₦airaland Forum

Kobojunkie:
Now they are storing our questions to ask him later? Oh my gosh!! It if freaking easier to chat with a hollywood star than this governor !!! lol

Kobojunkie:
You need to be in here to know what we mean. I have been posting questions all morning and still nothing. You can not even see your own posts come up on the screen. It is tightly moderated and there is no way of verifying if this is real. It is not a matter of wanting to post questions or not. Fact is, this seems to be highly moderated and so your posts are likely not to show up if you ask questions that are too much for him or something.

Oh my gosh!! Nigeria1 is in here. Asking for the governor's phone number . lol

Kobojunkie:
Well, there were companies in the picture in the past as well. Companies like Nigerian breweries, Julius Berger, Leventis(not sure if they are still there today), Ragolis, among others. I pinned in on families with the example I gave, but the reality was that we had a combination. We had companies that were practically running things and influencing decision making in the state. So, I am still not sure how it is different this time around.
Here is what I don’t get. Tolls paid, when combined with tax payer collections are used to maintain roads. Say the toll at the Lagos-Ibadan rd is Naira 5. If managed by private companies, they still collect Naira 5 from the people. However, should the additional funding from tax payers not show up to pay for the roads, what are these private companies going to do? Increase toll to offset costs? Or fund the repairs out of pocket?
Uumm . . . This is assuming that in the past construction and maintenance was always dealt with as different contracts. I am not sure of that actually. I remember Julius Berger used to hold most of the contracts (maintained included) in Lagos. There was always the problem of funding the contracts and maintenance and so construction problems.
I get what you are saying now but not sure how this deals with the underlying problem of corruption which happens to be the root of the problem in Lagos and the rest of the country, when it comes to maintenance of infrastructure.

Kobojunkie:
Walk down the main streets in Lagos, and you will find that many of the companies and private citizens have made a mark in the past in much the same way. We have many prominent families in Lagos; prominent in the sense that they are known are families who contributed to development in much the same way in that state. What you say he is doing now, is nothing new. It has most always been done the same way in the past. There is a downside to that though. Many of the contributors sort of used it as opportunity to gain attention, and propel themselves into the political arena e.g. Tinubu’s.
I don’t understand what you mean here. Hasn’t it always been the government’s job to give road contracts to private companies that ensure development? If the private sector does not get the needed funding for maintaining the roads from government .i.e. Corruption continues, where does that come from? From already taxed tax payers? I don’t understand how the onus will be on the companies to maintain the roads.

I am not sure what you are getting at here.

Kobojunkie:
Exactly the reason why I believe we need to deal with Education of the people, in Lagos, with the same vigour, or even more than we are currently dealing with infrastructure. Like I have been saying over and over now. What Fashola is doing today was done by Marwa; was done by many governors before him. Look into the history of development in that state. This same has been done before. I would rather we deal with it in a way that ensures continuity now, rather than wake up tommorow to a new governor and the same old cycle.

The governor can definitely do more than one thing at a time as you said, and so the reason why I can no understand why he is not able to tackle education just the same way he, according to you, is tackling infrastructure and the environment. You state that finances might be problem but I seriously doubt that as there is no data that shows that their is enough money in that state to work on the projects he has and continues to so far but not on education an issues that directly affect the people, in the same way.

cre8tivity:
how could one prosper if all he or she sees and thinks is negative?
it's very simple: how are we doing in nigeria compare to 2 years ago? you might not agree with yaradua 90% of the time, but the difference is clear. the governors are more focused and the path to greatness is clearer.
in case you did not know, the number of investors returning or looking into coming to nigeria to invest has gone up by 34%.  and the number of nigerians returning back home has also gone up drastically. something's wrong with you if you can not see anything positive taking place in nigeria today.

oyb:
y'know - the guy may have a point. . .i just got back in. . .went out to buy petrol. there i was, in my 2001 fairly used toyota hilux, checking out customised 2008 range rovers. . . this redistribution of wealth thingy may be the way to go. . .

Kobojunkie:
Lol. . .I have never really been against re-building of infrastructure and cleaning up Lagos. I have seen this sort of thing happen too too many times that I long for the good old days when the people were in charge and the people were put first before anything else. That is what made Lagos the city it used to be and in my opinion, the only way we can restore that city to what it used to be and more. Back then there was a lot of focus on ensuring the people had the basic; this was the environment businesses needed and so we had so many international companies flock in by the year, hiring local talents. I mean back then it was rare to see an Indian or persons from foreign countries. I remember my dad had a south African Caucasian for a driver. That was the way it used to be. WE RULED lagos. We made the decisions, and government worked on making sure we had the essentials. The police in Lagos knew their place. People obeyed traffic without being cajoled into doing it because they were not neglected; they understood they were a part of the process – the community. I mean you drop trash and someone from behind would pull you aside to talk to you about that. Oh Lord!! What happened to us!

Kobojunkie:
I go for us agreeing to disagree at this point. We have gone through this enough for each to know where the other stands. I agree that all you list above are needed but I don't believe they are basic issues that need to be tackled first, and so yes, our priority lists seem to be different still and may continue to remain that way, even after this thread is sent to the archives.

Kobojunkie:
To clear up misunderstandings here. Mind explain what you mean when you say ENVIRONMENT and INFRASTRUCTURE?

Kobojunkie:
Lagos does not have to have an infinite supply of money for the government to choose to focus on tackling the basic issues that directly affect the people, does it? The example I give in my previous post is to help you understand what some of us see happening in that state. Focusing on mowing the lawn just cause you have $50 dollars does not help in anyway deal with the main issues.
Is it the government’s responsibility to create jobs? Or is it Government’s responsibility to provide the people with the necessary tools needed to create jobs and get jobs? Which is it? The Education system is the way it is because Government does not seem to consider training the people and equipping them with necessary skills with which they can better compete for jobs, and create businesses that create jobs in the community, a priority. Instead Government is trying to create jobs for the people but these jobs end up going to expatriates, leaving those in the community still jobless even with the few jobs created by government.
This is what I see happening in Lagos, and all over that country. Have you ever been to Johannesburg, SA? You should visit the place, really nice this time of year. The government there worked hard to beautify Johannesburg; pushed to make it almost the same level with Cape Town. Businesses came into the scene, but unemployment rate did not go down by much for those who lived there. Why? More likely because there was not a lot of focus made to Educate and train the people; to get them ready to manage infrastructure, as well as equip them with skills to work the jobs to be created by the businesses that came in. What happened? Majority of the blacks in the community remained poor, however, the middle class seemed to consist in the high majority, of educated Caucasians and foreigners. Then crime followed and more shacks for the poor. Then the government came up with a scheme to “Solve” the problem. Take jobs from Caucasians and foreigners and give them to un-skilled black people. What happened? Interesting stuff!

You speak of infrastructural development in Lagos and I agree but you cannot afford to put the cart before the horse even in that. Rebuilding the roads is just as important as rebuilding the schools, rebuilding the water plants and working on egbin( even with limited power the government has). Egbin is an example of what could happen to jobs when the skills to handle the job are not locally available. Egbin used to be run by locals; highly skilled individuals in the community. The deterioration experienced in education led to the jobs going mostly to foreigners and to more neglect on all levels.

VI has always been a big business hub. From way back before VIC came into the scene, VI has always been the place where you find most of the international businesses in Lagos. What does VI have that most other areas do not and why? VI has almost always had some of the best school system, the best roads and even power than most other places in Lagos have been able to boast of. I am not sure about your claim that many of those moved their cause of the environment ( the greenery and all that) but more the perceive safety the VI area offers.

Cleaning up the state is important, do not get me wrong but it is not to be higher on the list than that which directly affects the people. No matter what society you go to, anywhere in the world today, you will get people tell you that they are more concerned about such things as Education, security, access to water, good roads and health. Beautifying the environment is ok but it ought to come in the order that it should, not before the essentials are in place for the people. I don’t think Lagosians would mind much if their government told them all the money would be spent on educating them and providing them necessary skills to help them create businesses and get jobs to better their future as a state. I don’t think they would mind putting off beautification, and CCTV projects so the government can tackle main issues first. I don’t think people are right now as bothered by the huge dump right next door than they are by the fact that their future seems gloomy.

Well, I was trying to do exactly what you seem to be doing above. Basically telling you I understand how you feel but please put sentiments to the side as we look at this.

Caradona:
I welcome the CCTV and This is for you Men who urinate anywhere you go, be prepared to see your Dicks on youtube

Nemeziz9ja:
Its a sad irony that some months to the presidential election and Obasanjo was on the campaign trail, he called Yar'dua on the phone in public when news surfaced that he was dead and today, he is more of both; sick and going dead.
Like a poster commented here, our leaders do not wire money they steal abroad, they carry the cash on all these dubious excusable trips abroad and Yar'dua seem to be making a lot of these even with his national inactivity. No wonder they said his elder brother late Shehu never trusted his sense of judgment.
Now, we are clearly dealing with a sick president, a lame Vice and power hungry first lady.
Ah, Nigeria is indeed a sorry excuse for a black country; they have everything and lack everything. O ma se oh.

Kobojunkie:
@Skyblue, Lagos does not have an endless supply of money is reason why Lagos OUGHT To focus on prority projects. And regardless of how we each choose to order our priorities, there are those amenities that remain top on every priority list, which ought to get more attention in that state.

Now, I know you are very impressed by the man, so I am not trying to argue with you on this. Just saying that if I had a house that is falling to pieces;no electricity and no water and I have no food, but about 50 bucks to my name. I would focus less on mowing the lawn, repainting the house, and installing a security camera. There are priorities like getting a job, getting some groceries, going to the hardware store to buy tools and supplies for fixing the house up, re-connecting electricity, getting heat to the house etc.

Kobojunkie:
Here's hoping when he comes back, he will be ready to face the nation's problems headon. We really need some push forward in that nation oo!!

Tsiya:
Yeh the guy is going for sick leave. I read yesterday in the news that he has set up intergovernmental committee that will steer the nation economy and make policy. The committee made of Govs of Edo, Lagos, Kwara, Bauchi and CBN. These are the ppl that will look after the nation when he is on sick leave. Notice that his Yuguda is inclusive, his new inlaw.

Kobojunkie:
Read my post. Did I ? Or are you trying to inject that into my response? I am not sure where I offer a defense for the chaos between the man and the officer, so how did you come to that?