₦airaland Forum

T

.

The name sound Igbo to me.

I'm so happy England lost.

Good for him.

The Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, has said that more than 25 per cent of Nigeria’s annual total overhead cost is expended on lawmakers .



Sanusi, who was the guest lecturer at the eighth convocation of the Igbinedion University, Okada, in Edo State, on Friday, only those in the National Assembly or in the three tiers of government.



He said that the nation could only be back on the path of growth and sustainability through the prioritisation of the economy.



Sanusi said, “Unless we frontally address some of issues, like an average of 25 per cent of total annual overhead cost of the federal budget allotted to few persons, who serve as lawmaker, we may never compete with the emerging economies in Asia.”



The CBN governor whose lecture was titled “Future prospect of Nigeria’s economy,” lamented that Nigeria had fallen shot of meeting its potentials when compared to its vast natural and human resources.



He said, “The Nigerian economy has grossly underperformed relative to her enormous resources, endowment and her peer nations.



“It has the sixth largest gas reserves and the eight largest crude oil reserves in the world. It is endowed in commercial quantities, with about 37 solid mineral types and has a population of over 150 million.



“Yet, economic performance has been rather weak and does not reflect these endowments. Emerging Asian countries, notably, Thailand, Malaysia, China, India and Indonesia that were far behind Nigeria in terms of Gross Domestic Product per capita in 1970 have transformed their economies and are not only miles ahead of Nigeria, but are also major players on the global economic arena.”



The apex bank governor, who put the poverty level in Nigeria at 54.4 per cent, added that the country was trailing China and Thailand in human the development index.



He said, “Available data has put the national poverty level at 54.4 per cent. Similarly, there has been rising unemployment with the current level put at 19.7 per cent by the National Bureau of Statistics.



“Furthermore, the country lags behind other countries in most human development indicators. For example, while China and Thailand are in the fifth and 22nd positions, respectively, in the 2009 Global Hunger Index, Nigeria was ranked 46th. This can be traced largely to the huge infrastructure deficit, rising insecurity, mass corruption and widespread poverty.”



Sanusi added that Nigeria’s poor economic performance, particularly in the last 40 years, was better illustrated when compared with China, which now occupies an enviable position as the second largest economy in the world.



He said, “In 1970, while Nigeria had a GDP per capita of $233.35 and was ranked 88th in the world, China was ranked 114th with a GDP per capita of $111.82.”



Lamido said, “Macroeconomic challenges such as structural rigidities, dualism and false paradigm model, which characterised the economy, has kept it in the silos to the extent that the primary sector does not relate meaningfully with the secondary and tertiary sectors.”



He pointed out that the country’s over-dependence on a mono-product, which is susceptible to shocks in the international oil market, and disproportionate reliance on the primary end of markets both in agriculture and extractive sectors, “would never result in commensurate employment creation and income redistribution.”



Sanusi also decried the imbalance in the economy whereby the ”rich in the society concentrated on oil due to its attractive revenue while agriculture with its meagre revenue is consigned to the poor and subsistence farmers.”



He, therefore, called on government to step up efforts at reviving the economy, saying that 11 years of democratic rule has given hope for its rejuvenation.



On Saturday, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Segun Aganga, said that in spite of the global financial crisis, Nigeria’s economy had continued to grow, thereby “outpacing economic growth of many advanced and emerging economies.”



“It is universally acknowledged that our economy can easily rival those of the most advanced economies in the coming decades,‘‘ the minister said at the 60th Diamond Jubilee Guest luncheon and launch of the Sigma Educational Foundation Endowment Fund in Ibadan, Oyo State.



Aganga said that the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, was “making great progress towards achieving the goals of making the country a major player on the global economic scene.”



He emphasised that in his quest to make this a reality, Jonathan recently reconstituted a National Economic Management Team.



He added that the government, through the National Economic Council, also approved the framework for the operation and funding of the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund with $1bn.



He said, “The $1bn had already being set aside as seed capital for the SWF to fund a stabilisation fund, an inter-generational savings fund and an infrastructure fund.”



The minister explained that was one of the reforms that the present administration had put in place to fulfill its promise of a sounder and more prudently-run economy.



He assured Nigerians that the country’s resources would be dedicated towards building a better tomorrow for all.


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011291593451

rokiatu:
May your dream come true

I claim it.

rokiatu:
You are not alone, I fall in luv with a different one every week is called "celebrity spell"

That is normal , as a guy I am also in luv with Kim Kardashian hoping one day I would bleep her am I dreaming?

Lets be honest here some women really needs spanking once in a while to make them behave themselves.

Happy Birthday Goodluck Ebele Azikwe Jonathan JEGA lol

rokiatu:
Power is a wonderful thing.

Nice pics on your profile

NEW YORK – The audience at Thursday's performance of "Fela!" on Broadway got an extra thrill when an unannounced guest arrived — the first lady.

Michelle Obama and six girlfriends stunned theatergoers when she arrived at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on 49th Street to catch the Tony Award-winning musical about Fela Kuti, the Afrobeat artist and Nigerian political activist.

"When the audience realized that she was in the audience, they just went nuts," said Stephen Hendel, who co-conceived and produced the show. "People started standing up and applauding, saying 'We love you!' and 'We love you, Michelle!' It took a minute or so to get the audience to settle down."

The musical features dancers mingling with the audience and the first lady's group was seated along Row G, where many of the dancers cross over. The Secret Service asked the dancers not to change their performance but to give Obama some extra space.

Hendel was one of only few people who knew ahead of time that the first lady was coming. The cast was only told 20 minutes before Obama's arrival. She and her friends arrived shortly after 8 p.m. as the overture was ending.

The audience also cheered wildly when the musical made reference in the first act to one of Kuti's nicknames: Black President. Said Hendel: "The whole place just exploded."

At the end, the first lady's group gave the musical a standing ovation and Obama stayed to greet and congratulate each sweaty member of the cast as they passed. "She was hugely gracious," said Hendel, who watched the night's performance with his wife, Ruth, also one of the show's producers.

"It's a wonderful feeling that this show would have Mrs. Obama come to it."

Broadway shows have lured Obama before. She and daughters Sasha and Malia attended performances of "Memphis" and "The Addams Family" in March. And she and her husband saw "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" during a date night in 2009.

"Fela!" was nominated for a Tony Award as last year's best musical. It won for Best Choreography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound Design. In addition to the Hendels, it is also produced by actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and hip-hop star Jay-Z.

A production opened this week at London's National Theatre with Sahr Ngaujah, who originated the title character on Broadway. The Broadway run, which features Kevin Mambo in the title role and Patti LaBelle as his mother, ends Jan. 2.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101120/ap_en_ot/us_theater_michelle_obama_fela;_ylt=AqWiHQjmuO52rTiJSe66d_BxFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTJ2cHFpaW1mBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMTIwL3VzX3RoZWF0ZXJfbWljaGVsbGVfb2JhbWFfZmVsYQRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDbWljaGVsbGVvYmFt

AFRICAN diplomats have demanded an explanation from the Iranian Government after a Nigerian and a Ghanaian were executed in the northeast of the country without their embassies being notified.

Paul Chindo, from Nigeria, was hanged last month at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.

Akwasi Akuaba, from Ghana, was executed in August.

Both men had been convicted of drug trafficking.

Their ages are not known.

Officials at the two countries’ embassies in Tehran said that they were urgently seeking information as to why they were not informed that their compatriots were to be put to death.

Diplomats said they were baffled and angry that Tehran had disregarded standard international practice for the government of a death row inmate abroad to be notified before the sentence is carried out.

"We are very concerned. They have told us nothing and not responded to our questions,” an attaché at the Ghanaian Embassy, who did not wish to be named, said.

"There are other (Ghanaian) men in jail here. We want to make sure the same thing does not happen again. I have booked an appointment with the judiciary to get an explanation."

Human rights sources in Iran say that Chindo and Akuaba did not realise that they had been sentenced to death.

It is claimed that the men, who did not speak Farsi, were denied legal representation at their trials and that no translators were present.

They were given no warning that their sentences were about to be carried out.

They were taken to wash and then hanged without explanation.

A Nigerian diplomat said: “We have written to the Iranian Foreign Minister asking him to verify this report. Usually the Foreign Ministry would write a letter informing us that the sentence will be carried out. We did not receive any letter.

"We have a list of around 30 Nigerians in jail here. We still do not know for sure who it is."

The two men are among more than 100 who have been executed in secret at Vakilabad over the past six months, as authorities fight a mounting drug problem in the city.

At least 23 were hanged over two days in October, and 46 were killed in a single day some weeks ago.

Vakilabad is overcrowded with 12,000 inmates and human rights groups believe that up to 2,000 people remain on death row, most for drug offences.

Mashhad, in northeast Iran, lies close to the border with Afghanistan, on the trafficking route to Turkey, and judges have been given free rein to use capital punishment to eradicate the problem.

Iran’s Supreme Court is supposed to confirm all death sentences individually but The Times has learnt that Tehran has been approving executions by the dozen without review.

Many of those on death row claimed to have confessed under torture but their pleas were dismissed by judges.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: “We have noted with concern the ongoing reports of numerous executions in Vakilabad and other prisons around Iran.

There remains a worrying lack of judicial transparency in Iran, including the trial and execution of drug traffickers, not least caused by the persecution of human rights defenders by the Iranian authorities."

Iran executes more people annually than any nation except China, and has the highest rate of executions per capita. Incidents of capital punishment have soared during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.

In 2005, the year that he took office, Iran executed 85 people. Last year, the figure had risen to almost 400. Human rights groups believe that the tally could double this year.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/19240.html

State Security Service on Thursday said it had recovered a Mazda 626 car and military items allegedly bought by the former leader of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, Henry Okah, for use in the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja.



It stated that the car was one of the vehicles wired for the blasts, but which was not used.



The car, with registration number, Lagos BY318 FKJ, was kept in the custody of the sister to one of the suspects. She allegedly parked the car within a hotel premises in Port Harcourt where it was recovered by the service and towed to Abuja.



The vehicle, which was shown to newsmen during a press briefing by the SSS Assistant Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, at the SSS headquarters, Abuja, has a special compartment for bombs welded behind the back seat.



It was also loaded with 10 bullet-proof jackets and camouflage vests.



The agency also exhibited dozens of military boots, water bottles and camp tents allegedly sent by Charles Okah to one of the suspects for onward movement to militants in the creeks.



Ogar stated that the items were sent through a popular transport company which runs courier services from Lagos to Port Harcourt.



She cautioned transport and courier companies to be more circumspect in handling goods for customers, warning that they would be held responsible for conveying prohibited items.



She also advised car dealers to obtain the full particulars of persons purchasing cars from them to avoid being held liable on the grounds of suspicion for the misdeed of others.



She explained that an undisclosed number of suspects would be arraigned in court on November 25, assuring the public that the investigations would be pursued diligently.



Ogar justified the reluctance of the service to disclose the names and numbers of the suspects in custody. “We cannot reveal the names or the numbers of the suspects in custody; this is to prevent other suspects from going underground. You may wish to note that criminal networks and their activities are usually complex and as such, painstaking investigations are required to unravel them,” she said.


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011191313078

One person was killed and a number of persons were injured on Wednesday when robbers struck at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Abakpa, Enugu.



The robbers, said to be about 15 in number, attacked the church while it was holding its yearly bazaar programme.



An eyewitness told our correspondent that parishioners and guests were at the church premises gathered from the annual harvest on Sunday, when the event was suddenly disrupted by gunshots.



The robbers were said to fired shots into the air, causing a stampede in the church premises. This forced people, including reverend fathers and sisters, run for safety.



Amid the confusion, the bandits moved closer to the dignitaries shouting, “Where is the chairman? Where is the chairman?”



It was learnt that one of the security guards at the church confronted the robbers, but he was overpowered and killed in the process.



The bandits were, however, disappointed when they discovered that there was no cash but that only cheques and bank drafts were collected as proceeds at the church bazaar.


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011190332659

The Russian Federation is to assist Nigeria to construct nuclear power plants as a long-term solution to the nation’s power challenges.



This was one of the outcomes of bilateral talks held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, and his Russian counterpart, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, in Abuja on Wednesday.



Ajumogobia said that Nigeria, as a signatory to the protocol on nuclear non-proliferation, was only interested in nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.



He said that inadequate power supply remained one of Nigeria’s greatest challenges, adding that the country could use Russian expertise to find a lasting solution to the protracted power crisis.



According to him, “We believe that nuclear power will be to our benefit in the long-term. With regard to safety, we subscribe to all the protocols. We are also signatories to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.



“Therefore, we have no concerns as regards safety; we will ensure that these protocols are carefully observed.”



Ajumogobia also said that Nigeria and Russia had a mutually beneficial relationship, which would be 50 years old on November 25.



In his response, Lavrov said his country was prepared to take relations with Nigeria to the next level.



He said details of some of the mutually beneficial agreements had been ironed out at an earlier meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan.



According to him, some of the issues are “capital protection and peaceful nuclear energy.”



Lavrov also said, “We will continue our negotiation about the construction of nuclear power plants in Nigeria.”



He disclosed that Russian carriers would soon be deployed in sending two of Nigeria’s satellites into orbit.



The Russian minister, who was on a one-day working visit to Nigeria, has since returned to his country.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011191485431

Who is Prince William and Kate Middleton ?

TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran began what it said was its biggest ever air defense drill on Tuesday to test its ability to deter air strikes, which the United States and Israel have not ruled out to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

The website of Iran's English-language Press TV said the five-day war games were being held near nuclear facilities and included tests of long-range missiles.

On Sunday, a senior commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards said land forces had carried out military drills near Iran's nuclear facilities "exactly like real combat."

Western countries suspect Iran's atomic work is a cover for a nuclear weapons programme. Tehran denies this, saying it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity.

Israel, which says a nuclear-armed Iran would be a threat to its existence, and its ally the United States have refused to rule out pre-emptive strikes against Iran, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates argued strongly against the military option on Tuesday.

"The large-scale military maneuvers , will improve readiness to confront possible threats to Iran's air space and the very populated, vital and nuclear centers," Ahmad Mighani, head of an air force unit that responds to threats to Iran's air space, was quoted by state TV as saying.

Iran has repeatedly announced advances in its military capability to show it is ready to respond to military aggression.

Some Western officials suspect Iran is developing more sophisticated missiles and carrying out well-publicized missile tests so that it can deliver a nuclear weapon.

The Islamic Republic denies this, saying its missile development efforts are for defensive purposes only.

Iran said earlier this month that it had developed a home-made version of the Russian S-300 missile system and would soon test-fire it.

Moscow supported a fresh round of U.N. sanctions against Iran in June, and then refused to deliver an order of S-300s to Iran after persistent lobbying by Israel and the United States.

The S-300 is a mobile, long-range air defense system that can detect, track and destroy ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and low-flying aircraft.

Tehran has been hit by various international sanctions for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment activities. Uranium can be enriched to produce fuel for nuclear power plants or, if enriched to a higher level, to make atomic bombs.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101116/wl_nm/us_iran_defence_drill;_ylt=Aq76dqbwMCT7m8W83ED1RaNvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTJtMDlqcWQzBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAxMTE2L3VzX2lyYW5fZGVmZW5jZV9kcmlsbARjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDaXJhbnN0YXJ0c3F1

Okija_juju:
Take a wild guess!!

I guess Okija in Anambra State.

Not a sin,but having 6 girlfriends is a sin.

From Ado Ekiti and Ikirun in Osun State.

Godson

I'm tired of here anyway am in,but they have to send a girl with me preferably a Brazilian .

Ileke-IdI:
Ok, I'll be on it soon. Thanx for the suggestion

Hey Ileke-Idi you are too much in my communication class we were told to make a speech presentation about our culture or hometown,I just copied all the information you posted here with the pictures studied everything show them in class while making the speech presentation on wednessday, and I got 98 over 100 you are too much 98 gbosa for you

I thereby give you the traditional title of Iyalode of nairaland.

Being a Nigeria,Light in complexion,cool,polite,and very handsome to the extent of dating four girl from different continent at the same time in the United States

Kim all the way.Who is Nicky Minaj? Minaj tv I guess.

That is around $200m not $2b .

The Court of Appeal in Benin on Tuesday nullified the election of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan as the governor of Delta State. In its judgment in an appeal by Chief Great Ogboru of the Democratic Peoples Party, the appellate court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh governorship election in the state within 90 days. It also ordered the Speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Sam Obi, to act as the governor, pending the conduct of the fresh election. The governorship poll is likely to be the first major test of the Prof. Attahiru Jega-led INEC. In a unanimous judgment read by Justice Monica Murktar, the court said, “After looking at the submissions of counsel to both parties and the submission by INEC counsel, it was obvious that the election was characterised by a lot of irregularities. “There were a lot of election malpractices by the umpire in favour of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party which placed undue advantage on him and his party to the detriment of other contestants in the election.”



The Court of Appeal in Benin on Tuesday nullified the election of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan as the governor of Delta State. In its judgment in an appeal by Chief Great Ogboru of the Democratic Peoples Party, the appellate court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh governorship election in the state within 90 days. It also ordered the Speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Sam Obi, to act as the governor, pending the conduct of the fresh election. The governorship poll is likely to be the first major test of the Prof. Attahiru Jega-led INEC. In a unanimous judgment read by Justice Monica Murktar, the court said, “After looking at the submissions of counsel to both parties and the submission by INEC counsel, it was obvious that the election was characterised by a lot of irregularities. “There were a lot of election malpractices by the umpire in favour of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party which placed undue advantage on him and his party to the detriment of other contestants in the election.”


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101110461410

Jesus Christ,Mohammed,Satan,Michael Bin Laden,Hello,Michael Jackson.

Some people just like to talk,Yoruba language will never go into extinction as long as the world exist Yoruba language will continue to exist.