₦airaland Forum

Personally I cannot imagine the quality of service students have been getting since the strike was reluctantly called off but it cannot be good. And this is how this country has progressed in slow regression for years and decades. And if the people being served are not concerned about that... then how do you expect government or ASUU to care. Such a pity.

Fuckingmallam45:
In as much as what you said is truth, but in a teaching setting, it's all about passion. Some lecturers might do exactly what you just stated, but can they really do that? Coming to school and seeing your students in the classroom doing nothing. They can't just ignore. They will definitely enter the class and lecture them

Fine enough, but do you want a disgruntled surgeon opening you up, do you want a distracted pilot flying you to Lagos, if your driver has been grumbling about his poor pay and working conditions will you sit back and sleep while he drives you across the country, do you want a badly paid security man at your gates or counting your money in the bank in these times of crime we live in.

Where we miss it out is that most Nigerians do not know or discern where the problem is by way of who these 'lecturers' actually serve. Are they serving the government or are they serving the people. Is university education for government or for the citizens. When a person or the citizens get the right perspective then the answer is clear and this problem is easy to solve.

In my opinion the lecturers work for you and me, not Mr. Ngige or Mr. Buhari, so what we the citizens decide is what SHOULD HAPPEN. When we say they are not worthy of better conditions we say we are prepared to be taught by disgruntled people. If on the other hand we say no, that they deserve better and government replies that it doesn't have the money to pay them then we will say, tax us more for better service TO US.

That is the way democracies where enlightened people work. It is the people that decide how they will be served not a group of people that call themselves government. In any other country this ASUU question will be handled by the National Assembly not Mr. Ngige because it involves legislation, appropriation and other elements far beyond the control and capacity of the Executive, but it us that has to decide how it works.

I have said it countless times.

ASUU is a trade union. The have every right to negotiate with the leading political parties to decide where their political support will be towards 2023. Trade unions exert huge influences over the polity in all modern democracies and this beleaguered union had better join the campaign for a better college education in Nigeria by extracting solid promises, programs and plans from the candidates and their parties 'when the iron is hot'. This government is already gone and has its sad legacy intact. It should focus on the next government for a chance to re-ignite its crusade.

They should support the party with the best agenda for higher education, period. This is exactly what democracy is made for, the people of which the academia is an important part.

femicyrus:
Likewise FG should proscribe ASUU, dismiss all it members and advertise thier positions for unemployed PhD holders that are willing to working to gain employment

And where will you get the PhD holders who will work in the conditions akin to modern day slavery.... from Neptune...
You guys just love pie in the sky.... completely out of touch.
Is this how you will command and control a government to produce the dividends of democracy as a bonafide citizen.
Yes, I agree you guys love suffering a lot, but sometimes... light should shine through and you hit the prodigal son moment.... just once a while...eh.

Hmmm..... classic case of you can drag a horse to the river but you cannot get it to drink.
Perhaps the federal government should head back to the courts to modify the order to include the specifics of what constitutes 'going back to work', because marking the attendance register may be the only thing they will end up doing.

You can imagine if the police were on strike and they were compelled to resume duties without demands met.... their union may tell them to 'pursue but not apprehend'.... or 'catch but do not handcuff'..... or take particulars on toilet rolls and thereafter flush down the loo......

This country is a tragic comedy.... and yet the government wants to be re-elected..... and yet Nigerians may ignore all the signs and wonders and actually head for the Red Sea with Moses dancing with a golden calf....

PointZerom:
It is a big deal till tomorrow.

That is the kind of reaction you see from them when they are about to raise the white flag....
They are quick to forget that they are products of life's battles fought and won, gallantly or otherwise.

If we cannot restructure then we must set up an agency of ethics and values towards national development that will look and these things and query them with a view to creating national progressive consciousness.

They look at the price of acquiring these asset and begin to think in themselves, is there no way we can get them or get their services for a socially acceptable price tag. And why can't we be the sellers and not buyers of these assets if indeed they cost this much...

And when this sort of thinking permeates all government and the nation at large then we begin to lift off.

Najdorf:


Says the person that can't conduct basic research on how much trained dogs cost

That is not how to live my friend.
You progress in life by learning, working and developing capacities and competencies. We are not born with a bill on our heads by anyone.

We grow and learn and develop. That is how real institutions the world over are established. If you can buy a dog for 20,000 dollars it is because someone has developed it to be worth that. That person does not have two heads.

People who seek to develop themselves will look to produce a better dog worth 25,000 dollars. But here in this part of the world it is evil to do that.

Our lives start and end with a price tag. And that is the one and only reason we are inherently poor. A mentality that is not given to value. A mentality that sees itself perpetually at the bottom of the food chain. A nation of cannots.

ganisucks:
https://gazettengr.com/we-need-more-sniffer-dogs-for-drug-war-each-costs-n16-million-marwa/

Only restructuring will save us from absolute ruin. A process of restructuring that will lead to a prodigal son moment when we stand up from the pit of decadent induced poverty and say to ourselves, 'surely there must be another way to live as human beings'.

But this our penchant for waste, this our inability to work and work things out, to make and develop things is just ridiculous. We know that buying foreign goods is damaging our economy yet everything we seek to do must be that way in this contractors paradise of a country.

Is there anything evil in developing your own canine centre to serve the nation, to provide these dogs, developing them from pups to working adults not only for the NDLEA, but also for the police, military and even civilian customers.

And why can't we WAIT till we develop these inhouse capabilities before seeking to use them. What is the rush. Why can't we 'suffer' the inconvenience of hard labour which is the key to any sort of fundamental and lasting progress.

We seriously need to restructure our nation to one of doers and makers rather than consumers and spenders. Because at the moment it appears that we consider money alone as the solution to all our problems and perhaps that is why money is never enough. We need a quick exit out of the mental poverty vicious, cyclical trap immediately.

16 million naira dogs..... c'mon. Where is our conscience. Where is our mentality.

Uyi168:
....
christains in the year 5035.


"we are living in the last days"

Well perhaps you do not understand what the biblical phrase 'last days' actually means. The problem with most folks is how to distinguish where scripture is direct and where it is figurative. Understanding is not for everyone. You have to be it to know it.

Shoodboi:
If you want barracks, say you want barracks. Stop talking about assassinations that never happened. Don't give criminals ideas. How come we didn't hear about them? Besides that, does NDLEA need barracks? There is really no point in it. Barracks are only important if the agency needs to mobilize quickly and agencies like NDLEA, NSCDC, EFCC, FRSC, and the likes don't require quick mobilization. Live with the people.

I don't get it. Barracks everywhere when we are not at war. Why is it that every law enforcement institution wants to become a fiefdom of its own. They want to build castle fortresses around themselves then they complain that the public doesn't provide the information and Intel that could be readily available if they were there.

Are they not part if the security architecture that is wafer thin on the ground?. The Legislature should not be supporting this. If decent housing is a problem then various schemes should be developed to get the rank and file to lease or own.

But a public service must be found where the public is.

dawnomike:
He has a good point...

What good point is that.
Is that what obtains in other climes.
For the avoidance of doubt only military personnel live in barracks in most countries.

Paramilitary personnel live in the society they serve. It is this disconnect from the citizenry that leads to insensitivity and unnecessary tensions. They are better served living amongst the citizens and gaining better understanding and intelligence and moreover they have all the tools to protect themselves.

What is at work here is just the penchant for government administrators to hustle for contracts for themselves, family and friends. With billions of naira under their thumbs they ate able to peddle influence.

Well, really none of my business since the citizens of the State are willing tools in this extortion racket similar to what was amiss in America in the 50's and 60's leading to the famous RICO laws of 1970 that took down the mafia that looks, walks and quacks today like the ducks waddling through the Lagos lagoon.

Do these taxes bear ethnic connotation. Are indigenes taxed higher than non natives?. Are the LRS's tax documents printed in vernacular?

So how come when the funds are used it suddenly become a tribal, sectional and personal achievement.

Advocate500:
I see this as panic move from yahaya Bello,the woman must be politically strong for yahaya Bello I swear.

When you pr your party does not perform well everyone around you appears strong and even wall geckos cause you to scamper.

Then who are they paying with all these loans taken after denying they were borrowing to pay salaries.

There was a time this government and Fashola in particular boasted that they had offset all the debts incurred by the PDP governments before.

So in laying their own debt egg what will the next government be saying.....

And who will pay them.
Bigger government > bigger budget deficit > bigger debts > bigger inflation > bigger job losses > bigger crime > bigger army > bigger government > bigger budget..... they don't get it.

And unfortunately my fellow Nigerians have already decided to vote them into power without interview.... which this one has failed so obviously.

And to think I once thought RMK was a better option in 2015 for President.

Honestly we citizens really need to push our so called leaders to raise their game for our sake if we are not willing to press for restructuring. There is just no quality presented at the polls.

Funny people.
What is the point of all these arguments.
How does it help Nigeria or the average Nigerian survive the 7 years of famine.

Should we be posting these things with pride like some national achievement?
Thank goodness he landed at night.
Abeg, we should hide this from the international media.

The caption of the post is the fundamental reason why democracy is not working well in Nigeria.
Just hear it out:

Name the person BEFORE giving the reason.
That is the lot of the Nigerian citizen and that is why he sees a whole lot.... of wahala.
He has decided who he will vote for then he runs around to find the reason why.
So reasons are secondary, but the name is conclusive.... even if the reasons are watery and perhaps as fluid as ice in the Sahara desert.

That is why every single reason given in 2014 has been denied like Peter did in the infamous Garden of Gethsemane.
That is why politicians continue to play their peons like pom-poms.

As for me, I have not seen one single drawing, work and material schedule that tells me HOW the castle in the air will be built, one single map and train ticket to show me WHERE the promised el-dorado is located and not a hint of cinnamon, raisins or coconut cream to tantalize my taste buds on the highly anticipated political pie in the sky.... so why should I start worshipping idols....

If they are not partisan the best way to go about it is not to receive partisan visits, particularly this season of deep politicking.
If one is not an expert in a thing it is best to avoid it.
They should know that politicians are masters in optics, sound bites and hot air and these poor, innocent traditional leaders could easily find themselves caught in the web of magic, illusions and subterfuge.
There is just no way everyone will be convinced if a Bishop is caught visiting a hot house.
There are things just not worth it.

Brendaniel:
Whichever way, the main thing is to get other regional ports working

Totally agree.

Brendaniel:
It all depends, Nigeria airways was one time very profitable that other countries came to learn what we were doing, just like every company with bad leadership, a country too with bad leadership will have problems too ( private or government)

That is what I am saying.
Bad leadership will be with us for along time to come. That is a realistic point of view.
But should this stop us from exploiting other means and ways of developing... I don't think so.

Look at the railways, Abuja to Kaduna. Just this year and decades after the collapse of Nigeria Airways, it was the infamous assault and kidnapping that led us to know that there were hundreds more passengers on that train not officially accounted for. Corruption, mismanagement, and till date no one has been called publicly to question. The malaise of government in business remains virile.

Why can't the private sector run the damn thing and government just collects her taxes and levies of any kind.
So let us be realistic here, our structure does not lend itself to enterprise where government leads.
And until we restructure we will keep on reinventing the wheel.

I was fortunate to have experienced the railways in school back then so all the noise about achieving rail infrastructure just frankly baffles and amuses at the same time but here we are, new wine in old skins.... same ol, same ol if you ask me and we know where it is all headed...

Brendaniel:
And which money did they use to build railway to Niger Republic?

Is that one not a Chinese loan too.?

omonnakoda:
What did I ask and what are you saying ? What has this got to do with ways and means

Do not mix ogbono with ewedu in a futile attempt to bamboozle
One thing at a time

I did not ask about equity an entirely different issue
The FG and LASG have equity in this port

My question was how does ways and means come in here or were you just phrase dropping?

Sorry I cannot help you understand.

Brendaniel:
So are trying to tell me that the FG cannot do a project without private investors?

I've heard these debates for years and years in different fora and the conclusion is that there may never be a meeting point between realists, idealists and optimists. However, I have always been on the side of realism and so I say emphatically;

Yes, the government cannot successfully prosecute projects of real, strategic importance to the development of Nigeria without the private sector as lead and principal; and I stand solidly by the simple fact that the structure of the Nigeria state does not lend to productivity and so government as the operators of such a system simply cannot do 'business'. And being business minded in thought and deed is the only way to generate, draw from and project value across any society on earth.

omonnakoda:
How does ways and means produce dollars?

Na waoh. You really intend to keep me here.
But equity is any contribution towards the actualisation of a proposal.
It does not necessarily have to be cash.
Tax waivers are equity, VAT can be equity, and anything that will normally be paid to obtain goods, services, permits and all manner of statutory obligations the investor is obliged to by law.

For instance the Lagos State government is providing land with certainly a C of O as their equity. This on its own could be 10, 20, 30 percent of the cost of the project if the investor were to seek to procure the land on its own.

This model is the best for a country like Nigeria where government is notoriously inefficient and unscrupulous with funding but offers them a leverage on what is a strategic asset. So you have a hybrid of private sector efficiency with the surety of government interest.

omonnakoda:
Maybe I have a different understanding of WAYS and MEANS/ You are not communicating. What do you mean by that?

Business is not sentiment

The FG has no money for infrastructure. Maybe it did under GEJ when oil prices were high. Did he build any port or major infrastructure in the South of the country?
The fundamental problem with Apapa and Tin Can are the road infrastructure . If there was a rail link to an inland dry dock there would be no issues but for years the FG milked the port without reinvesting to ensure sustainability rather all the money was taken to Abuja and shared. Imagine a situation where Dangote now had to build the expressway

What is needed is rail lines to evacuate the port not roads

By the way the Longest coastline and best place for a port in Nigeria is Ondo state but that has not been developed because of animosity for the SW. It is central and more logical to have a rail link from there to the North than Lagos Ibadan but Lagos has first mover advantage

Ways and means, means ways and means...... aka government abracadabra.... like the one that has been going on in the CBN.... printing money without commensurate productivity leading to the kind of inflation you must surely be feeling.... aren't you?

Or in this case government abracadabra that makes them appear to invest heaven and earth in a PPP while not exactly putting up a farthing. All it does is to print invoices and pull out laws from its top hat that mandates this payment and that payment.... and voila its says it waives them as its equity..... ....gorrit?

viodemus:
Nice project.

In a productive country like china or most of asia, this is a $200 million project max, with various operating installations included, in america, depending on speed, this $250 million to $300 million; in Europe, this is a $400 to $450 million project. For us, without the equipment and the expertise, this is suppose to be $750 to $800 million max. And that is still too much.

If we keep on like this, we won't build many projects like we are supposed to. it is good we are building, even if it's one, but let us not let aprico, excess greed, and lack of expertise limit us or restrict us.

Nigeria is a very expensive place to do stuff and the simple reason for this is that we are an 'industrialization' desert.
The things that make those projects cheaper in those places are all related to local content. Those countries make or manufacture a lot of the things that go into production, construction or installation.

Here, I think all we produce in such volumes that is relevant to engineering projects is cement. That's all. That is why Dangote despite having a plethora of factories is 'sweating' to get his petro-complex finished, the bulk material used for the works is steel, not cement so he has to pay premium to get it done.

It remains strategically naive to ignore the metals and metallurgical industry if a nation wants to develop in a competitive manner. Even countries without the raw materials needed to produce stuff master their steel industries before venturing and diverting into more complex production plants. The railways, refineries, industrial plants, power stations, etc are all heavily reliant on metals.

This fact is lost on Nigeria with the moribund, serially bungled Ajaokuta unending nightmare. The poster child for all that is holding us back as an underdeveloped, third world country. Sometimes it feels like a some sick, dark cloud of voodoo is hanging over that place.

omonnakoda:
]The NPA has the power to approve ports in Nigeria and with this power they demand a share of the port. even though the FG did not contribute one naira
Lagos State government also gets a share because they provided the land

The money to build the port was provided 100% by the investor

NPA has approved ports in Akwa Ibom and Delta state so what is happening in those places why can't they find investors?

It really is a shame that Amaechi and Goodluck Jonathan did nothing for the Niger Delta is this aspect or infrastructure

Correct to a certain extent.
Government equity in PPP's are almost always in kind and not cash. Usually by ways and means.
Having said that the reason is obvious why it is harder to find investors for ports in other parts of the country and it boils down to economics and economics 101 and all the advantages Lagos has, markets, capital, etc.

For other port cities to be developed the Federal Government has to be deliberate in increasing its equity and probably placing serious incentives on the table to attract the private sector. To compare the ability of Akwa Ibom and Delta to attract foreign investment of equal value as that of Lagos is like putting Usain Bolt at the 30 metre mark and expecting me top catch him at the finish line. Totally unfair.

The Nigerian economy has not exactly been in a boom for decades making 'blind dates' irresistible. The Lekki port operators have their eye on one thing, feeding off the woes of Apapa just down the coast. If Apapa was doing fine there will be no Lekki Deep Sea.

NOETHNICITY:
Oga the port was built by Lagos state government. Are you expecting Lagos state government to go and build ports for other states? Why do most of you like embarrassing yourselves online?

And you just did this to yourself.
Oh dear.

This is where rail infrastructure should have been located.
A coastal rail line interconnecting ports along the coast from Lagos all the way to Eket with spurs heading east and north.
This will have removed tremendous loads off our intercity highways and drastically lowered the cost of maintenance.
We need to be strategic thinkers for comprehensive development.
That port on its own without viable supporting transport infrastructure can transform Lekki into a vehicular nightmare.