agbameta:


I read this on premium times yesterday and I laughed instead of crying for my dear country and the thoughtless and out of touch nonentities we call leaders...

So, when we talk about poverty in Nigeria, GSM lines and cell phones are now the major determining factors?

The people have deliberately or unknowingly become insular.

Let me give you an example. They have all been mouthing and screaming that there are 17 million housing deficit in Nigeria. I have been hearing this for more than 10 years.

What have they done about it?

Currently, Nigeria has a population of about 167 million people.

It is projected that by 2050, it will be the 6th largest country in the world with an estimated population of 287 million.

By that time, would poverty have been eradicated? How many people would be in poverty? Is anyone or any government planning with this information?

With all these damning statistics, is one wrong to feel outraged when news of government shielding corrupt people filter in?

Is it not sad that the people at the helms of affairs don't really know how important and urgent their assignments are?

Should government really be faulting the figure of $1.25 or engaging the citizens in concrete and verifiable terms how it plans to tackle poverty, now and in the future?

At an occasion in Lagos recently, Olusegun Aganga had this to say about Nigeria:

“Nigeria is blessed with a large natural resource base, woven around major areas of proven competitive and comparative advantage, such as oil and gas, agriculture and mining, among others. This country is the seventh largest producer of crude oil, globally, with 37 billion barrels of proven reserves.

“With its 10th largest oil reserves in the world and 8th largest gas reserves, the nation is a major player in the gas market. (Reserves of about 187 trillion cubic metres). The Geological Survey Agency of Nigeria also records 44 exploitable minerals in commercial quantities, aside from the availability of 84 million hectares of Arable Land, out of which only about 40 per cent is utilised.

Are these not the reasons why Nigerians should not be poor? When will this sad paradox of 'rich country, poor citizens' be broken?

The funds that are being allocated to poverty campaigns and eradication hardly get to the poor.

The Economic Adviser should try to fault the following definition (according to the UN) of poverty and tell us how many Nigerians are wrestling with this evil. He should also tell us why Nigeria, which is one of the richest countries in Africa with vast oil and gas reserves, should have so many people shaking hands with poverty.

Poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to; not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living and not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.

HNosegbe:

In my opinion, poverty (as well as wealth) is relative. What defines true poverty is the inability to meet your basic needs with your current level of income, and going by this definition the World Bank is right in saying that more that 100million Nigerians live in poverty.

The real question is, what are we doing to address this?

I agree with this. We should not over-concentrate on the so-called benchmark of $1.25 or so. Dr Okidegbe should spend less energy on faulting the benchmark but more energy on telling us the number of Nigerians that can't afford basic things or living in poverty.

The fact is that many Nigerians are languishing in poverty. The signs of poverty and under-development are there for all to see.

There are Nigerians that can't afford more than 1 room for a family of 5 or more. Imagine a father and mother sharing only one room with 5 children or more. Some can't even afford toothpaste or a good laundry soap or tissue paper. They fetch their toothpicks from brooms and matchsticks and cotton buds from feathers.

So many Nigerians lack toilet facilities. People eat/trade beside refuse dumps. Millions of Nigerians lack access to potable water. In many cities, people drink half-finished sachets of water abandoned by their previous buyers. These people buy second-hand or Nigerian-used clothing, household utensils and even under-wears! A situation where one 'okada' is used to carry 6 to 7 passengers including kids going to school!

Whatever the benchmark is, there is also a need to look at what people pass through before making the money. You see hawkers and beggars running after moving vehicles in the rain and sun. Nigerians sell on the roads and also on rail lines! Some even sit on the roof of trains in order to get to their destinations. People dig trenches and wells manually with hand tools. They carry heavy loads on their heads and push laden trucks with their arms. Even if they make N2,000 per day, it is at what cost?

How many countries have hawkers, beggars, mad men and women, touts and children out of school on the streets like Nigeria? How many countries can rival us when it comes to malaria/typhoid/cholera patients and accident victims/deaths?

In how many countries do you see dead bodies left on their streets for days? In how many countries do you see people display sick men/women or disabled persons on the streets and blare/sing into megaphones to beg for money? Young men scavenge for scrap metals and aluminium on huge mounds of stinking refuse dumps with bare hands. People die of generator fumes right in their homes. They sweep streets without nose masks and pack refuse from homes/dumps into trucks without hand gloves. They work in factories without PPE and lose limbs without getting any form of compensation.

The living environment is full of dirt, dust, smoke, and noise. Their senses of sight, smell and hearing are assaulted all year round without their sense of taste compensating for it in form of good meals. In spite of living and working in dust, smoke and grime, many of them can only afford a bath in a day or a couple of days.

And when these people fall sick due to the arduous working conditions and poor living conditions, they go to the bush for herbs or patronize illegal drug sellers who combine odd looking, colorful caplets for the patients. Inevitably, the people die and are buried without autopsy.

For these people, poverty is real and governments at all levels have been unresponsive. Governments officials are insensitive in the way they spend money. They loot the treasury, steal billions and buy luxury cars and stash money overseas. It is getting worse with each successive government.

For these people, their life is already hell on earth and it would be double jeopardy, or may be even unfair, for any of them to be thrown again into hell after death.

These are the issues the Economic Adviser should be contesting or advising on.

With the results filtering in from Anambra, the President's visit to Anambra to campaign has turned out to be a waste of time.

The FEC meeting was cancelled for nothing. His absence at CHOGM served no good whatsoever.

Again, I reiterate the call that a sitting President should stay away from party campaigns in any state.

nora544:

The problem is also the new churches, who preaches only about money moneys money and when it not work it was the devil or the witch.

When Pastors and Bishops and Overseer will stop about preaching about money miracels than nigeria can change.
I never hear one of this new churches preaching about you have to work hard, I know why because this brings no money to this so called great man of God who are flambuante an d jetflying business man.

Those churches do it for selfish reasons. They want themselves to be the life focus of their members.

If the members should be fed with liberating messages such as hardwork and little/unclear role of prayers in the real life, the relevance of the churches (and of course the financial inflows) will drop significantly.

Why should a governorship election in only 1 state be this messy, inept and controversial?

The organizers knew about this election 4 years ago!

They should all be ashamed of themselves.

Hmmm

Some people are strategists.

In the event that the winner of a senatorial election is disqualified, what happens - a fresh election or ...?

Some people may have a plan all laid out.

Hmmm

If you don't want someone to come into your house, you better don't open your door at all even if it's just to peep at him. Some people can turn a crack in the doorway to a door that's ajar.

Half a word...

...like a sonorous proverb do we drum the agidigbo; it is the wise who dance to it, and the learned who understand its language.


Hmmm, the runner-up...

In the meantime, I hope Ngige is returning to the Senate.

The average person doesn't like to be criticized or found wanting. And when caught, the instinct is to TRY to push the error, fault, responsibility to another person or event. And because the other person might say it's not his fault, the devil who is always speechless becomes a perfect excuse.

Nigerians have perfected this art of blaming the devil, unseen enemies, witches in the village or some funny factors. In recognition of this, the law focuses on facts and does not recognize the devil in meting out punishment to offenders or law breakers.

The use of the devil or a third person or some silly reason is everywhere. It is used by non performing workers, criminals ( a 65-year old suspected pipeline vandal said he thought the fuel was holy water) and even in government (Jonathan blamed the massive oil theft in Nigeria on other countries).

In addition to those who blame the devil, some people also blame their memory ('oh, I forgot').

The list is endless but the critical thing is the attempt to push away responsibility.

erniok: y
You should know that nigerians are clowns. they pretend to desire good governance while their actions speak differently.

It is not all Nigerians that are clowns.

Are you saying that Amaechi is being insincere here?

This is a very weighty allegation.

If I were Jonathan, I would shame Amaechi not by name-calling but by giving a transparent report of the account.

If Jonathan can't do this then Amaechi's allegation might have some merit.

israel007: I don't believe anything that comes out of the mouth of this confused.com

So you just wrote off the allegation on the spurious basis that the whistle blower is 'confused'?

In this situation, what any neutral and bright person would say on a matter like this is to call for an independent probe into his allegation. Government should show that the money in intact or properly authorized for spending. Should the allegation be false, Amaechi should be sanctioned for peddling lies and misinformation.

By the way, how is Amaechi a confused man?

kel4soft:

Some comments here are very disheartening. Until Jona send us into Greece level.

Oh yes. Some ignorant people don't know that countries can actually go bankrupt.

I don't care about the politics of Amaechi but declarations like this should give every Nigerian that has a brain some concern about the direction of things.

The Excess Crude Account which was almost $10b in December 2012 has fallen to $3.59b!

Amaechi, a sitting state Governor, has alleged that N5b is missing from the same account.

Shell says Nigeria is losing a lot $1b monthly to crude oil thefts.

Yet some people play politics dumb with these disturbing statistics.

ifeanyi_ja: Imagine, amaechi needs $200million loan to supply water? Supply to who? Is water the problem of rivers state?

What's the problem of Rivers if water is not? Lack of access to potable water brings diseases, poor health and early death. Drinking water coverage rate is very low in Rivers and other parts of Nigeria as well. In this age, millions of Nigeria rely on sachet water, well water, rain water and stream water. It is very sad.

Some comments here are indeed puzzling! Nigeria!

JECBOSS: I think Amaechi is just embarking on a futile exercise designed to conceal his own gross incompetence and inadequacies. Our politicians are too selfish and desperate to cling unto power by every possible means.
CLICK 'LIKE' IF U THINK AMAECHI IS A BIGGER CRIMINAL.

Ok, let's for a moment agree that Amaechi is what you've painted him to be but shouldn't you and every right-thinking/patriotic Nigerian be outraged at his allegation?

Shouldn't you call for a probe of what he has said especially as it has to do with specific facts?

Why did you start to abuse Amaechi without looking at all at his message? Does it mean your hatred for him is so much that you've started to condone allegations of financial impropriety of N5b? Must you play politics with everything?

Tell me, how did you arrive at your post and who are these people liking your post? Are they enemies of Nigeria? What has this country turned into? These same people will get angry when they hear that the lowest IQs are in Africa.

PDP should reclaim the oil rigs from thieves and pipelines from vandals.

The party should retrieve Nigeria from crude federalism and return us to true federalism.

PDP should reclaim the Police from rot and indiscipline and restore honor and class to the police hierarchy.

The PDP government should stop plunging Nigeria into more and more debts with virtually nothing to show for it.

The PDP government should retrieve Nigerians from the pangs of hunger, poverty and other signs of under-development.

The PDP government should fight corruption and stop shielding corrupt people.

What did the PDP do with power when it ruled in the South West states of Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun and Ekiti?

lepashandi: Another Amaechi

What you have written is not relevant to this thread.

Did you miss your way?

Mr Goodluck Jonathan is the President under whom the largest oil theft in the history of Nigeria is taking place. It is unprecedented. The effects of the mindless crude oil stealing are beginning to manifest. It is also difficult to believe that the problem of pipeline vandalism persists.

When asked on CNN about what he was doing about the problem of crude oil theft, Mr Jonathan surprisingly blamed the oil theft issue on other countries!

It is also amazing, in spite of jumbo security budgets and the gargantuan money being spent and contracts being given to militants, that the problems of oil theft and pipeline vandalism are about to cripple Nigeria financially.

What is the legacy of President Jonathan?

Many people lampooned Pastor Tunde Bakare the other time he said Jonathan will bankrupt Nigeria.

I do hope that Bakare will be proved wrong.

But do the facts on ground support my forlorn hope?

Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account (ECA) yesterday fell to $3.598 billion from nearly $10 billion in December last year.
The crash in the figures was as a result of several withdrawals including the latest $1 billion withdrawn by the federal government to sustain the diminishing Federation Account which has dropped for over six months now.

The ECA is the joint Federal Government-States Account where excess budget benchmark crude oil price revenue earning is monthly being warehoused for special intervention at critical times. The development is indicative of the financial glitch which has assailed the country following crude oil theft and shut-ins in the Niger Delta region as a result of activities of pipeline vandals.
The Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, recently alerted the nation that if the trend continued, crude oil revenue loss might grow up to about $12 billion.

The high revenue loss forced a compromise between the Federal and State governments to abandon the budgeted monthly revenue estimate for the distribution of funds to states as the estimate had hardly been met for a long time, making the Federal Government to look for funds from other sources to augment the amount for distribution by the three tiers.

Following the understanding reached in August, it was agreed that revenue distribution should be based only on available revenues generated for that month and not the monthly budget estimate. However, it was also agreed that the pending revenue shortfalls before that August compromise be settled fully.

As of yesterday, the pending revenue shortfall still being owed by the Federal Government was N146 billion.

http://thecitizenng.com/governance/excess-crude-account-nosedives-to-3-59b-was-nearly-10b-in-december-2012/

EBK2: The only TBTF institutions in Nigeria are CBN and Nigerian government.

This is not true. Risk Managers have now seen that countries can fail.

ballabriggs:

Funny thing is those who don't know and think they know are the ones who question the guys knowledge, skill and expertise.

Clearly, Sanusi is intelligent, confident and passionate.

Also, there are some very good things he has done. I also like the fact that he's impatient to see positive change in Nigeria.

A number of people have also been saying some very ridiculous things about him. An example of this is on Islamic Banking which is even beyond and predates Sanusi.

The other day, some fellow ignorantly lampooned Sanusi 'because under him as the CBN Governor, the level of GDP had been falling'!! He also expected Sanusi to improve Nigeria's infrastructure!

The Sanusi critics that I can't stand are those who tonguelash him just because of his religion and/or where he comes from.

For me, I don't like or agree with the approach that Sanusi adopted in sanitizing those banks in 2009. We've argued it here many times and I hope he (with the benefit of hindsight) has learnt his lessons.

Five banks were rashly and brashly taken out of the system because of N620b. So much noise was made and a lot of needless drama took place. The economy was shaken and confidence plummeted. The banks were supposed to be capitalized. AMCOM was formed and the rest is history.

Fast forward to today. 7 banks are comatose, a discount house is dead, there are still so many bad debtors, fraud rate in banks continues to climb, banks are still sacking staff in large numbers, the crazy targets in banks continue unabated, and the economy is not well.

And AMCON? It i owing N5.7 trillion & has just announced a loss of N820 billion.

If such an opportunity presents itself again, I hope that Sanusi (wherever he may be) or who is in charge would handle such an ultra-sensitive matter very carefully.

We should not spare corrupt or rogue bankers or politicians, but we should again not burn the whole house down just to catch a few rodents.

History will judge Sanusi bettter. For now, I wish him well in his endeavours.

Eziachi: You meant like unite Alafin and Oni for example? The word unite is foreign in that hot container called Nigeria.

Let's wait and see.

sagombugo:

You will never fail to disappoint! Was it not the same IBB that GEJ called his mentor in politics and also went to visit prior the 2011 election for an endorsement?

Later when he got the security report that IBB was not too disposed to him and that he also wants to contest the PDP primaries,he masterminded the Oct 1st bombing at Eagle's square according to Henry Okah in order to rope in Chief Raymond Dokpesi who was then the Director General of IBB campaign organisation as a means of gettting at IBB?

You can spin this consultation/meeting of APC apparachiks with 2 Former Head of State the way you want but the fact remains that GEJ is jittery and PDP is now being served the same dosage of their own medicine

The best form of defence is attack! In politics,you plunder the comfort zone of your enemies

The same way GEJ is sponsoring and empowering renegade LP members such as Mimiko,Ladoja,Gbenga Daniels,Opeyemi Bamidele and Afenifere old brigade against anything Tinubu which you people don't see as anti-party activities or even APGA in the SE

So also is APC at liberty to enter the PDP's camp to rattle it

For those who are waiting for SAINTS to come and rule Nigeria,you will wait till thy kingdom come

Gani Fawehinmi was here,you all shouted him down and asked him to stick to activism and refused to vote for him under a SAINTLY NCP party which wasn't into distributing garri,rice and ankara

Prof Pat Okedinachi Utomi also have been on the fringes preaching paradigm shift,contested and spent about N700million of his own money under SDMP,you all said 'If only he will join a major party and work from the inside' you didn't vote for him cos you said you didn't want to waste your votes cos he might not win

Now he is in APC,you still said 'Ah he has gone to join them'

Festus Keyamo has been shouting himself hoarse using the instrumentality of law to fight for the downtrodden but the fact remains that political platform remains the best avenue to affect a large number of individual. He joined APC,you all sneered at him

Yet some of you can't mobilise 10 people to form a political party of the decent and by the decent but will rather constitute yourselves into armchair critics

If an enemy is fighting me with an AK47,you don't expect me to go and deploy a catapult as a defence mechanism

In Boxing,we call it Pound for Pound!

In the 60s,it was called 'You Tarka me,I Daboh you' ( apologies to JS Tarka and G Adzuana Daboh who had a landmark political fight then!)

Good one.

hercules07: @Pukkah

Just take it easy, worst case scenario, GEJ will leave Aso Rock by 2019, definitely power is going back to the North, let us record the utterances of his supporters, when someone else gets there and do the same, we shall wait for them to criticise, then, we shall bring out their records. The president cancelled FEC meetings, cancelled an international engagement and sat at a rally where hatred and ethnic bigotry was being heaped on a region, the SW is listening and watching, the statement of Eze and Akpabio will come back to haunt GEJ in 2015.

Oh yes.

The chickens will come back home to roost. They always do.

9jacrip: This post shouldn't generate much pages really, the Yoruba posters should just take note of the part which glaringly displays the anti-Yoruba mentality ingrained in the East.

Lastly, the Igbo posters saying 'all is fair', I hope when the comment from their politicians generates reactions across the west that affects your ilks there won't be any complaints and all would still be fair? Because in the end when we all throw down the dice, the Igbos will be the biggest losers

It only beats me that educated folks are very much in support of divisive and tribal-istic laden politics in 2013!!

For those who may not know, including those who uttered the reckless statements and their supporters, one of the unintended consequences of the acerbic and thoughtless statement is that it will unite the Yorubas more.

I don't think the 'Awolowo people' in PDP, AD, Labour Party etc will feel good about the needless, divisive statement. Heck, I don't even think the Yorubas in Jonathan's government would feel cool with it not to talk of moderates and erstwhile apathetic people.

Thus, this statement is even capable of making APC and Yoruba nationalism stronger at the end of the day.

PointB:


The burden of prove is on you.

You made a false statement and I corrected you. Admit it.

How is the APC an Awolowo party and the PDP or AD is not?

PointB:

Now Anambra is an Igbo State and PDP and APGA are not Awolowo's party.

When did the PDP, especially in the South West, become a non Awolowo's party?

Which party has more Awoists, the APC, PDP or the AD? Ebenezer Babatope, one of the remaining Awoists is a PDP member. So many other Awoists are in the AD.

Or is it any party that is ruling most of the South Western states that's an Awolowo's party even when Awoists are in other parties and the Awolowo family is not at ease with a major leader of the APC?

When one looks again at the statement describing the APC as an Awolowo party, it becomes obvious that the hatred goes beyond the person of Awolowo and is for the entire Yorubas . Except you can prove or show how APC alone is the party of Awolowo.

This reckless statement has just stoked the fire of hatred that goes beyond party politics. The implications of the callous statement may go beyond the wildest imagination of the speaker and those of you goading them.

edo.girl:
The remark about Awolowo and the Yorubas is so bad.

Even if you hold this sort of view personally, there are certain things that are just not to be said in public.

If Jonathan was a decent man, he could have taken to the mic (even if it's shortly before he left the event) to express displeasure at that comment, and apologise on behalf of everyone present. Obama or any other leader worth his salt would have done that.

For the President to sit down smiling sheepishly like a buffoon is remarkable.

How did we as a country get to this low low point?

So sad.

At least some people are thinking right.

The fact that the President sat through that means a lot.

Eziachi:
Its just that people are some how bolder now because they are drunk with power or closer to power than ever before. Wait till 2015 comes.

What does the newfound 'boldness' mean for the masses? Will it make the situation better or worse?

Eziachi:
When your principle is guided by your belly and position in life, you can say anything irrespective. An average Nigerian politician is like a flood, who flows which ever way circumstances directs or channels it.

>

Chigorkizz: .i tink non of d PDP members made such statement as claimed by d op.

Chigorkizz: I think the op violated Nairaland rule number 8 that says-++
DON'T POST FALSE INFORMATION ON NAIRALAND..

Please prove that the post is not true.

You may also tell us the actual statements that were made at the place.

Thanks.

ilugunboy:

If those statements were made in the gathering of local politicians...they could easily have been forgiven as political exuberance...however doing such while the President of the country is seated right there and without any attempt at caution makes the whole episode a very sad commentary of the type of people at the highest level of government in Nigeria today...

Well...some people can down-play it as much as they wish...but the truth is other Nigerians are not particularly happy with this type of backwardness.

Absolutely.

Honestly, the handlers of the President should encourage him to issue a statement to disown that reckless statement. It is not too late for him to redeem himself. He needs to do some damage control. And if doesn't do it, I wish him 'good luck'.

He should conduct himself as a President and not a local champion.

President Jonathan should know that he is no longer a PDP candidate or Bayelsa state governor. Whether or not people like it, he's the face of Nigeria. Whether or not Nigeria is a faulty contraption, he should at least do what he swore to do.

As a good leader, he should not victimize, deride, demean or insult any part of the country or religion or physically watch anyone do it.

History will judge him on whether or not he was a 'good leader'.

Afam4eva:
That's the reality of the Nigeria that we live in today. The recklessness didn't start with Jonathan and won't end with him until be get our act together. I thin it's also imperative that we talk about some reckless actions that bore these reckless statements.

We are getting somehere bro.

I agree that Nigeria is a faulty contraption. I also agree that we have been putting paper over major cracks.

But what sort of reckless actions that bore these reckless statements would justify them being made in the physical presence of the President of Nigeria?

How does that solve the problem of the 'reality that we live in today'?

Is this type of omission on the part of the President worsening or solving the problem?