₦airaland Forum

Well, that's good news.
But please, please, please use the savings to invest properly. First into anti inflationary policies and programs. Next, into industrializing this country.
Good one.

Ordinary Nigerians should stop.following these folks up and down like fish after rotten fish. They have no integrity. The only value a politician brings to you is to create room to improve your life, livelihoods and secure your future, that's all.

That takes sacrifice, vision, integrity and the kind of leadership that enables all of society to follow through.

These ones fall far short of that and should not command attention.

That is why personally I rather talk about governance. That is where my politics starts and ends. I do not segregate them. If you as a leader are able to translate your politics to govern well, fine. If not I will speak about it.

That is why the only leader who I have any regards for is Jonathan Goodluck because he understood the need for a conference to restructure this country, an opportunity missed that has shown devastating consequences ever since.

All others you have to battle to reason exactly what their vision is for this country is an they come and go without meaningful, and enduring legacies.

'Gaps in intelligence and poor rural police coverage'

130 years ago rural, outposts in the west of America suffered the same thing. Cattle rustling, banditry and cross border raids from the south, specifically Mexico.

We face exactly the same thing. This time the invaders are crossing the northern border, rustling cattle, robbing stage coaches (commuter buses), apprehending travelers and sacking whole towns. This is classic wild, wild west 102.

The solution of the settlers and American frontier men. Enter the era of the lawmen. Grass roots law, order and justice. Each town had its sheriff's office, it's gaols, it's courts and it's stockades. The people came together to say enough was enough.

You do the time, they will not wait for Washington. You are caught, tried and sentenced where those crimes are committed. And you are jailed there or hung there in full view of the townsmen.

That is how to secure a territory. That is securing a people. They themselves are part of the instructions and part of the process to see that justice is done.

In a country so large, so populated and so diverse as Nigeria I just cannot see how a man, one man seated in Abuja, presiding over 400,000 men and women in uniform can secure 200 million people scattered over 923,000 square kilometers through a system that should put a lawman within 3 minutes (in cities) and 15 minutes (in the rural areas) of any criminal incident.

The figures don't add up, the structure doesn't add up and the nature of our governance, the type of politics we play simply cannot make this architecture fit for purpose.

I rather have faith in the God Almighty that He will send the rains in the spring and by summer the weather in most parts of the country will be sufficiently cool for some to turn off their power guzzling airconditioners and for the hydro dams to be charged enough to contribute more to stabilizing the grid.

Then we will once again shout hallelujah that the government is indeed working miracles.

Adesina18111:
Other league clubs no dey get fatigue too?...u people can give excuses eeen...u must be Chelsit or Assnal fan >:

Other league clubs have played far less number of matches.

Bayern the top German team has played 39 official matches this season so far while Arsenal the top Premiership team has played 46.

7 extra matches is a lot of difference.
To put it in context that is an average of an extra 70 kilometres of running. This is significant.

How many more will die before the citizens fashion out their own security.

A security system with the full backing of the Constitution and the law to put a police team at the scene of an incident within three minutes of a call.

For goodness sake this is 2026.
You can order a pizza and get home delivery within minutes. You can order groceries, clothes, even spare parts and have them delivered.

But you cannot call the Nigeria Police to come save your life. What kind of country is this.

And the people sit idly by and do nothing. Their political leaders come by once a while and they don't know what to demand for....

Well the President is from there together with two thirds of the heads of various security agencies. But as we all know, ethnicity has its limit. Trust and performance are not often found living in the same house.

If your doctor is your close pal he may know that cigarette is killing you but will not have the courage to spell it out.

I am really surprised he has to tell Nigerians this. Does he think we don't know that the removal.od subsidies is the confiscation of the resources of the people.

His statement continues to lean towards the idea that government owns the resources of these country and this government decides how and what to do with it. No mister.

Every penny in the central bank, every drop of oil in the earth or in the pipelines or on ships bound for Europe belongs to THE PEOPLE.

I continue to repeat this.

The function of government is no more than an ORGANISER OF SOCIETY.

And I use the classic example that most of us can relate to: Our town meeting, our shop meeting, our church or mosque meetings. In those set up we sit around and elect or chose a set of leaders, Chairman, Treasurer/book keeper, Secretary.

We contribute towards resourcing the association for a purpose and one purpose alone. To further the individuals that make up the collective, to protect the interests of the individuals that make up the collective.

Who then gives the authority for the leadership to act?, the members. And leadership is expected to act on the instructions of all members ON ALL MATTERS whether by direct affirmation or through committees in larger unions. That is democracy and governance in a microcosm.

So I don't understand why Mr. Oyedele feels he has to tell us what we should know. That the subsidy money is ours and we have every right to determine how it is expended.

It is just a pity, real pity that most, the overwhelming majority of Nigerians have either lost or sold their rights to determine their disposition in the scheme of the things. We have thought, talked and acted like slaves and the Chairmen of the meeting have sensed our ignorance and docility and decided to enslave us, simple.

The day Nigerians wake up to understand the kind of power they potentially command to determine their welfare and future prosperity, all these bad governance will end. Feudal captivity is the bane of black Africa.

occfx:
Stress... Epl is tough and the fa should be able to play less games during ucl

The Associations in Europe helped their clubs reschedule. The likes of Madrid, Bayern, PSG played on Friday giving them enough recovery time for UCL midweek while English clubs were occupied with a full list of midweek EPL fixtures.

Congestion is not helping Premiership teams and it shows at the latter stages. If fatigue did not matter why will a whole Real Madrid play on Friday, which for them is extraordinary and loss making from the attendance perspective.

The English FA is not helping their clubs playing in Europe enough.

There are too many games in the English game, FAcup, EPL, EPLcup, no winter breaks meaning fatigue and fatigue means lots of injuries. Not that we viewers are complaining. In the qualifiers with relatively fresher squads they did well, but diminishing returns have set in.

Sonnobax15:

So far make e reach us for Nigeria,cuz the suffering is just too much.

High price of fuel+ no light at all = chronic anger . As in,I just dey para since

Reach where. Their reserves are for themselves, to keep their economies afloat and check inflation.

No one is blocking your country Nigeria from producing and selling your own oil yet you have no reserves and cannot maintain prices to check inflation.

Our own 'Straits of Hormuz' are the vandalized pipeline littering the Delta and our own 'IRGC' are the saboteurs stealing the crude.

EyeCumInPeace:
Full Time Scores:

PSG 5 Chelsea 2
Real Madrid 3 City 0
Leverkusen 1 Arsenal 1
Galatasaray 1 Liverpool 0
Atletico Madrid 5 Tottenham 2
Newcastle 1 Barcelona 1

All 6 EPL teams will be knocked out in this Round of 16.

Gala vs Bodo for the Final. 😁

Hmmm....and it appears Arsenal actually got the best result of the six Prem reps.

Looking like them and perhaps Liverpool will be the only EPL teams going to survive this round.

The Premier league table indeed doesn't lie.

But fatigue is a huge factor in this.
No winter break, four tourneys for the top teams. It is gruelling even for large squads.

Said it.
The end of the road for English clubs.
Can't see more than one or two reaching the quarters.
The stress of the Premiership is telling on English teams.
Fatigue is a certain factor.
Look at Bodo, fresh as daisies and cutting bigger teams to size.

Feudalism.
Repeat the same old, worn excuses for poor leadership.

It is never the President's fault.
It is always THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM.

The king cannot err, it is his court jesters masquerading as advisers that are to be held accountable.

But anytime you call for meritorious appointments they list all.the evil of past regimes as a yardstick to follow. Last regime they went as far as this worn cliche,

'It is the President's RIGHT to appoint whoever he so wishes'....okay

Another: 'If he doesn't appoint his friends, should he appoint his enemies'...okay.

So what is the constant complaint about the bad eggs surrounding the king. Are they not his choice.

donleo92:
All service chiefs needs to be sacked!!!
They are incompetent, na so talk them they talk

The replacements will be ala quota, with that of the Army from the same tribe as the President.

Without the kind of restructuring that will put institutions in the hands of Mr. Merit, the call for sack and appoint, rinse and repeat will never end.

Let the CDS call all the senior officers for a retreat. Ask each one to come up with a proposal on how to end this problem and place the person with the best solutions in charge, period.

Hemanwel:
How?? When we are still heavily dependent on importation of fuel?

Importation of crude oil/refined oil means we will be buying at International-market-controlled price

Mba, we no wan hear dat wan.
Nigeria has been importing fuel since the mid eighties and paying subsidies since the 70's global oil crises. No excuse biko.....where is the excess money...

They asked Babangida for the 12 billion dollars windfall. We are asking how much has entered the Excess Crude Account (ECA) the past week.

They criticized other governments before them of mismanaging the so called windfalls.

Where are the, 'oil was over a hundred dollars during the Jonathan regime crew', they have been conspicuous with their silence.

The fact is that most governments since the 70's experienced an oil windfall of some sort during their regimes. This time around it is the BAT regime's turn. Let us see how the money is spent or otherwise.

Remember, all governments since the 70's had paid one sort of fuel subsidy or the other up til this one. So without the so called wasteful spending in subsidy the national kitty should be looking like cave where Alibaba raided, full of treasures.

kettykin:
Go and check his performance before he joined APCNig, he was among the best performing Governors but all that has changed. He is still trying but not like previously

And you know why.
He had to please 3, maybe 4 million people.
That is a hard thing to do, but that is the essence of democracy. It brings out all the grey hairs early in developed countries. It is a lot, a lot, a lot easier to look to satisfy one man.

So now that he feels his next term is secured, their is not external incentive for him to go over and above to deliver good governance. He will likely fall ba k to the minimum, do a few legacy things, make some money for himself and that is all, 8 years over.

DeepSight:
+
The other day I was talking about how power is a priority and some chap on this platform began to say its only because Nigerians are entitled and they want to use the power to watch football. I could have wept.

That is Nigeria for you.
That is the reason why we remain like this.
You are an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance, filled with crabs that are not ready to get out of the basket of despair.

I read somewhere yesterday that China is prepared to offer very generous allowances and seed capital to anyone willing to set up AI laboratories.

If time is not taken this country will be emptied of her brightest and best. If we don't change course Nigeria will become a place where you just retire to, pending end of life.

No comment.
Said everything there is to say about the security situation and offered the one and only solution to contain it. I guess the people are not interested in the quality of their lives.

The fellow is typical of the Nigerian that I say has great vertical relationships in articulating the supposed achievements of his leaders. But lacks any form of horizontal relationship with his fellow citizen to understand the realities of their experiences in Nigeria.

This is what sets us apart from other progressive nations. The lack of empathy towards fellow citizens. The lack of solidarity in seeking and demanding the good of our fellow man. We are divided and all too easily conquered.

Wish them a speedy rescue and freedom from violence. May they not be harmed.

UncleAyo:
3 USD a day is around #4,200 and in 30 days is about #126,000.

How much is the minimum wage? #70,000.

Are we moving forward or backward?

Constant Electricity in India is what is helping them to increase the number of middle class.

Their youth are doing well technology wise not because they are smarter than Nigerian but because they have systems that encourage prosperity; part of which is constant electricity.

One of those countries I mentioned on the other Afolayan thread was India. It has many 2,000 megawatt solar plants costing between 1 to 2 billion dollars to commission. This is the electricity you say that tools the youth of that country to create value and grow wealth. Power to get out of poverty.

Lagos where most of you are evacuates about 1,200 megawatts from the grid. Imagine what a doubling of the energy supply to Lagos will cause in terms of availability, stability and price if only one of such plants can be established.

These are the kind of discussions citizens should be having. Solution based discourse on how to make life better. So that when government says it wants to spend a billion on some nonsensical white elephant, the people say, No.

Rather spend it on what benefits all and has the potential to create real wealth and unshackle many from poverty.

Not surprised.
The 3 dollar a day benchmark is about N109,000 for a 25day month at N1,450 to a dollar, higher than the current minimum wage and to my outrage is within the taxable range by this government.

Kobicove:
There are somethings that solar panels can't carry especially if it's installed in a commercial facility

That is where government comes in. That is what government exists for, to aggregate resources.
Solar requires space and it requires capital, two things beyond individuals but not beyond government.

Mr Afolayan's compound may not be sufficiently sized even if he covers its entirety with solar panels. But government can commandeer vast tracks of idle land beyond city limits to instal solar farms. It is also a lot easier for government to obtain the finances, organise the partnerships and create an enterprise out of it.

Lagos state currently takes about 1,200 megawatts off the national grid. Let say you want to inject another 2,000 megawatts to make Mr. Afolayan's life a lot better, existing solar plants in India and China use between 12,000 to 13,000 acres for that. Lagos may not have that land available but Ogun does and can partner to do that.

And by the way, it is reported that a 2,000+ megawatt solar plant costs between 1 and 2 billion dollars. When you consider the amount spent on some of the practically useless white elephant projects littering the country you will understand the disconnect between the people, the economy and governance.

TheBizGenius:
All the comments here probably didn't watch the video to the end.

He didn't complain about the set up or the economy. He was specifically asking for a loan. Unfortunately, as Nigerian business men usually do, he didn't mention the amount.

The amount he needs for his energy need (solar system) is between N500m-N700m. That's a whole lot. And he's looking at someone who will borrow him and wait till 10yrs to pay back? Not happening.

What he really needs is a major investor who will bring in like N5bn, expand the empire into something formidable and they keep eating together. But, again, like most Nigerian business men, na chop alone e dey plan to do. So, he hopes to weather the storms alone so he won't need to share his profits with anyone.

The premise of the whole complaint remains power. He needs power to produce stuff. If he had power he will not need a loan to build his own private power station. In an ideal society it should not be his headache. Power is considered a public service, a shared burden that the organizer of society, government should moderate.

It is one of the reasons foreign investors are not falling over themselves to come to Nigeria. They simply cannot understand how or why they should make additional investments in public services after tax. Build their power plants, build an army of security men, build their roads, water plants, sewage plants, dispose of their wastes instead of just paying a fee as in their home countries.

Nigeria is not competitive at all. And it is all because of a lack of societal cohesion and organisation, aka government's poor vision, planning and execution.

Host78:
Since people have being fixing solar in their houses, has the price of electricity dropped by a kobo before?

Una no just get sense for this country

The price of electricity will go down if the government will industrialize the production of solar systems. It is already happening in China.

Reports had it early this year that some plants are already closing due to an oversupply of solar panels which is distorting the market there.

Why can't the government bring those closing plants to produce here in Nigeria. Establish those plants here and buy off their products to build industrial solar parks everywhere, parks that can then be sold off to local investors to operate. If each state can have 100Mw we can easily double our present production, decentralize generation from the south to strengthen the grid and deepen the energy mix from an increasingly unreliable and costly gas infrastructure.

Ever8090:
I bought half liter of fuel for my bike yesterday at 850 I want cry...

Omo.. farming in Nigeria is not easy, cost of farming is very high why farm produce is soo cheap that sone famers are quiting because of financial looses..

That was what Mr Obi was trying to say. Agriculture is production, is job creation, is the foundation of industrialization. But even this basic, foundational sector we just can't get right due primarily to inflation. Inflation caused by government mis-investments leaving farmers, producers, stuck between the rock of cheap imports and the hard place of galloping costs of production.

So I don't blame you for considering cutting back or stopping altogether. It doesn't make sense to risk expensive capital on a venture whose output is uncertain.

And we implore the government. Fight inflation. Fight inflation. Fight inflation. Stabilize not just the exchange rate but more importantly the rate of price rises of goods and services by strategic investment in the sectors that can bring down costs. Energy, transport, power. These should be top, top priorities. These are the only things worth borrowing for.

Ibehchizzy:
Seriously what took him 3 years to appoint an ambassador

They had said then that the economy could not sustain that kind of expenditure, and I totally agree. The most senior diplomat, civil servant or immigration officer for that matter in those locations should be made ambassador and forget all these costly, high maintenance political jobbers that will add little value to the country.

If you want to settle your hangers-on just give them contract to lay a kilometer of concrete road to El dorado for ten billion or so and forget it.

The Indian ambassador should let his government in Delhi understand that Nigeria operates an 8 year political office tenure at the very top, aka 4+4.

Next year's election is simply our own 'mid-terms'. It affects everyone else except the Presidency. Since 1999, in our own democracy only constitutional limits can take the candy back from the child.

Wars are easy to start.
But when they do they take on a life no one possibly can envisage.
That is why they should be avoided at all costs because everyone will pay a premium.
End this war now and return to talk.
It saves lives, particularly of the innocent, that is the disproportionately high number of casualties.

'If assistance comes with humiliation and charges' bla, bla, bla...

Can you imagine this. Talk of failed citizens literally begging the people they employed to govern them. Do you beg your cook to bring you good food. Do you beg your cleaner to sparkle the china. Do you beg your driver to take your kids to school.

This is the lot of a people who chose to live feudal lifestyles instead of schooling themselves in the tenets of democracy by which your rights and position is well understood in the scheme of things.

But by choosing to live such ignorant, subservient lives to politicians you have been put in your place and treated worse than stray dogs on the streets.

When will you wake up oh citizen to realise YOU OWN IT ALL. It is your country as well not only theirs and they are merely chosen to REPRESENT you like your school class captain represents his coursemates but will still have to read and write examinations like you to move ahead.

The pictorials attached to the post are so poignant. They make you want to laugh and cry at the same time. They look like the same person perhaps in a melodramatic scenario of a past and present life, a rags to riches Nigeria-esque typified storytelling.

But the truth is that, that is how the average citizen sees himself relative to these so called leaders. Himself looking battered, tattered and humiliated while the politician looks every step grand, dapper and larger than life.

Such a terrible feudal mindset.

HPS3:
I just tire. Na real hellfire match. Over 2.5 this game just denied me 71k.

How did you arrive at that. Newcastle has no strikers. Where are the goals coming from.