₦airaland Forum

I like this, and perhaps goes some way to prove there is no monopoly in the cement business, for this statement hints at a skirmish between the two giants of the industry. The hotter, the better for Nigeria.

We don't want to see the kind of so called calamitous co-operation ignorant Nigerians brought upon themselves when they reduced their National Assembly to become an appendage of the Presidency.

Well done Mr. El-Rufai.
This is the way to go.... the stark realities of our times.
Covid came and went leaving everything bowed down like the willows after a storm.... except the Nigerian public office holder.
How can that be right.

kambili999:
Wait a sec. I'm the first to comment??

Yippie.

Well we hope things get better

Yippie not until the fundamentals get better.
This is merely changing miles to kilometres, the road to El-dorado remains the same distance.
Until Nigeria is restructured along the lines of productivity and away from its current mode of rent seeking, resource 'allocation' and whole-scale economic outsourcing, i.e contracting, the exchange rate can only go in one direction fundamentally.
Just wait until subsidies are further cut back sometimes in the next 8 weeks (as we speculate).

The big debate of our time.
Given the structure of the nation we live in.
Who is responsible for your 'standard of living' folks,
Local Government, State Government or Federal Government.

Awoo88:
If PDP had been providing the type of opposition that put buhari and his useless apc on the defensive, Nigerians by now will be willing to vote anything pdp through up. Pdp wasted over six years being on the defensive themselves. Quarter to election, they are waking up. Very stupid people that should have gotten the the media and youths on their side before now.

Exactly.
The whole country suffers today not only because of a poor government in power but an equally indolent opposition.
Any dunderhead who knows how democracy works for the good of a nation anywhere in the world realises that no government on its own and by itself can move a nation forward, it needs stimulus, it needs accountability, it needs competition, it needs to be pushed, it needs bit and bridle, flogged like a beast of burden to obey and serve.

And until we all realise how this thing works we will remain sorry victims of one bad government after the other no matter what 3 letter alphabet is in office. So those who seek the ascension of one and the destruction of the other power base are candidly ignorant and assume you can compete with advanced nations having more than one leg in the race of life.

ArcSEMPECJ:
Nonsense......

Why can't PDP stakeholders, Donald Duke, Wike Secondus etc match a protest in Abujathe way Buhari did during Jonathan's era..??

Just writing and talking from their homes like people who can't oppose this mad government

Because they are simply not a competent, organised, credible opposition grouping. That is why we have suffered so much these past years. When we thought the machinery of democracy had kicked into gear by the removal of a nonperforming government through the ballot, we all expected them to clean up quickly and come back strongly to hold this present administration in a power flux but alas the PDP has been found either cavorting in bed with them or lamely kicking out when they are stung. Nothing cohesive, nothing substantive and nothing indicating they are a government in waiting.

They have said this one and are off to bed till the alarm clock of 2023 rings or another panic alarm from the hapless citizens of this country wakes them from their slumber.

Frontail:

This train business sha.
The gift that keeps on giving....
But what will it profit Nigeria to gain the whole rail lines in exchange for deepening poverty, rampaging insecurity and national delamination...
It is well.... the levels we have sunk to is just unfortunate to say the least...
I think the next rail track to be laid surely has to be to El-dorado... not Niamey.

Beancounter93:
The money is not going to Buhari's cousins...it goes to the DISCOS and GENCOS directly

The subsidy in essence covers the difference between the cost of production and the actual sale price of power...which in Nigeria has been lower than the cost of production.

However, the subsidy just covers the difference. Since at the end of the day, DISCOS are not allowed to charge higher than the cost of production for all Nigerians...they don't have enough money to make needed improvements since they cannot make a profit.

I am in no way speaking about the subject matter. Just reacting to a post you will do well to revert to.

My position about power has been consistent. You can only have have development if it is privatised because the complexities require the spirit of entrepreneurship to succeed.

Right now, power is not privatised so no one can determine any sort of efficiencies, costs amd tariffs along the entire value chain.

Government should completely hands off and let a proper commercial model and structure be implemented which will attract proper investment and break the chicken and egg blame cycle.

Karemarealty288:
He is borrowing for Nigeria and his first cousins..

You can imagine that a democratically elected Head of State refer to nationals of another country in that manner 'as cousins' and no one batted an eyelid.

At that level what can be this unpatriotic. If Obama had come out at anytime to justify debatable and contestable actions on the fact that Africa or Kenya was his heritage he will have been eaten alive.

What this President and government gets away with will simply afflict this country and democracy for ages to come. Just so unfortunate.

This cannot be true. The nose for starters, the rings around the neck.... hmmm...except he is a cosmetic surgeon as well.

Mr. Regulator well done. In two years you will be out of government and the precedents you set today will make you and your children victims of oppression and maladministration tomorrow.

For when you strip the people of their God given rights and Constitutional power to hold government to account just make sure two things:

You remain on the side of oppression forever or much harder sir, guarantee that a much more oppressive regime is not elected into office.

Time and again we have seen short term thinkers in power regret their actions after they leave. Today, the likes of Gowon, OBJ, IBB and all the totalitarian rulers of the past all wished they had bequeathed a better country in which universal liberties were promoted, and the citizens empowered to secure good governance.

But just like them, well done sir for continuously weakening the citizens of this country. Tomorrow as a 'bloody civilian' you will sit down with us and wail at bad leadership when someone worse than your principal gets elected.

What comes around, goes around. Mr Lai, YOU WILL SURELY COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS IN THE FUTURE. SURELY.

Your time will come.

9jaRealist:
Btw, just for the record….
I do NOT personally watch BBN, but have absolutely nothing against it.

Nonetheless, please explain to the rest of us what exactly is “base” about a value system that basically rewarded PRIVATE enterprise that created a LEGAL product that was apparently enjoyed by MILLIONS of people (who were actually willing to pay for it) both inside and outside Nigeria? Is it the JOBS created for the wide range of Nigerians involved - content creators, producers, architects, builders, designers, marketers, advertisers, suppliers, artisans, technicians, security, administrative personnel, etc.? Is it the livelihoods sustained by these jobs or is it the tax revenue that accrued to the government from income and corporate taxes and other charges and/or licenses?

A great thing about the human experience is VARIETY and diversity. Not everyone is going to be lawyer, engineer, doctor, healthcare or other professional or a scientist or teacher or (increasingly in Nigeria) a bible-thumping pastor. LET A MILLION FLOWERS BLOOM!!
>

Oh, that is simple. Resources go to where interests lie. If little or nothing goes to rewarding educational dexterity and enterprise it clearly speaks volumes.

That is why we may excel in entertainment and the arts but cannot solve simple national challenges that affect all things and all people.

Societies that have even greater degrees of success in the things we boast about still find it in themselves to value education and celebrate performances there.

101 goals as a central defender. Only the stuff of legends.

Good one.
Hopefully in the future they can expand it to the 6+4 lane model of Abuja Trunk A roads to ease traffic.

The levels of corruption under the Jonathan government is just mind numbing. What even makes it worse are the wretched looking fellows entrusted with astronomical sums of money. You just wonder if there was any sense of government at all. You will not even run a road side kiosk like that thoughtless of a bureaucracy engaging hundreds of thousands of people and a so called democratic system with supposedly layers and layers of checks and balances we dearly pay for in this country.

And Mr. Jonathan is just gallivanting all over the place as if nothing happened.
There must surely be a day of accountability when whatever deal of clemency he struck with this government expires.

I repeat as I said at the breaking of these sordid stories in 2015, the least the nation deserves is a judicial panel of inquiry.
Just terrible.

Reference:
Let me step in here and try to adjudicate. What they all refer to when using BBN as a lightning rod is the entire value system and it involves the entire society, not BBN alone.

Note that when comparing our value system with that of Europe or England where the EPL is represents huge commercial interests. They still recognize the value of life sciences, technology and the academia.

And while the remuneration gaps are equally huge, they certainly donot look down on these key sectors. It is poignant to note the difference between this regards in England and Nigeria during the Covid lockdown when times without number doctors, nurses and other health professionals were given monumental accolades in private and public for the great job done.

While here in Nigeria they were derided as scammers, liars, sensationalists, etc, cheated by the government and put down by all society.

It is about our value system which in Nigeria is hopelessly base. It is not simply about who pays what or who funds what or who owns what. We just donot have it in mind to understand the right thing.

Let me give another example. We know the poster boys and girls of the Covid war in most countries. A clear example is Anthony Fauci of the USCDC. He calls the shots, seen front and centre.

Here in Nigeria it is Boss Mustapha, a career bureaucrat and anything but a scientist. This is symptomatic with that attitude and value system.

Today we have monumental, deep rooted challenges from security to the economy to structure, to internal cohesion, corruption, etc.

How have we attempted to tackle them. What prominence has intellect been given to solution searches.

When there is an economic council meeting you see big businessmen and politicians attend, when there is a security council meeting you see generals, generals and more generals, when there are challenges of internal cohesion the only voices you hear are those of half baked advisers and ignorant ethno-religious jingoists.

Those with knowledge, who study these things as a passion and are qualified to seek solutions are left silent and intimidated. The knowledge base of Nigeria goes to waste while we grope in darkness.

Nigeria is just not prepared to be developed and you certainly cannot develoo without your best brains either in authority or by the right hand of authority.

And it all starts by the people themselves recognizing the role of education, knowledge and intellect in their day to day aspirations of a good life.

9jaRealist:
Your juvenile insults merely reveal a lack of substance and a crude family upbringing…

The reason EPL and other football players earn SEVERAL times more than surgeons, etc., is not their importance/priority…
It is because the PRIVATE enterprise they are involved in generates many times more (even creates jobs/wealth for others).

The REALITY is that entertainment (including BBN) is PRIVATE enterprise that generates MILLIONS in revenue…
It not only generates revenue for the creators, but JOBS for designers, architects, producers, builders, artisans, technicians, etc.
>

Let me step in here and try to adjudicate. What they all refer to when using BBN as a lightning rod is the entire value system and it involves the entire society, not BBN alone.

Note that when comparing our value system with that of Europe or England where the EPL is represents huge commercial interests. They still recognize the value of life sciences, technology and the academia.

And while the remuneration gaps are equally huge, they certainly donot look down on these key sectors. It is poignant to note the difference between this regards in England and Nigeria during the Covid lockdown when times without number doctors, nurses and other health professionals were given monumental accolades in private and public for the great job done.

While here in Nigeria they were derided as scammers, liars, sensationalists, etc, cheated by the government and put down by all society.

It is about our value system which in Nigeria is hopelessly base. It is not simply about who pays what or who funds what or who owns what. We just donot have it in mind to understand the right thing.

..aarrghh...in this pandemic era.... Herr Low needs a week's isolation and a tub of handwash.... Filthy habit.

It was in those days one used to be excited about these oil and gas projects but regrettably after decades of so called investment in advancement the economy and Nigeria as a whole beats a constant retreat.

So as long as it bears the name NNPC (which I still consider to be a criminal organisation, hoping the FBI will one day open RICO investigations into) I just consider them to be clandestine heists of our collective patrimony.

So I am not interested one bit until Nigeria is restructured along the lines of developed nations where business is business and government is government. Where enterprise is for development not for social disintegration as we see today.

His beliefs. His decision. Should be respected. They can interview someone else.
FIFA and UEFA will have to think carefully about their sponsorship deals in future.
Health and ethical consciousness is gaining ground.

Coca Cola and Heineken don't exactly represent the values of sports. They are quite frankly the antithesis of human performance. It s like holding a rock concert sponsored by the Deeper Christian Life Ministries or World Heart Day sponsored by British America Tobacco. Such is the consciousness to come.

Josywhyte:
I no believe this story abeg. How did it affect the market value of the company and $4bn dropping? Is it that after keeping the drinks aside,a 'mysterious snake' swallowed the $4bn just like it swallowed some millions in my country called naija?

That is what I am saying you have to contextualise the whole thing.
Of the man, his beliefs, the beliefs of wider modern society, big beverage and money.... to really understand what is happening here.

It is not what all these folks above are ignorantly yapping about.

ThierryJay:
Coca-cola is officially the number one most recognizable/popular brand in the world. It is therefore a statement of fallacy for you to imply that a less popular brand will give a more popular brand "massive" free publicity, as if Coke isnt also giving Ronaldo massive publicity.

The Coke bottles were there not because of Ronaldo but because Coke is the official sponsor of Euro 2020 so all players being interviewed would have Coke bottles on their table. What Ronaldo did is quite very pretty and the Euro organizers wouldn't be happy he is shading a major sponsor.

I can imagine if the Pope publicly says to his Catholic faithfuls that he can never stay in Cristiano's hotels because they encourage immorality. How would Ronaldo take that from a business perspective?

That we are fans doesn't mean one should lose sense of reasoning.

I think you need a broader understanding of what is happening here.
There is a growing global recognition of the harm done to public health by the consumption of excessive amounts of sugar to which the beverage industry has come under scrutiny and pressure in many climes.

In my report I likened it to the anti tobacco movements in the 80's and 90's leading to the global ban on open advertising and promotions. Then the big players were official sponsors of major events including the world cup with very generous commercial terms but met with increasing resistance first by influential personalities just as in this case before a total outbreak of adversity.

It is those who realise what this potentially means for Coca-Cola and big beverage that reacted that way in the markets, not necessarily because it was Cristiano Ronaldo. They more enlightened places of the world have seen the first shots fired from within big business that can threaten the brand and will look anxiously in the next weeks and months whether this will gain traction and snowball.

CR7 did admit later (if you followed the story) that he had reservations and anxiety about the effects the consumption of sugar and bad food had in the the life of his son and was totally against it as a sportsman.

So he has his convictions but he is not the ultimate catalyst for any eventuality. There has been a growing movement and a heating battle in modern societies that sugar be made a controlled substance. And folks out there will be nervous to see whether CR7 proves to be the rogue skier who started the avalanche.

Yeah, I watched the whole incident and fallout since.

Its a difficult one but the times are changing and public influencers are becoming more active in the way society runs.

I quite agree with Ronaldo's position. There is a growing awareness of the tragedy the consumption of sugar causes in public health and I can see it becoming a controled substance in modern societies in the not to distant future when the cost to lives hit a certain dangerous degree.

But I do feel sympathy for both UEFA/FIFA and the bottling company (no pun intended). They have been jolly partners for many years now and it is sad to see them suffer from an 'innocent' rebuke by one of the leading men.

However if anyone can remember the heady days when world cup stadiums were packed with bold adverts of 'Camel', 'Malboro' and the likes will realise how quickly things can get rough and how fierce these battles can be.

Posterity will surely remember CR7 as perhaps the arsonist in chief.

[quote author= post=102771949]Can you just imagine!
This reminds us about the frog eye thieves and her looting gang,
Jide Omokore, Aluko and oil goddess Alinson made an oil deal of N1 trillion and chose not to remit to Nigeria under GEJ. Did any Child of hate,, frustrations and perdition raise eyebrow?

INTEL of Ex-Vice President Atiku refused to remit to Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), not until last year that “ordinary” Hadiza the NPA boss challenged INTEL and insisted the funds must be remitted.

A Christian Professor had been leading JAMB all through Obasanjo to Jonathan yet for 40 years of JAMB; only N52 Million was remitted to FG.

A Muslim Professor who was appointed just in two years of handling JAMB remitted over N15 Billion. FIFTEEN BILLION.
But non of these wailing winches here ever saw anything bad in it.

But any good and positive news in Nigeria is bad news for them.
People that their future and that of their unborn kids and their unborn kid's kids have all been stolen away.

Una never see anything, y'all should continue supporting evil.[/quote]My friend will you quit all these hapless deflections. This government was elected to fight corruption not to compare itself with the past from which Nigeria fled at the polls.

It was not elected to identify how beautifully a fire is burning but to put the damn fire out. If the fire of corruption is still raging in government 6 years after then it has done little or nothing to achieve its mandate.

And that is because folks like you ignorantly chase clout instead of directing government to the root of the problem which is systemic and requires a complete restructuring of the way government operates.

The result will be clear come 2023. This government met corruption in 2015, lived through it and will end its tenure with stories like this still rife and billions of naira still being wasted.

Mister. There has been no government since independence that did not indict its own officials and dock them for graft. In the 5th Republic, the OBJ regime, Yaradua and GEJ governments caught, sacked and prosecuted so this is no news. It does nothing to halt corruption.

Tell us what this government is doing differently to end this scourge holistically and permanently. It was their mandate.

We have heard. Just complete your term and leave and let the country begin to heal.

Twitter was there before you came and it will continue after you have left. In the meanwhile your chapter in history has been written and will be recorded for all time as the most intolerant and divisive government in the history of this country.

Just enjoy yourselves one last time. No one expects anything else.

Anyone who loves the 'beautiful game' will appreciate the contributions of Cristiano Ronaldo. A great sportsman, consummate professional and ultra competitor. Deserves every accolade. Truly inspirational fellow.

Good one. Invest in environmental re-engineering and appropriate infrastructure to terra form your land to pasture resources which the herders seek around the rest of the country.

To borrow to build infrastructure is NOT AN ACHIEVEMENT. Strip eberything down means the achievement is the ability to borrow. As a businessman my ability to take loans cannot be what keeps me on the board of the company but the health and prosperity, the dividends I generate.

On the other hand, what will have been an achievement is to build the infrastructure by being creative in raising the resources needed, doing what was thought of as impossible or improbable considering the circumstances

Since these loans are not going to be repaid during the tenure of this government I will rather give kudos to the government that either offsets them or is able to position the investments in infrastructure as revenue generators or economic stimulants.

I reserve a clap for the airports and rail ways until they begin to affect the economy positively as proofs of viability.

Finally if using loans appropriately is the yardstick for good governance, fair enough. Though such a poor standard of overall expectation, I however commend the government on that.

Grace001:
I’m glad he acknowledged that his boss Buhari can’t unite Nigeria. He didn’t just want to say it directly

There is a penalty for that. You sink with your principal.

Al- Gore was a decent man, full of wisdom but he was undone because of Bill. And try as he may to distance himself from that regime, Americans at that time were fed up with the sleaze. So what was supposed to be an anticipated easy win for him over a stuttering Texan called George Jnr became a titanic battle.

Those who know Mike Pence well regard him as a solid, decent politician who times without number kept Donald from imploding and ashing America, much to his embarrassment.

But he is severely damaged goods today as a result and will pass through hell and high water to ever reach the gates of the White House and certainly unimaginable while his principal still mouths off.

How Nigerians imagine a scenario where you can just turn off a poor 8 year term like a light switch and pretend all the actors didn't dance is quite frankly befuddling.

Just poor quality citizenship. Some are even contemplating the return of Goodluck Jonathan. And you begin to ask yourself...are these people alright upstairs..

brightsbella:
We still have hope in this government and that hope is Osinbajo. ❤️

Which government? This one? Are you thinking right?. What happened to the former Nigerian government when they failed. They were cast out in 2015. What happened when the world, not only America was fed up with Trump, they were cast out, wholesale.

Here you are, oh failed citizen of Nigeria, planning to manage a failed government, hoping to add more time to your prison time. Dreaming to see what you have not seen in 6 years of woe.

Who has done this to your mind. Which kind of mysterious Stockholm syndrome is afflicting you that you cannot let go of your tormentors and seek a better life in Nigeria. Are you married to this government in some divine umbilical cord. Haba.

If there is no penalty for misgovernance there can be never be progress. I cannot expect any sane person who is a witness to all that is happening in Nigeria today to remotely imagine voting this government back in 2023.

Just cast your hope aside please. There is NO WAY a Mr Osinbajo presidential candidacy will not be an extension of the Buhari presidency. It is impossible because he will do deals, make compromises, sign agreements and they will seek continuity. That is pure politics.

He will NEVER be permitted to be different so just forget it. When governments fail badly, they are replaced top to toe anywhere in the world and are kept in the cooler until the party structure is rid of all offending elements.

That is how a normal democratic systems work for the development of nations. Actions have consequences. Power has accountability.

SEGLIZ:
the money was clean, the issue was MKO don't incorporate his business. he was running a pure sole proprietorship style of businesses.
hence after his death his children were at liberty to close shop on many of not all the businesses.

A lot of his earnings were shady.
Take it from me.
But nothing that is considered normal today.
The Murtala government made him.

Ignorance is deadly.