meant for you.

PulaPower:
Yes, it’s true..

iPhone is unique to every country..

A German iPhone is different from Chinese iPhone..

Just a very minor difference mainly to cater to the rules of the regions, but fundamentally they are the same and are likely produced in the same factory.

GeneralOuki:
They don't fund IDF budget, at least not in the way you think they do. And it's not because if of funding that made Israel stop producing their own fighter jets, the reason why they pressured Israel was because the Lavi was a direct competitor to the US jets .

IDF budget in a year is $30 billion, US military aid to Israel is just $3.6b, so tell me how they're funding IDF? Besides, the US military aid to Israel is not in cash transfer but a grant that Israel must spend within the US military complex. Not a single bit of that $3.6b leaves US shores. I don't think you know what you're talking about.

They will not need any US technology or supply, they built the Lavi which rivaled the F-16 without any US technology or supply or anything.

The F-35 is a product of Lockheed yes, but it's being co produced with Israel and other NATO countries, Israel just has an exclusive right to modify their version and theirs is not like the regular F-35s being produced by Lockheed. This is a very open knowledge my guy, try read more on this things.

Lol... You're not well versed on this subject, no doubt. Israel doesn't need US for everything. The entire US aid to Israel is less than 10% of Israel's annual budget. Their existence has never depended on the US support, this is the misconceptions that anti Israel people make, they erroneously think that without US the state of Israel will cease to exist, that's an ignorant thing to believe.

Their economy is self sufficient, they don't need the US, they produce so many military hardwares which are sort after by many European and Asian countries. They're very technologically advanced, you have to be to be able to develop the defence systems that they use, be able to modify the f-35 etc. Go and read up on the indigenous technologies produced in Israel. Go and take a look at their desalination technology which is the best in the world.

I don't have the strength for this pen.is swinging contest.

Just know that most Israeli technology depends on US IP and technology. Their entire semiconductor industry is US-based, and even when it's not directly US, they depend on US tools and IP. Even their almighty Iron Dome is heavily dependent on US technology. Most of their tech companies also rely heavily on money from the US, like Wall Street.

The US defense budget is more than $1 trillion, so what's $30 billion/year? Funding the IDF isn't just about giving money or weapons alone. A lot of the technology comes from what the US has developed because of their enormous R& investment. All this myth that Israel is an island, that they're some kind of superhuman with super intelligence who can do anything, is just bullshit. They are a regional military power propped up by a global superpower's supply chain. Without US tools, IP, and spare parts, their high-tech military grinds to a halt. They know this, that is which is why they are desperately trying to lock in the relationship permanently, not walk away from it, and they shouldn't.

GeneralOuki:
Because total reliance on a foreign system is a vulnerability, Israel has developed its own solutions that don't constitute a GNSS but do provide critical alternatives like the Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), spoofing and jamming, Israel is a world leader in anti-jam GPS antenna technology, allowing their receivers to work even when an enemy is trying to block the signal.

Israel did develop its own state-of-the-art fighter jet, the IAI Lavi, in the 1980s. It was a delta-wing, multirole combat aircraft, intended to be the backbone of the Israeli Air Force. The Lavi was a highly advanced design for its time, featuring a quadruplex digital fly-by-wire system and advanced avionics, almost all developed in Israel.
But In 1987, the Israeli cabinet, under immense political pressure from the U.S. government, voted to cancel the project by a very thin margin. The U.S. argued it would be a financial sinkhole and compete directly with American defense exports (specifically the F-16). The U.S. then offered more military aid packages as an alternative, which included co-production rights for the F-16. The F-35I "Adir" is the only F-35 variant in the world allowed by the U.S. to have a native, indigenous electronic warfare suite and custom data fusion and C4 systems grafted onto the American airframe. They can't build the engine, but they can make the brain of the aircraft Israeli, ensuring their operational independence.

Do it's not that they can't produce any jet fighter, it is that their partnership with US prevents them from doing so. They are very capable of building a home made fighter jets that can rival the very best In the game.

Many countries have INS systems, not just Israel. And many of their technologies are still dependent on U.S. IP and the global supply chain. Also, it is not a substitute for GNSS.

I didn’t say they can’t build jets; even Sweden and Turkey have their own fighter jets. They were pressured not to build theirs by the Americans because they fund a large part of the IDF budget. That is why America is their father. Even if they decide to build, they will need a lot of U.S. technology and supply chain.

No matter what you call the F-35, it is a product of Lockheed Martin, a U.S. company.

Israel needs the US for everything; their existence depends on the support of the US. The US provides them with economic, technological, and military lifelines. That’s why they listen to the US and spend money to gain influence.

Heffalump:
I'm forced to smile and wink at the same time whenever I see a statement like this. America is governed by the Jewish people for your information. The same way the entire West and Europe is firmly governed by jews. You've not seen anything yet.

This is an ignorant statement! There is no doubt that the influence of Jewish communities has grown in recent decades, largely due to the enormous pity and guilt many Western countries carry over the atrocities committed against Jews in the early 1900s. Millions were killed in cold blood across many European countries simply for being Jewish. Even those who did not directly participate did little to stop it.

After WW2, Jews were widely seen as victims and were protected. Many in the older generation still carry that sense of guilt and feel a responsibility to protect them. However, things have been changing recently because of the situation in Gaza. Many young people in the West, who do not share the same historical guilt over what happened to the Jews, are no longer viewing them primarily as victims but increasingly as aggressors, similar to how Russia is viewed in Ukraine.

If this continues, support will likely wane, and their influence in the West may reduce. In fact, this shift is already beginning to happen.

LordIsaac:
Israel can very much say so. America is what it is today because they have been in the camp of the Lord's chosen. They can only appeal to Israel.

US is the father, without their backing, how will the state of Isreal survive. They don’t even have their own GNSS, they relay on US GPS. They don’t current operate any domestically produced fighter jets, they are all produced by the US.

Thewrath:
It is not slave mentality,it is using what you have to get what you want!
It’s business!
Many of the minerals Africa got,they don’t even know what it is or it’s worth talking about more of what it’s used for! It’s thesame west that have educated everyone on its values and use!

You that don’t have slave mentality and you are bearing ponzi-ponzi, Onye master mentality!

It’s even worse than I thought. Your reasoning is poor. I’ve noticed a real dip in critical thinking among many Nigerian youth lately. They often just parrot ignorant takes without a second thought. I’m not sure if it’s the education system or just a general lack of effort.
How is someone supposed to engage this?

Livegamesonly:
ZAMBIA IS NOT IRAN. IRAN HAS MILITARY, NOT SURE ZAMBIA HAS ANY REASONABLE MILITARY...

Why should they have military to say no?

Thewrath:
What is Africa without US aid and support?
Technology we don’t have!
All our aircraft,weapons and ammunitions are bought from the west,we are not yet ripe for independence!

Even the so called mineral resources,how many African countries have been able to put good use to it?

Nigeria that has oil is still importing oil.

Not everyone have a slave mentality like you do. So, they should give out their resources for aids because they are not using it. People like you shouldn’t have children, it would do their generation a lot of service.

SeverusSnape:
Terrorist meeting terrorist. No issues.
They go continue dey collect from Israel and US hand. Two toilet paper tigers dogs.

And yet, Russia has one of the largest Jewish communities in the world. Nigeria has none, except some gum-bodies.

fineboynl:
Iran will soon collapse from within

The IRGC have limits the influence of Iran foreign minister with discrepancy with the US negotiation. The foreign minister is now moving with alot of security while the deputies is more prominent.

U.S intelligent have noticed a divides in jbut believe the IRGC

As of April 2026, severe divides have emerged between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and political elites, characterized by a struggle for control over national security and diplomatic strategy. The death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in March 2026 removed the primary arbiter between these factions, allowing long-simmering tensions to spill into the open.

You guys are funny. I thought Trump has already changed the regime.