₦airaland Forum

Usain Bolt's incredible victory should set the officials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria [ AFN ] thinking. It is very painful that most of our Sports Administrators are not visionaries and deep thinkers. Sports Administration in Nigeria has been politicised. In Nigeria, we tend to apply politics to everything. That is why we are failing in almost all fronts. Our Basketball team was knocked out of the 2009 Afrobasket Championship in Libya by Cameroun. The loss of D'Tigers means that we will not be at the next Basketball World Cup to be hosted by Turkey. Angola has dominated Men's Basketball in Africa because the sport is enjoy serious funding and great facilities in the country. Angola is directing money made from Petroleum products into Basketball and other sports. This is the same Angola that has just emerged from a Civil War Cameroun was not a force to be reckoned with in African Basketball until recent times. Egypt has almost taken over from us in Table Tennis in Africa. In their bid to dethrone Nigeria, the Egyptian Government invested lots of money into purchasing Table Tennis boards and other equipment which were distributed in their thousands to various provinces in Egypt. Hundreds of coaches were brought in to train young Egyptians how to play the game. Today, they are ahead of us in the game.

Let me come back to Athletics. If care is not taken, Nigeria will be erased from the World Map of Athletics. I don't know what is wrong with our Sporting Associations. Those that run them are bereft of ideas and are charlatans I guess our athletics officials will be celebrating Usain Bolt's success now. Shameless people!!! We do not appreciate gifted administrators in Nigeria. I'm saying the bitter truth. That is why we have a solid coach like Samson Siasia tutoring the U-20 team while an average coach like Amodu Shuaibu is handling the Super Eagles. I remember my days in Secondary School in Nigeria. We had good athletes in the school who were all below 17 years old. I was not a good sportsman then but I had some classmates who were good in high jump, long jump, Javelin, Discus and the sprints. We had the invitatational relays in which different schools were invited to run on our tracks during our Inter-House Sports Day. All the other schools in Ogun State were doing the same thing in the 80's and 90's. Our secondary schools were bursting with young and talented sportsmen and women. It was not as if my school had much money then. The Games Master was just passionate about what he was doing. He was also teaching Physical Education in the school. He was very fit and was always dressed in a tracksuit with canvas shoes. While other students were participating in the morning assembly, the footballers and other athletes will be training on the school field. This exercise was carried out thrice weekly. It scarcely happens these days.

I can write a thesis on this topic but I've got other things to do. The Jamaicans are doing well because of the developmental schemes in their country. The Americans are really in for it. Jamaica has a history of having fit sportsmen and women. I can't forget the days of Marleyene Ottey and Juliet Cuthbert of Jamaica. Usain Bolt also attributed his fitness to the carribean diet and Jamaican food. The Jamaicans have researched deeply into their food and diet and they've come out with a winning formula. The same way the Chinese researched into their herbs and have become a force to be reckoned with in diving and gymnastics at the Olympics. What is Nigeria doing concerning research into local food, herbs and crops? Nigeria will suffer greater losses at the next Olympics if nothing is done about the state of our athletics programs. The National Sports Festival will not help matters. The Festival ends up bringing nearly expired athletes into the limelight. The AFN has to look for funds and make advances into our secondary schools and primary schools to identify and groom up talents. Politics has to be done away with when it comes to Sporting Matters in Nigeria. Our Sporting Associations also need to be accountable and should use funds given to them judiciously.  A word is enough for the wise.

And don't forget to vote for Pat Utomi in 2011. Change needs to come to Nigeria. Thanks.

I have never considered Seyi Olofinjana as a really good player. That was in the past. My admiration for him is growing by the day. I know God is with him. I'm not speaking positively about him because of the money he has given to Okwaraji's family. Seyi is making progress daily despite the critcism that is thrown at him. He is a great man.

It is not a new thing, Nairalanders. Idiagbon's boys disgraced unruly Nigerians and motorists in public by flogging them with horse-whips. No traffic offender was spared, no matter how important you were. My dad told me of those Military Policemen with Red Berets. They feared no one and Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon [ God bless his soul ] unleashed them on the country to enforce discipline. Those were the days when Armed Robbers were very careful when they went out on their operations Idiagbon and Buhari [ Idiagbon was the de-facto President of Nigeria ] formed this elite squad of Policemen called '' Kill and Go''. This special force of cops took the battle to the criminals and armed robbers in their dens and hide-outs. My uncle was a member of the this solid force of hardened Policemen.

If the whipping of erring motorists will stop the carnage and madness on our roads, I support the koboko wielding traffic cops. Besides, Lagos needs this kind of measure to tackle the crazy motorists in the state. Cheers.

The two Elephants in this battle are stupid  I think it is high time university administrators in Nigeria start looking inwards for the solution to their problems. There is a lot of corruption going on in our universities. I make bold to say this. While I was studying as an Undergraduate in Nigeria's Premier University, I took time to make detailed calculations of how much was being earned internally by the University Administration. Fellow, Nairalanders, you will be shocked to know that good sums of money are generated annually on our campuses However, what happens to the money? The same academic and non academic staff in our Ivory Towers who love pointing accusing fingers at the Federal Government, are the ones embezzling the money and keeping our universities underdeveloped. Let me break it down for you, mates.

Intra Campus Transport Services: The authorities in our universities charge the owners of buses and taxi cabs on our campuses an annual or monthly fee. The cabs on some of our campuses run into their hundreds. Money is also collected from visitors for parking services. What has been done with the revenue generated from these services? I need an naswer to this question. I feel EFCC should go after Ex- Vice Chancellors and their deputies in Nigeria. Including the Registrars. ASUU should also smell the coffee and question the University authorities on what is being done to internally generated revenue.

Revenue Generated from shop spaces, canteens,Restaurants etc: Money is being collected on a monthly basis from operators of Internet cafes, canteens, restaurants, Computer Typing Operatives etc. What is being done with the money collected from this artisans? Nigerian Students need answers to this question.

I don't want to bore people reading this thread with too much facts and details. It is very clear that strikes will not work for ASSU a good number of lecturers on our campuses are half-baked and are not innovative in their teaching methods. I've seen Senior Lecturers that use 1978 notes to teach students in 2002-2003. What happened to daily research? I've come across Nigerian lecturers who don't know how to use the internet to develop themselves. Our lecturers need to also work on themselves.

The Federal Government also needs to shape up and develop the infrastructure in our Public Universities. The NUC needs to start networking with the Private Companies who will institute scholarships, grants and annual prizes on our campuses. The Federal Government needs to double the money given to our universities for Physical and Infrastructural development. Though, I'm afraid of the kleptomanic tendencies of our university authorities. Accountability is not in the dictionary of most university administrations Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Innocent Nigerian students must not be made to suffer for the financial recklessness of our leaders and university authorities. Cheers.

Don't think this Chelsea victory is a fluke. The team is determined to correct the errors of last season. Any team or club coming to Stamford Bridge this season will most likely receive a hiding. Ancelotti has been fine-tuning the squad for some weeks now. Everyone at Chelsea FC plc is energised. Don't underestimate the power of a '' Can Do'' attitude. Cheers.

I am a Chelsea supporter and I know the team is going to do well this season. The Champions League is the main target of Chelsea FC this season apart from the Premiership title. I hope you guys know that Michael Emenalo is one of the scouts of the club. Emenalo played for Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup in USA. The Stamford Bridge boys are determined to conquer the rest of Europe this season after being muscled out by Barcelona FC last season. I'm a true blues fan. Cheers.

It is easy to criticize Isaac Boro but how many Nigerian youths today can get up and do something to make the country better? I'm not talking about carrying out a armed struggle here I'm talking about Nigerian youths starting small projects that will impact on their communities. From the poster's article, it is clear that Boro read widely and was well informed. How many Youths in the country today are informed? Food for thought.

Hmn, so what is the big deal about Tuface Idibia not doing a duet with R Kelly? I lost my respect for R Kelly some years ago. The guy is very unstable in character and it is very hard to know where he is headed career-wise. Yeah, he is very talented and remains one of the best songwriters on earth, but his attitude leaves so much to be desired. Tuface is a star in his own right and I will not be too happy if he lied to Nigerians about recording a song with Robert Kelly. I'm not trying to be self righteous here, but it would be better if Tuface collaborates with more conscious Foreign Artistes. I'm talking of artistes like Mos Def, Common, Estelle, Mary J Blige, Lauryn Hill, Jah Cure etc etc. Just my own opinion. Cheers.

Jacob Akinyemi Johnson [ JAJ ] of Rythm FM makes my day. He is my favourite on-air Presenter in Nigeria. I met him sometime in 1999. We had a nice chat in his office at the Station's headquarters in Lekki. Great Man, Great Personality. Cheers.

@Poster

There are about 785 Microfinance banks in Nigeria from my research. Try and approach some of them with a sound business plan. As someone said, you can open an account with them to fulfil all righteousness. However, make sure your business idea is innovative or you might become a failed entrepreneur. The world celebrates uniqueness these days. Cheers.

@boyson, the only thing I want to tell you is that you can make it in Nigeria. You've seen how law is practised in Britain and you've lived in the country for a while. Don't be scared of the harsh Nigerian environment which you can conquer and master. You can always visit Britain and take holidays there. There is nowhere like home. We all have to pitch in and rebuild Nigeria. Cheers.

I am wary of dealing with Asians. The Nigerian Government can go on and hire them. All what I just want to see in our politicians is sincerity of purpose and honesty. Cheers.

Like someone said earlier on, the chinese and other asians cannot be really trusted to execute a perfect job. Nigeria needs to start collaborating with countries like Canada and the scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Canada has a special interest in developing countries. When CANWEST was supplying NTA with programmes in the 80's and early 90's, NTA was the best in Children's entertainment. CANWEST'S programs were educative and very interesting. Where is NTA today? The Asians are in Africa to exploit us. They have their own agenda for Africa. Cheers.

The Railways project should be handed to the Canadians. The chinese and Indian guys will not provide the kind of modern infrastructure we need. Canada is a country with an advanced rail system and the Canadian government is good at partnering with developing nations to upgrade their infrastructure. I don't understand why our leaders always love to collaborate with Asian nations who dont really add value to our infrastructure. Lets call in the Canadians

We don't need to be scared by the Age-Test. It will only help us in the long run. I will be happy and fulfilled to see very young Nigerian boys defeating countries like Spain and Brazil to win FIFA Cadet Championships. The boys only need to be exposed to international competitions some months before the Junior World Cup tourneys. Our secondary School and Soccer Academy players are capable of doing us proud for years to come as Golden Eaglet Players. Cheers.

It is a free world.

@Shoboy9

If only you knew that there are a good number of Nigerians in state house of Assemblies and the Senate that have not joined the bandwagon of corrupt Politicians. We should be careful of hasty generalizations. If we all leave the work to be done to our Politicians, how will the country move forward? Corruption starts from the heart, and one can decide not to be tainted by the institutionalized corruption in Nigeria. A good name is really better than riches . Things are definately going to change in Nigeria, but how many Nigerian youths and graduates will be able to function in the Knowledge driven economy that will emerge from this present Phoenix called Nigeria? Our minds should start seeinmg possibilities in the murky situation we are in. Cheers.

I am not using Nairaland to campaign for anybody. I'm not seeking favours from anybody. I don't need to be a sycophant to survive. God in his infinite mercies has made me outstanding in all I have laid my hands on. Real Development comes to a nation when everyone starts seeing the country as a place where the ideas they have can be executed. Our leaders are corrupt, I'm not disputing that fact. However, there is nothing bad in approaching these leaders with ideas that can impact on the lives of the people

The painful thing is while some of us keep complaining on Nairaland about our leaders, some quick thinking Nigerian youths are making their money through innovative ideas and projects they suggested to ministries and State Governments. Take a look at Lagos State. Some guys who have worked for the London Underground in Britain have approached Fashola with a Blue Print and ideas on how to transform the Rail system in the state. Fashola is working with these guys and has appointed them as Project Supervisors. These are guys that know that Britain does not guarantee them a fulfilling future due to the tax system and covert discrimination. They know deep down that their future lies in Nigeria. God help Nigerian youths. Amen.

Isolo is one of the slums in Akure. And that was where Governor Agagu sited 4 of the solar powered boreholes. A lot of things are going on in Nigeria. Innovative youths need to start proffering ideas to our Governors. Someone must have told Governor Agagu about the need for the boreholes and using solar energy to power them. Don't forget that Ondo State is called the Sunshine State I must confess that the state is really hot. So the Governor and the guys behind the Borehole Project took advantage of the sun and used its energy positively. Good thinking, Good Product. Hmnn.

I'm back to this thread

A lot of things that some Nigerian Governors are doing are not well publicized by the Nigerian Media. While I was serving in Akure, Ondo State, I saw some of the good things the then Governor Olusegun Agagu was doing. I lived in Isolo, Akure, throughout my service year. I woke up one morning to see some Machinery being moved into the neighbourhood. Before I knew what was going on, a different kind of borehole had been been constructed . The Engineers were good and fast with their work. They built three of the boreholes in Isolo neighbourhood within a month. The amazing thing was the unique way the Boreholes automatically worked. They used solar energy to work . On the top of the tanks of each borehole were 4 solar panels that absorbed heat from the sun during the day. The Solar panels stored the heat and converted them into electrical energy to operate the boreholes during the night and several days later. PHCN was not needed to make the boreholes work

I stopped buying water and started fetching water from the borehole which was near my house. The water was fresh and clean. People in the neighbourhood were happy and praised the Governor. I saw this innovation with my koro koro eyes . Agagu also started the computerization of Ondo State. Lots of Flat Screen computers were shipped in from America and Europe and a ICT Centre was opened in Akure and other towns of the state. I saw these things with my eyes. All the civil servants in the state were mandated to attend computer courses which were offered to them freely by the State government. The guy that was behind the ICT revolution in Ondo State returned to Nigeria from England to start the ICT revolution in the state. His name is Tunji Ariyo. He had a office in the Government House at Alagbaka, Akure, Ondo State. The guy made his money and also helped the state. My advice to youths in Nigeria is to make themselkves valuable to the leaders in their states. They can help their states develop by offering ideas and being dynamic.

No sensible human being or Politician ignores good advice or a gifted indigene of the state. Cheers.

We just have to accept the reality at hand. Our practice of fielding overaged players has not helped us much. The casualties are just too much to bear. I'm not trying to pontificate or be a saint here. Most of us on this thread attended high or secondary schools in Nigeria. Most of our schools had football teams and we knew the school soccer stars back then. Inter-house Football competitions were also held in our schools. Not to talk of inter-class soccer tourneys some weeks to the end of each term. I am not saying other countries do not cheat in age-grade competitions but there must be a reason for Nigeria to have been singled out for accusations. Now lets look at some of the teams we fielded in cadet competitions in the past.

A. Saudi 89 U-20 team: We had players like Nduka Ugbade, Sam Elijah [ real egbon ], Mike Onyemachara, Christopher Nwosu , Christopher Ohenhen, Bawa Abdullahi, Peter Ogaba et al. The shocking thing is that none of Coach Tunde Disu's squad to Saudi Arabia apart from Mutiu Adepoju, played a part in the qualification matches for Italia 90 or even featured actively in Clemens Westerhof's fairy tale build-up to USA 94, except Nduka Ugbade who was used sparingly by Westerhof What happened to the rest of the boys. Some of them got clubs in Europe but soon faded into oblivion. Dimeju Lawal held a lot of promise but he soon faded away. A guy like Dimeji Lawal should have gone on to greater things. This is because less talented players like Luis Figo and Rui Costa went on to do great things for Portugal. Same thing with Hierro of Spain and Oleg Salenko of Russia who played in the same competition with our 'boys'.

B. Scotland 89 U-17 team: This team had lots of talented players like Segun Fetuga and Godwin Okpara and Victor Ikpeba, Many of the boys' chances to play in the U-20 competition in 1991 were crushed and destroyed when FIFA banned Nigeria for age discrepancies. Many of the members of the team to Scotland simply faded away. I heard some of them ended up as cab drivers and cleaners in Europe and Asia. Godwin Okpara and Victor Ikpeba made good progress. Victor Ikpeba was the sole survivor of that squad. He made it to the top in Nigerian colours. Godwin Okpara later featured for the Super Eagles at the tail end of his career. A rape and assault case ended his career decisively

C. Trinidad and Tobago 2001 U-17 team: This team was exciting to watch and had stars like Temile Omonigho, Victor Brown, Femi Opabunmi and a host of others. They crushed many teams in the competition and scored loads of goals. However, the team was full of aged guys. It was very glaring to Nigerian soccer fans these guys were older than they claimed. Femi Opabunmi was a shadow of himself when Onigbinde took him to Korea-Japan 2002 World Cup. Temile and Brown ended up playing for teams in Ukraine and Belarus. No one remembers them today.

I could go on and on. We need to go back to the basics. Lets hand the Golden Eaglet shirts to boys in the secondary school and Football Academy systems. Lets watch them grow up into World Class players. Our boys can win competitions in Europe and other parts of the world without much exposure. Football is about skills, stamina and team work. How old was Segun Odegbami when he started playing for the Green Eagles? He was very young then. Pele played his first game for Brazil's senior squad when he was barely 18. Same for Diego Maradona. WQe can rule the world with our youngsters. God bless Nigeria.

I am still at a loss as to why there is this general belief that we can't do without using overageg players in the u-17 and U-20 competitions. We need to be futuristic in our thinking. Over the years, we have seen many of our ' boys' comprehensively beating their counterparts from other countries during FIFA'S cadet competitions. However, our 'youthful' stars fade away quickly after doing well at the World Stage. 97% of them do not graduate into the Super Eagles Squads we've had over the years. After Holland 2005, one of the best defenders of Siasia''s Flying Eagles Squad [ wont name and shame ] was signed by a Dutch Club. However, the club's medical report on him stated that his bone formation was that of a 28-32 years old man . The guy was subjected to further medical tests. It was clear that he was older than his given age. The club signed him fully because of his talent only. They overlooked his age. I can also remember that John Terry of Chelsea FC also expressed some doubts initially about Mikel Obi's age during a training session.

Anyone who looks at Lionel Messi, Boban or Fabregas will know that they represented their country at their correct ages. Even with our squad of overaged players during the Trinidad and Tobago U-17 World Cup in 2001, France thrashed us 3-0 in the final match. The same French Cadet team we beat 2-1 in a group game at the tourney. Sinama Pongolle, who led the French Attack was very young then. During my High School days in Nigeria, my school's football team had a lot of good players who were skillful. They were all under 17 years.  A 13 year old JSS 3 boy was even a key member of the team. And these boys were not looking thin or ill-fed o They were fit and were given extra food by the school authorities. Lekan Adekola, the school's Goalkeeper was 15 when he started manning the posts for the school team. He was very good and I watched him play against other schools a lot of times. The boy was focused and was a incredible shot stopper. There was a day my school played against Egbado College. After the first half, the Egbado College boys had a meeting. They and their coach believed Lekan was using charms to stop them from scoring When the 2nd half resumed, they jogged into the pitch with their jeseys turned inside out- they believed this move would neutralize Lekan's supposed magic. They failed and got whupped that day . Today, where is Lekan Adekola? I have not since him since 1995.

Our future lies in our players in our secondary schools and the Soccer Academies. Not in almost expired players in our professional clubs who are looking for a way to get into Europe by participating in FIFA cadet tournaments. The Ibadan Grammar school team in the 90's was comprised of very young boys who knew how play to football. They played like brazilians and they were almost invincible. Their jersey was yellow and blue like the Brazilian national team. Lets go back to the basics. Cheers.

I think the Age Test is good. I don't see it affecting Nigeria's chances in FIFA Youth competitions. It will help us in the long run.  It should also be noted that some of the players in our past U-17 and U-20 Squads were quite young. I'm not talking about the whole teams, though. Yemi Tella's Korea U-17 team had a lot of overaged players. I don't want to name and shame on this thread. The Trinidad and Tobago 2001 U-17 squad also had a good number of old guys posing as u-17 players. Where is Temile Omonigho and Victor Brown today ? These guys shone like stars in 2001.  Even Femi Opabunmi, the team's prolific striker faded after 2 years into oblivion.

One of the youngest u-17 teams we've had was the squad tutored by Austin Eguavoen in 2003. The youngsters that went to Finland under Eguavoen were quite young. This was because a good number of the boys were products of the Shell Cup and Pepsi Football Academy. Look at John Mikel Obi, Olufemi Adebayo, Ambrose Vanzekin, Apam Onyekachi, Olayinka Adedeji and the rest of them. Samson Siasia inherited the Finland Boys and added some other players. These were the boys that did us proud in Holland in 2005 during the U-20 AYC.

The Japan 1993 team led by Wilson Oruma also had some young guys who were actually below the age of 17. Celestine Babayaro was really 16 years in 1993. Others were Festus Okougha [ God knows what happened to him ] Emmanuel Babayaro, Emmanuel Okeneboh [ the able keeper ] and a few others. Kanu and Oruma were obviously above the cadet age.

I believe our secondary school players can do well at the U-17 championships. The NFF should look for players in the shell Cup and Football academies for the FIFA U-17 and U-20 World cups. There are thousands of gifted and focused footballers in the secondary schools scattered all over Nigeria. Cheers.

Seun Osewa, you're an innovator and a deep thinking young Nigerian, who has never ceased to keep making me believe in the infinite potentials and greatness that lies in Nigerian youths. May the good lord continue to guide and protect you. Amen. Happy Birthday, mate. Keep the fire burning. Cheers.

1. The firm that will design the toilets need to be paid.
2. Even if the Oyo State government gives free land, operational costs will still be high in constructing the Public Toilets.
3. Do you know how much it costs to dig a borehole these days? and the costs of building materials?

I am just laughing

@Phemmmy

I understand you perfectly. Akala needs to think of other development oriented projects besides the Public Toilets. I believe the Nigerian Media will respond to his plans very soon. Cheers.

@ Freezy

I am waiting for your response about UI's current infrastructure. I know the UNIBADAN campus like the back of my palms. How did you come to the conclusion that UI's infrastructure is that bad ? I'm awaiting your response.

@ Nairalanders

Construction is not a cheap thing to embark on, except one wants to use cheap building materials that will lead to a weak facility. Public toilets or not, it is not a Child's Plays when you are building in Nigeria. Before, you know it, you're needing more bags of cement and the workers will collect a daily working allowance. We have not even talked about wirings, painting, roofing, providing water and other things. All those asbestos sheets, do you know how much they cost? I'm just laughing here

All in All, a lot of work needs to be done if Nigeria is to really become developed. We have to change our value systems and the way we view public service. We have to start believing that if we embezzle money while we are in office, we are gradually destroying the destinies of our children and unborn generations. There must be transparency in governance and this should be taught to children right from Primary school. Civics and Citizenship studies need to be reintroduced into our Primary and Secondary School curriculum.

Some people are better left to their opinions. It is a free world.

@Freezy

Did you really explore the UI Campus?  This is because I visited my Alma Mater in 2007. Did you go to the Faculty of the Social sciences? Did you walk through the Faculty of Law to Phillipson Road? Professor Bamiro is the new Vice Chancellor of UI and the guy is really working hard to improve things on campus. Did you visit the reading rooms of Zik Hall? Bamiro has transformed the reading rooms of the Undergraduate Halls in UI, mate. Did you live out of Campus or on Campus? Facilities might not be tip- tap in UI but they are not bad as you paint them. Cheers.

@Fhemmmy,

It is obvious that Alao Akala is not an intellectual and he's not too intelligent. Oyo state needs to move away from the Amala politics of Adedibu now that he is dead. By now, Ibadan should be one of the best cities in West Africa. If Ibadan's public Infrastructure is upgraded and maintained, it is going to be a wonderful city. Oyo state needs an action governor like Fashola of Lagos State. Ibadan is too valuable to be neglected. Under Lam Adeshina, nothing was done to improve the state infrastructurally. Rasheed Ladoja had too many enemies to confront and he did not have the time to work on taking the state to another level. The Problem with Oyo State is that the politicians there are still using archaic and outdated political techniques. I have ties to Ibadan as a city. We need a young and dynamic governor that will turn the fortunes of the state around. I have some Yoruba blood in me and I am distantly related to Chief Obafemi Awolowo who had a grand vision for Oyo State had he become the President of Nigeria. Oyo state has a website and Nairalanders can get across to the Oyo State Government through the site or write articles in the Newspapers condemning the toilets. The Tribune will gladly publish those articles and letters. Cheers all.

@ Kobojunkie

I am not avoiding any question on this thread. I have answered your questions. Please read between the lines. Governments all over the world build and maintain public infrastructure. They do these through the local councils. I have had the privilege of working with many foreigners including Brits, Irish people, Americans and Germans. When I was growing up, my father had many friends from Syria, Lebanon and Switzerland. I don't want to burnish my credentials online. I grew up in a very exposed environment. I won't talk about countries I've been to. In Britain, people have toilets in their homes but the governments still built Public toilets around and also in the Parks. These Toilets are maintained by the councils who are like the Local Governments in Nigeria. The councils have a Works and Maintenance Department that maintain the facilities.

It is obvious that people can be pressed to answer the call of nature when they are not in their homes. The Western Governments know this and they provided the needed toilets. Are you telling me there are no public toilets in places in the Western world apart from Stadiums and Event centres? If you read my earlier posts well, I factored the construction of a borehole along with the Public Tolilets. The borehole will provide the water needed for flushing the toilets. Read my posts again. You have a right not to like Governor Akala's construction of Public toilets but I know they're a neccessity. I know a better governor will come and take his place in the near future.  I don't know much about Akala's past but a better man with ideas of how to generate internal revenue in Oyo State will emerge soon.

The British left us with some values that we have discarded. While I was at UNIBADAN, I observed that the faclities on campus looked similar to those of the University of London. Till now, the facilities of UI are still being maintained in a British manner though some of the infrastructure has dilapidated. There are a lot of things for me to say, but I'l leave it for another day. Cheers.

@Kobojunkie

I'm not a Politician but I know the government has some responsibility in providing public facilities. This is what obtains in most parts of the world. I think I have provided enough points to back up my claims. Fine, you might not like Akala's idea of building Public toilets. I'm not also saying the guy is intelligent or scoring high in other areas of achievement. However, we need to look at the money Akala met in the state coffers when he became governor and the internally generated revenue of Oyo State. Oyo State has been practically ruined before the man came in. To me, only two men developed Oyo State. The late sage, Obafemi Awolowo and Late chief Bola Ige. Sorry for mentioning your name. Accept my apologies. Cheers.

@ Others

I'm not saying Governbor Alao Akala is one of the best Governors in Nigeria. He is lagging behind Fashola, Amaechi and about 10 others. However, from January 2009, Akala started working towards changing the face of Oyo State. Fashola's achievements in Lagos continues to  move  other Governors into action. Akala might have started with toilets but I know he has other plans. He is currently working on sanitising the city itself.  I think we should all dwell on the role we Nigerians play in the underdevelopment of our country. Recently, many Principals of Federal Government Colleges in the country were accused of embezzling funds meant for constructing facilities in their schools It is in Nigeria that Old Student Associations in our High schools will release money for projects only for the school authorities to embezzle the money and constuct pitiable projects

Let us take a cue from Michael Jackson's song- MAN IN THE MIRROR. Let us take a good look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves this question: Am I better than the man I'm painting in a bad light?    Our Governors have Commisioners, Local Government Chairman and Councillors who have become a law unto themselves. They receive money for their constituencies but they use the cash for their personal ends. Nigeria is on life support because many people who are in positions of responsibility are behaving like vultures and vampires when it comes to disbursing funds. A classic example of this behaviour took place when I was serving in Ondo State. During the three weeks orientation program, I was part of a Platoon in camp. There were about 100 members in my Platoon. We had to contribute money for some camp activities we took part in. To cut the story short, the Platoon leader and two other Platoon executives embezzled our common funds. They inflated prices and had to be forced to pay back the stolen funds by the NYSC officials and Camp commandant. Yet, these were mere corpers. These were future leaders of the country already disgracing themselves while serving their country. About 3 other platoons in camp had the same problem

I hope Akala will go on to to other projects besides toilets. You can also advice him by writing open letters on the toilet issue to Nigerian dailies. Oyo State also has a website.  Cheers.

@Fhemmmy,

I'm not here to defend Governor Akala but I don't think he should be blamed for people going hungry or being jobless. It is only in Nigeria that people expect the government to provide jobs for them and feed them. I agree that that the Oyo State Government needs to provide a conducive environment for business to flourish and create skill acquisition centres. However, one of the basic things a government needs to provide is Public Utilities. You said Nigerians are hungry Can you tell me the level of hunger of Nigerians? Is it not the same Ibadan where I had my undergraduate education? The same Ibadan that has the amazing Bodija Market?  Is it not the same Ibadan where bus drivers and conductors eat like kings? While I was studying in Ibadan, I used to visit Bukas and Canteens in town and I was usually outdone by the conductors when it comes to ordering good food These guys ate like kings ordering all kinds of meat and fish with small wraps of Amala, fufu and eba.

I believe if these drivers and conductors invested the money they made into profitable businesses, they wont have to wait for the government to provide jobs for them. Instead, many of them spent it on food, drinks [ paraga] and prostitutes How many jobs is the British Government providing for their citizens? It is the private sector that drives the economies of the advanced countries. Jobs provided by the Government should be about 15% while the Private sector provide the other jobs. Look at America and how it coped with the Great Depression of the roaring 20's [ 1920'S ] Franklin Delano Roosevelt  [ FDR ] came in and turned the country around. And what did he do? He provided lots of utilities and infrastructure and built many Public buildings, schools and institutions. FDR also made the American environment friendly to investment and business. The Private sector did the rest.

Fhemmmy, do you know that the American Government closed its eyes and allowed smugglers to have a field day because many of the smugglers invested their money back into the American economy? This kind of agreement between the US government and smugglers [ Drug Cartels and Goods Smugglers ] still exists till today. Forget about the official laws, mate. During the Great Depression, the Gangster, Al Capone, was allowed to feed poor people in California and New York while the Government looked away briefly from his illegal activities. My research revealed to me that we have about 786 Microfinance banks in Nigeria Nigerian youths need to start thinking. Nigeria is a country where I see citizens complain in the afternoon, but would down 5 bottles of Gulder or Guiness [ odeku ] in the night . They spend money on excesses but cant think of innovative business ideas. I have other things to do online. Let me exit Nairaland for now. Cheers all.