₦airaland Forum

I certainly cannot be defrauded by a dude in a pink suit. Just cannot happen....

Interesting drama.
I will not be entirely surprised if the Feds are behind the Florida Mansions leak.

Because we all know that the insidious nature of third world politicking means x-files are kept in storage for the rainy day.

Too bad how it will all end.

The man will be called a hater and demarketer of Nigeria plc.

But like he said and I have been saying for ages. Nigeria does not have a revenue or Income problem. It has an accountability and spending problem that no amount of loans, subsidy savings, taxes or high commodity prices will paper over.

As long as we have a government that has no respect for the peopleot claims to lead and a people that cannot stand up and advocate for good governance the indices will remain dire.

It should be clear by now to all Nigerians that the government is comfortable with the condition of the people of the country and once this is established there is no incentive to be more accountable.

Image123:
The cost per kilometer of a 750km project cannot be determined. It can only be estimated or averaged. And conditions may change. This is not building a kiosk or chicken hutch. The terrain and soils are different. Some will need more work or fillings, some different contractors, some will be bridge. Cost of materials and labour from place to place, weather, some diversions, some unexpected challenges, all differ.
We should focus on intelligence, professionalism and patriotism instead of theatrics and media trials.

What is wrong with you people on this matter for heavens sake.
Cost per kilometer IS AN AVERAGE.

Haba, what is all this.
If I travel from Nnamdi Azikiwe to Murtala Muhammed and the pilot says at 350 knots, does it mean he was never at zero just after he revved the engines till when he shut them off on the apron.

A highway has culverts, bridges that costs a lot. It passes through swamps that require consolidation or through bedrock that requires blasting. So there are expensive sections but there are also relatively cheaper sections. The cost per kilometer considered all these factors and averages them out.

Abd this factor of averages is an important tool in many aspects from cost control to cost comparisons for efficiency in design and implementation. That single figure becomes a beacon by which other projects are compared.

What is so hard in this.

helinues:
Rufai can't be rude to people and be thinking he's always right. His question is not logical.

When you budget for a road project, there are unseen things in the initial plans, that's why the budget is always over estimated

For example, there are new linking roads to the Lagos Calabar coastal highway which wasn't in the initial plan

No sir. Everything on earth has a determined cost. In those days of relative accountability and professionalism the cost of public works were determined, and properly appropriated.

If the road belonged to you as an individual won't you care to know how much it will cost you or.you just dish out money to your builder until hopefully he finishes the work.

You start with a Bill and whatever changes t is covered by a variation. Then the cost per kilometer rises or falls accordingly. But you START with a COST. If you don't what is the basis for cost control. How will you assess leakages and inefficiencies. How will you know if monies are not being stolen. How will you grade quality.

If there is secrecy behind the finances of this project it means one of two things, gross incompetence or serious corruption going on. Anyway of they remain dumb to information the next government surely will not because of the controversies. Umahi had better beware and be circumspect.

CAN had better keep silent on this matter and allow those who are in charge of security to disprove it since they do not have all the Intel....except if they do know and are cocksure of what is happening and who are the elements behind it.

But as long as the conflict rages nothing is certain now and nothing is certain going forward. The authorities just do not have a handle on it. And by the way they should review Matthew Kukah's speech at the General Irabor book launch and note exactly what he said about the terminology of the insurgency.

If this problem becomes more acute and turns against their interests tomorrow they will not have anyone to blame but themselves for playing political correctness and diminishing the focus of the outside world to the insecurity disaster unfolding.

Solar power is the alternative. It is the future and with reports today that for the first time in history energy from renewables such as wind and solar has exceeded that from coal shows where we should all be heading.

In the future fossil fuel burning nations may become pariah states.

ElSudani:
Rufai doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. You don't need to be an engineer to know terrains could be very different from kilometer to kilometer.

He kept on asking cringe worthy questions like a child.
Is he there for real journalism or just for comic relief?

Cost per kilometer is exactly that. It is a statement of averages. Even a kindergarten pupil knows this.

If I drove from Abuja to Lagos and someone asked me how fast I drove, what was my speed and I told him 60 miles per hour. Does it mean I shot off like a rocket and never used my brakes

Highways consist of all sorts of costs associated with various engineering structures including bridges, culverts, laybys, etc, all sorts of incidental costs, insurance, security, compensations etc.

And except the project has not been properly costed, (which I suspect in this case, and wonder how it is then approved and appropriated) a Bill should give a rudimentary cost per kilometre the Minister should have at his finger tips.

As a matter of fact, without a knowledge of the cost per kilometre there is no way to control costs and based on the history of these sorts of things in developed countries cost overruns are inevitable.

If the Minister of Works cannot surround the cost of perhaps the most expensive civil engineering project in the history of this country in naira terms then we have a problem, a serious problem.

Bigchris01:
You dey trust Umahi? Smh,,, Dangote is a crook all these PENGASSAN and NNPCL fight is just for him to gain monopoly into the Nigeria oil and petroleum sector once Dangote succeeds in this then he will be the major company regulating the price

Then Nigerians will suddenly wake up and start looking for who to help them advocate, who will help them fight for a relief.

Well the VP has acknowledged what we have all along suspected. Dangote is an institution. Very weighty words indeed.

My own position has not changed and will not change in the future. Power without control is dangerous. I take no sides in this because I cannot predict the future of any individual, enterprise or economy.

One thing is certain in a poorly governed, feudal country such as this. Whosoever wins these battles will invariably enslave everyone else.

What qualitative governments everywhere in the world do is to make sure the economy works for everyone and this includes ensuring the growth and multiplication of enterprises to ensure there are as many cards as possible in the deck, as many options as possible.

adecz:
Jagaba & Umahi have abandoned the
major highways in the country and gone
to the coast to spend N25 trillion to construct
a highway for mammy waters 👽👽👽

The folks there should import 'Moroccan yoots' to do the needful since they have mortgaged their advocacy for good governance.

That is all they are good at, winning elections. After that it is tales of what they inherited and how it will take an eternity to get a decent sense of qualitative, meaningful, impactful governance.

And this is a country that is leagues ahead of Nigeria in every index of life, living and development yet they are not satisfied. They look to better countries and want more.

Here their country men will berate them, gaslight them and brow beat them into accepting rock bottom living standards. Making all manner of excuses for the very people who oppress them.

Here my people are robbed, violated and terrorized on a daily basis yet every case is termed as isolated and acceptable.

It is all about the mentality of a people. A republican mindset will have little appetite or tolerance for bad governance, corruption or feudalism. A conquered mindset will lash out at whoever attempts to escape the crab bucket.

Wow, I just hope the victim was not one of the panelists on a radio station talking about rabies awareness last week. Honestly this is tragic.

I think the FCT should constitute not just local government police but an independent security outfit in every district. This is one taxation every citizen of this city will be willing to pay.

TheBizGenius:
I am confused with this internet generation. How can isolated events turn to a whole city being unsafe?

Thieves came to my place like 4 years ago and came 3 times later, within 2 weeks, to the same estate. Does that mean Lagos is unsafe?

Kwara is unsafe. Ehen, we agree.

I am not in Abuja but blanket statements are beer parlor gists materials. Nothing more.

Even in the US, dem go rob you for street. Nothing wey you fit do.

See another one.
Your place has been visited by robbers four times over four years and you still consider it safe....normal??

Just how many more lives do you have to gamble with before you wake up to the reality that the next one may be the last.

And yes many cities in the US are not safe and are not worth living in. Violence remains an aberration not a badge of honour no matter how our minds and consciences have been dulled to accept it.

If you cannot keep your surroundings clean you will live with constant malaria as a way of life. But is that life or existence.

The summary of this talk is that the journalist's demise is an isolated event, right?

So just as I want to know how many electricians it takes to change a light bulb...how many isolated events does it take to change the security....or insecurity narrative.

Because from where I sit hardly a day goes by without dreadful news, a lot of which does not reach mainstream media.

He had better call for a town hall to get his facts straight. Whoever is advising him on security matters is just a painter.

belikewater:
Oh I see why Italy fought wars with Ethiopia back then, Ethiopia handed them their asses back then lead by Haile Selassie, the bonafide Emperor of Ethiopia.

But the wars were fought here in Africa.
Why didn't Ehiopia not press on after defeating them as you say, to capture Italy, occupy and enslave them instead. Perhaps every Ethiopian will be driving a Ferrari today....

They say civilisation emerged from Africa.
At what point did we decide not to conquer and divide Europe. What happened to the black man, the Negro that he fell to the very bottom of the cradle.

LabStores:
Wonders of nature...

But S.A is far better and developed than Nigeria relatively, and always getting better.
Why are we not getting better?

We didn't keep our colonial masters long enough so we have a date with destiny. To collectively take this country back to pre colonial status, back to riding mules, wearing sack cloth and living in thatch huts. Then and only then will our collective senses awaken. There is no other way I can explain the steady decline of this entity called Nigeria.

Just when you've thought governance has reached rock bottom along comes another clown with an excavator.

ZUBY77:
Who simply know who to believe between Garba and Jonathan. Internet never forgets

It never forgets and as many sensible have observed. When politicians seek to make electoral dough they buy plenty of yeast called sentiments and apply it to swell their support knowing not what will become of the bread out of the oven.

Just as Buhari could not cleanly extricate himself from the insurgency what was Jonathan's view of the Niger Delta rebellion back then or Peter Obi's position concerning IPOB/ESN...or whatever today.

These are tough questions and positions that define leadership. The ability to think hard and far, to play the political card with a view to winning heads or tails. So that you find yourself on the right side of history.

Unfortunately Mr. Buhari could not do this and this legacy will continue to haunt his presidency for all time.

I don't think the late Mr. Buhari was appointed or nominated in any official capacity to act on their behalf but the times were highly political and the actors were drunk on rhetoric.

While Boko Haram was on the ropes due to serious pressure from the military they too understood the ethno-political schisms pervading society at that time and exploited it for a relief by peddling the popularity of Buhari in those parts.

The then opposition too exploited the situation for political gain flying the kite of an anti north agenda in the light of the fact that Jonathan's boss gave amnesty to anti establishment elements in the Niger Delta instead of all out military action.

So it was the meeting of insidious mindsets on both sides that led to this flawed narrative. It is a lesson to politicians and citizens to be circumspect in their positions and utterances while in desperate political conflicting for any sort of advantage.

attackgat:
https://saharareporters.com/2025/10/03/kwara-tomato-farmer-cries-out-terror-attacks-cripple-farms-livelihoods-accuses-federal

Told you folks several times that the structure is the problem.

In the case of your keen observation about legislative representation. I have told you folks to start paying for it. When the taxes on your farm goes into the pot that pays Senator Ashiru's wages then he will not sit by and watch his income torn to shreds by bandits in the first place.

But when it is paid by Senator Akpabio on behalf of the Federal government then he becomes or has become Virgil Van Dyke against Akpoti FC.

The structure of this country is just wrong top to toe and until the people educate themselves they will be forced to reform out of an abundance of tragedy.

As to the solutions he profers. Once again I say this. Structure. Without local government and state police law enforcement in Nigeria today to guarantee even 2010 standards of relative tranquility is impossible, it is gone forever.

The criminals have found refuge in the lacuna the present structure of law enforcement on Nigeria provides. The population is massively increasing to feed crime, poverty is massively increasing to feed crime, federal resources are straining to keep up.

The result has been the armed forces now doing policing work, the civil defence doing police work and all other agencies that are neither tooled or trained to police. What does these all say.

There is lack of capacity. Capacity of resources, knowledge and Intel only locally commissioned law enforcement can tackle.

QED.

It is only when they are out of office they become circumspect. While in office they cannot see what people are saying or hear what they are being told.

There is not a single one of them that hasn't regretted their tenures proving that they are not visionary leaders but greedy, pig headed autocrats.

Though Nigeria has been in steady decline since independence and over the course of the first half, the PDP half of the 5th republic.

But even the blind can see, the deaf can hear and the slow has reakiaed we have fallen off a cliff since 2015.

The crash has been damning since Buhari became leader of this country. So bad have things been that today inflation at mid twenties is considered stable and progressive, bandits tugging territory with government is considered a security strategy and godfatherism is now official political ideology.

If anything can go bad for the people of this country, it has under the APC. Governance at it lowest.

Minjim:
Dangote Refinery should llow the Union supervise his Refinery the same manner they supervised the three Nigerian refineries ba ?

I see. So it is the unions that 'supervise' industry. Do you even know what a union is. How does a union affect the day to day running of any enterprise from policy to actions. Any member of that industry can be a part of that union from the gate man to the manager.

I have heard a lot of talk about the unions and how they played along with the death of the government owned refineries. This is absolutely false because they have been speaking publicly about the refinery question for decades. Just that the other two sides, the public and the government have not found the synergy to respond appropriately.

Just like the other notable unions like ASUU. Has this union not been talking and protesting and striking about the conditions of Nigerian universities and the state of higher education in general or the NMA and it's affiliates about the state of public health and healthcare facilities and healthcare practitioners in Nigeria for years now.

But whenever they do what is the result. Half the populace berates them, the other half makes excuses for central government resulting in half measures at addressing issues that have deep seated and fundamental origins. So government after government just whitewashes issues and moves on.

This is where the state of the oil industry has reached despite the unions who I clearly remember since the Kokori days have publicly complained that the refineries were not properly maintained and even then went ahead to accuse the then government of corruption in executing the various TAMs.

Nigerians only need to study their history and do their part in acting on the information these unions provide on the state of our public services.

Said it from the get go.
Dangote should settle with the unions.
Yes. The enemy of the entrepreneur anywhere is regulations and red tape. They are like the speedometer, they are like the ABS, they are like the brakes. But they are there for a reason. To ensure you go out and return safely. And not just for whoever drives the car but every road user that the car comes across.

I have said it before. The unions are an open window to the operations of the organisation they supervise. Without them the public will not know what happens in their universities, their hospitals, and their oil industry.

And I will say this to the public the Dangote company appeals to. The moment that window is shut you will no longer have access to information thoughtless of influence and with poor government oversight the sky will be the li.it ad to how that company will shape the industry going forward.

To me this is like taking your car into town without brakes or indicators. If it is a national asset as they say then it needs national superintending of which the unions have an important role to play.

43Ronin:
Osihmen you have missed (2) one-on-one in 5 mins that's not good at all

Should have buried Pool by now.
The guy is still not match sharp.

Hmmm...These events are beginning to sound uncannily like biblical scripture.

The assassin's are in copyright violation of exclusive FSB rights.

seunmsg:
The Dangote PENGASSAN situation is an unfortunate
one. Both parties are right so it’s difficult to take a position.

I feel for Dangote and his business. He has invested so much into the refinery to now have to be dealing with a disruptive union that gave him nothing when he was building the refinery.

On the other hand, I can’t in good conscience stand against the unionization of the refinery workers. Unions, no matter how disruptive are very essential in ensuring the protection of workers interest against a capitalist that intends to maximize profit.

Hopefully, the two parties can find a middle ground in the overall energy interest of the country.

That is not the only function of unions. The unions also protect the public by exposing the inner workings of the industry they serve making sudden and clandestine decision making more difficult particularly in a situation where government regulatory action is inefficient.

If for instance there will be price shocks in future the unions will get to know first and because they operate up and down the value chain they know what those decisions mean for the public and the economy in general.

But trust entrepreneurs not to desire any form of interference or checks. On this I am not with Dangote.

Kogi state is a great location. Far inland for security reasons, near the river Niger and an abundant water source to cool the plant.

But at around 1 or 2 gigawatts per plant this remains a drop in the energy bucket this country needs to cook up a dynamic economy.

Too much risk per output.