₦airaland Forum

I hope you're not the type that gets cranky when someone wakes you up!

Husband: [wakes you up] I just wanted to say that I love you so much ...
Wife: Me too. Now can I get some sleep, please? Thank you!

If they do not change, are you going to become a nun?

They may be better funded than the public schools, but it's not the same as being at home with loving parents that know how to create time for their children .

alheri, how can you imply that someone is talking off-point when all the person did was to ask a question?

Women in the house: the bal is in your court. Can a woman (who has never been pregnant) be pregnant and not know it for a long time?

The only boarding school that can be compared to being at home is one in which you have one housemaster and one housemistress for each group of 2 or 3 children!

Joftech, based on your reply to my last post, the summary of this post is, "we must make our politicians utilize our natural resources". Where do the "pastors decieving Nigerians" come in?

Nferyn, I agree with you. Consistency is essential and quick punishments work better, especially for younger children. I believe in being consistently gentle and fair.

If you read the scenario I presented earlier, you'll notice that it doesn't contradict these principles. The "punishments" - apologize to your mom, cat burial, chores to pay back - are delivered almost immediately.

In Nigeria, older siblings beat their younger siblings. And in hostels, students in higher classes "punish" those in lower classes for offences like "disrespect". I don't think it's possible for someone at the recieving end of parental aggression not to release it by punishing someone else.

I have noticed that when you hit a child, first she tries to hit you back. Then when she notices it doesn't make you cry, she tries it on her mates. If it works on her mates, she becomes a bully. The lesson you have thought her: "when you are big and strong you can make others do what you want by hurting them or threatening to do so". I don't think there's any Nigerian who doesn't recognize the phrase "I will beat you o!"

I want to prepare my child for the real world. In the real (civilized) world, people don't go about hitting each other. There are laws against that sort of thing even in Nigeria. Who knows whether parental violence contributes to the constant state of warfare in the African continent? We have a continent full of people who believe, "if you can't get what you want, use force!" How long will we continue this nonsense? What about dialogue?

You should accept his apology. But why is he the one apologizing?

The oil companies will challenge the ruling on the basis that the Federal Government's flaring deadline is yet to expire, and they'll probably win. Even if that happens, they will be less likely to miss the 2008 deadline.

so if you are shy you are living in a bondage you better help yourself and come out of it.

Yes, and while we're at it: If you're short, you're at a disadvantage, so you better help yourself and grow tall!

I've done it before with other people's kids staying with us, and it worked, so I'm not naive. Just because your parents used to terrorize you doesn't mean you have to terrorize your children.

What pains me most about the "Nigerian" way of treating a child is that by the time the child is 10 or 11 she will already be beating ("disciplining?" her junior ones too. It is one thing to terrorize a child out of ignorance, it is another thing to turn a child into a little demon and I hate that!

Allonym, in all my years of interacting with children, I have never seen a child stab a cat to death. But I have seen children being beaten mercilessly for mistakes like dropping a glass cup.

Ask yourself this question: why is our society so corrupt, despite the heavy-handed "discipline" we claim to be giving our children? I'll answer it for you: because it doesn't work.

As for the person that said his father used to give him lashes, let me ask you a question. When your father makes a mistake, is there anyone to give him lashes? Assuming your father cheated on your mother or dropped a glass cup mistakenly (yes, it happens to adults too) will his wife take a cane and start beating him? No! And this shows that caning is not a means of preparing young people for adult life - it is a means of justifying the beatings you received when you were a child.

I'm gonna sweet-talk my child and she'll be great. She'll be a successful woman without being a B**ch.

Thanks for the videos. Was it a friendly match?

Maybe she has had problems with men and she has decided to raise a family on her own. Please don't give her any grief; just play along and be supportive. Let her parents know that a grandchild is a grandchild whether you know the father or not.

We in Nigeria have absolutely nothing to gain from the WSIS discussions. As far as I am concerned, it is nothing but a talk shop: thousands of people who have[i] no authority[/i] at home will gather, argue with each other, and go back home to do absolutely nothing.

In my opinion, Tunisia is the only country that stands to gain from this summit, since it is being held in their country. They are going to earn some nice foreign exchange from the WSIS delegates!

What are the complications that result in the baby when a pregnant woman drinks? Let's enumerate them here so pregnant women will know why they need to abstain from alcohol!

When does this Fanti Festival take place? New year?

THat is so sad. When did this happen?

zig$zag, you are asking the wrong question. The right question is "where do you live?" and I am sure there are members of this forum who live in Ghana even though they might be Nigerians. But we also have 'foreigners' here and they are not discouraged at all!

The oil companies apparently don't want to invest in the equipment that wil enable them to take advantage of the gas. This is simply because the government has failed to crack down on the practice. A deadline has already been set for oil companies in Nigeria to stop gas flaring, but the Gorverment could just extend it again when it expires.

Helo felucci,

Welcome to Nairaland! I hope you're a lady

Seun.

I'm sure we'll love the rest of the story when you finally get to it!

There is nothing that prevents a married woman from using her parents' name after marriage. For example, Our finance minister uses the name Okonjo-Iweala, and a popular actress uses the name Jalade-Ekeinde. It's not a such a big deal.

Perhaps you believe that a wife is her husband's property and so he has to pay the price? If not, are you saying that the bride price is to pay for the name change? Wouldn't that be petty, paying a hefty sum so they'll let her use your surname?

[img]http://www.irinnews.org.nyud.net:8090/images/2005111512.JPG[/img]
BENIN CITY, 15 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - Issuing a landmark ruling that opens the way for compensation claims against oil conglomerates, a court in Nigeria has declared the flaring of natural gas illegal.

Justice C. V. Nwokorie, of the high court of Benin City, ruled on Monday that toxic flares that burn off natural gases, a by-product of oil extraction, contravened provisions of the Nigerian constitution guaranteeing citizens the right to life and human dignity.

He was ruling in a case brought against oil giant Royal Dutch Shell by the Iwerekan community of the Niger Delta.

Shell, which controls nearly half of the country’s oil production capacity, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), immediately issued notice of an appeal. They have one month to challenge the ruling.

If it stands, it could open the way for residents of the oil-rich Niger Delta to sue the oil companies, Chima Williams one of the lawyers representing the local community that brought the case to court, told IRIN.

“Under Nigerian law, the parties who suffer from the violation of a law can seek damages or compensation,” Williams said.

The giant flares that pump clouds of black toxic smoke into the skies of the Niger Delta contribute more greenhouse gas emissions than any other single source in sub-Saharan Africa, according to environmentalists Friends of the Earth.

The Iwerekan community in Delta State was supported in its case by Environmental Rights Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, and the Climate Justice Programme.

Delta residents say the flares, which have been burning since oil production began in the 1950s, have seriously harmed the environment.

Domestic animals and wildlife are disoriented by the constant flares as they are unable to tell the difference between day and night, while crop yields have been damaged by consequent acid rain, they say.

But even if the appeal against the ruling is thrown out, gas flaring cannot be stopped without billions of dollars and several years worth of further investment.

Nine years ago, the government set a 12-year target to end gas flaring and most oil companies have said they are on track to meet the 2008 deadline - bar the largest producer, Shell.

Don Boham, spokesman for Shell, said the company and its Nigerian partners have invested US $2 billion in the last five years in projects aimed at putting the flared gas into economic use. A further expenditure of US $1.85 billion will enable Shell to end all gas flaring in its operations by 2009, a year later than the government target, he said.

Boham blamed the Nigerian government for the delay as it had failed to meet its funding obligations in the joint venture with Shell.

“The original target date… was predicated on the joint venture programme being fully funded to deliver the required gas-gathering projects. This was not achieved,” said Boham.

For the first 40 years of oil production in Nigeria, all natural gas occurring in the course of oil production was simply burned away because oil companies were discouraged by the huge investments required to harness the gas.

While revenues estimated at over US $2.5 billion yearly were lost through flaring, this also became a major source of conflict with oil communities that complained of being cheated out of the oil wealth produced on their land while being left simultaneously to suffer the environmental consequences.

In the past decade, investments have been made to utilise the wasted gas, which is reputed to be a cleaner energy source than crude oil.

In September, work began on the West Africa Gas Pipeline which will transport Nigerian natural gas from the oil fields of the Niger Delta along the coast to Ghana, via Benin and Togo, promising cheaper and more reliable power for millions of residents by the end of 2006.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=50112

Amen. Nice story, Nferyn. Pain of childbirth, aww!

Please accept my apology. It's just that I am less of a shy person today and it has little to do with the process you've described. I guess this shows that there is more than one way to skin a cat!

I think it's ok to be "demanding" to an extent. But when the girl is demanding only material things, beware! An attitude that says "don't worry about spending time with me, just send me the money and I'll be just fine" then it means she sees you as a bank. Sorry o!

Biola, your pictures up therfe are really lovely!
Um, by the way, what is your sister's phone number?