Reference's Posts
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percipi1:I think it goes beyond the breach of traffic laws to something alarming we quite readily overlook. The bearing of arms illegally in public without authorization. This recurring issue of a soldier in a breach calling for so called backup and his colleagues coming into civilian territory bearing arms. It is very dangerous and totally unlawful. This is tantamount to usurping government and its agents by the force of arms. If it was a military to military thing what do you call that. The chap will be sentenced to death, period. Let's not treat this brazen illegality with kids gloves simply because we have been traumatized and cowered by decades of military rule. The police good or bad are custodians of the rights of the generality of people to live an organized, civil and just society that the military continually usurps with reckless abandon. We know it hurts them that they are out of power but what they should remember is that above all they remain civil servants on the payslip of the people. They are paid by our sweat and our collective wealth and thus should be accountable. Let us welcome this soldier to civilian life, wasteful, brainless man. Where was he rushing to. Now I hope he has slowed down sufficiently to think through his actions. If I was the GOC or the Army chief I would go one step further to totally ban the bearing of arms in public places and any one found contravening should be arrested and if he resists he should be shot, period. |
[quote author=invisible!! link=topic=515718.msg7283170#msg7283170 date=1291662956]E go hard o! But if its a flat land, dry and stony, no fence, then you can give it a try; 100 bags of cement @ 160k 6 trips of sharp sand @ 36k 2 trips of plastering sand @14k 3 trips of gravel @ 45k 2000pcs of 6" blocks @ 200k (you could also mould, it will be cheaper) 50k for rods 180k for wood (including roofing wood) 12 bundles of zink @ 108k 15k for nails, etc. 40k for asbestors ceiling board 70k for carpentry labour (including roofing) 200k for all mason works 70k for windows (aluminium, black, plain, 3.5mm glass) 50k for wooden doors, keys and hinges/fixing labour 35k for metal protectors for windows 40 k for wiring labour and materials (surface wiring) 50k for suckaway pit, digging and works 30k for toilet accessories, no tiles please foundation digging/blinding labour @ 30k Total of 1,425,000.00 despite all efforts to manage, as stated earlier, e go hard.[/quote] Really. Na igloo you wan build |
What do they say again about the rolling stone ![]() |
Pie in the sky. He,he,he Nigerians love tales. Oga, we have been building houses for over a hundred years and know why the costs continue to rise. When those issues are addressed then you can begin to dream. Folks the basic and only way to reduce the price of any item in this world is to invest in its development. The building industry is multi-componented. What makes a three bedroom bungalow cost over five million now are materials as diverse as sand, gypsum, rubber, copper, steel, zinc, glass, lead, wood, porcelain, in items from electrical systems, sanitary fittings, windows, doors, roof, etc. Each of these components are independently priced and their manufacture are not in any way connected. So which of these components do the developers wish to attack and suppress.Our buildings are expensive simply because we manufacture very little and I don't mean assemble, manufacturing so we cannot control costs, research and develop new products. You can only improve what you make. Even the humble local materials such as timber are terribly expensive. Typical timber roofs can cost any thing up to a million to instal. Look at the picture in the feature article again. That roof is a granular coated iron/zinc alloy going for anything up to 5,000 per square metre. Which part for that we dey make. How we go fit reduce that cost by four. Impossible. Together with the timber carcass underneath I bet it cost close to a million and a half. That is the reality. No investment, no manufacturing base, no possibility of cost reduction. All this alchemy business is killing us. Na only hard work dey bring money. |
Koolking:You see. |
johnie:I am not surprised at all. Those who think this is merely a police versus army thing should rethink again. These law enforcement agents were not acting alone. They were sent there to enforce laws established by civilian authority. What these soldiers are saying is that they are governed by separate laws superior to civilian state laws. This is pathetic and outright dangerous. So if a soldier offends, robs, maims and even kills it is the army that decides what happens to the offender. When they (the military) ruled did they not expect we bloody civilians to obey. When they ruled why did they not proscribe the police. Now they are out of power they want to remain above the law. For Nigerians who support them I can only say we absolutely deserve the society we cultivate and tolerate. Tomorrow we turn round and blame government for all its ills while we continue to support barbarity. If to keep common BRT lanes clear is an issue then as a society we deserve to suffer hardship. We cannot make even the basic sacrifice to instill sanity. What a national, yes, national shame. We should all be ashamed. These soldiers have parents, brothers, sisters and children that make noise all around blaming government but see what they do. I continue to say this the king that will put a ring on our noses and drag us around like cattle is coming. And I hope we will love that. Let us continue with this mess. Rubbish, nonsense, useless, ![]() |
johnie:I am not surprised at all. Those who think this is merely a police versus army thing should rethink again. These law enforcement agents were not acting alone. They were sent there to enforce laws |
brabus: |
greateros:Na true. Are the people drilling oil in the Niger-Delta not the same set drilling off-shore Ghana. Can a student teach his teacher. These companies are well schooled in oil economics and political expediency. They are pros in cornering politicians and robbing the populace. Which South American government has not tried to kick them out. See what they have done to a warlord in Dos Santos in Angola. Ghanians will not scare them. They will divide and rule. Period. And if you think that our fellow black brothers are superhuman and cannot sell their birthrights then consider that Ghana once held a substantial portion of gold reserves in their soil when gold was the anchor to world currency. So they have had their shot at stardom before but the news is similar. While they danced with the exploiters, white South Africa was developing exponentially with the same resources. Why. Because the whites ruled the country. Do they rule Ghana. They exploit your oil and buy the stuff at the price they want how then can you prosper. When it is your turn to buy their Landcruisers, Rolex watches and fine wine they sell at the prices they fix. And you still feel you're doing well. This continent sef. ![]() |
Can natural exploratory resources ever be a blessing to a black man. Can't say their lives will get better but it will surely become more complicated. Worked examples right round the continent are just too many to ignore. Just wait till the British begin to tussle with the French and the Americans with the Chinese. My rating of nations and peoples are by what they make with their hands working in tandem with their brains not what is in their fields or backyards. |
hackney:Good try but in those days when a bag of beans sold for N 3,000 farm gate in Bauchi it sold for N 10,000 at Mile 12 in Lagos. When you ask them why they say transport costs. Do government subsidize this cost. No. Who controls long haul today, its all northerners - tankers, trucks, the lot. They should haul the fuel for free. I would seriously bet that the naira value of foodstuff coming down south will exceed the value of petroleum products going north. They have assets but are too lazy to realise that. May this government seize this wanton waste of resources. It is killing this country's resources, fueling corruption and ineptitude. |
majoroller:Fine if you would have to replace them every six months. Look let us be realistic. If the average Londoner or New-Yorker would use and no abuse those bins, nick and resell them then you could extend your resources. Handrails gone, streetlights gone. Even the wrought iron mini fencing used to protect sidewalk lawns are fast disappearing in high brow Ikeja, all in the name of poverty. Ask those people and what they say is the economy is bad. There is a disconnect between prosperity and the environment that is evident on the streets and on this forum. You cannot make a hungry man care for his environment. You cannot make him leave a bustling city though he has no job, you cannot make him obey laws. Fashola cannot change the mindset of Lagosians, he can only appeal. He cannot raise the per capita, he can only provide an enabling environment. London may be cheaper than Liverpool but we don't speak of Londoners, we speak of the British. He cannot create an island of splendor in the middle of a poor and backward country. If he does Lagos will become an even bigger magnet and perhaps the 20,000 souls entering the city a day will become like 200,000. Believe me if we want to turn around this situation fast we need even more sacrifices as a people than we are currently offering. Watching the series currently running on BBC knowledge about Lagos the running battles between KAI, the baddies and the people what you ca glean out of the whole thing is that the average Nigerian, Lagosian is unwilling to give up anything for others or his environment all in the name of poverty. While we are busy here blaming government for everything, people (right now) are building shops on drains, trading on the streets, vendors throwing corn cobs and husks, plantain peels into gutters with a care free attitude. Do you have to tell a man in New York or an Asian shop keeper in Birmingham to sweep the front of his shop. But Lagos has to shut down till ten in the morning on Thursdays to get people to clean up at a cost to government (in enforcement personnel, equipment and the works) of hundreds of millions per year. This is a monumental waste to attack waste. We can take care of our houses and shops ourselves. When we see a fellow passing by our house and drops a sachet of pure water we can bin t or call him to task. What is all this government this, government that. How many government bins are in the village. Why is the place not filthy. Simple because attitudes are different. The village belongs to us, the cities belong to government. |
Good progress sir, but one very, very, very important thing I have not seen is survey levels. If this building is anywhere south of the Niger drainage is very important. I would have expected that you establish level before commencing works. I can observe that the road outside the compound is not asphalted and I'm sure there are no established drains anywhere around so you are vulnerable to future development but public and private. Consider this very critically. Its not about materials alone. |
Hmmm, you see what round the clock power can cost. Self sanctions. Just reminds me when we were kids and split our toe caps playing footy on the pavement. Mummy holding the bottle of hot iodine, would say I told so. No, no no, mummy you can't apply that, then she gives you the brownish cotton wool. Do it yourself or bleed to death. So for Nigerians screaming their heads off and insulting PHCN folks left, right, centre, here in Nigeria, be careful what you wish for. . |
No. He's not overrated. There are public works going on across the state not just in Ikeja or Lekki. Can he repair all the roads and de-flood Lagos in eight years, no. Can he provide stable power in Lagos and rid every refuse heap, no. Why? Because Lagosians cannot pay for these things. That is the truth. If with the heavy taxation he hasn't created the garden of eden then we should begin to realign our expectations. Lagos will never be like London. Our GDP and per capita incomes are not similar. What is your expectation. Work it out. |
odumchi:Sorry I've been absent from this thread. It is difficult to offer a direct view since all the facts are not at hand but from indications above it would appear there is almost a total breakdown in communication between employer and employee. If the chap cannot reach his boss, does the boss not have a deputy or senior confidant. This sounds very much like a one man show and while these types of outfits are more unstable they are more malleable. The question I would like to ask. If the boss is not around what are the effects on the work and earning potentials. Why can't the workers with the skills carry on and generate income. In all production processes (with the exception of the ultra high skilled ones) and some service businesses the top man does not have to be there for things to happen. Even if it is a client type driven thing you can still get in touch with them. I really suspect there's some information not too clear. IMHO the staff of that company are just too weak. The example Mr Ajanlekoko gave earlier about the software company is an example. The boss doesn't write software and probably does not market it. He establishes contacts and manages the money. That is just one component of the chain that can be replaced very easily. What stops the staff from telling the visiting clients that the office remains open for business. I know its not easy but the truth in business is that money changes hands for goods or services rendered. Just keep on providing these and you will remain in business. And except if there;s some fundamental flaw in the system things can be repaired. From the report I think your friend is more concerned and I would dare say distracted by his 'personal problems'. I don't blame him but this is dangerous. Even if he was self employed he must maintain focus and focus on work/income not peroblems/expenditure. There's no guarantee he will strike a job quickly and to me it is far easier to repair what you have than buy a new one. But if he can't rise to control the situation the question remains begging; why he left it this long. I insist. Do not work for a company or venture into a business you cannot influence or control. Even if you enter at the very bottom, green in the ears, the Nigerian economy today dictates that you work extremely hard to create room for shocks which can happen at any time. I would venture to twist the chicken and egg stuff once again , I don't know of any boss of a real business out there that wants his workers to sink or swim at his whims. Most would rather have people operating their businesses whether they are dead or alive. Particularly the one man shows. |
Richvkunt:No, no, no. I would not commend them just yet and i think this is exactly why our law enforcement officials rarely solve a crime. You make a discovery and announce it on radio and t.v, Worse you openly allege you're after the perps and worst you announce the location of your search. I was listening to the story on the radio while driving this morning and I couldn't but think if I was the one involved. If I was a criminal I would drive straight back home and pack out fast. To further scramble my mind the newscaster announced that piece just after one about the Abuja Force HQ blast and I could not help but wondering if there cannot be a sort of connection here. That cash is obviously illegal but could it be a way these terrorists fund their activities (remember the cache of arms) discovered by the same Customs and openly displayed. What has happened to the case today. Perhaps forgotten then months later your forces are attacked. We will not be free till the wanton incompetence in our law enforcement agencies is weeded out completely. What is wrong in displaying the perps with the cash after they have been caught. Do some undercover work for once please. No. Their eyes are all shining for dollars just like their police counterparts for fifty-fifty at road blocks and pay the heavy price in terror attacks. They think their achievements in discovering the currency will persuade us they are on top of their game when we know fully the kinds of explosive and weapons these bandits, terrorists and militants use are certainly made abroad and find their way so easily into this country between their legs. Shior. ![]() |
Just to add a bit to my earlier post. The truth is that when companies or individuals face financial challenges (which almost every company faces at one time or the other) they are vulnerable and undergo voluntary or mandatory restructuring and there's a lot of movement in and out. One thing is certain, managers have far less say and far less control over their staff. He can leverage on that. If is an advanced organisation they may have a formal or informal union. Information flows freely there. If it is a small establishment he probably can reach the boss and over a (glass of water and find out what's going down. If he's story telling while living large then there's a serious problem. You can't change that but you can trade with it.For instance if I'm working for Seun he can't tell me there's no money for salaries . It must be going somewhere else. I can't influence that but I can leverage that situation to position myself. However it is critical these days that you don't work in places you cannot know. |
The problem with your friend and many other Nigerians is that they are completely ambivalent to the workings of the organizations they claim to belong. It cannot take me a month to know whether an organization is worthwhile and it is certainly not up to us onlookers to determine if he should continue. His success is entirely up to him. If I were him these are the questions I would ask myself. What are the prospects of the company. Is it earning income or not and does it have the potentials. Are there management problems. Are there issues with sales. Is is suffering from excessive competition. Are its products seasonal, expired, outdated or irrelevant. There are many factors to consider. Your friends' position in the Company, how much influence he has, the organizational structure and his relationship with his boss or bosses. If he has no influence, no internal relationships and the Company is the typical one-man, socialist enterprise, then that's a complete sham, he's in real trouble and should leave promptly but on the other hand if the Company has potentials and he can communicate them effectively, he should pull up his socks as it can be a potential goldmine for him. I've seen people take the reins in similar situations and have driven themselves into management positions. Spare sometime, do some after work work, research the company, its products or services and see what you can do personally to drive them then propose it to your clueless boss and don't just be a 9 - 5 statistic. |
I must say I am really impressed. This is what governance is all about. What I find disconcerting in view are the attacks. When government is spending what should we the private sector be doing - capitalizing on it. But we are not. We rather sit down and complain. Those trash compactors are from India - Tata, the armoured vehicles are from where, the infrastructural projects are handled by JBL and Co. This is good for Fashola but bad for us. That is why there is a disconnect between government spending and prosperity in this country. There is far too much capital flight. I could remember what happened in Cross-River state during Donald's time. He transformed the outlook of the state, reconstructed the entire capital - electricity distribution, water, roads, sanitation - he did everything but it had very little impact on the people because they were not involved primarily and he (Duke) attributed this to the paucity in capacity, professionalism and above all honesty. The ball is in our court in Nigeria. What I am beginning to think these days is, even if all the road were fixed, electricity runs 2/4 and all the infrastructure is ship shape are we ready to pull ourselves out of poverty. Do we have what it takes to make it. If all what Fashola is doing still does not stir us into action (and I live partially in Lagos) then our continued excuse for bad governance is just that - a convenient excuse. Let's stop these recurring pull him down and join him in building our society. Enough of these Fashola come and sweep my yard syndrome or for Lagosians what happened in Cross-River will happen in Lagos. Today some there dearly wish for the good old days of Duke (as they are experiencing severe reversals on many fronts) simply because they isolated themselves from governance and instead took the role of perpetual critics (always talking instead of working) so were not able to sustain the momentum. The next governor of Lagos will have his work firmly cut out and my fear is that if he cannot better this, a massive political backlash may occur. Governance is for all and the destiny of Lagosians should not be left to Fashola alone. Let us begin to work for ourselves so we can sustain what he's done when he is gone. |
Okay sir, we will pass the memo across to Messers Boko Haram for approval. |
Jakumo:Thanks for the fresh air. Reporters and their sensationalism. Nearly died indeed. That was standard operating procedure, nothing else. That aircraft can safely fly with one engine. |
cap28:Read it and am not surprised. From that attitude it shows they are here more for a holiday and not really work. and that is the clear difference between an investor and a parasite. No fault of theirs. In the forty years they have been in Nigeria we have not succeeded in replicating what they offer so the slavery continues. By our laziness and ineptitude they have thrived. What does JBL do. Build roads and bridges. Nothing so spectacular. I've not seen a project they have executed that isn't common. They replicate their roads, bridges and buildings many times over yet Nigerians that work with and for them are not able to see. When you test JBL with something different such as the national stadium and velodrome they run back to Germany to reinforce. I was watching a program on a new city built in China. Every single project was handled by a Chinese company. When we are ready to accept our standards of development then and only then will we make progress. As long as we are willing to ease up and slide sideways at the slightest challenge we will never develop. When cement increases we scream imports. when the price of fuel goes up we yell import, when our roads go bad we plead for JBL, when no gas reaches the power plants we cry to SPDC. Why won't they treat us like trash. We just have a terrible mental block in this country that requires urgent attention. Even middle-eastern nationals are beginning to do stuff for themselves. When they are fully liberated I really don't know whom we would take consolation in. |
But it is alright in the Niger-Delta. The proceeds of which are used to develop towns, cities and people thousands of miles away and fuel bank accounts the world over. They should explore it sharp sharp. It doesn't have to be for oil. Crack it a bit for heavy oils and the bitumen to fill the craters that abound on our roads. No white man involved in this please. Its not too hard. |
Hmmm, I thought you feed the prisoners to the dogs . We must cut costs at all costs. ![]() |
KnowAll:Hmmm, as a very high profile lawyer what should be expected is that he must have stepped on many toes. There will be people who have had encounters with him or stood on the other side and feel bad about it. For legal practitioners this is inevitable. I won't make comments about him, he was a great man. That's all I can say but I fully understand some feelings here and believe me they go way past petty jealousy or the camel passing through the eye of the needle. More like karma from their perspective. |
Indeed a recent study reveals that over [size=13pt][color=#770077]25,000 people from across the world move into Lagos for various reasons on a daily basis. This statement is another high flying kite that's not entirely accurate. Our population is rapidly rising and rural urban drift is well in tango with wide spread poverty but this is common to all urban cities in Nigeria not Lagos alone. The Portharcourt I met in 1996 is a fraction of what it is today. Abuja in the days of the Abacha regime is nothing like it is today. Crowding, traffic jams, etc. To say or mean 25,000 people move into or locate to Lagos on a daily basis will no doubt empty the population of the remaining states and capitals of Nigeria in just 13 years when we know they are all growing simultaneously. Our population growth is just unsustainable. This is one area we have to tackle with all vigour. China and India are two countries with similar profiles to ours and have both effected population control policies. And they came way before their boom years. However if we believe a large population is an asset like some do then that population has to be productive and hey can only be if they are educated and enlightened which unfortunately is not the case so we readily feel the impact. |
BizBooks:Very correct sir. That's why some are rising while others battle for the basement. The choice is basically ours. |
Very, very nice development though I would have preferred the Chinese doing it. They have more money, experience, a better completion rate and are not too touchy when it comes to tech transfer which is critical if the government has a financial stake in the plant. If they don't they should arrange with Nnaji to harvest 100% of the output locally first to industries. Must guarantee tech transfer and must be fully privatized no matter what stake the government has in it. |
This is not quite right. It is not like she is called to serve in a military regime for goodness sake. Or does she harbour political ambitions with the opposition in the future. I don't get it. Must the weather be perfect for a glorious outing. We know she is not in it for the money, the power, nor the pride. She has succeeded before so what makes this different challenge suddenly appear unwieldy. For you to be crowned a champion and an achiever you will have had to surmount differing challenges and prevailed against all manner of opposition. This government is no exception. If she feels the President is not up to it, make him. If the environment is not suitable, create one. From a standing start it takes just about the same effort to create an economic mess than to repair one. The debt issue, the CBN problems, the Stock Exchange challenges. If at anytime the challenges become human call the President's attention to them. If and when he fails to respond properly on account of unwillingness or inabilities simply call a press conference, state your position and publicly resign. Nigerians will then have to decide based on their knowledge of the inner workings where the problem lies. But for her to wait for another Obasanjo like figure to serve this country is a bit too far. re there any two leaders anywhere in the world totally alike. Or will she say she was comfortable with everything Baba said and did. I don't get it. |
If these names peddled here collectively brought Nigeria to the state we find ourselves then the meaning of respect is truly lost. |
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, I don't know of any boss of a real business out there that wants his workers to sink or swim at his whims. Most would rather have people operating their businesses whether they are dead or alive. Particularly the one man shows.
. It must be going somewhere else. I can't influence that but I can leverage that situation to position myself. However it is critical these days that you don't work in places you cannot know.