₦airaland Forum

Kobojunkie:
You are free to conclude as you will, all I am suggesting is we know the difference between Military rule and democratic rule--- there is no excuse why under democratic rule which is government for the people by the people, the elected government should attempt to muzzle the voice of the people. It is unconstitutional and in democratic rule, the constitution matters the most.

My response was to someone trying to compare military rule that which took place under military rule to that which is taking place under democratic rule – it should not happen at all and that is simply what I am stating here.

FYI Decree 4 was not a constitutional change. I think it was just a rule passed that prohibited the press from publishing certain things against the government.

Kobojunkie:
You are free to conclude as you will, all I am suggesting is we know the difference between Military rule and democratic rule--- there is no excuse why under democratic rule which is government for the people by the people, the elected government should attempt to muzzle the voice of the people. It is unconstitutional and in democratic rule, the constitution matters the most.

My response was to someone trying to compare military rule that which took place under military rule to that which is taking place under democratic rule – it should not happen at all and that is simply what I am stating here.

True dat!

Kobojunkie:
No, my answer assumes no such.

There is a big difference between military rule and democratic rule, and I would believe we are all well aware of this.  Under military rule, any military rule, it is known that the government can easily modify the constitution to ITS own will. However, that cannot happen in a democracy as the Government is then subject to the will of the people in that case and hence unable to modify the constitution, or enact laws that are contrary to that stated in the constitution.

So, what I stated in my previous post is correct. I refer you to the link for more differences

http://www.docshare.com/doc/189836/What-are-the-main-differences-between-authori

Ok, then. As you have said, that the under a military regime, the government can, kaboom, modify the Constitution to fit its desires. The other point is that a military regime does not require that the military ruler take away the freedom of the press; and for argument sake even if such military ruler has the power to change the constitution to meet its desires, it speaks volume about Buhari's personality and mindset when he exercised that power by taking affirmative steps to abridge the freedom of the press. I think it is an issue that should be taken into account in evaluating his character and belief; that is, not whether he does not have the power abridge the freedom of the press under a democratic institution, but whether he would take away the freedom of the press if he had the power to do so. Main question we are trying to answer is does Buhari intrinsically believe in the freedom of the press or is he constrained by democratic principles. Put simply, would he take away the power of a free press if he could legally, even though not required, to do it. That is the important consideration.

My answer is that, based on his prior history, he is unlikely to intrinsically believe in the freedom of the press.

Kobojunkie:
Well, that was under military rule. Today we have a democracy and so the president HAS NO SUCH POWER TO GAG the Press. It is unconstitutional so can we please stop looking for the ridiculous excuses please

Your answer assumes that under the military rule the Constitution did not guarantee the freedom of the press. I know the new Constitution was adopted in 1999, so the issue is whether the prior Constitution guaranteed the freedom of the press? The answer to this question will answer the second question, which is whether Buhari violated the Constitution by adopting decree 4, regardless of whether he was a military ruler or not?

Kobojunkie:
Well, he is lacking in records, which to me are essential for leadership.

i think people like him need to start small by first becoming, say, a governor before running for president. i think you have start to build your resume from some where. Fashola is a prime example of someone who started with baby steps. pat utomi has experience as a businessman, not as a public servant. but i would not rule him out when, as in this election, the other candidates are unimpressive.

Kobojunkie:
What about Pat Utomi? He is educated and could be considered a critical thinker? Why not cast your vote, assuming you have one, for him? You would actually be part of the problem if you refuse to use your mandate to cause Change in some way.

i was just venting. i will actually vote at the end of the day. i do like pat utomi, though

All these candidates don't impress me. If it is not corruption, it is Sharia, one thing or the other. At the end of the day I think I might just vote for Obama.

I have another issue. How can someone who believes in Sharia believe in democracy. If Sharia stands for anything, we all know it does not stand for freedom to speak, it does not support women's rights, and so on. I am just scared Buhari will turn Nigeria into a Sharia country or, at the least, impose Sharia law in the North. How can a democratic country with a Constitution allow Sharia law within its borders.

asamuel:
@Princek12. Nigeria does not lack people with degrees. We lack people who can stand against corruption. Jonathan has demonstrated that he cannot solve Nigeria's problem of corruption by associating with OBJ, Bode George and Dame Patience. All these people have bags of corruption hanging on their neck. How then can jonathan help Nigeria if these men are behind him? That's why Buhari's past achievements are working for him.

Did you get it?

I have neither endorsed Jonathan nor any candidate, so don't think I am supporting Jonathan. I am also an independent, as I have no affiliations with any party. I do agree that birds of the same feather flock together, and that Baba Iyabo and his cronies are corrupt.

Kobojunkie:
I disagree!! We have a PHD for a president today who has failed in 12 years to critical think himself out of being an incompetent leader. This argument of yours has been used over and over now, and each time it fails when put in the Nigerian context.
The ability to think critically is a special skill that needs to be taught, especially in Nigeria – Many of our educated lack that ability so, I don’t believe Education, in the way you express it, is it. Again, I disagree! We don’t need to look for just those with good motives+ them capable of handling the job. Again, in the last decade, we have hired some of the most Educated out there for various leadership positions, and look were we are today.  NASS is filled with them – e.g. Obiagbon, Mark, Bankole, and the other educated entities who could not critically think up solutions for the nation’s problems as they were busy thinking of how to save for their own pockets. We have had Educated ministers—some of them taken right from big companies abroad and brought back to Nigeria to help ‘critically’ solve our problems, yet most of them have shown they are not the right tools. I mean remember Aganga?

I agree we need to rebuild, but in order to do that, we need people who are not only capable of thinking independently, understand the problem, but people with records that show they are capable of getting the job done. Education could be considered but at this point, I would say the candidates record should come higher on the list.

P.S – this is in no way an endorsement of th Buhari candidacy -- I am simply expressing my opinion on this issue.

From your comment I get that critical thinking needs to be taught in the Nigerian schools. And I do not know much about NASS. I also agree with you that the candidates' record should come high on the list, as it does us no good to elect a candidate with a terrible record. But if two candidates have outstanding records, then education might be a tie breaker.  Someone earlier also mentioned that many Nigerians lack common sense, which I am beginning to believe. I think that all our leaders lack common sense for them to have our country without power for so long. It is just annoying.

egift:
Princek12 @Bold part:
[b]And a PhD in Zoology and a degree in Fisheries is what is required to fix Nigeria[/b].

Stop embarrassing yourself. Do you know the caliber of military institutions Buhari attended and was far ahead in his classes.

I never said having a PhD in fisheries is required to fix Nigeria. In the same vein, having no qualifications does not make you a better candidate to fix Nigeria. What I am proposing is to weigh all the factors and the totality of the circumstances, of which education is part. Please as I have said earlier, can anyone enlighten me about Buhari.

Can you please name the caliber of military institutions Buhari attended, as I am trying to learn more about him?

asamuel:
@Princek12. Please don't confuse GEJ's PhD paper with literacy. What use is a PhD president that cannot debate, that confessed to America that he lacks administrative skills, that got a stark illiterate as wife, that climbs on OBJ to take every decision? Did you see how he was messed up during our golden anniversary in Nigeria. Up till now, JEG cannot fish out the bombers of October 1, 2010 and we are 5 months away from the incident.

I'll rather have an illiterate that knows where the shoe pinches and can act to fix Nigeria's promise. What do you think @Princek12?

I did not confuse Ebele's degree with literacy. I stated earlier that he is an "educated illiterate." And I am not saying that his PhD makes him qualified. I at least respect the candidates who showed up and debated. Ebele has not won me over because he probably has one of those degrees that you pay for. Even though Jonathan has not showed up for debates, you can still see signs that he is willing to listen and that he reasons critically. Nevertheless, I still don't respect him. I think his biggest problem is his allegiance to PDP godfathers, all of whom control him.
I am really wary about all these former military rulers like Buhari and Babangida who want to rule us under a civilian regime.

Kobojunkie:
But we elected 2-3 educated President's so far and look where we are today. The vast majority of our governor's are equally educated yet for every Fashola, there are at least 3 or more Educated Governors who have achieved next to nothing in their assigned states. In NASS, the majority of our legislators are educated individuals -- yet NASS remains as useless to the people as other arms of the government.

I don't Nigeria necessarily needs EDUCATED individuals to run things -- no, Nigeria needs people who know what needs to be done, and are able to hit the ground running -- Education could be considered an icing on the cake but not until we get people who can act, can we actually move things forward from this point on.

I get your point, and I am not saying that education alone should be conclusive of a president's ability to solve our problems. But I think education should be weighed heavily in determining whom to elect. It is one thing to know what needs to be done; it is another to know how to do it and make it sustainable. That takes critical thinking, which an uneducated person is unlikely to possess. No disrespect. My argument is that even if you were to find a candidate with good motives without being educated, that candidate will not be able to create a sustainable society, for it would be difficult for that person to see things in ways that may be beneficial on the long run but at first glance does not look promising.
Nigeria needs to be rebuilt, and there is no quick fix remedy that will be sustainable.

I just don't think it is a good idea to elect another illiterate to the office of the presidency. Nigeria's problems stemmed from illiterates who did not create a system to facilitate a sustainable society. Buhari is a bloody illiterate who, although appears to have good motives, most likely lacks the knowhow to create a system that will be sustainable. he won't know what kind of trade agreements to sign, how to increase research, how to encourage enactment of intellectual property laws and courts designed to fight piracy, and so on. We have dumb folks in power, including Ebele, who is nothing more than an educated illiterate. And you want to replace him with a bloody illiterate like Buhari? Give me a break.
The reason Fashola is doing well is mainly because he is an educated person. Illiteracy, our elders say, is a disease, so don't elect that diseased Buhari to power. Ribadu, at least, has some education.

Take a cue from great countries like the United States. Don't you see the pedigree of their presidents? An illiterate will probably never win an election for the U.S. president. The fact that so many Nigerians are campaigning for an illiterate like Buhari speaks volume about our values as Nigerians. I just cannot cast my vote for a bloody illiterate. That will be the equivalent of Soulja Boi being elected to the White House in America.

My own problem is that as a Nigerian, I have noticed that, in America, many AAs do not want to actively participate in (and learn) African culture. For example, you are less likely to see an AA go to an African restaurant to try African food; they always complain that it is too spicy. You are less likely to see an AA attend, say, a Femi Kuti or Sunny Ade concert; they usually say " I ain't going to that African ish." You are less likely to see an AA go to an African event or club to experience and dance to African music, save for some conscious AA patrons and female AAs, who are usually brought there by an African guy they are dating. On the other hand, white people are more likely to engage in all the aforsesaid things. If you doubt me, go on Youtube and search for a Femi Kuti concert or a Sunny Ade concert in America, and tell me how many AAs are in attendance.

Overall I am proud of many my AA brethren, even though they may have fallen short in some areas. And you cannot discount the nefarious effects of slavery. But overall, they have come a long way considering the history of white supremacy in America. AAs also need to read more and learn about the achievements of Africans. All the black billionaires on Forbes list are Africans, except for Oprah, who is at the bottom. And there are several African success stories.

renewnaija:
Mr Princek12 look closely @ my name. Did you ask me a question which I didnt answer? I only made a comment based on someone else's post not even yours.

My bad.

SSaemoenl:
We should have had LIGHT, BETTER ROADS, INFRASTRUCTURAL dvelopmentetc But all those monies went inside personal accounts. Folks reason POSITIVELY. whites are not better off us. just that they realize that keeping their environment better is the major tasks. Vote for a change. You can vote for any other party except PDP please.

My point is that just about the government of every country is corrupt, be it U.K. or U.S.A. And in all those countries they have roads, light, power, etc. Human beings have a tendency to be corrupt. We do not have all those infrastructure because we do not have a system in place that can address the corrupt ways and create checks and balances so as to stem that corruption.

We do not have roads, lights, power mainly because of the cycle of illiterates we've had in power. I am not saying corruption is not an issue, but it is not our major cause of not having at least power, good roads, water, and basic infrastructure. Even countries such as Venezuela, Libya, Saudi Arabia, etc, which have governments that are arguably more corrupt than the Nigerian government, have electricity, power, and basic infrastructure.

renewnaija:
That as well as so many of their followers like the sycophants who come here to support them and justify their evils.
Even the PhD president is a failure so do you blame him or the educational system we have in place? 

Why have you resorted to red herring arguments (changing the subject) and name calling? Why are you being so defensive? Why are you calling people with differing views "sycophants" who are supporting and justifying their "evils?" Why can't you answer a simple question? For your info, I am not affiliated with any party, and I am just learning about the candidates.

SSaemoenl:
What do you think is the problem of Nigeria Please?

Also why have you dodged my question? You have answered a question with a question and refused to answer my question. Well let me answer your question, and I hope you will return the favor by answering mine. Speaking broadly, Nigeria's problems stem from too many illiterates in power who therefore lack the knowhow to create a system that will be sustainable. Corruption is not our major problem.

To the Buhari supporters: Is Buhari Educated? Does he have any advanced degree? Or is he a bloody illiterate like his predecessors? And is he running only on a platform of honesty? Because I am sure that reasonable minds will agree with me that a leader who can boast of only being honest cannot advance Nigeria into its next chapter. I am more concerned whether he possesses the critical reasoning faculties to effectively solve Nigeria's complex problems.

Please answer me, because I searched the web for his bio, and I have found not a scintilla of evidence suggesting he is educated. But I need more clarification, as info on the web is sometimes inaccurate or incomplete.

emeka_gh:
Sometime ago, we harried Sony Corporation for a video game commercial that was offensive to Nigerians.
So are we saying it is save for a public own entity to condone offensive messages about government of Nigeria, while private entity aren't allowed?

Let's eschew double standard and respect the office of the president, especially as we want our candidate to occupy it.

Fair play people, fair play!

Do you have a brain? The two incidents differ substantially. The Sony ad was already on the airwaves and was offensive to Nigerians, who exercised their right to protest the ad. Sony voluntarily pulled the ad for business reasons. Also the [b]content o[/b]f the Sony ad was commercial, and the government did not silence nor prevent Sony from expressing its views. In this matter, unlike Sony whose ad was already in the airwaves, the government has used prior restraint through its proxy--NTA-- to silence a speaker before their message made it to the airwaves. Furthermore, unlike the commercial character of the Sony ad, the content of this ad is political speech, which should be protected by the government and the judiciary. The government and the state-owned NTA has prevented and infringed upon the fundamental right of Buhari and CPC to speak about a political matter, whereas the government did not prevent Sony from making a political speech that may directly or indirectly criticize the government.

they should release the ad on youtube during the pendency of their purported litigation over the matter.

I guess the Blackberry craze, particularly among Nigerian girls, is evidence that Nigerian girls like to gossip, for the BB Messenger provides a platform through which Nigerian girls can endlessly gossip without being charged for each message sent.

poster, I bet you the ones who criticize the Nollywood actors are the same ones who watch daily, from morning to night, Nollywood movies featuring those same actors they criticize.

our passenger railway cannot be efficient unless our electricity problem is solved. locomotive may work for cargo rail, but will it work for passenger rail? I doubt it.

Tcrack:
Ok you win. its better to vote for your party irrespective of who their candidate is or if there is more competent candadate in another parties. Ok you opinion has been accepted @ bolded . i was about saying the same to you but you beat me to it. 

it was a typo, meant to say candidate. No one is trying to play gotcha gimmicks over here. You get the gist. I heard some candidates are giving out bags of rice in the North, so maybe you should go and stand in line and get it. You were the one who said you vote for candidates just because you like their personalities, so you will vote for that candidate even if his party has a track record of committing atrocities, which is a good indicator that that candidate will commit the same thing.

Tcrack:
can someone pls help me tell this not-so-smart person that not every voter is affiliated to a party. if tomorrow fashola goes to PPA, i will still vote him based on his past records.So if you vote a candidate based on his party and when he gets to office he decides to decamp from that party, what will you do? the shame is on you.

I now know you have no brain. Every voter must vote for a candidate under some kind of party, whether it be a majority party or an independent party. If Fashola goes to PPA, then you will be voting for Fashola as a PPA candidate and support his party and him, whether directly or indirectly, through your vote or finances. When you go vote for another candidate from another party, that other party's views most likely will conflict with the views of the party of the candidate for whom you voted earlier. That is an anti-intellectual way of doing things, and it is an illiterate way of reasoning, which is who you are.

You are probably one of those people who will vote for a candidate just because he gives you a bag of rice and palm oil, irrespective of the views his party espouses. I am out of here. You cannot reason.

Tcrack:
so if ACN picks fashola for Governor and Bode George for president, I am supposed to vote Bode George just because he is running on the platform of ACN abi,without considering his personality. Ode ni e. the bolded is for you.

Ode nla ni e. You are creating a hypothetical to avoid my question, which is a red herring fallacy. Most parties pick candidates that further their party's ideas. What if Fashola picks Bode George as his deputy governor?

You cannot reason properly. According to you, personality is more important than voting for a party that will most likely further your beliefs. You  reason like a typical illiterate and benighted person. If intellectuals did that, then nothing will  get done. It will be the equivalent of Fashola, an ACN candidate, or Tinubu, another ACN godfather, to campaign for Buhari or Goodluck because they both like Buhari or Goodluck's personality. They are both campaigning for Ribadu, who is their candidate, and  which is the right thing to do according to the principle of undivided loyalty and in furtherance of their progressive ideas. An intellectual will associate and support a party most likely to support and further his or her beliefs, not run from one party to another like a traitor or a person  suffering from ADD.

Even if your party were to pick Bode George, then maybe you need to question your party for picking such a candidate and switch to another party, stick with your party and support your candidate, or become an independent. Either way your ideas should prevail over some silly personality. People like you are the reason why Nigeria never progresses and nothing gets done, because you run here and there without reasoning about the impact of your vote.

So according to your illiterate reasoning, you are supporting Fashola in Lagos and Buhari because you like their personalities, not because of what Fashola's progressive party stands for, which ACN has promised to do nationally. What a shame.

reindeer:
Seconded.You are a real sound mind not blinded by party support.

people like you do not understand the meaning of "conflict of interest." People like you do not understand that local politics influences national politics, and that the party you choose at the local level may--and most likely will--affect what happens at the national level. but hey, as a supposedly democratic society, you are entitled to vote for the candidate of your choice.

let me analogize your mentality with this hypothetical. You elect a president from the CPC party, and a governor from the ACN party. You presumably elect other senators in your district from the ACN party. If the CPC president gets elected, when the president seeks vote from his senators to pass a bill, the CPC president will find it difficult to get the necessary votes from the senators, all because they are not from his party. If you had voted for candidates from the same party, it will be easier for your president to further your agenda because he would have the requisite support of his party members at the local level and at Congress.

Also will you donate money to the different parties to support your candidates, each of whom belongs to a different party? Will you attend CPC rallies and ACN rallies?

I understand people like you just join the bandwagon without thinking of the effect of your vote, which is typical of many Nigerians, but I would advise that you think before you start voting for different parties.

heilige:
vote ACN for lagos
vote CPC forr presidency

confusion will ruin your life. make up your mind. you are the type of person who needs two spouses and will not be satisfied by one person.

Kobojunkie:
Again, let me help you cause I am beginning to think English might be the problem here . . . .

Mr A. has FAILED for 12 years straight  . . . . He failed even on his own for that long already -- therefore, Mr. A is definitely not what we need. His record  which is 12 years long( no pause) establishes that. Essentially expecting success out of Mr. A at this point is not a good idea since we know for a fact that he is highly incapable of anything different from/better than what he has delivered for the past 12 years. Now, voting again to have Mr. A continue, like the other guy said, is INSANITY!

I guess you broke it down for him. If he does not understand this then he needs to go back to nursery or primary school to learn the alphabets.

The saying goes: how can you do the same thing and expect a different result? Put simply, how can you keep voting for PDP and expect a different result.