₦airaland Forum

loma:
Good point there on the absurdity of using Lagos money to fund elections in other states!

You really should listen to Dosonmu more. He has raised some solid points during the debate which have not been addressed by the government.

Dosonmu seems the only challenge, he isn't bad at all.

hannie:
Dosunmu is making a mess of himself

BRF is CLASS

Fashola faltered on security.

They have upped their game with regards to the housing issue. Lagos (along with Abuja) is a housing bubble waiting to burst. Lagos state is the safest state in the country? Fashola I am not so sure about that o.

hannie:
Fashola is UNIQUE . . .where do u want to get a better candidate ?

Tokoya that is boasting DIVINE MANDATE ? 

Dosunmu that looks lost. . .

Baba Randle that is turning the whole place into a Comedy Central zone . . .LOL 

This has nothing to do with Fashola being "unique", this is about the dearth of credible alternatives in a state that has a population of over ten million. Not having people who can put up credible and reasoned arguments against Fashola and really challenge him is not something to be proud of, plainly speaking, it is an embarassment. I can't believe these are the best alternatives Lagos has to offer. It truly is embarassing.

hannie:
This is a contest won already . . .

FASHOLA

DOMINIC

TOKOYA

DOSUNMU

RANDLE


BRF is shyting on them currently . . .annoyingly none of them comes close.

Imagine Dosunmu keeps talking of his being 20 years plus in service and he is not composed ? 

Randle is talking about BRF's team Man Utd being trounced last nite ?

Tokoya is talking abt DIVINE RESOLUTION OF LAGOS' PROBLEMS . . referring to himself as the servant of God ? 

Dominic aint even talking anything meaningful except that he's been 25 years in govt.

nawao . . .this is no debate!

Dosunmu the PDP candidate needs to stop reading from his jotter 

I am happy you can appreciate that lack of good and credible opposition is not a good thing for our democracy. I just hope the opposition candidates don't start shouting rigged election rigged election when they lose. Just listen to how Fashola was reeling out achievements during his tenure with ease. More roads built in Lagos than the whole of Ghana, hundreds of hospitals and classrooms, jetties, etc. And what was one of the contestant using his limited time to do to convince people to vote for him? Assuring them that he has divine mandate. It really is a shame that there couldn't have been more credible and stronger opposition, I would really like to see people raise issues regarding to exactly how much Lagos gets in and how much it spends on projects, including bidding processes for government contracts, etc, to deal with all the reports of financial misappropriation. At the end of the day, it sharpens government and makes them work more for the people. We need something like this for the presidential elections. I would really like to hear Buhari speak about development and proposed (tangible) means of achieving it.

Depends. For the most part I would say yes, let countries handle their issues themselves because I believe in respecting sovereignty. When the mass population is under threath by their leaders then I think indirect intervention might be justified. On the other hand, Africa is not Europe and most countries in sub Saharan Africa are simply colonial constructs. I believe such issue needs to be taken into consideration because as a result of how such nations came to be, ideals such as unity and nationhood are not inherent, as a result it is sometimes difficult to get a unified or clear voice or even a consensus from such a populace as to what they actually want. As a result I believe in the pan africanist ideal but only to a certain degree. I am all for a stronger ECOWAS but don't care much for the AU and believe in African bodies like ECOWAS disciplining governments of member states when the situation calls for it (e.g Ivory Coast) as a means of settling disputes. West Africans are different from East or South Africans.

Progress . . .  . . . but it still has to be passed by the senate. . . . .

aguiyi:
that is not the crux of the matter,the state is indebted and developed more than others in the country.

? ? Don't know what this comment has to do with my post.

Beaf:
He cannot. He refused to run as VP, because he was scared that his contracts would be used against him.
That said, we must give it to him for showing visible performance, however thats no excuse for profligacy and mortgaging future generations of Lagosians.

It would seem that so much tax revenue has been raised only to subsidise the acquisition of choice assets by powerful ACN members. Lagos seems to have been sold to a few people and the money is oiling a new mafia that is sophisticated and dangerous.

Oh come on. You don't need to be partisan with every piece of news you receive. The part in bold is just plain mischief and a tad childish. Do you have any proof to that effect or are we just supposed to take your word for it?

blacksta:
Selective corruption fight mago mago

who are these people  fooling ?

fact remains - Jonathan Odechukuw is still inept and corrupt

The man will only be respected when hand his wife to the local abuja police station -  for money laundering charges.

Your obsession with Jonathan has turned from amusing to slightly worrying. Corrupt ministers are allowed to continue as usual, you whine, Minister is brought into custody due to corruption you whine. Its hard to take your posts seriously to be honest since your mind already seems to be made up. Funny

With regards to the topic. What seems to be the undoing of the EFCC in the past has been poorly assembled cases which tend to be quashed by the courts. Until he is succesfully prosecuted one can only look at this news with cautious optimism.

honeric01:
Not grasping at straw, a president who wants to sign in a local content bill should not be the same person approving the importation of dustbins that run into millions of naira. how's this a grasping at straw point?

Yes, fuel scarcity reduction started via YARADUA'S ERA, the last one we had was early 2010 and yaradua was the "president' then ans was not because of increase in price, so the glory shouldn't be given to GEJ.

Nah, i prefer a disciplined Buhari to a free for all GEJ, who am these politicians who claim to be democratic is truly democratic? Buhari is likely not going to be worse than OBJ when it comes to using decree in a democratic settings. he's been around for a while now, he knows how democracy works, OBJ never really PRACTICED democracy before becoming a civilian president just after changing his Khaki. So why should Buhari be feared because of this?

Nope, i won't compare Ibori's case with that of Buhari, Please answer this, is Aonadoaka, that other senate murderer not in Nigeria? has GEJ done anything to them? you only run if you know you'd be punished for your offenses, they all know GEJ won't do nada to them, hence their presence in Nigeria.

Ibori is running from Nigeria, not because of GEJ, but because he has too MANY enemies home and abroad.

Buhari didn't favor anyone, just look at the people he associates himself with presently, then tell me who you think is corrupt among them that he's likely to favor from persecuting if he comes into power, is there any? please name them.


Bro, let's be sincere, GEJ can't FIGHT corruption, his fingers are too mixed up with corruption oil to dare it, he can't dare that.

Sorry but your insistence on that dust bin issue makes me take you less seriously to be honest and is a tad off putting. Do you actually know what the local content bill is actually about? Because it seems like you have absolutely no clue, and instead of informing yourself on the first instance after I mentioned it, you are still talking about dust bins. What has importing dustbins got to do with the local content bill? Your other points while not invalid, are running around in circles because I have already previously addressed them in earlier posts, so just scroll up. I never said Buhari should be feared for wanting to practise democracy or whatever assumption you are trying to project, I simply highlighted that since it is a democracy, it might not be easy for him to get things done to the degree a lot of people expect. I have used examples of how even passing a bill is not so easy, your OBJ example even serves my purpose in that line of thought. . . I don't really like repeating myself, it is all there in previous posts.

Stromae:
thanks Sky Blue and Doyin13, very insightful. I wish everyone would take the time to read and assimilate your posts.

@ ddc machine: the PIB has been "expected" as far as I know since June last year & going by the promises GEJ has made about power before I don't want to rush and believe his proclamation on the PIB.
And I certainly don't want to trust the Nass as they will use the passage of the bill as leverage.

Extra universities was a bad idea without tackling the underlying rot and neglect affecting the numerous other universities in the nation. Can you tell me the budgetary allocation for education this year? I hope it has come up alot because it was below the level demanded by the MDG program in previous years.

On healthcare, can we both agree that they are not serious because despite many advanced warnings of the possibility of cholera outbreak from international orgs and even Cameroon we still bungled the situation.

The change Nigeria needs in terms of University is not just pumping more money in (even though that would help). Fundamentally, the structure of our Universities and hence how they obtain funding to run, is what needs to change. If it stays the same nothing will really change. The primary purpose of Universities is research and sharing of ideas which can be useful, not education.

doyin13:
One can't say for certain what the candidate you vouch for will do once in Office. Case in point Obama.

If I were to take my chances, I would put my bet on Buhari.

Fair enough. Unfortunately I don't think Buhari or Jonathan or Ribadu can deliver the fundamental changes I desire at the pace I would like to see so what happens next? Heck if I was going to pick someone who would probably attempt to tackle those issues (even if I believe quite unsucessfully) it would be Ribadu, not Buhari. Why? Because I have not heard Buhari speak of such issues. Does that mean Buhari doesn't have anything to offer? I don't make such a claim, I just haven't seen/heard him address these fundamental issues I speak of (especially a more federal structure), so am I just to assume it is in his agenda out of wishful thinking? What I am put off by in these discussions is the intellectual snobbery that tends to be displayed by some so if you don't choose or choose a particular candidate then it must be purely out of blind followership. It is irritating. LEt people make their minds up for themselves.

doyin13:
You have pretty much said it all. . . .that is the kind of fundamental change we are looking for.

But in addition to ceding powers, it should come with greater anti corruption agencies so the states/regions do not become fiefdoms to themselves. It should not be in doubt the FG still is superior.

But there should be a greater drive to cut down the cost of government especially at the centre. Paying people to do nothing or paying them to do so little as they currently do just should not wash. We pay people to do absolutely nothing. I am sure in private hands, what the FG has done in the past 12 years would have been done for a tenth of the cost if at that.

I can't say I blame public servants for asking for higher salaries, but the pittance they get at moment can't compensate for the hardships they go through everyday. What is a two thousand naira increase in monthly salary going to do to you in the current dispensation. I am sure the Labour unions are up for convincing if they see thesame belt tightening across the whole Federal Government. But when you have bribes and cars etc. being given to this or that person, why would they not clamour for their own share albeit misguided. Perhaps that is why I am instinctively attracted to the Buhari ticket because of his reputation for frugality.

But not frugality for frugality's sake. Cutting down jobs in the public sector should not mean a loss of jobs overall ( that would be SAP). But money saved to spend on things that actually improve lives. Building things that will create jobs in the private sector.


I could go on and on but you pretty much hit the nail on the head in your post. Not some waffling about four thousand megawatts, sending almajiris to class or such piffle.

My question does remain though. So do you think any of the candidates running can bring about this "fundamental change" you want?

doyin13:
this is definitely the first I am hearing of resuscitation of the textile industry and the evacuation of almajiris from streets to the classroom.

Anyway. . .I don't think you chappies will ever get the point. Or perhaps you do and just really don't care for some reason or another.

If this is fundamental change. . .God, then we need a super miracle to get the country right.

Just out of curiousity, what are the fundamental changes to you? Because when I think fundamental change I think a more federal structure with states paying taxes to the federal government and having more control of their resources as opposed to the federal government maintaining defunct state structures. I think decentralisation of power from Abuja and greater autonomy of regions. I think of state controlled police and enabling environment for private sector to thrive in a regulated environment. I think an effective and uncompromising law enforcement and judiciary with checks and balances. That is what I think. So please, what is your idea of this "fundamental change" and perhaps more importantly do you believe any of the major candidates contesting can deliver on your idea of fundamental change?

honeric01:
Nigerians here in Nigeria are mostly confused, most of them don't know what they want, hence they can't really pin-point and scrutinize their leaders.

If you ask many Nigerians why they want GEJ, none would be able to tell you 3 GOOD reasons without sentiments clouding their statements.

And this is peculiar to Jonathan supporters? Are you serious at all? Have you had discussions with people from core northern states? I bet there are many Buhari supporters there who just reel out the long list of articulate and unsentimental reasons why they prefer him, right?

honeric01:
This response go for the 1st bolded :

Do you mean the same local content bill in which GEJ approved millions of naira for the importation of dust-bin from the UK or the wearing of traditional clothes to the office by all civil servants on Fridays? which local content bill are you really talking about? I mean where are the effect of the local content bill ?(visible or in process)

To the second bolded:

Actually power has reduced, it was getting better when Yara dua was alive, but since he died and since GEJ took over, availability of power has reduced, i am talking about my own part of the country, before now, we use to have 12-20hrs daily, but now it's between 6 and 10hrs and mostly when I'm either sleeping or not at home to enjoy it.

He promised us 6,000MW by December 2010, instead we got less than what we had before (except on the pages of newspapers), we all witnessed when PHCN had to shut down power in the whole of Nigeria because they couldn't manage the situation of over-load. (maybe they were trying to switch everyone on at the same time without adding/increasing the capacity), so one of his major promises FAILED us woefully.



As for the fuel issue, yes there hasn't been any fuel scarcity since he took over (started when Yaradua was there though), so i'm still going to be watching and yes it's looking good in that aspect.


As for who's among the candidates is going to do better, i know of 1 and i know he's capable. I wait until you ask me why i think the person's capable, then i'd put it through to you.

Being a former Military HOS does not mean Buhari'll lack Democratic approach to governance, either does it mean He can't or haven't learnt how government works in a democratic settings.

The man does not work alone, even when he was the HOS then, he didn't work alone, he carried his assistant along and most of what were done in his time were mostly carried out by his assistant (he surely has a team-spirit style of governance) and i believe he can't be worse than OBJ.

I can list more reasons why i believe a Buhari is what's needed now in this period we are in Nigeria, too many corrupt people around, just too many, GEJ can't cope with them, he can't handle them, we have all seen it, he just can't (at least he's yet to successfully indict any known corrupt man working freely), even the murderer of a senator is still walking around a free man.

Ibori left Nigeria on his own, not because he was afraid of GEJ nor Yara dua, if he comes back to the country today, GEJ won't do jack to him.

Those criminals that ran out of Nigeria during Buhari's time knew what was in for them, hence their take off, those that couldn't run (due to badluck) had stories to tell about what happened to them.

Please stop grasping at straws to make a point, it makes you appear a bit disingenuous and it is a tad off putting, as if admitting that something (however little you deem it) has been achieved in 11months is some admission to defeat. Local content bill is local content bill so where does dust bin enter? Go and get yourself a copy of the proposal and discover why it is important for Nigeria. I like it because if passed it would protect the local economy and stimulate growth in various industries (like insurance) and hence jobs. I am sorry power supply has not improved in your area but that is an issue people from different parts of the country mention to me (without being asked I might add) with regards to improvement. Fuel scarcity reduction starting in Yar Adua's era? Quite possible but I doubt it since again, people from all over the place mentioning this only started last year. The point I am making is that the issues raised are what ordinary people on the street will tell you. They don't have to be told to believe Nigeria's economy is growing and just take it to be the case, etc. They can see changes (how ever little) that are tangible.

With regards to Buhari, you could sell him to me as the better of the options (at least the major ones) we have, but the best man we need right now? Try someone else please. It is easy to brandish Buhari because he has not been tried in a civilian and democratic governance. It is comparatively easy to get things done in a military dictatorship as opposed to a civilian democracy for many reasons (the major of which is less bureaucracy). All he needed to do was pass a decree or something to that effect. What attracts me to Buhari is he seems principled and disciplined. I think you might need to do a bit more research though. I brought up the Ibori comparison because am allegedly corrupt and highly placed public officer was allowed to "escape" the country on Buhari's watch while others were hounded (some thrown in jail some under comfortable house arrest), which paints a picture of favouritism/partiality and bias of some sort. Yes you can't compare the ammount of corruption that was allowed to happen to what occurs in our democracy today, I agree. I don't expect Jonathan to staep on any toes now though sicne he is after all trying to get elected again and his focus is on that. Does that make it right? Perhaps not, but it is the case.

monkeyleg:
@skyblue,

You see why your parents and teacher encouraged you to explain your answers better.

Very clear, and very well received.

Funny enough, my vote lies in the Utomi camp. he is probably far from winning, but that is were my conviction lies.

A clear and articulate question gets an articulate response so trust me, that response was for honeric's benefit and not yours. I have found it a little difficult to even pin point what your have been trying to say or drive at, your posts seem to have an agenda (like a lot of posts on this issue seem to do - no need to name names here).

honeric01:
Is this how you answer questions? if you want to know how i feel about him, just go through some of my posts, that should do.
So kindly provide answers to my questions if you have any.


Okay, because i don't want to assume, can you please answer my question to your best available knowledge?

I  can list and explain with past, present records as to why i think my own choice is going to be better than GEJ if chosen

I don't hold brief for Jonathan and he has been doing more running for election than he has been governing for the period of time he has been there. The things that. Things I think of with regards to Jonathan include the local content bill which shows good economic understanding and would make an impact on the Nigerian economy (just think of the trickle down effect) as well as stimulate growth of secondary industries whenever it is passed by th legislature. His handling of the Jos crises was/is not stellar. There has been stronger strides made with regards to the privatisation of the power sector in a more wholsesome sence (transmission and distribution as well as generation). There has been improvement in distribution which is probably why there has been some improvement in how power supply in a good number of areas (from sources in these areas) even though a lot needs to be done about generation which is dire at the moment. I prefer his ministerial make up to that of Yar Adua, more technocrats in the right position. Say what you want about Aganga, at least it is easy to understand why he was chosen for minister of finance - his credentials. You might mock and jest about peaple who raise the whole issue of significant improvement in fuel supply, but you now wonder if it is so trivial why other administrations didn't get it sorted. Overall when people talk about improvement in power supply in their area and no fuel scarcity, it is real people feeling some benefit who mention these things, and that is good advertisement for whoever is running as opposed to people being told to believe there lives might be improving in some way even though they can't see it in a more tangible sense.

Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head. On the down side I am not so confident in his handling of corruption, I am tempted to believe he is just focused on getting into power, that he is not trying to burn any bridges that would cause that to happen, hence he would step things up a notch. Not defending it, just saying it is understandable (whether you thinkit immoral or not). Do the achievements so far warrant another four years? For my ideal candidate, no it would not and I would have rather he focused on getting Nigeria sorted to the best of his ability with the little time he had. Would other candidates definately do better? I am not so sure about that either (kind of like the devil you know), and that is the point, it is about making a choice between the available options and weighing up. So just to pre-empt any unnecessary Buhari write ups, I was answering your question because it was so specific to Jonathan (perhaps you made an assumption I have automatically chosen Jonathan). Buhari has his attractions but I would like you to consider a few things. This is not a military dictatorship, so it might not be as easy as you think for Buhari to get things done to the degree or speed he would rather have them done when he would have to be battling with the legislature. We need someone a bit more pragmatic and compromising (like Obama has had to learn to be) to get things done. You might also want to do a little more research with regards to his anti corruption crusade. Yes there was comparatively drastic reduction in government corruption during Buhari's regime but though commendable, it wasn't as perfect as you might think. Shagari was put under house arrest while another corrupt high profile public officer after flying back into the country (not knowing a coup had occured) escaped the country and strong grip of Buhari (the same way Ibori "escaped" Nigeria).

At the end of the day though, whoever gets into government would have to be able to compromise and be more pragmatic to at least get something done because we are running a democracy. Personally speaking, for me it is between Jonathan and Buhari, and it is solely as a result of picking the best out of the options given. I would like to vote for Utomi, but does the guy even campaign as vigrously, and hence can he win? Utomi would be a candidate more in tandem with my thoughts but unfortunately (and perhaps wrongly so), I don't see him as a main contender.

monkeyleg:
@Skyblue,

Am I to infer from your comments that leadership makes no difference, since the country is rotten to the core?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Where did you get that from?

honeric01:
^^^^

 One question for you, during the 11 months of GEJ in power, with the way he has managed Nigeria, do you think he can be trusted with 4 years and why?

I might not be able to answer your question to the degree you would like because for me it is not about picking Jonathan or Buhari or Ribadu, etc, but about making a choice between the options given, so you might want to drop any assumptions you might have to that effect (because you don't even know my choice). It is a personal question but I don't mind elaborating if you like.

monkeyleg:
@Skyblue and effective government can only be achieved through effective leadership, if you are trying to absolve the president of his reponsibilities, that wont wash. Whislt I do accept that all arms of government should be held to account, we start at the top

I am not trying to absolve the presidency of blame and I find it a bit irritating that you see having a more wholesome approach as trying to absolve the presidency. The top? Aren't all arms of government meant to be equal? I just gave you an example of a bill (which I wouldn't be surprised if you never knew existed) which is being held up by the legislature, and you think when Buhari or Utomi or Ribadu goes in there they will not face the same problem? Perhaps people who have a view of Buhari coming in and sweeping out corruption (I might sometimes be guilty of this also), might be in for a little surprise when if he gets in, the expectation is not met to the degree they anticipated. This is not a dictatorship. Government does not work in a vacuum. This is not about Jonathan or Buhari or Ribadu or Utomi or Duke, etc, it is about telling Nigerians to get off their lazy backsides and get involved to make government work for you. We will write and write but simple protest, na wahala. Keep waiting for the messianic president.

monkeyleg:
Stop looking for holes. I have simply raised a point about blind hollow support, now people are more interested in side comments.

You made a statement which I found to be quite general and a bit too vague. How many people do you know that have said a country can flourish without the government? You are speaking of a mindset that is not really there as if it is significantly there, so how can you feed it into the argument in such loose terms as if it is one of the problems of the nation which needs solving or addressing? We spend so much time focusing on the president and comparatively very little time focusing on the other arms of government. Why hasn't the local content/petroleum industry bill been passed by the legislature when the presidency sent it to them last year? Should the presidency then take sole blame for the delay in passage of the bill or do we turn the heat up on our legislatures to make them do it? Have you ever even attempted giving your representative a call or dropping them an email?

monkeyleg:
@Papabrowne,

I appreciate your response, probably one of the fairest, and I do accept that there maybe other candidates who have blind supporters. but I think we must all be careful here, I am only drawing attention to the same hype and irrational support that followed Yar Adua. We virtually lost 4yrs, and Nigerians realy need to be careful this time around.

It amazes me that some expect a country to flourish without government input.

Where is the sound education for the leaders of tomorrow, where is the security for you and I? where is the power to drive our industries. Governement needs to lay a firm foundation for the private sector to follow, no firm foundation it becomes practicallt impossible to do meaningful busniess.

Has anybody on this thread made the claim in bold? If so, where is it, can you point it out to me?

PapaBrowne:
@Topic
Monkeyleg, while I completely agree with you that we shouldn't base our judgments on sentiments, I think your question should also apply to those who believe in Ribadu, Buhari, Shekarau and the rest!
Many people that believe in Buhari have this perception that the man would fight corruption. Fine!Would you prefer that the man fights corruption and destroys the economy with his welfarist mentality? Or do they think that his socialist approach to governance would create jobs in Nigeria
Or do Ribadu's supporters ever ask themselves why despite his 5 year stint as Anti-corruption Czar, Nigeria still remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world? Can they please ask why in 5 years as chairman of EFCC he arrested less than 10 politicians in a country where almost all of the over 1000 elected officials are extremely corrupt?


The reasons I will support Jonathan are simple:
1) His power sector reforms are by a long shot the best compared to the other politicians
2) His election would signal a death knell to the backward born to rule mentality that was instituted by Ahmadu Bello
3) Pro Private sector!! Jonathan is extremely pro private sector! His actions have shown that he believes in less Government and more business!
4)The Niger Delta! Surely this is something that has dragged for too long! For the first time in half a decade, there is less turbulence in the region!!
5)He delivered on his three promises when he took over- INEC, Power and the Niger Delta!! For the first time in a while we are hoping for a truly fair election!!

I like Ribadu and Buhari also (slightly)  but I don't trust their capacity in Economics. If El Rufai were on the ballot mixed out with Duke as VP or vice versa, then surely I would take that over Uncle Joe!

This is what still bemuses me and I really don't get it. I am all for logic and rational arguments, but can we just drop this whole facade that Jonathan is the only one that needs to be looked at with two eyes wide open? One could also write a lot about Ribadu and Buhari. It is always amusing to find that whenever any attempt is made to also apply this much touted logic and rationale to the debate concerning Ribadu and Buhari, you automatically get labelled unprogressive (LOL), a GEJ supporter or apologist. I just don't get it. To be honest as far as I am concerned we are faced with a situation of picking the least of three evils yet again (do Utomi or Duke even campaign?), so let us drop this whole facade that one is such an obvious and amazing messianic choice that picking anything other than that one would be implausible or sheer stupidity.

dayokanu:
So whats GEJ's job there,

Just to sit down there,

In the morning, Have breakfast with MEND,

afternoon watch Nigerians being killed all over Bauchi, Jos, Bayelsa, Abuja, Maiduguri and go to Redemption camp for the killers to come out and confess,

At night share whatever proceed is in the excess crude account?

If that is what you took from my post then that is your business, apologies but I don't really feel like indulging anyone. If you want to say something just say it so we can have a reasonable discussion and stop trying to bait me.

Ozin:
My Brother what is your problem? she has repeatedly pointed it to you in the bold and you still pretend not to see it. Bakare should just move ahead with his political ambition and stop using God's name. What does he mean by God has a hand in?

It is quite possible I might need to get my eyes checked, so please pardon me, but can you highlight where 'she' has repeatedly pointed out the section in which Bakare claims God told him to run with Buhari? It is quite simple. Someone, anyone, just highlight it for me so that I can see for myself.

monkeyleg:
Ok, it has been well over 10 months now, and I have struggled to make head or tail of the current administration. Initially with all the hype and fanfare, I thought Nigerians were up to something good with Oga Goodluck. I waited for the string of good news to flow through, so I could join my brothers in celebrating our Goodluck, but that was never the case.

I am always one to believe in giving people a fair chance until proven wrong; in fact I am well known for being too trusting. That said, I have since learnt that free trust comes with good judgement, at least you then gradually get into a habit of proper discernment. So the GEJ brouhaha was treated with a tint of caution, and rightfully so. I remember almost spilling my big bottle of stout over the Yar-adua  victory in 2007, not only because my then candidate didn’t do well, but more importantly I felt Nigerians were being lured into  a false sense of trust. If I remember quite well, the argument then was that this was a past Governor who was trusted in his state so much so that he left something in the government coffers on his way out. Though commendable by Nigerian standard, wasn’t enough reason to believe he was the best to lead us forward.
My advice slogan then was, Vote for Change, little did I know that some Afro-American would steal my phrase. Anyway, I felt strongly that what Nigeria needed then was change, change from the usual people change from the Usual Party, change from the way we see things and do things, and I still feel so strongly today.
I have often said that I have nothing against Goodluck, after all he is my brother from the ND and personally I like him, but I think we should all learn to put sentiments aside and reason for the benefit of Nigeria.
I know we have often had friendly banter on here (Political Pygmy – that’s a good one), sometimes turning into unnecessary abuse, but seriously, what if all who believe in Goodluck are wrong? We must really in the words of Warri man “Shine our eyes”.
What are the consequences?
1: Another 4 years of total rubbish / bad government
2: Education Dead and buried
3: Security of Man and property absolutely zero
4: Job prospect for the young and those out of work? Nil
5: Corruption beyond belief
6: No light
These are to name but a few.
I am not being pessimistic, but it is important that Nigerians really reflect on the reasons why they choose their candidates who ever they are. The stakes are too high for decisions to be made based on sentiments alone. We must all learnt to ask ourselves the critical selfless questions

I for one hope that even if he gets in there I am proven wrong, he does well. But judging from the past 10 months, the signs are not good.
Goodluck has not shown true leadership. He might be a gentleman, but we all know that being a gentleman is not enough to do great things in Nigeria
Nigerians must look to facts
1: General security situation in the country
2: General level of corruption in the country
3: Goodluck’s reaction to major incidents, including the on-going Jos crisis
4: The state of the economy
5: Goodluck’s willingness to associate and work with masters of Corruption, thuggery and rigging
This to me does not represent change, rather same old deceit, lies and cheating.
Nigerians, must now start using their heads rather than their hearts, and learn to drive their destiny; at least this is what the Tunisians and Egyptians are doing.
But if Nigerians decide it must be Goodluck for no logical reason, then I wish them well.

"What if those who believe in Jonathan are wrong"? I don't get why people keep talking with this messianic mindset. Is he God? Must we be looking for some messiah in Jonathan or Buhari or Ribadu or Utomi? They are men and at the end of the day if Nigerians don't want to change, Nigeria will not change. What I am interested in is that we atleast get some worthwhile competition among the parties so that at least whoever wins, the one party dominance in the legislature and government in general can be reduced. If we can get more progressives into the legislature in the process, even better. People focus so much on the executive and don't focus nearly enough on the other arms of government and making them get things done as well (my view).

Ujujoan:
I see you are desperately clinging to technicalities . . .  Don't worry, you'll need it for you defense when he loses!   

Show us where Bakare said God asked him to run with Buhari. Typical. You can't answer a simple question and hence I become a Bakare supporter and the question magically disappears. Bravo. At least our exchanges are posted for all to see.

Ujujoan:
What's your problem eh? Your pastor said God asked him to run, who's arguing with him eh?

You guys should keep up with your blind solidarity for the guy . . .  shebi we dey watch!  

I see you are still typing what you are yet to prove. Simple challenge,, show us where Bakare said God told him to run, and the best you could come up with was

He (Bakare) said cannot deny not insisting to have gotten God's permission before running from the comments he made!

Tell me, is allowing someone to go out the same as telling them to go out? So if you see someone dying of thirst on the street and you have abundant water supply you will first wait for a voice from above to tell you to go and give the man a drink? You can't even point to where Bakare is quoted as saying God told him to run and you are still boldly making such claims as if you were there when he said it. How amusing.

Ujujoan:
Wow! How hard is it for you to use your brain

So you can't show us where Bakare said God told him to run with Buhari, but we are to believe it just for the sake of it? Case closed.