₦airaland Forum

damas11111:
I think you are totally wrong. Had Buhari not intervened, Nigeria would surely have become a forgotten state. His intervention actually slowed than the rot. I really believe that the interventions of all the military rulers have actually helped Nigeria if one considers how all the civilian regimes have fared. They are always "very big governments", very corrupt, wasteful beyond imagination, and always directionless. Give me a Buhari regime and I will choose it ten times over and above the best civilian regime Nigeria has ever had. Only those who were too young when Buhari ruled or those blinded by religion bigotry or those suffering from lack of wisdom to differentiate between good and bad; will wish otherwise.

No, no, no. You are totally wrong on this one. There is no way constant instability can bring any progress. Nigeria is corrupt not because of the people or the government but the structure of the state. It is a fundamentally flawed system. If a government can come in with the gun it can be replaced with a bigger gun. The guns are not the problem but those who wield them. Buhari was replaced after less that two years by Nigerians not Chinese or Brazilians. Or is Babangida not a Nigerian. Was he not military. Just how good was he. The people spoke. They did not want hard rule. They wanted paddy paddy. That is Nigeria for you. Military will change military. Nothing will be achieved and Nigerians will continue to deceive themselves. The real questions that make for the creation of a virile state will never be asked as it is now under a democracy. Or is it Buhari you will have asked for a sovereign national conference.

The way this thing will work is this. We, Nigerians will bludgeon ourselves to death with ethnicity, corruption and religious bigotry until we get tired. When we get tired of these things we will sort ourselves out. Any attempt to seperate this fight is an exercise in futility. Even if Buhari comes and by some miracle reduces corruption to zero. Will he rule for ever. When he leaves won't we come back to eat from our potty. Didn't we return to the dump when he was kicked out of government. My guy some people were rejoicing then. Not everyone sees this thing the way you do. Unfortunately you have to live with them.

Why use military antecedents to sell a civilian. This reason is fundamentallly flawed. As a civilian President he will never have those kinds of powers that enabled him do those things. This is one of my main grouses. Democracy I repeat is not about one man and his opinions alone. It is about consensus and the sucess of the nation is directly related to the sucess of the three arms of government not on the President or Presidency alone. The beauty of democracy is that no one man is given such powers as to endanger the state when he makes personal errors. That is why OBJ with all his powers could not get his third term. That is why Obama with all his powers cannot gain sufficient traction. Buhari with all his anti-corruption bravado cannot force Nigerians to be less corrupt if they choose to under a democracy. Sorry. That is the truth of democracy.

Looking through that write-up you will discover that some of Buhari's personal decisions as the C-in-C are flawed and will not stand in democracy. Take the ministerial list. Only six of the seventeen top men and ministers including himself and his deputy are from the south. In which democracy will that stand. I complain frequently about the size and cost of government but the bogus size is as a result of our peculiarities and divisions as enshrined and entrenched in our constitution. It is not the presidency or presidential system fault. It is our collective fault. If Buhari was sworn in today can he change the constitution. No. He will have to work with what we collectively agree upon or he will be impeached swiftly.

I remain unchanged in my view. This country can only be fundamentally changed by the people of this country and not any individual. Every other move will merely be placative whether against corruption, ethnic bigotry or others. When we get tired and fed up of fighting one another we will call into being the kind of system that will bring us into the 21st century. Forget hero worship. It doesn't work. Nigeria is too complex for one man alone to handle.

sandee575:
Kindly enlighten us on what Night Landing System is about in the plane.

Simple. Put ILS on UPS. What's the big deal. Equipment do fail. Backup is the response.

helpee:
I operate an E susu account with stanbic IBTC. It is a daily savings account and the agents come around to collect it daily. I was faithfully saving for 3mnths without making any withdrawal.  I later went into the bank to demand for my statement of account but I was told I had no statement that they only know the total amount I av saved and that if I nid my statement I should use the handwritten passbook as my statement. I told them nobody would accept that from me and that it was improper for me to save over a million with them without proper statement. That was when this guy who happened to be the operations manager shouted me down that as long as my money is complete I had no right to complain. The other staff were telling him that I am a regular customer but he didn't bother. He later called a police officer to come and walk me out but other customers intervened. I went straight to my lawyer and we called the customer complaint threatening fire and brimstone. Promptly they apologised and asked for scanned copy of my passbook which they used to provide me my statement from the headquarters. They gave the guy query and made him face a disciplinary panel cos as at the time he used police to walk me out, I had more than a million in that account. This guy called me yesterday saying unless I intervene he will be sacked. He is asking me to tell them at the headquarters that I was angry from home before and that I transferred the aggression on him before he reacted that way. He actually begged me and was almost weeping on phone.

Do out of bank settlement

Beaf:
OP, you might have a misunderstanding about how a federal system should work. FG should just be an enabler and not have to be feeding them; its like comparing apples and oranges. The states and LG's should be the primary drivers of development who should really be funding the FG. Whilst not encouraging the wastefullness of the Nigerian system, the FG's capital expenditure should never be as much as the states or LG's, otherwise it means the governors and LG bosses are doing fuckall (which they are known for anyway).

It is hightime we stopped pointing fingers at the LG for lack of development, we are now running a democracy and no longer under central military authority. Let us begin to ask deep questions about the role of our states and LG's and what part the governors and chairmen have to play. The development of our states and LG's have remained stagnant, because we do not understand the federal structure, so we continue to elect fools and thieves, and to roll over and get phucked. States and LG's have major roles to play in the delivery of development, let us begin to ask deep and serious questions about why they are almost all a failure.

Take the US for example, you don't hear that Obama is going around given money to the US states or that the US federal govt is building industries etc; those things are left for states and municipalities (LG's) to deliver instead. The US federal govt only delivers policy, standards, judiciary and defense; it is the states that deliver wealth and push development.

Well said. Some states and most local goverments run a zero sum account. Start at beginning of month with X naira and end the month with X-X=0 then take their begging bowls back to Abuja for a refill. Even States that generate revenues from taxes and levies have practically nothing they can boast of in terms of real investment. The focus on revenue derived from mineral resources particularly oil receives far too much attention. Mineral resources are just one out of millions of investment ideas out there State and Local Government can actively invest in. I look forward to the time when a particular state or local government will take its allocation and invest say 20% to 30% continuously for a period of say ten years to generate real income streams that will make allocations obsolete. It is good to have 50 to 60% of your revenue expended on infrastructure but this does not bring direct income and zero sum spending is plain financially dangerous thoughtless of being humiliating and retrogressive. A man who earns a salary and all he spends money on is food, cars and houses without investment to supplement and ultimately replace his income is a ticking financial disaster.

[size=15pt]I concur with most of what you are saying. However may I say that institutions don't develop themselves. They are built by dedicated people first before they become strong enough to be what they are supposed to be. The strength of any institution is the result of the commitment of its founding fathers - those who lay the ground rules impartially and set the tone for how the institution will be run [/size]
[quote][/quote]Yes,we are saying the same thing but you have to understand that institutions are never completed so you will be hard pressed to credit individuals for their successes or failures. What I mean by the institutions surrounding individuals is for example. I cannot entirely blame Ribadu's failures on him or his staff. He was appointed by someone, was paid by someone who largely dictated the tune. We accuse him of failing to prosecute certain people without considering the role of the Police Force, the Judiciary, the Executive (his employers) and the people of Nigeria (his largest constituency). These are the bodies that come together to forge anti-corruption institutions or destroy them. Any weakness in the above parties and the operatives in it fail. You cannot have an effective anti-corruption agency without having the majority on board and the minority at the sharp end of the stick whether they are operatives or not. The problem in Nigeria is that the good guys are in the minority.

As it concerns this case the opposition ACN does not have to do everything to make the present government fail to prove a point. Opposition also means vetting actions and querrying inactions for the greaer good of the country. If they were to win in 2015 will they accept a failed petroleum industry till then to prove they are the better party. If they are wiser they can even make political capital out of it saying it is our man, our flagbearer that salvaged the situation so vote him in 2015 for President. Let's put this thing in perspective and draw the line between politics and governance or as a nation we will never maximise our potentials. Not everything is broom and umbrella.

This is not politics. Afterall he rose to popularity under a past government led by the PDP. In that government he was not a politician but a professional but it was the ACN that made political capital out of his professionalism so why the query now. The government is just trying to revert him back to his prfessionalism, put the square peg back into the square hole. Let's be honest does Ribadu look like a politician in any way shape or form. I personally am not too convinced about the man neither do I credit him entirely with any little success the EFCC garnered. I always feel more for the institutions surrounding individuals and not just the operatives hence my serious doubts about the level of success he will enjoy. However if the ACN feels they own the man can they lend him to the country and kindly take him back in peace after his tenure is over.

If we go down this route where will it end. If ACN is in the centre of power tommorrow and a CPC or APGA or PDP man with certain competencies is engaged to tackle a very critical issue of national importance, he should reject it on what basis, the toga of party politics ??. Nigerian comes first before politics. The institution being investigated is not a political one and affects us all. If the government feels he is the best man for the job so be it. He should drop his party mentality and get to work. Period. Is he called to serve the nation or serve PDP. Is it only PDP that buys petrol or is the NNPC a PDP department. Let us draw the line between politics and governance. It is getting lost on a good number of us. If we go down this route very soon there will be political party banks, industries, tv. stations, and perhaps even fast food joints. Funny.

The FA did the right thing. They had waited endlessly for Capello to make the call but he didn't so they had to step in. Remember the English team has a good number of blacks and being captained at the Euro's will have put just too much pressure on the team coming especially from the press. Their experience with the Suarez thing is something they never wanted repeated hence the swift and sudden decision.

They waited for Capello but you could see the volcano of bad press beginning to rumble on screen, papers and the web. The ultimate fault lies with the courts. Why they could not air this case speedily and clear it well before the Euros beats my imagination. They've killed England.

I don't know what is wrong with these coaches. KK has refused to accept publically Suarez did anything wrong. The tape evidence of the Terry outburst though masked is very damning. Even Mikel in the background could be seen cringing at the remarks.

The courts should call the case forward. The FA should appeal to them and if all they want is to give JT a slap on the wrist so be it. But the team has to move on and time is fast running out. Pity.

sammirano:
it is because the white likes cleanliness and Nigeria government loves dirt.

Chei, Nigerians. Ostrich farmers.

Tony Spike:
The eviction of our white colonial masters in 1960 was really ill-timed in a way. It appears their departure created a vacuum which led to a massive deterioration in our societal, economic and evidently, our thought process. There is no better way to say this,

Times change indeed. See how clean the streets were even where you see hawkers and street markets. Though there was not a better time to gain indepedence the evidence today suggests that it was not out of deep thought and proper planning just as the nationalisation that swept the land in the Murtala and OBJ seventies. When you look at the Kingsway's and Leventies' which our people looted, mismanaged and ultimately crashed to be replaced with their own their own shanty street side shacks selling fake and substandard goods you will reaslise something is basically wrong here moreso when you consider the widespread rejoicing at the opening of the Alausa Mall late last year. Today we cry out for foreign investors and beg the same people we kicked out just a few decades ago but alas who answers our calls - China, India, Lebanon (with all due respect) and even South Africa on the back of the fact that the investments they make today in our economy are essentially 'white' driven.

Yes, they were a bit more careful no to throw the baby out with the bath water. I am yet to see a black nation do the same to another, but I have to be careful here and shut my gob because the way we are going in Nigeria our biggest investor in a few decades may be Ghana. Now that will really set the cat among the pigeons of our natinal pride and psyche seeing the child growing to nurse the nanny.

Kobojunkie:
In 2011 alone, how many Tasks forces and committees where set up for what and how many of them we don get result from? PIB no get im set of task forces and committees??  

My dear its symptomatic of how this country is. If you live in a tinderbox house the harmattan season is a grave threat but until you can afford better lodgings you just have to make do with a pail of water standby. Very crude but heck what else. We have failed to build proper institutions, we have failed to plan long term, we have failed to take the necessary surgeries and prefer these short term palliatives. We don't like government but we want more of their control. It is a viscious circle. I will always say the number of policemen on the streets in any given country is an indictment of the people, not the government and they should be prepared to accept the attendant cost and discomfort. The USA has the largest, most extensive and most expensive law enforcement system in the world. They build and maintain more prisons than some totalitarian regimes. That says a lot about Americans. Closer home I would say the number of people employed by LASTMA and KAI just to keep Lagosians obeying simple rules is collosal. So we need these commitees, task forces and endless layers of beauracracy because we don't like to work and obey simple rules. It is a Nigerian thing.

That is one of the reasons I was for total deregulation. There's too much heat and attention around a single and simple commodity - petrol. Just one, just one of the items we use in a day and in our lives bringing so much misery. Look at the telecoms sector as an example of industry going reasonably well. Very little noise and heat, very little government input and how many taskforces and commitees. But like I would always say, it is a zero sum game. Freedom has a price and what we as the people fail to pay for they take from us subtly. We have absolutely nothing to complain about. We were given a choice to take the petroleum sector out of government's hands but we insisted they hang on. So.

Well, well, well, what can I say. For now, nothing.

Why not. I understand the Eagles will be getting their legendary bronze medal for ten seasons of exceptional third place finishes from who else other than CAF Presido - Isa Hire Too. Said they have made a truck load and won't want them finely engraved pieces to go waste.  

When he was championing the cause of the masses in opposition to fuel subsidy removal then he was cool and many were swayed. I am just amazed at some reactions here. Some are taken aback, flaberghasted. Some will even venture a defence, surely it wasn't him. Others try and excuse the situation. Oh, he was refering to particular people there and not generalising. They say afterall Balarabe Musa is there as if we don't know who Balarabe Musa is, what he represents and how he is seen on both sides of the divide being created there.

Nigerians are so finicky whereas these guys know exactly what they are doing and say so in clear terms. Most of us especially on this thread do not understand this country at all so we just flow and ebb with the wind hanging onto anything that looks remotely like hope and so believing a lie, any lie. What kind of mentality is that. They tell us the truth boldly to our faces. We on the other hand find excuses for them. Oh well, what a way to go.

My personal advice. Never, never count on individuals. They are never reliable. El Rufai is not referring to individuals, he is adressing systems and institutions.
Two, always wait for outcomes before responding. Never be in a haste to praise or condemn these individuals. Rather look at their antecedents to observe patterns. Where a man is coming from is a good indication of where he is going or where he will end up. Men rarely fundamentally change. Their beliefs, ideologies are more or less sacrosanct. Thinking otherwise is an exercise in self delusion.

Personally I am pleased with the way things are going on in Nigeria and I will always say it. The ideological shift in Nigeria occassioned by the the present political dispensation though many like it not is probably the best thing that has happened to Nigeria. Everyone is out in the open. No more pretenses. We are seeing them for whom they are.

If you go absolutely which police man will affect the arrest and which judge will try the case as they will in all likelyhood be in their graves. If you attempt to categorise then you will be accused of selective justice, go the Buhari way and the whole thing breaks down. The hunter then becomes the bush meat. Corruption fights back.

Why does a dog carry on chasing its tail when it knows basic geometry. Simple. The difference between the utopia found on Nairaland and the reality prevailing in greater Nigeria. As that doggy cannot bridge that gap so is the gap of understanding. PDP is the aggregate representation of Nigeria and Nigerians, the closest thing we have to a national mirror. That's why it has the greatest or widest appeal. They know this country like the back of their hands. Whereas in drug joints like this forum where bleary eyed traveller seeks El-dorado and when pressed for food and water turns religious bigot, sectional bully or regional champion, the PDP balances it all.

I was watching that chap, Segun I think, on Channels TV yesterday on the national conference issue. The big split was between those who thought that any and every issue could be tackled by the National Assembly as the peoples true representatives citing the cross party, peoples oriented fuel subsidy debate and others as a democracy growing and cutting across party lines; while the other side - the Soyinka camp sternly believes those that ultimately benefit from a system cannot be trusted to deliver serious changes to that system. In effect no man can use his hands to carry his body. One interesting talk by the chap from the North (here we go again) was that no matter what system of government is adopted as long as it involves us as a peoples, it will still fracture along lines of basically those who feel progress is made and those who feel oppressed. Nigeria is very complex so people go for easy and clear decisions as represented in the PDP.

Though I personally think the problems of Nigeria are structural and go far beyond mere party politics. If I were to simplify issues I would profer a balance between what we have now and what we want. Keep your feet on the ground but reach out. We definitely cannot continue with the way the PDP is run but it is up to them to reform, it is up to us to reform or the system will collapse completely.

Just like motor cars and machinery in advanced contries. The makers know how to keep them running indefinitely but choose to toss them after just a few years while we who know little and can do little to maintain them purchase them used and hope to keep them running forever. The true value of life is a balance and at this moment the PDP has the very best.

I wonder how this works out since most of them were also generals in the army. Do you get a pension as a retired general and then pick a cheque as an ex-C-in-C. Tw0 birds with one stone. Even Shonekan who was there for a few months gets millions and a mansion, for doing what exactly. More information please. This thing is really wierd.

Yes Okonjo Iweala has the opportunity to right the wrongs and restructure the nations's economy through the oil sector. Fine, but if Tam David West and other preceeding ministers did their jobs as well as they demand now we will not be facing the kind of problem we are facing now.

This is so disappointing. They occupy office, mess up the place and expect miracles from their successors. What did he do or not do as petroleum minister. Let us open another page to analyse him. Did he not part create and instutionalise corruption in that sector.

I was discussing this matter with someoe a few days ago. I have very little respect for past leaders no matter in what colour they come across. Today we are looking for foreign investors to participate in the oil sector. If so why did OBJ nationalise the same oil sector in the late seventies. Short-sightedness, corruption ? Who knows. Today Shell retails petrol in Ghana while their upstream oil sector is coming online. Why didn't Tam David West deregulate then. Why didn't he seek foreign investment then. Why did he not break the NNPC's monopoly then when all these things were far cheaper and less painful to do under an all powerful military regime and when Nigerian's still respected their government and leveraged possible change all in hope. No, he enjoyed the monopoly and absolute power then not knowing he was riding a tiger that will later devour others after him.

They say hindsight is 20/20. Good for him. Just join the company of El-Rufai, Fani Kayode and others who have refused to flush the toilet. Hopefully Iweala will remain to try and clean up the mess rather than stand outside and wrinkle her nose.

jmaine:
https://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/417241_2599755468418_1090713293_31963588_1584953662_n.jpg

Geez. You're one sick puppy.  

And that's why he should be right here giving it all it takes. His three weeks doing DSTV/AFCON runs is another reason why the gap will remain where it is. Remember our Super Falcons Oylmpic debacle. Granted we did not qualify for the All African games but while the Camerounia ladies got good tournament practice we disbanded our teem and retired to our telly's. The result is history. Who knows which of these teams in the AFCON we will face beyond Rwanda.

Chelsea is in full retreat to the pre Mourinho era. From back to front. Its just a laid back, disjointed performance. Unbelieveable.

I am totally shocked that some will come here and say Oando owes no explanation and infer that importers are not part to blame for the problems we have in that sector. Oando is a public company offering public services paid partly by tax payers money that is being stolen willy-nilly and they should not be held accountable. Haba. What has this country turned to. Oh if it was a transaction between Oando and xyz and money was being lost in payments Oando principals alone are to blame. They cannot summon the management of xyz. This is unfortunate.

For our information oil marketers are as culpable as any government agency involved be it NNPC, Customs, DPR, PPPRA, Nigerian Navy, anyone and if the House Committee is serious about getting to the bottom of this matter they should sequest any member of staff working for or with these parties, not just their CEO's Put them on the stand and under oath, you will see just how much real information will come out. I can give them a hand. I can tell them the level and designation of staff to call. Any company that interfaces with the public is subject to legislative scrutiny without exception, not to talk of companies involved in massive robberies of the national treasury.

If we continue to feel and think that corruption is a government thing alone and as such only government and its officials should answer then we have not started yet. Is this what we will get when the oil sector is eventually privatised.

.

jmaine:
This Walcott na correct ode

Kinda reminds one of Pius Ikedia. Four forward gears, no reverse, no steering.

The problem with Arsenal is that they lack big time players. Players that can transcend tehnics and tactics. Take the bull by the horns and deliver under pressure. With the exception of RVP and Vermalean I can't see anyone out there that can make a difference. Wenger has traded this team wafer thin, exchanged quality for quantity. The sight of Pires in the stands is a cause for thought.

There's something else I noticed. Every 50-50 decision went Barca's way even though they were the visiting team. I'm beginning to think ref's are getting sucked into some very wrong notions which they have to watch before the entire rest of the league begins to sing the same tune.

Hmm, down side of private sector corruption. It is the grass that will always suffer. I hope those remaining in the system respect their careers more than their employers. If you see wrong talk now oh.

The big question here is do Nigerians rally round and return power to the north to forestall further crises like you will let a junkie get a fix to prevent him doing an Amy Winehouse. Is Nigeria truly ready for democracy, i.e. may the best man win. What if the best man for the job is a northerner. How will southerners view it. Oh well, he/she merited it. But will the northerner feel the same way or will he feel it is simply a continum.

I don't think the peoples of the north are lazy in anyway. They participate in the economy properly and by agriculture in which they excel contribute more to Nigeria's GDP and if you have been involved in agriculture you will understand that its no mean feat, high input, moderate returns, however the north has a combination of challenges that mesh into the hydra headed monster called feudalism. It is the north's biggest problem. The paucity of independent thought. It is a mind thing. And when you have rock solid ideologies only the dynamite of external opposition can change it. They have many entrenched thought patterns that have subjugated them, SLS has just mentioned one. But one thing is sure the British did a poor job on early northern leaders. It is now time for the rest of Nigeria to wean them of those hard drugs. Question is, just how do you do that.

I do sincerely hope Nigerians especially those on this forum who do not understand the country they live in and chose to play the ostrich when it comes to the future civility and prosperity of the nation and always oversimplifying national issues thinking their problems are all caused by government in the person of the head of state, perhaps will begin to broaden their thought patterns.

Fellows we have a structural problem in Nigeria a very serious one that is as bad as the religious and ethnic divisions. The structural problem began to be addressed shortly after democracy re-tarted, sometime in 2001 there about. It has taken us through monumental changes that has flexed the fabric of this nation, equalized the political game and tested decade long beliefs. Why would there not be this kind of reaction. Unfortunately more lives will be lost and more hardship is to come but in the end the country will survive. We will undergo structural reforms, we will then entrench social justice and finally deal with the corruption issue in that order.

Sorry for this country. But we have to take the bitter pill, the hardest part first. That is how to succeed. More insights to come.