₦airaland Forum

By contrast, when you go through the departures (especially the wing from which KLM departs) you will need a raincoat or umbrella. I had the bad fortune of passing through there in November this year. The roof was leaking throughout the length of the check-in floor; with puddles of water all over the floor. It was an absolute disgrace. The whole airport is a disgrace. Light sockets pulled out of the wall, dilapidated furniture and equipment thrown over the floor and on dusty desks, non-functioning air conditioners, petty traders selling provisions (along the check-in route).

You need to witness the chaos at the immigration, when you come in, to believe it. Disorganized queues, with no one in control. Rude custom officials; one kept calling my name out of my passport (and I was standing just in front of him) until I joked to him not to wear it out. No doubt he was seeking an opportunity to ask for 'something'.

Don't get me started on the baggage collection.

I have travelled in and out of that airport for up to 4 times a year for the past six years and it is now the worst it has ever been. I have travelled twice through the international airport in Ghana and I also consider that to be a nightmare. However, when I passed through it in 2009 I felt Murtala Mohammed airport was better. By 2011 when I went again to Accra, the airport there was in better nick than the Murtala Mohammed airport. Since then, MMA has deteriorated further.

Surely, someone is in charge to ensure the rot is stopped. Or am I being overly optimistic?

ACM10: Are you daft? Don't you know that this thread was started by a tribal supremacist to upgrade a just average basketballer from his tribe. Why undermine his bragging right? You wanna spoil the fun by mentioning a basketballer(from that tribe) here?

You think everybody has your type of mind. You are chased by your own shadow and you bleed when you see anything good done by others. Meanwhile you are good at nothing but spilling venom. Stop it or live a life of misery.

http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upload/284149057710893061_Pry7Qaog_c.jpg

Mumu cat!

Pathetic performance. He was certainly not fluent. Really very nervous. Could not get his words out. Could not look directly into the camera but was looking down like a schoolboy with no convincing answer to the question he was asked. Totally un-presidential responses. He was asked questions on issues he should be very familiar with and should have ready answers for, yet he struggled to get out his words out. His mannerism made Amanpour look more authoritative than him.

If you are in that type of position (president of a country) you avoid being confrontational, even when the questioning is hostile. You say what you need to say (and what you want the world to know), and say why you know a contrary information is incorrect. And why does he make phrases like "they are one of the group..." and ..."those are some of the thing..." Surely it should be "..they are one of the groups.." and "..those are some of the things.." - in the context in which he used them. I have never heard any president say before that a USA state department information is wrong. Very undiplomatic. If you think they are wrong, you just say what you believe is current and say you are happy to work with them to update data etc etc.

I saw the President of Equatorial Guinea being interviewed on BBC the other day and he was calm and presidential in his responses, even when the interviewer only stopped short of calling him a thief.

I have no time to comment on the actual responses, some of which do not make sense. For example, Boko Haram had been threat (and had assess to weapons) in Nigeria before the fall of Libya, so there was no need to mention Libya as a source of weaponry. Secondly, why couldn't he tell the world what Nigeria is doing (if anything) to stop oil stealing before trying to blame the rest of the world for encouraging it? By saying the information available to CNN (about the cause of Boko Haram insurrection) was influenced by politics (he did not say if this was internal (to Nigeria) or external politics) he was only confirming that opposition voices were being heard over his own. We can go on and on, can't we? Disappointing.

Was she not a drugs cheat? She was banned from athletics for 4 years after failing a drug test in 1992. Much as I would like to, I am not able to celebrate such a person. What is there to celebrate? A bad example to our youths. In other countries people like her will hide their heads in shame, in Nigeria they are celebrated by some. No sense of dignity, no moral compass!

It seems to me that Soyinka was only being 'tongue in cheek'. Pure sarcasm. I think that is why he did not dwell on the issue.

It's like a boxer getting into the ring and expecting not to be hit. He is either too confident of himself or does not know what the 'game' is about. Either way, he has not given proper thought to the task in hand.

Billyonaire: Every poor man now has enough knowledge to educate a President, But not enough knowledge to make money to fuel his generator.

Daft statement. If only Jonathan has enough knowledge to ensure we don't require generators; as is the case in countries with knowledgeable presidents.

[quote author=D-Explorer]Must you identify rumour as an official presidential statement. Who have you been listening to or should i say what have you been watching these days.[/quote]It is not a rumour. This is what he said when he fielded questions from journalists on 24th June (See the Punch Newspaper of 25th June 2012 - and other relevant newspapers). An extract from Punch Newspaper:

The President stated that those who argued that he should not have embarked on the trip when Kaduna and Yobe states were being attacked by the violent sect, were ignorant.
He spoke during the Presidential Media Chat broadcast live on the Nigerian Television Authority.
Trip to Brazil
Justifying the trip, he said, “I have no regrets going to Brazil. The issue of security in this country, especially relating to the Boko Haram crisis is pathetic, I have lost people and I have lost property. I sympathise with people who have lost property and relations. I feel the pain.
“As President of this country, even if one person dies, I feel sad. But one thing is that if you know the tactics of terrorists, Nigerians who were worried that I travelled got worried out of ignorance.
“One of the tactics of terrorists is to strangle government. If they heard that the President and the Vice-President wanted to travel but couldn’t do so because they struck, they would celebrate it.”
According to him, Presidents of other countries had always encouraged him to ensure that the government of Nigeria does not stop because of terrorism.

Is he not now indicating that they have strangled his government?

Barely a month ago, the president told us that terrorists/thugs will think they have defeated the government if he did not travel to Brazil. I wonder what the terrorists will think now that they know that they have made him to abandon his agenda (as if he had any plans to pursue them in the first place) to concentrate on fighting them.

Another thing President Jonathan said was that PDP's political opponents are trying to run them (PDP) down and 'drown them'. What does he expect in politics? It is like a boxer complaining that his opponent is trying to hit him on the chin with his (opponent's) fist.

He also said: “PDP is bad because of the philosophy of people like Adolf Hitler which says if you say a wrong thing a thousand times, it becomes the right thing". In the end you get what he is trying to say, but that is not really the way to say it. And that is typical of the way he talks. It seems his mouth is much faster than his brain (although he does not talk particularly fast) - or he just lacks the skill for putting words together in a meaningful way.

JOKEnathan. A president with only sufficient brain cells to ATTEMPT to do only one thing at a time. So he is now admitting that he has essentially done nothing since he came into office; as he has not been able to deliver his agenda and has not been able to make any impact on the Boko Haram that have prevented him from doing so. He is now admitting that the same Boko Haram that he could deal with from anywhere in the world have made him to abandon his programme.

What is he actually saying? He is saying that while he is busy using all his brain cells to attempt to defeat Boko Haram, those who have no food to eat can continue to go hungry and die from hunger. So, if Boko Haram does not kill you, you may as well die of hunger.

Does he not run what he intends to say past some of his ministers and other people around him? Even a 5 year old could have told him not to say what he said. Imagine what would have happened in the US if the President said he was shelving his programmes to concentrate on fighting Al Qaeda, especially the programmes that will ensure the provision of food/welfare to the needy.

After every utterance Jonathan makes I always hope he will come up with something better next time. I have nothing against the man as a human being, but he has shown himself to be incurably foolish. In fact I was one of those who jubilated when he came into power, because of where he came from (I felt it will be a good thing for the Niger Delta to produce the President) and because of his education. The only question I ask myself now is: Why does Nigeria deserve this man as PRESIDENT? JOKEnathan indeed!!!

Here is what the President said regarding the Brazil trip:

Trip to Brazil

Justifying the trip, he said, “I have no regrets going to Brazil. The issue of security in this country, especially relating to the Boko Haram crisis is pathetic, I have lost people and I have lost property. I sympathise with people who have lost property and relations. I feel the pain.
“As President of this country, even if one person dies, I feel sad. But one thing is that if you know the tactics of terrorists, Nigerians who were worried that I travelled got worried out of ignorance.
“One of the tactics of terrorists is to strangle government. If they heard that the President and the Vice-President wanted to travel but couldn’t do so because they struck, they would celebrate it.”
According to him, Presidents of other countries had always encouraged him to ensure that the government of Nigeria does not stop because of terrorism.


He was incoherent (rambling) in his speech most of the time but we can understand what he was trying to say. Even he said the issue of security in the country is pathetic (I wonder who is to blame). He then went on to say those who felt he should not have gone to Brazil felt so out of ignorance (how can a President speak about a large number of Nigerians in that manner?). What he has failed to grasp is that Nigerians are not saying he should not travel, but they want to make sure he has addressed dire security situations before leaving the country - and a significant number of people do not think he has been able to get to grip with the pathetic security situation in the country. How can anyone think the government of Nigeria has stopped just because the President of Nigeria did not travel to Brazil a few days after over 30 of his citizens have been massacred by terrorists - and not for the first time? Maybe he will care to name any of the 'other Presidents' who travelled out of their own coutries soon after a large number of their people were killed by terrorists.

If he thinks Boko Haram needs him not to travel out of the country before they know they have the upper hand he has another thing coming. What they will be happy about is that instead of him sitting down with his security people and seriously planning their (Boko Haram's) demise, he is more interested in going to Brazil and earning 'estacode'. Boko Haram already have enough to celebrate.

He would probably have earned the respect of Nigerians if he went to see at least some of the victims of the blast, held a meeting with his security people and made a statement on what he is doing about those latest terrorist acts (to let Nigerians know how the security team are tackiling the issue in his absence) before jetting off to Brazil. There is nothing he achieved in Brazil that would not have been achieved if he took a trip to Brazil (if he must) some other time or if he sent other people to represent him (I know he would have missed the Climate Conference but that is really not a big deal in the circumstances).

Here is a poor, incompetent President - not capable of making the right decisions - trying to lecture the rest of us. Absolutely pathetic.

I think there should be another choice - IDIOTIC - which will be more appropriate.

[quote author=PROUD-IGBO]The name sounds northern to me. But it's quite sad looking at her pic.....she's got a motherly look and would be the last person you'd expect to carry drugs. [/quote]You are right, the names are not Yoruba names, although she claims to be an indigene of Lagos. The names sound northern rather than south west. Nothwithstanding that, the most important issue is that our government will improve the economy and ensure that Nigerians do not have to resort to desperate and dangeroaus measures to make ends meet.

Nairaland, why was my post removed? We complain about corruption day in day out yet you engage in censoring views that you think do not suit you. That is also a form of corruption. I hope you will reinstate my post immediately.

I think the important thing is that our government should do everything possible to improve the economy and ensure Nigerians do not have to resort to desperate and dangerous measures to make ends meet.

There was a man called Goodluck
Who told us he was built like a rock
He said he once had no shoes
And for that he got no boos
So we gave him the country to run
And asked for probity in return
We hoped for a bit of reform
And for peace to be the norm
Now he's up to his neck in corruption
And it's clear he's got no gumption
No wonder some call him r.e.tard
To others he's a p.o.o-head b.a.s.tard

MRbrownJAY: if anyone commits a crime then they should be strip searched before being locked up, of course!

as for Airport searches, i fully approve as i dont want to be the sorry ones who get blown away at 11000feet. yes, it is a pain in the [b]a[/b]ss but needed. in the US they raise it a notch and have you remove your shoes etc a few times but if thats a problem to anyone they should either NOT travel to the US (or transit through there). et voila!

So making you remove your shoes is a notch over having a finger poked up your bum?

afam4eva: Igbo movies started it all in the early 90s until 99% of the producers of Igbo movies switched over to the English movie industry.

Yoruba movies have been around since the sixties, perhaps earlier. They did Cine movies and started home movies. They also had travelling theatres, magazines (e.g ATOKA)etc etc. They had everything before things were named Nollywood.

In my perception (which may be wrong) and through my experiences, Air Nigeria has been my airline of choice when flying in Nigeria. My reason for trusting Air Nigeria more than the other Nigerian airlines is that they operate international flights; therefore their operations will not only be guided by Nigerian regulations but by the regulations existing in other countries, which should put them on their toes. I know it is not totally foolproof but their situation is, at least, better than that of some of the other airlines that only operate within Nigeria; where anyone can be bribed to do anything.

I am therefore surprised by this claim from the former director. The questions are: How long did Mr Njorom work for Air Nigeria for? Why did he not report his airline to the appropriate Nigerian authorities until he was sacked by the company? If he is claiming that the DG of NCAA intervened in a dispute his fellow workers had with the airline, then the DG must be aware of the extremely serious accusations he is making against the airline. Can he tell us what the DG did about those accusations.

How are we sure everything he is saying is not sour grapes, because he was sacked by Air Nigeria? While I do not hold brief for Mr Ibrahim (I do not know the man)one thing to realise is that it is very easy to destroy another man's image because you believe, rightly or wrongly, that he has treated you unfairly.

The main problem is the aviation authority in Nigeria. If they do their work properly nobody will need to worry about allegations made by the likes of Mr Njorom.

ikeyman00: @@@@

at times like this u need abacha

I thought he was found dead on an Indian.

As if Alams has ever required a licence to steal. As if Alams has ever required a licence to steal.

kettykin: the spell that usman and ahmadu bello cast over nigeria has expired, the yorubas need not be told whom they will back, i see the core north becoming a political minority soon. The mistake yorubas made in 1966 and 1979 is responsible for their stagnation today, they should rather do a deal with gej than enslave themselves with the north

Where did this analysis come from? Absolute rubbish!!! Yorubas never made mistakes in 1966 and 1979 - and they are not stagnant today. If Yorubas are stagnant tell me who is making progress. They may not get what they think they deserve from the centre but they have always been sufficiently self-sufficient, throughout history. They will rather fend for themselves, than cry amd claim marginalization as some others do. When the opportunity comes, they will make sure you pay for crossing them - in a democratic setting of course.

Hi Mikeywise. I am abroad now but will be coming to Lagos/Abuja in June. Are you an official ticket outlet?

Does anyoneone know how one can obtain Olympic tickets from Nigeria, please?

Spikey, you need to get in touch. Have not spoken to you for a long time.

It was not only Igbos that were killed in the religious disturbances in the north. Christians from all parts of the country, including northern christians, have been killed.

Although I can understand the feelings of anger being expressed, tit for tat killing can only lead to mass massacre; from which no one will benefit.

The only lasting and sensible solution is for the government and the police/security services to be more pro-active in identifying potential perpetrators, educate the public constantly - especially those communities prone to committing these senseless crimes (I cannot believe the security services did not anticipate that something like those killings in the north could happen in the face of the so-called 'Muhammad cartoons'), ensure general education for all kids (it is mainly illiterate, out of school, people who commit these crimes), use the Intelligence Services to infilterate these murderous cells and nip their actions in the bud, and ensure swift justice when these killing acts are committed.

It should be the duty of government to ensure security and justice. The public should never have to take laws into their own hands.

They may not be the best Nigeria can offer but they are the best on show at present. I sense a lot of jelousy and mischief making in some of the earlier posts. They are definitely projecting Nigeria's image positively. If you can do better, show us what you can do; and Nigeria will be the better for it.

Keke may not be perfect but I don't see much wrong with him. In fact he is quite good!