₦airaland Forum

I'm happy for her. There are many academically gifted black students in the United Kingdom. I have noticed that most of these geniuses have parents who were not born in the UK. Their parents are usually professionals who had their initial education in African Primary and Secondary Schools. The British Media is usually fond of reporting the negative stories about Nigerians in the country, however some local newspapers report immigrant success stories without being biased. I'm always excited with this kind of stories. Cheers.


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I feel Babatunde Raji Fashola should hearken to the voice of his supporters- The People of Lagos State. Nigeria has a lot of rulers but few leaders. Fashola has done his best for Lagos State and I've noticed that he is very sincere when he speaks about his plans for the people of the state. Obviously, some powerful interests in the state do not like change and they're scared of what might happen to the usual opportunities to embezzle funds if Fashola leads us for another four years. Fashola should not leave office after completing his first term. We need continuity in government for some time. He is really trying considering the fact that infrastructural development in Lagos has been abandoned for about two decades before he came Governor. Babatunde Raji Fashola, I wish you well. Cheers.


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@Buzugee

As much as I love your comments, I feel you're giving the Nigerian Government an excuse for their ridiculous failure to provide the much needed structure for development. There is no country in the world where the government does not play a role in ensuring the citizens of the countries they govern maintain an acceptable living standard.  I understand your opinion that Nigerians should not expect the government to do everything for them, but our leaders have failed to create an enabling environment in the first place  Things will surely get better in Nigeria as time goes on. However, those who choose to live abroad should not be crucified or ridiculed. Nigerian leaders are not connecting with the masses. Our political system is alien to us [ the masses ] and our political parties are run like the Italian Mafia. Until  ordinary Nigerians start becoming card carrying members of our political parties, we will continue having this kind of debates on Nairaland. Cheers.

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Most of my prayers that have been answered by God were those that I did while alone. I particularly do not like noisy environments. Mind you, I'm not against people who pray at the top of their voices. I'm not also against churches where mass chantings are done during prayer sessions. It is all up to the individual involved. There are some times when we have to be aggressive in our prayers. I slip into a an aggressive mode during prayers when I'm challenged during my sleep by the dark forces [ Being pressed down while sleeping, nightmares etc ] and when I have come against a brick wall on some issues. What I do know is that Prayer works  Cheers.


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The 11 Powewr Distribution firms will be bought by a coterie of our treasury looters directly or indirectly and a few foreign investors. I don't really care about the buyers of the firms. What I want is a situation where power outages will be a thing of the past in Nigeria.  Just as Telecoms opreators like Globacom, MTN, Zain and lately Etisalat have made it possible for Nigerians to speak to themselves without standing in a business centre for hours, the power distribution firms will also make it possible for Nigerians to have a choice when it comes to their electricity provider. This smove by the FG should have been made about 20 years ago  Nigerians have been made to suffer for too long. Hmn.


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I would have loved to be at the conference where Obasanjo uttered these words. I would have stood up and shouted- '' What did you really do to put Nigeria in order when you were in power?'' We need leaders who can match their words with action. Enough of this bullshit


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Kenny Saint Brown-Ogungbe: I don't like her a bit. She's too plastic and she does not know how to sing at all.

Ladi Akeredolu Ale: I don't know if he is still with Channels Television. He seems forceful on the screen and I don't like the way he throws his weight around when he's presenting on the screen.

Obesere: He might be popular but I don't really like him.

The trio above are the celebrities I have issues with for now. Let me just digress a bit.

I dig Emem 'MemO' Ema [ Ex-Kush member ] a lot. I am her number one admirer Emem rocks!!


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This is the kind of thread I've been waiting for    As a researcher and someone who loves looking for information online, I've been researching the potentials of different Nigerian States for some months now. There are a lot of factors that are keeping many Nigerians in the diaspora from coming back home. This is not to say some Nigerians have not returned to set up businesses in the country. However, they are in the minority .  The living conditions in Nigeria are terrible. I travelled out of Nigeria for the first time in early 2007. I was in for a rude awakening as soon as I landed at Gatwick Airport. From the Airport to my destination, all I noticed was an efficient system that was organized. The street lights and road signs from Gatwick to South-East London were functional and well illuminated. The Cab driver who was a Jamaican just asked for the postcode of where I was going and punched it into his TomTom device. As he drove, he started telling me of how he made his living as a Cab driver and other matters about his status in Britain. By the time I disembarked at my lodging, I had already known a lot about Britain. What I'm trying to say is that living among informed people matters a lot. How many Nigerian cab drivers take the time to buy newspapers and know what is happening in the country?

In Europe and America, the worst houses have electricity and water. I have come across houses that are dilapidated in some parts of England, but you'll be shocked to find out that there is running water and power in them. In Nigeria, you have to be a politician, very rich businessman or fraudster to afford 24-7 light and water.  Let's go to the transportation sector. In Nigeria, it is very difficult to set out for work and know the exact time you'll arrive at the office  You're consistently held in traffic and bogged down by bad roads. And sometimes, you might be unlucky to fall into the hands of unscrupulous traffic officials like the notorious LASTMA in Babatunde Raji Fashola's Lagos.  In Britain [ Let's not talk about the advanced transport system in Germany and Holland ], you can determine the exact time you'll get to work. This is because the train, underground tube system and the bus transport systems have been computerized. You can sit in your house and plan your journey. You can find out when the next train towards West London will be arriving at the station near you. You can even plan your journeys to other parts of Britain through the National Route Planner. We are yet to do these kind of things in Nigeria.

How about job opportunities and the chance to make a living? Many Nigerians are afraid of returning home because of the lack of jobs and sustainable ways of making a living down there. While I don't want to be an armchair critic, I know that there are not many job opportunities in Nigeria as compared to Europe and North America. If you're hardworking, you will find a job in Europe or America. The job might not be a pleasant job, but you will make good money in due course. It is not easy to displace citizens of European countries from getting jobs that are comfy. The problem with Nigerians is that they want to land in Europe today and be working in a top job the next week . Things do not work like that. There are different kinds of jobs that can be done in Europe.  In Nigeria, you have to pray, fast and hustle thoroughly to even get a factory job which pays you peanuts. I have also found out that some cleaning and factory jobs pay more than some executive jobs in Nigeria. It all depends on how we look at. Let me tell you something. I have seen people who are leaflet distributors in Britain and who are paid about £40 daily for distributing 2000 leaflets. These guys are very fast and they set out of their homes by 6.00am in the morning. £40 is about 11,000 Naira in Nigeria. How many companies can pay you that amount per day in Nigeria? These are the kind of situations that Nigerians look at before making up their minds to stay abroad.

How about the opportunities for personal development? There are hardly any places in Nigeria where you can go to develop your sporting abilities anytime. We don't have parks, community sporting centres and discount gyms in our neighbourhoods. There are parks all over Europe and North America, and you don't have to pay to use the facilities there. How well stocked are the libraries in Nigeria? Do Nigerian Libraries promote their activities in the neighbourhoods they are meant to serve? In London, the Libraries are ever ready to help you develop your potentials. And these are just local libraries. I'm not talking about the British Library or University Libraries o. All you need is to get someone to act as a referee for you and a proof of address, and you're given a smart card to access library services. You can browse the net or read and borrow books as you want. There are many charities that can also develop your potentials when you volunteer for them. We don't have that kind of personal development structure in Nigeria. The painful thing is that most Nigerians abroad are not even making full use of the facilities I've mentioned

I can go and on but I need to stop here. The reasons why Nigerians abroad moan are the taxes and high transport fares they have to pay to survive. It is not Disney World in Europe and America. That is why some Nigerians live in Europe for 15 years without anything to show for it. Some are struggling to pay their mortgage while others have to fraudulently obtain council housing. Bringing up children in Britain is not easy. You've got to feed, clothe and give them some change as pocket money if you don't want them to join gangs and sell drugs. Sincerely, Britain is not an ideal place to bring up your kids. As for returning to Nigeria, I respect those who make that decision. Nigeria is a developing country and there are lot of potentials in the country. There are many business ideas I've noticed that will work in Nigeria.  The best place to enjoy your money is in Nigeria. We need more Nigerians who have lived In Europe, North America and Australia to come and start businesses in Nigeria. I don't see any reason why Nigerians stay back in Europe if they're not really doing well there. Why can't they save up [ Sacrifice clubbing and buying new clothes ] and come home to start something? The hard currency will translate to more cash in Naira and you can take your dreams from there. We might have useless leaders in Nigeria, but the determined ones will make lemon juice out of the lemons that life throws at them. A well thought out business idea with some research on Nigerian areas will yield good money. Let me stop here for now. Will come back later. Cheers.


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I am impressed with the various brilliant analyses on this thread. We need great leaders in order to pull Nigeria out of her current state of underdevelopment and hopelessness. I just want great leaders in office and I won't mind if a Northerner or Southerner emerges as our president in 2011. I believe it is high time the PDP is defeated at the National polls. The Party has a lot of non performing governors. The Action Congress of Nigeria needs to work harder to make its presence felt in other parts of the country rather than the South West and Middle Belt areas alone. Seriously, why can't the Labour Party and the Action Party merge together and strive to win in all the South West states next year? It is a shame that it is when elections are around that our parties start canvassing for the votes of the masses. Building support for Party manifestoes is a daily thing. How many of us ordinary Nigerians are card carrying members of our parties i.e PDP, ACN, ANPP, LP etc? Our politicians deliberately schemed us out of becoming party members because they know we would have the chance to choose credible flag bearers if we are involved in party primaries. I am looking forward to the 2011 elections at all levels. Cheers.

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This looks like a marriage heading for the rocks!! Anyway, I'll give the poster a benefit of doubt. Since you've said the guy is a British Citizen [ I hope you've confirmed this by seeing his British Passport and pictures he took in Britain ], I don't think your man wants to use you to get his papers. I feel you should postpone the wedding to a later date. This will give you time to decide if you really want to marry this guy. Marriage is a lifetime commitment and God does not like divorce. Personally, I feel meeting someone on the internet is risky but there are always exceptions. I want you to pray more concerning this relationship. I believe God will reveal a lot more to you concerning your man. Don't be in a haste to dump him though. You could be throwing the baby away with the bath water. Being fat should not be a thing of shame. I've come across fat women who are still very attractive. Keep your head up, sister Cheers.


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I'm happy that some form of classification about Nigerian States has been made. Though I don't completely agree with the table, I feel it is a huge step forward towards ensuring that data collection becomes a normal thing in Nigeria. Many Nigerian Governors are not performing because they have not been really confronted with facts and figures that will make them bury their heads in shame Another thing I've come to discover is that Nigerian youths have to start worrying greatly about the destiny of the country. When we genuinely start to worry about the state of things in Nigeria, we will be forced to do something about the problems we face on a daily basis. We need to start thinking about how we can get our leaders to develop the country by initiating projects they will be glad to be part of. This requires deep thinking.

@poster, thanks for starting this thread. Cheers.

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The Music Industry has been hijacked by executives who are only interested in profit. We don't have many highly gifted artists around these days. So music videos are used as the vehicle to push record sales. Since the cabal running the show knows sex and the creative display of the female body sells, they feature scantily dressed ladies in the videos. Have you observed that almost all the female music 'stars'  dress sexily and reveal so much flesh in their videos? We need to read between the lines to discover why the Music Industry is in such a big mess right now. Why is it that the music coming out of America these days does not make much sense? The United States of America is the Mirror of the world. So the Illuminati [ the Satanic cult that is influencing the world ] has taken the sense out of the music coming out of the States in a bid to make the world follow suit. Real Hip-Hop died with Tupac and Real R&B has not been around due to the absence of Lauryn Hill from the music scene.

All hope is not lost yet. There are still some great musicians around and their videos are clean and very inspiring. You need to search for these gifted artistes yourself. MTV and BET have sold out to the Illuminati, so you will only be seeing raunchy videos on your screen. Turn to YOUTUBE and the personal websites of artistes for great videos. Cheers.

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@Yinka boy,

Selling more albums does not make you more recognized than some other artistes. I still believe Sade Adu is the most recognized Nigerian Musician nowadays. It will take some time for Nneka to achieve the status of Sade on the world music scene.  All her albums are classics. When I ask many whites down here if they know Sade Adu, they answer in the affirmative most times. Cheers.


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This is a thread I am really interested in. As a music blogger, I've come to realize that it is very difficult to point out the most recognized Nigerian Musician. People have different tastes when it comes to music and they'll probably like the Nigerian Artiste that plays the genre of music they love. I've seen Nairalanders coming up with names like Seal, Sade Adu, Tunde Baiyewu etc. Yeah, Tunde Baiyewu was the vocalist for the Lighthouse Family [ Paul Tucker was a good composer and instrumentalist ] and the band was popular in the UK. However, Lighthouse Family only got to Number One on the Music Charts in Australia. The band remains popular though. Fela Anikulapo Kuti is also very popular in the Western World. He tends to have followers among Europeans and Americans who are in their late 40's and early 50's. Asa, Nneka and Ayo Ogunmakin are also adored by people all over the world. I want to be candid here, mates. The most popular and most recognized Nigerian Musician alive is Sade Adu.

Her name is Sade Adu. Go and do your research. Cheers.


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Arrghhh!!! Omotola sucks with this video and song. I'm sorry but I'm only being frank. This is the kind of song I'll doze off listening to Omotola is a great actress and she should stick to her calling. If this is how all the osngs on her new album sound like, I'll defo fling the CD under my bed if I'm given one as a present. Omosexy, you're pretty, sexy and cool. However, stay away from the music studios. Cheers.


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There is nothing bad in experimenting and seeing if things will work in a certain way. China is a country that believes in innovation and I won't be surprised if this current project works. I've observed that Chinese products are getting better by the day because Chinese Manufacturers always love to evolve. If only we can do likewise in Nigeria, things will be better off


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Nigeria will be taking a hundred steps backwards in her nascent democracy if all the Political Parties present Northern candidates    When are we going to start electing our leaders based on their ideas and leadership qualities rather than where they come from? The Arewa Consultative Forum's stand is capable of plunging the country into further underdevelopment. The North had its shot at the presidency and Umar Yar'Adua was elected. Unforunately, he died in office. That does not mean another Northerner has to become president next year. All the 250 ethnic groups should be given an equal footing in the race to occupy Aso Rock. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder in Nigeria. Cheers.

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@moderator, why did you delete my post? Don't you want people to benefit from the advice I've given . Na wa for you o.

I'm very happy that Ben Akabueze, a Lagosian of Igbo Origin is the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning in Lagos State. This shows that democracy in Lagos State is evolving. Ethnic bias and nepotism should be continually shunned in the appointment of state commissioners and Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria. Fashola has done well. However, I don't support the view that the Lagos State Government should provide uniforms for Students of Public Schools Let parents sort the provision of school uniforms out for their wards. The State Government should concentrate on subsidizing fees, renovating schools, school libraries, sporting facilities and restructuring the syllabus of our Primary and Secondary Schools. Cheers.


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Chelsea will win tomorrow. The Blues are in high spirits and they've got a winning mentality. I'm a Blues Man and it is clear that the sky will be Blue for a long time. I can't wait for kick off time tomorrow


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Rest in Peace, true soldier. May your murderer be found. May he or she not have peace of mind until he or she walks up to the police and gives up Rest in Peace, mate. Cheers.


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The Civil Defence Corps are performing well in the crusade against corruption these days. The Fake NYSC Camp story is shocking I'm am still at a loss as to why some people want to obtain the NYSC discharge certificate at all costs. When will youths and graduates in Nigeria start thinking of Personal Development and Entrepreneurship? Having a university degree does not guarantee you success in life. That is why I believe the NYSC Scheme should be scrapped. It has outlived its usefulness of fostering harmony among Nigerian Graduates from different ethnic groups. Governments all over the world are getting rid of programs that are not yielding fruit and are irrelevant to the development of their respective countries. It is time the government comes up with something new and inspiring that will make graduates believe in themselves and become entrepreneurs. It beats my imagination that we have to continue with a program that was initiated in the 70's, and that has not seen effective innovations since it was rolled out

Instead of wasting the time of Corpers with funny Primary Assignments, why can't the FG regenerate Nigeria through the scheme? It is possible for Corpers to be used [ and paid well ] to bolster Agriculture in the country. All the unused land along our Interstate roads can be turned to commercial farms with Government backing. I'm still hoping for a day when I will travel from Lagos to Abuja, and all I will be seeing are rows and rows of Maize, Wheat, Fruit trees, Plantain and Banana trees, Oil Palm etc. If Corpers are trained, paid and directed to tend the farms for a 12 months, there is no way they won't catch the farming virus.

We will be having elections next year. Why can't corpers be trained as election educators? They are then sent to the villages, hamlets and little towns to educate the public about their voting rights and how to actually cast votes. Corpers can also be used in building projects across the country. I've got so many ideas about where the energies of our corpers should be channelled to, but I've got to sleep. I want the people behind the fake corpers scam to be found out, tried and jailed. Cheers.


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69 Fake NYSC members arrested in a swoop ? And to even think they were organising their own camp makes me shudder with fear and trembling. Personally, I feel the Youth Service scheme has outlived its usefulness. The living standards of Corpers continue to worsen every year. I have always suggested that the scheme should be restructured and the participants reduced. I served in 2005/2006 in Ondo State and till today, I don't know what I really gained from the Service Year. Yeah, I got to see different places in Ondo State and was a corps member of the NDLEA, but the development that came my way was self achieved. My Place of Primary Assignment refused to pay me and I had to rely on my 8,500 Naira monthly pay. I remember how I and two other Corpers managed to share a rented room throughout the year. We lived in Isolo, a very ghetto area of Akure.

When jobs and opportunities are hard to come by, there is now way we won't be having fake corpers. I'm not supporting the fraudulent corpers, but I feel the Government should support an enabling environment to ease things up for youths in the country. A report should be prepared on the NYSC and new rules should come in. Cheers.

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I hope the Standards Organisation of Nigeria [ SON ] and NAFDAC are monitoring stories like this on the web. They need to send investigators to the Family invoved in this food poisoning matter to get some information from them. Samples of the yam flour used to to make the Amala meal should be taken and tested at the laboratory [ I hope we have the technology that can carry out the job effectively ] to find out if something else was mixed with the flour. The source of the Yam Flour should also be traced [ This investigation can start starting from the retailer where the Yam Flour was gotten from to the Wholesaler ] and sealed up to stop further food poisoning incidents from arising. It is really sad that people just source for Garri, Yam Flour and Plantain flour, cook and consume them without a proper check carried out. It is high time Garri and Yam flour are processed and packaged like semovita to avoid incidents like this. I hope high profile entrepreneurs are on this thread


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I feel sending the 42 students to South Africa for leadership training is not a bad idea. Foreign High School students and University Undergraduates also come to Nigeria for academic research in different areas. The Foreign students are sometimes partly sponsored by the schools and Government. What Governor Fashola is doing is not new.  It is a common practice all over the world. When I was an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan, I came across some Americans, Germans and Frenchmen who were collaborating with some Nigerian Postgraduate students for Research Purposes.  Nigerian students need to be exposed to how things are done in other countries. The only possible drawback of this Lagos State sponsored trip could be the way the whole exercise is handled. Instead of seeing it as an honour to help midwife this project, the handlers might looking at the bottomline [ What they can get out of it alone ] at the end of the day.  I would be happy if the lucky 42 students are made to visit new age companies involved in Recycling, food processing and Agriculture. Cheers.


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Is it part of our culture that we should not be doing things properly ? It is a shame that many Nigerians get the opportunity to live and work in developed countries but fail to change their lethargic ways of doing things. Even in Nigeria, the Europeans and Americans do things properly. Can we compare the running of the British Council and Goethe Institute Libraries with the way the National Library of Nigeria is run? We keep hearing complaints about the disorder that reigns supreme at our Embassies and High Commissions in Europe and yet the FG does nothing about it. It is all about the thinking of the Embassy Staff. It also has to do with the resourcefulness of the High Commissioner at the Embassy in Italy. I bet the Man in Charge there is not very good and that is why the place is not being run properly. You need to see how the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Oyo State, is run. The place is like a developed country in a disorganized Oyo State. When will we start to do things properly in general terms?


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I gave a hint on one of the threads yesterday that Nigeria has about 200 Million citizens already. I believe the Nigerian population is even more than that.  There is hardly any Sunday in some churches that babies are not dedicated and prayed for. I know of a woman in my hood in Nigeria who had about 7 children in 8 years, and she was not yet 30 years old when she had the 7th child. This woman sells foodstuff and roasts maize for sale. I'm not telling a fairy tale here.   You need to visit the Isolo area of Akure, Ondo State, to see the number of people living in that slum. Yet we do not have accurate Birth and Death Registration centres. I will come back to this thread later in the day. I'm busy at work. Cheers.

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The Falconets have done well. After all the celebrations, I hope a detailed report will be submitted as to what happened in the final game against the Germans. This report will then be used for future competitions like the Female Soccer event of the 2012 Olympics in London. Baring any stupidity, the current Falconets Squad should form the bulk of the team that will represent Nigeria in London come 2012. We need to start doing things properly in Nigeria. Cheers.


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