Since1914's Posts
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 Politics › Re: I Won't Condone Looting Of Resources, Says Buhari by since1914(m): 7:39am On Apr 05, 2015*. Modified: 12:18pm On Apr 05, 2015 |
help3852:Good observation! But you must also remember that it is not the duty of the President to fish out corrupt people. Rather, it is the duty of everyone of the over 170 million Nigerians to do so. It is our duty to call his attention to every case of corruption we come across, only after which, it becomes his duty to act on them. The President - elect has promised to push for the passage of the 'whistle Blowers Act' within his first 100 days in office, and I think that is where we will start fighting corruption from. As Nigerians, we must hold him to his words and ensure that those laws are enacted so that any citizen with valuable information can bring it forward without fear of victimisation. Secondly, it is important that every Nigerian knows that, you don't need to catch people red - handed to know whether they are corrupt or not. Anybody who lives above his means should be an instant candidate for criminal investigation. When your neighbour who Is a level 14 officer in the Civil Service starts buying brand new cars and building houses all over the place, it is your duty to bring it to the notice of authorities. Some of these criminals are so smart that we might never be able to pinpoint how, or even what they steal, but we can at least question the source of their wealth. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Some Things To Note When Attending US Visa Interview in Abuja by since1914(m): 3:59pm On Mar 24, 2015 |
Lionize:I was once hassled at the Italian Consulate in Lagos some years ago by those private security guys when I went there to pick up my passport. The way them take rush me, I didn't even have the time to say no. They were asking for money right outside the front door, they didn't even make any effort to code it, almost thought for a moment that it was standard embassy procedure. Had to part with 1 grand. 2 Likes |
| Politics › Re: Buhari: I’ll Make Naira Equal To The Dollar by since1914(m): 7:50am On Mar 24, 2015 |
OP please let's not use forums like this to spread falsehood. It has already been established on a handful of other threads that, he never said he will bring down the exchange rates to 1 Naira to a Dollar. |
| Politics › Re: Alleged Missing $20bn: Own Up To Your Errors, NNPC Tells Sanusi by since1914(m): 10:24pm On Mar 20, 2015 |
This is the problem with being too clever by half...if only the NNPC audit report had been released in full, Nigerians would long laid to rest all of these speculations by now. Until that happens...the allegations and speculations will not cease. |
| TV/Movies › Re: How Many Of You Remembers The Drama That Featured This Character? Pic. by since1914(m): 9:58am On Mar 13, 2015 |
...we were always looking forward to it every Thursday, just like we did for New Masquerade (Zebrudaya) on Tuesdays. |
| Politics › Re: 2015: Results From Benue Will Shock Jonathan - opinion by since1914(m): 12:53pm On Mar 06, 2015 |
DRANOEL:This is neither about tiv or idoma, the reality is that, Benue workers have not been paid their legitimate wages in several months, coupled with all the hardship most Benue citizens had to endure in the last eight years...there is no way any sect will be indifferent towards their common oppressor. |
| Nairaland General › Re: OMG!!! See What A Guy Was Served In A Bar In Calabar...(pictures) by since1914(m): 6:20pm On Feb 20, 2015 |
I first noticed this earlier in the year in the Supermarket. I saw 'Orijin' drinks in Harp bottles, I didn't give much thought to it then, but seeing this now; am begining to think it wasn't a coincidence afterall. |
| Business › Re: What Is It About St Louis Sugar by since1914(m): 11:02pm On Feb 18, 2015 |
Nasco actually has a it's own brand of 'cube' sugar, but it doesn't dissolve well like St . Louis. Sometimes, you end up with little lumps here and there. By the way, I thought there was an embargo on sugar importation, and that Merchants were only permitted to import bulk sugar and not pre-packaged ones like St. Louis. |
| Jokes Etc › Re: Jonathan Urinates Slowly On The Wailing Walls In Isreal (PICTURES) by since1914(m): 6:36pm On Feb 11, 2015 |
doctokwus:Walahi! This OP is not a very nice person...  |
| Politics › Re: FULL TEXT: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala And The Missing Trillions Pt.1-Chukwuma C. Soludo by since1914(m): 9:37pm On Feb 01, 2015*. Modified: 3:25am On Feb 02, 2015 |
Is unfortunate that we are only having this discussion now...at the twilight of this administration. If Soludo, Pat Utomi and all the other economists in the country had all raised these issues least 15-24 months ago, it would have formed the basis for a healthy national debate about the direction of the economy, and maybe even salvaged a thing or two. Calling for a debate now is rather belated...unless if the aim is to apportion blames. Even as non - economists, a handful of us both on this forum and offline, raised concerns about the way certain aspects of our economy was being handled by NOI. But her usual response was to condescendingly say we do not understand anything about how an economy runs. The majority of Nigerians might not have Economics degrees from Harvard nor possess the type of enviable professional pedigree that NOI possesses, but they still possess common sense. And sometimes, that is all you need to decipher if something is right or wrong. For instance, by just looking at the 2014 budget alone, a lay man could easily pinpoint areas where expenditures were duplicated, he can also tell that some of these expenditures are outrightly frivolous. And he would also also be able to question the templates that the budget office used to arrive at their outrageous recurrent expenditure figures. He will also be able question why some government agencies are witholding generated revenues, instead of remitting same to the Federation account. What of the tax system which has the potential to fund the National budget 100 percent? Today as we speak, Tax officials are blatantly renegotiating tax rates with taxpayers and pocketing a good chunk of what should be coming into government coffers. It does not take an economist to notice that for the past three years, the most important Federal government agency charged with Tax collection-FIRS, has been operating with an Acting Charman without an Executive board, thereby creating room for all sorts of infractions. 3 Likes |
| Music/Radio › Re: Looking For Healing Child by since1914(m): 6:29am On Jan 23, 2015*. Modified: 9:48am On Jan 23, 2015 |
AjanleKoko:Oga sorry to derail your thread, but couldn't help noticing...seems you have boycotted the politics section o? Who fit blame you, especially with all the half - truths and outright bigotry flying around there these days? |
| Travel › Re: Migrants Kill 10 Passengers On Spain Bound Boat Because Of A Nigerian Priest by since1914(m): 12:04pm On Jan 16, 2015 |
Burger01:The entire article is poorly written, and is a tad incoherent. 1 Like |
| Agriculture › Re: FG Releases 11 New Crop Varieties To Farmers by since1914(m): 11:09am On Jan 11, 2015 |
damochewinner:...na there you go see hot fight. Nobody dey take farmland play again o! 1 Like |
| Politics › Re: 7 Boko Haram Members Dead As Bomb Detonated In The Car by since1914(m): 7:57am On Dec 31, 2014 |
dajoaneke: |
| Politics › Re: Video: Buhari Decries FG Spending Billions On Hajj While Schools Are Unfunded by since1914(m): 11:15am On Dec 28, 2014*. Modified: 11:38am On Dec 28, 2014 |
All the problems we have in this country today are caused by the same set of people - Muslims & Christians. Yet the FG and the state governments keep sending them on pilgrimage at the expense of taxpayers. Sadly, these people go for these pilgrimages and return back the way they left, adding no value to the society. This country belongs to over 170 million Nigerians and not all of them practice christianity or Islam. Some are either Atheists or animist; do they cease to be Nigerians just because they are neither Muslims nor Christians? Is it fair that communal resources are being used to propagate certain faiths at the expense of others? What we practice here in Nigeria is neither christianity nor Islam, because both religion preaches equity, rather I think HYPOCRISY remains the biggest religion in Nigeria, because, that is the attribute Nigerian Muslims and Christians have in common. |
| Foreign Affairs › Re: Tension In Gabon As President Bongo Is Said To Be Of Nigerian Heritage by since1914(m): 4:22pm On Dec 23, 2014 |
The protest is only a symptom of a much deeper problem-bad leadership. If Ali Bongo Ondimba was a good leader, I doubt if his people would be contesting his nationality. I think the Gabonese have endured enough, unfortunately, they are playing the wrong card. They should be demanding his resignation based on the massive corruption Ali and his family has visited on the country, rather than hearsays about his nationality. So far the Bongo Ondimba family have ruled Gabon for nearly fifty years. A period during which they have amassed stupendous wealth. The Bongo family amongst other assets own no less than 39 residences across France, including an £85million townhouse in Paris. The Nigerian government must be on alert so that no harm comes the way of Nigerians living in Gabon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should as matter of urgency issue a strong advance warning to the Gabonese government that they must ensure the safety of Nigerians living there. There should also be putting together a contingent evacuation plan if need be. |
| Business › Re: Oil Crisis: Nigeria Announces New Charges On Private Jets, Yachts, Champagnes by since1914(m): 10:50pm On Dec 18, 2014 |
It is a good thing that the Finance Minister is seeking alternative means of funding for the 2015 budget, but am afraid, that the current measures she just listed are too pedestrian. While I agree that we should introduce 'sin tax', to help us improve our revenue profile, I take exceptions to it been done without proper planning. It seems the figures were arrived upon by just mere approximation, because so far no audit has been carried out to ascertain the feasibility or otherwise of this new tax regime. For instance, how will the 1% tax on Abuja mansions be collected? Will the task force (or FIRS?) go from house to house knocking on gates to collect them? How did we arrive at the number of Private jets and yatchs that will be imported in 2015? Are these figures based on confirmed jet and yacht orders, or average yearly imports? Lastly, what will be the estimated cost of collection for all of these taxes? If only she had taken time to take a closer look at the operations of all the revenue generating agencies of the FG, she would notice that most of them are not remitting the appropriate revenues to Federation Account. She will also notice that we have no business budgeting for Newspapers, Magazines and other frivolities for government officials in the face of austerity. My conservative estimate is that we can save as much as 200 billion Naira (if not more) if we reordered our priorities. |
| Politics › Re: Bastard Doyin Okupe And Other Jonathanian - By Pius Adesanmi by since1914(m): 7:52am On Dec 17, 2014 |
Yazmin:...not to even talk of grammatical errors. |
| Nairaland General › Re: Your Worst/weird Experience With Knockout(banger) While Growingup by since1914(m): 1:59pm On Dec 16, 2014 |
I still remember an incident that happened several years ago, at about '95 or thereabout. We had just moved into our newly completed house in a new neighbourhood, and we were one of the few families living in that area at the time. At Christmas, we had a full house because my cousins and family friends came visiting, so we were grounded and asked not to leave the house. We went to play in front of our main gate, and started throwing bangers across the street, then some of the dry grasses caught fire and start burning, there were about four very large plots of land directly opposite ours that were overgrown with weeds. Some had uncompleted buildings and a handful of makeshift structures on them. We all watched helplessly as the fire raced through the dry grass and headed for the makeshift houses on the plot. The fire was so thick that you could barely see anything, people came from all over the neighbourhood came to help put out the fire; the crowd and the ensuing commotion made it all look like a riot scene. By the time the fire was brought under control, it had burnt all the grasses in sight and blackened all the uncompleted buildings in its path. We were so petrified, I tried to cry but couldn't shed any tear. Miraculous, we were not punished for that incident even when far lesser misdemeanours had earned us heavy punishments in the past. I guess my folks were also shaken by the incident. Since that day, till today none of us had touched banger, even the sound of it today scares me. |
| Politics › Re: OPEC Refusal To Cut Supplies, Finally Affecting Shale Oil Production by since1914(m): 9:20pm On Dec 13, 2014 |
BackDatAssUp:I think the reason the Legislators were fighting to increase the benchmark was because of the the way the 36 State Governors were abusing the ECA. They were simply showing up in Abuja with their Accountant Generals and Finance Commissioners to harass the Federal Government to share money from the ECA, whenever there was 'surplus' money in that account. And this is one issue where there is neither APC nor PDP, the Governors all gather in Abuja as a united front and collect their cheques as a family. Unfortunately, the Legislators only did their jobs by half, because after increasing the budget benchmark, they simply cashed their share and failed to oversight the budget as they should. 1 Like |
| Politics › Re: OPEC Refusal To Cut Supplies, Finally Affecting Shale Oil Production by since1914(m): 8:56pm On Dec 13, 2014 |
That was fast! Didn't expect prices to fall below $60 this fast. Only two weeks ago, shale producers were beating their chest that they were ready to outwait OPEC, I guess they miscalculated. I hope the managers of the Nigerian economy have learnt their lessons, that oil revenue is too unstable to be relied upon as the prime source of revenue for funding national budgets. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Over 100 Nigerians deported from Norway, three others by since1914(m): 10:00am On Dec 12, 2014 |
dridowu:This is quite unfortunate, they went as Passengers and returned as 'Cargoes' |
| Politics › Re: Goodbye Okonjo Iweala... by since1914(m): 9:36pm On Dec 08, 2014*. Modified: 11:19pm On Dec 08, 2014 |
WhiteTechnology:You obviously have been quite observant, it was indeed the National Assembly members that always insisted on a higher oil benchmark. But, it wasn't entirely for a selfish aim, they were trying to checkmate the Governors. The logic is this, whenever we use a low benchmark, a lot money accrues to the ECA, which ordinarily should be a very good thing, but unfortunately for us, whenever we have a lot of money in the Excess Crude Account, the Governors and their Accountant Generals will setup camp in Abuja to harass the Federal Government to share it amongst all the states and the FCT. The sad part of this development, is that any money shared from the ECA is extra budgetary (awoof), hence the recipients usually do with it as they please. Ironically, the NASS members who claim to be defending the public purse, have consistently failed in their oversight of the budget thereby rendering useless whatever, 'good' intentions they claim to have. That said, I must say there is enough blame to go round; NOI has also failed in some of her duties. For instance, how many times, have the Auditor General's report been acted on? If you pick up the AG's report you will see a lot of lapses in the execution of the preceeding year's budget, yet the Ministry of Finance carries on as if nothing happened. What of the MDAS that are known to generate one form of revenue or the other, how much of it are they remitting back to the Federation account? Rather, they just spend it all and turn to the FGN (Father Christmas) to dole out money to them as usual. Secondly, I also think she needs to take a closer look at the questionable template the budget office uses to arrive at recurrent expenditures for MDAs, because, that is what is ballooning our recurrent expenditure profile. |
| Properties › Re: d by since1914(m): 1:51pm On Dec 02, 2014*. Modified: 11:35pm On Feb 06, 2015 |
sauer:Great discourse! How come am only just seeing this thread now? I agree with you, it is sad to look around and see all these buildings that look like they had been designed by the same person, because they all look alike. Apart from a few adventurous Architects and designers, most of the people here in Nigeria just conform to the status quo. The root of this problem lies in the Architectural educational system, because students are discouraged from thinking outside the box. Most times during design studio sessions you hear lecturers tell their students 'this can't work', just because they dared to think outside the 'accepted' realm. This sort of opposition also continues right after design school. Where Architects (and even non-architects) who have never practised before, are placed in government regulatory agencies like the urban development councils to decide the fate of Architecture In Nigeria. Here they simply refuse to approve any type of design they have never seen before, irrespective of its merits. That said, I still think designers need to devote time and resources to personal development, they can't keep designing just for the fun of it, every building design should be able say something on its own. The NIA should act more like a professional body rather as just a social organisation for old Architects, they should overhaul the curriculum of design schools, so also to raise a new breed of Designers with the 'right' attitude. They should also impress it on their colleagues in the academia on the need to evolve with the times. 1 Like |
| Politics › Re: Powerful State Governors Drained Nigeria's Boom Time Oil Savings - Okonjo-iweala by since1914(m): 2:57pm On Nov 28, 2014*. Modified: 3:12pm On Nov 28, 2014 |
jpphilips:That is not even the problem, because, most Nigerians have no problem with paying more taxes. The only problem they have is when the taxes paid are mismanaged. In fact I have always said that if we paid more taxes in Nigeria, people will be less tolerant of corrupt public officials. Just imagine paying 40,000 Naira out of your 100,000 Naira monthly salary, as taxes. You won't go home quietly if any part of that sum is embezzled by any man, we would visit him at home and lynch him publicly. If government increases taxes and we no longer need to buy fuel for our generators because of constant electricity, or if it leads to good and affordable healthcare, then that is progress. Unfortunately, there is no sign that, that will be the case if we agree to pay more taxes. Before we even talk of increasing taxes we need to take a holistic look at the current tax system and administration in the country. Casual observation shows that we still haven't even exhausted all the avenues of taxation in this country, because there are so many people that are yet to be brought under the tax net. Secondly there is also a lot of leakages in the tax system. The level of corruption at the FIRS is staggering. Most tax officials are living far above their means, this by the way is not a speculation-am speaking from first-hand experience. Tax officials are conniving with tax payers and multinational companies to defraud the government, they are renegotiating tax rates and outrightly granting waivers upon receipt of kickbacks. The Finance Minister needs to rise up to the ocassion rather than dish out blames, we have long gone past that stage. Now is the time to regain the trust of Nigerians. For a start, now is a golden opportunity for the government to convince the masses about total subsidy removal. Now that the international oil prices have dropped significantly, government should either reduce the pump price of fuel or admit publicly that she is spending a lot less on subsidy now. Which means that we should still have unspent leftover subsidy money in this year's budget. 4 Likes |
| Politics › Re: Oyedepo, Dangote, Adenuga To Pay N400 M Luxury Tax Each For Private Jets by since1914(m): 1:05pm On Nov 24, 2014 |
idupaul:I think this will cause the business class to show more interest in how the country is governed, because, none of them will want to pay that much tax and keep quiet when the public treasury is being looted by politicians and civil servants. Because, collectively, they have the power and influence to see that those in government do the right thing. |
| Politics › Re: President Seeks To Cut Fuel Subsidies After Oil Decline by since1914(m): 12:19pm On Nov 21, 2014 |
Collynzo9:This is the part I am still yet to comprehend (probably am not intelligent enough to understand such complexities), because, my understanding is that, if the NNPC says it buys crude oil at the prevailing market rates, then it means that when there is a drop in oil prices, consumers should also pay less. Our problem isn't entirely because of plummeting oil prices, but rather, is a direct fallout of our reckless spending habits. Presently, the 36 state Governors have already started arm - twisting the President to share $2 billion from the Excess Crude Account with them to argument their current allocations., this in my opinion, is a very irresponsible demand not just because of the timing but because of the intent. These monies will simply be used as slush funds for elections. I agree that we need to raise taxes, especially VAT, because, at 5% we currently have one of the lowest VATs in the world. We also need to review our Personal Income Taxes, because we have too many rich people who are barely paying taxes in this country. But all these still won't amount to anything if we are not prudent. For a start, the Minister of Finance needs to drastically cut down on recurrent expenditure. She needs to take a closer look at what is happening at the budget office, because I think that is where our problem lies. Those guys there are 'Over-budgeting' for things using, over-inflated expenditure templates to make budget estimates. 4 Likes 1 Share |
| TV/Movies › Re: What Are Your Most Memorable Scenes From A Nollywood Film? by since1914(m): 6:27pm On Nov 18, 2014 |
chisco82:Can't forget that movie, it was our number one family movie back then. |
| Health › Re: RIP DJDOLA- We Will Miss You by since1914(m): 11:06am On Nov 15, 2014 |
Cc. chaircover, TEHN, Gboliwe, I think we should setup a Facebook page for this cause. I would have done so already, but I think it is proper that this managed by a central body like TEHN instead of an individual., so as to avoid any fraudulent duplication of the page. Meanwhile, we are still not tweeting enough guys. #SaveHammed hashtag needs to populate the social space. I also want to suggest that we shoot a 30-40 seconds appeal video of Hammed on his hospital bed. Afterwards, we can use it to Appeal to Media houses to air it. Anyone here with links to Newsline? Channels? AIT? Sillverbird? Abeg Pls help us #SaveHammed 3 Likes |
| Health › Re: RIP DJDOLA- We Will Miss You by since1914(m): 10:24pm On Nov 14, 2014 |
Thanks guys, please keep the tweets coming, at this rate, #SaveHammed will be all over the place by daybreak. Please Tweet, Facebook and Amebor to #SaveHammed. Don't forget to include the link to this page. |
| Health › Re: RIP DJDOLA- We Will Miss You by since1914(m): 7:34pm On Nov 14, 2014 |
Please everyone, can you all kindly give us two minutes of your time: log onto your twitter accounts and tweet : Please help us #SaveHammed. Tweet at your friends and all those you think can support this cause. Thanks 1 Like |
