₦airaland Forum

Kobojunkie:
Roflmao!! I knew there was a reason to all the attack. Now we know this one is just anti-arab and so there is no point trying to reason with him. LoL.

We seriously need re-Education in that country so people understand where to draw the line when it comes to what to accept/not accept from these civil servants.

You could argue from the road block issue, but are you seriously trying to defend the reaction an officer got from the lebanese, being beaten up and all? I mean,  ?

otukpo:
I see people insulting Yaradua and wishing his death in this website. It makes me wonder, Wetin the man do?
I've read good things about him in Allafrica.com and then when i come to this website, i see people bashing the man. It makes me wonder The reporters are they incorrect about him. what did he do? I mean other than taking the election by force, whatelse did he do? Did he kill people? There has to be a reason people hate him that much. A friend of mine said it's because he hired only northerners for his office. I doubt that. Anyway i'll be waiting for the answer.


Ifygurl
u did well for ur observation and analysis.

i will try to answer your question based my own understanding.

Nigerian masses have come to hate and loose hope in PDP based on OBJ's leadership. We also know that the election that brought Yar ' Adua to power was not free and fair. So, Nigerians transfered the hatred they have for OBJ and PDP to Yar 'Adua. This makes people not willing to see anyhting good in what Yar' Adua does. Initially, when he was imposed on us, i did'nt want to accept him but when i started seeing somethings in his person, i tried to open my mind to give him a chance. To be fair to Ya' Adua, i think he has done some commendable things which OBJ or even past state governors could not do. He has good intentions as a person and i believe he is a modest person but the PDP that made him is the problem he is having. He is not as greedy and power drunk like most of our politicians.

the truth again is that Nigeria needs a change. We are tired of all these old politician who have been in the system and keeps recycling themselves. We need a need breed. Jerry Rawlings style wont be too bad for Nigeria. Nigeria is in a desperate need of revolution.

let me leave it at this b4 some people will begin to crucify me.

In all you have said you are yet to answer the question of what has been done, unless you think you have already answered it. So according to your post, Yar Adua has done some commendable things, i ask like what?? I am so confused by this post, LOL. Why not forget about how people might feel about Yar Adua and PDP and focus on the Yar Adua of a person as the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. So does Yar Adua being according to you "modest" constitute effective action and leadership in face of the problems facing the country? Does Yar Adua being "modest" improve the power situation? Does it create more jobs? Does it upgrade the infrastructure of the country? A budget has been passed since he was i power after all that delay, what has the huge ammount resulted in or being spent on? Electoral reforms which was his mantra throughout the so called "campaign", what has been the result of that? What electoral reforms have occured since he got in? I could lgo on an on but i will stop here. I know we are all free to say what we want, but with all that has not been done, can the country called Nigeria afford what (permit me) i will in the face of lack of evidence of performance call blind sentimentality? So what if he kisses his kids goodnight each evening and reads them bed time stories, so what if he is a good husband? How on earth has that translated to good leadership or governance or direction on his path? He is sick and you would think that wil at least mean he will take the health sector of the country more seriously. Sometimes i don't even know anymore with regards to the responses on nairaland, LOL.

@ifygurl, he may not have killed anybody, but Yar Adua is killing progress and development (in my view) and that could as well be a death sentence to some people indirectly.

Ifygurl:
I see people insulting Yaradua and wishing his death in this website. It makes me wonder, Wetin the man do?
I've read good things about him in Allafrica.com and then when i come to this website, i see people bashing the man. It makes me wonder The reporters are they incorrect about him. what did he do? I mean other than taking the election by force, whatelse did he do? Did he kill people? There has to be a reason people hate him that much. A friend of mine said it's because he hired only northerners for his office. I doubt that. Anyway i'll be waiting for the answer.

@ the poster
Military Coup? Military coup would destroy Nigeria. Didn’t we learn from the past 34 years that military coup is a bad decision? The thing is look at countries in Africa with great democracy such as Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Capo Verde, Madagascar etc. Hell even Ghana and South Africa. All this countries people are still living in poverty. Equatorial Guinea was labeled one of the best countries in Africa, with high GDP and everything and yet the people of that country are living in poverty. In 2008, that country was labeled one of the 50th poorest countries in the world. It makes you wonder, what happened to all their money. Let’s take South Africa, the country is falling right in our eyes and none of us are seeing it. High unemployment, high crime, GDP dropping, etc. Hell, South Africa was ranked 16th in the corruption index in 2006 and in 2008, they magically moved down to 54. Ghana came out of there military coup in 1993 and since then that country has not improved as much, except for their city Accra. Hell, I could not even believe a country that trades gold and oil still have to depend on Foreign Aid. It still amazes me.
Hell, in 2002, Nigeria was ranked the 24th poorest country in the world and Ghana economy was very much higher than ours was. In 2008, Nigeria did not make the top 50th poorest country. I was surprised that our economy in 2008 is higher than Ghana. I am still surprised. Till this day, I wonder did UN make a mistake in that. I mean the country have better democracy than ours. In 2002, we couldn't even compete with them, what happened? I am still shocked; I am not going to lie.
All I know African countries with great democracy is proving everyday that Africans really don't know how to take care of their country with that type of government. Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana, Capo Verde, Madagascar, etc are supposed to have great economy. I thought that less corrupt and better democracy creates a positive and moving country. Equatorial Guinea and capo Verde were able to reach it but for some reason in 2008, they both fell. Ethiopia is always in a war so I doubt that country will ever fix up but their economy did increase in 2007. Ghana receives more money than any African country I know. I mean they trade oil, gold and other natural resources and they collect foreign aid more than any other African countries including countries in war. They have enough to make that country, one of the richest countries in Africa. Hell even Egypt and Mali, Both countries had a great potential to become one of the best countries in the World. I mean look at their history and then take a look at those countries, Egypt is suppose to be a developed/high income country but yet it's a developing/middle income country. Mali on the other hand had great philosophers in the past, that country was suppose to be a developed/high income income country and yet it's a fouth world/ the least developed country.
Let’s all just face it, Africa needs prayer or at least recreate another government technique. Democracy and republic is not working for us, but military coup isn't it. To me, we need to go back to monarch years. Out of all the African history books i've read, i've never read of any African people suffering like we are now-a-days. But i doubt that will ever happen, Africans like following the white man way too much. Don't even lie, we do everything they do and we judge ourselves based on what they are doing. I doubt any of us would actually decide to move back to monarch days.

Peaople wishing him death might be a tad over the top (LOL), but why don't you inform us what you read that was good about him? What has he achieved since he got into office? It is approaching half of his tenure, what has been achieved apart from rhetoric spewing? What has been done or what efforts have been made to actualise the "7 point agenda"? You can start with that

WOW! Shocking as it may be, the person in question is just exhibiting what Nigerians do themselves. He has been "Nigerianised" and learnt that there is no need to respect anybody in Nigeria if you are a "big man". That is the system Nigerians have let thrive and accepted. If we encourage a society with the kind of ills Nigeria has, a society with shows disdain for human life, corruption and collective progress, what do you expect others to do when they are in Nigeria? Its thesame reason why people travel out of the country and respect themselves, they won't litter, they will obey traffic lights, they will stand in line; however once back in Nigeria those things fly out of the window. These things will continue to happen till Nigerians are ready to demand better for themselves. Funny enough after all the noise making and outrage this issue might raise, nothing will be done, the lebanese probably knows the system well. The bed has been made and unless people are willing to UnCloth it and remake it, they should be willing to sleep on it.

LOL. Interesting to see how this thread has just degenerated into something unrecognisable and i think i am going to be about done with it.

@Eziachi, i think you should take your own advice which you willingly dished out to lucabrasi; people have their own views and if you don't like it just deal and let them be. One of the most irritating things i find on Nairaland is when people don't even read or understand or comprehend your post and are so quick to jump to conclusions in the most uncivil of ways. So i am one of the problems wrong with Nigeria because i asked you to back your arguements with substance? So i am in support of corruption because i asked you to paint a more wholesome picture instead of editing? Why don't you look through the post you referenced and highlight where i said that Donald Duke was innocent or where i said he should be let go if found corrupt or where i defended the project as being of uttermost priority? All i was saying was you created the impression of TINAPA being some shed in oshodi market, i argued that the project is on its own a good one, i never said government should have been the one to undertake the project. I could go on to list the assumptions in your replies which are not present in my post but if you couldn't be courteuos enough to even read through my post or politely ask me to explain anything you did not understand then i probably should not bother either. God bless and have a nice day.

@Kobojunkie, i think you are making assumptions here. What has people actually noticing a difference in a place got to do with praise singing or blind followership as you imply? You walk down a street one day it looks a mess and a certain way, you walk down same street the next day and it is cleaner; you notice this and it becomes equivalent to praise singing and blind followership? I don't believe i have read any post that has lead me to believe this image of mass worshippers for Fashola you imply. Instead what i see is people naturally aknowledging a difference, simple as. You might argue that it might be too much attrention to what should be the norm, you might argue that not enough time has passed to judge, you could argue all this but it seems like a simple "spot the difference" to me. Sorry to say and you can ignore it if you want (since it is just a view), but you alluding to people worshipping or something of the sort because they support Fashola or take a certain view seems quite condescending.

lucabrasi:
i think it depends on what we see as the topmost priority,like i said in my past comments, if i had to list priorities i reckon education for the present and next generations is of far more importance which is what has informed my stance on mr sowore and his inability to highlight these issues,
i will re iterate that i do not doubt his awesome achievements highlighting the ills in our society,but if he can find space on his sahara reports for a letter to keyamo,pictures of yar adua's son e.t.c
then surely he could find space to highlight the ills in our universities,i don't know about you but i and i guess others on here have an alternative of studying abroad but what about millions who have no options?
millions of the so called next generation are having to patronise illegal universities being ripped off which are substandard anyway, not my words,the nigerian minister of education's speech a couple of days ago.

many are having to travel abroad to enrich western pockets including ghana and other african countries,and you don't see this as a clear and present danger??moreso as the man was a product of these same university(unilag)i don't see it as asking too much of him to assit his alma mater including highlighting another pertinent issue like he has been doing,

yes he doesnt have two heads,and other nigerians can pick up from where he left off,but i don't have the medium he has re;sahara reports, neither do i have the good will he has built up through his good work over the years with his website,good governance is truelly a catalyst to everything else but the point you r failing to see here is that,while other facets of the economy/nigeria as a nation can bear it,every single day that the ills of education and its failure fails to be mentioned,more and more of "the next generation" are going through a substandard education that will be part of them for life, are you suggesting we should wait till nigeria gets better before the situation in the nigerian educational system is improved?
remember if it gets better say 20 years from no,the issue of half baked graduates ill not go so easily, can you imagine an half baked graduate in 1990 now telling him/her to go back to university this year,is that possible?? you are right,he is not the only former student of unilag,but please mention other former students of unilag who have an internet site being visited by millions of nigerians??

Contrary to what you might think, i happen to believe education is also a very important too and no need to school me on studying or working abroad and enriching pockets of foreign economies. Perhaps the only thread i have ever opened on nairaland was based on this issue of education and was posted on the politics section. Funny enough if you look at the post you quoted from me you would see in it that i was not calling for eduaction to be ignored at all. Apart from focussing on education sector in itself, another indirect way of also focusing on it and many other sector is governance on a national, state and local government scale. Nigeria is choosing to remain stupid because i really do believe the day that stupidity stops, the development pace might really astound you and education as well as other sectors could be addressed too. Don't underestimate the power good direction and visionary leadership can have on a country like Nigeria.

Saying the founder of Sahara reporters is already established and using it as an excuse seems a bit flimsy. I see what you're getting at in terms of the power sahara reporters now has to draw the spotlight on issues, however didn't sahara reporters also start from scratch? There are more avenues than you might think of bringing attention to issues and you don't have to be a writer of sahara reporters to do that.

Eziachi:
Who give a f**k how many millions of years you had lived in Lagos?
The question for you "Mr Praise Singer" is this, how has your new wonderful Nigerian politician in Fashola changed your life for the better in past two years.
Do you still jump and jive from Molue to Molue that can send you to early heaven before you expect it?
Do you now wash/clean with tap water inside your house anytime you wanted or you still drink from a pit called borehole?
Do you still depart for work if you have one as early as 5 AM in the morning to bit the traffick or lose your job for being four hrs late?
Your street stills smell of raw human waste or flowers/urban trees planted by Fashola?
Is Your streets swept now or still the same old gutter image?
I will guess you now has a social security fund where Fashola helps the unemployed until get a job and the disabled too?
Surely Brand new trains now must be running all over Lagos including in areas like Ajegunle, Oshodi, Ilasa etc?
Surely They now perform live saving operations like liver, heart transplant in Lagos in hospital built and equipt for the 21st century, when he can't even pay doctors going on strike.

You gullible Nigerians will never learn that all Nigeria politicians, from bottom to top are rogues. They always come with meaningless sound bites, like Yar Adua's seven point agenda or his declearing emergency on power energy but absolutely means nothing.
Fashola has his own too, NO SIREN IN LAGOS STATE, sounds good but never put food or healthcare on ground.

@Eziachi, while i am all for honesty and not jumping on praise bandwagons without substantial proof to show the merit of such, sorry to say but i honestly cannot make head or tail of your arguement when you use examples like the ones you used. Though Donald Duke may not been a saint, why do you think people were saying good things about him? Why don't we be objective here? Are you saying nothing worthy of note was achieved in calabar? I happen to be interested in developments, projects, buildings, etc that go on in Nigeria, and Tinapa is not a fiction of the imagination, neither is obudu ranch with it's cable car (apparently the longest in Africa) and neither is the fact that calabar while being situated in a state that is among those that get the lowest revenue allocation from the federal government, can boast of being the cleanest city, with good roads and aesthetic beauty. Tinapa was delivered. So why did Tinapa (Shopping comlex, hotel, fishing village and film studio, etc) fail?

Blaming the failure of Tinapa squarely on the government of cross rivers is equivalent to blaming Fashola for Lagos not having constant power supply while in fact whatever power is generated by states does not go to state but to the whole country. When Tinapa was officially opened, for a period of over a year vendors were not allowed to sell anything? Did you now this? Vendors who paid for rent were not allowed to sell anything because customs where not allowing them to (despite the fact the Tinapa is meant to be a free trade zone), and the federal government which is the power that handles such things failed to act. You had a situation whereby people were turning up to see a shopping complex which had some shops opened just for opening sake because they were not allowed to sell anything. These vendors were businesses that had to pay rent for the spaces and could not sell and this is how it was for over a year till Yara Adua saw it fit to finally address the issue (if it was him who even addressed it). The vision of Tinapa is a huge and economically sound one. According to the project information it is meant to be completed in phases (four phases) and only the first phase now is completed but it was designed to be working from the completion of phase one. The project has the poetential to generate a lot of revenue for calabar, revenue which can be further used to improve the city and the whole state, provide thousands of jobs, attract foreign investments, increase tourism which is meant to be the mojor industry of the state. Such to me is not stupidity but economically sound and jthe structure was delivered and so was the environment. Tinapa might need a relaunch to get rid of all the negative perceptions about it and attract business again.

While i know it seems to be a past time for people to crucify Nigerian government (and rightly so when it is warranted), let us at least keep some objectivity and substance behind it while we do so as opposed to blind pitchforking.

@Lucabrasi, i will also tow line with @B.O.S.S here, i can't see the founder of sahara reporter not investigating unilag as something worthy of critiscm at all. It could simply be a matter of focusing on what one thinks is more important; the government and political system or the corruption in Unilag. In this case, if i were in his shoes i will also focus on where he is focusing on because i deem it more impoertant too. If Nigeria can get government right i really do think it will be the first genuine step towards real progress that would have been made in a very very very very long time. Does that mean the educational system should be abandoned? Of course not, but why on earth should we be putting such an onus on one person? Is he the only Nigerian in the country? I am pretty sure people on nairaland will be able to focus on areas they deem more important and bring things to light too if they really wanted to. The founder of Sahara reporters does not have 2 heads, does he?. There are no doubt a multitude of things to focus on ltoher than government, i agree, but i am of the view that good governance would be a potent catalyst to development in Nigeria in almost all sectors and beating around that bush is just futile and is tantamount to all motion with no significant movement on the national scale in the proportions that seem to be sorely sought.

nuzo:
Nigerians youths helped massively in rigging their leaders into office. In turn, these leaders collect bribe and wont bother regulating these companies. What then would one expect from these fraudulent companies?

However, the companies are still not the problem as most of them got where they are today without any assistance from the government, host communities and the half baked nigerian graduates who are whining now.

Its funny how it all comes back to the basics isn't it? Hence imagine my shock when i read the most ridiculous excues people had to make in order to uphold the elections at the tribunal; "national interest", "for the peace", and all that rubbish. This is something that cannot be escaped and should not be escaped, it is time for people to stop being cowardly because there is no getting around this. We need to fight to make sure democracy begins to take actual root in Nigeria instead of the feudal system that attains today, and the beginning is credible elections. From credible elections a more solid foundation can begin to manifest. I hate saying this because it sounds so condescending but work really needs to be done to educate the masses in Nigeria of the importance of such and the importance of going out vote. It is time to stop sacrificing the future, progress and non existent unity of the country on the alter of sleezy, cheap and childish politiking and thuggery. Me thinks the work towards ensuring the next elections are credible should begin today and any hope and effort towards development should be put on the very few credible state govenors because as far as i am concerned, Nigeria does not have a functioning president.

[quote author=must_a_far link=topic=217014.msg3323502#msg3323502 date=1231587202]it is ga ju! can we get a breakdown of how that total sum came about?[/quote]Yeah, i will like to know how he actually came up with that figure too. Also this just brings to mind the proverb of the man that was given 1 talent and went to bury it.

Let us not kid ourselves, if we are to be honest then we should know that a well trained, efficient and equipped police force capable of policing Nigeria will be in no way cheap. My issue isn't necessarily that it would be expensive, but my issue is with the man in charge of the force. Is he the right man for the job? What has he done with what he has and what change has he tried to instill that will lead people to believe that he can be trusted with such funds and be trusted with the job of building a more adequate police force. The ills of the Nigerian police force go beyond money by quite a stretch and this issue has been discussed before. The police needs a total reorientation and needs to be taught their actual jobs again. Does Mike Okiro actually know the job of the police himself or the direction that needs to be taken to produce a more efficient, democratic and functioning police force that is not trigger happy but know they are actually meant to be protecting the citizens and are not some feudal lords? Hence, what is the money going to be spent on when such issues like recruitment also need to be seriously looked at? One of the follies of Nigerian public servants continues to be the fact that jobs like police, army, etc are only taken as a means to earn some sought of existence as opposed to the individual holding an actual belief in the values that such organisations are meant to uphold (so it seems to me).

Hence, a more adequate police force will be preferrable to what has simply got to be the worst police force in the world (NPF); this will not be cheap at all; the issue goes beyond increasing pay; can we be assured of getting what was paid for at the end of the day and hence is Mike Okiro the man for the job?

mikeansy:
Frankly the only reason there is'nt a coup in Nigeria is because coups are no longer popular arround the world

Yar'adua has done more than enough to invite a Military coup.

Right now we can only be patient for another 2yrs

But we must be ready to come out of our corners, coalese arround a candidate and demand change.

Upon all the failures Yar'adua wants to rule for second term.

A military coup might sound appealing to some because although high risk, it seems the easiest way out IF a "good person" becomes president since such a leader won't have to deal with the bureacracy in Nigeria's "democracy" and hence might be able to change things in a short time. However the flip side is ,  well,  think Abacha. Furthermore at this point, a military coup seems to be nothing but a retrogressive step and to be honest just goes to highlight the cowardice that seems so intrinsic in the Nigerian populace. A military coup will not likely bring about a democratic government and is undemocratic. Nigeria always wants to cut corners and find the easy way out that would lead to this continuous road towards perdition instead of taking the more meaningful and perhaps tougher route that will more likely secure a more meaningful future. We have to stand up against the culture of dictatorship, corruption, etc, it means work, sacrifice, etc which people don't seem to want to put in. There is no getting round this, cutting corners will not bring about that genuine meaningful change that is needed. If a military coup happens tomorrow, in 5 years time we will still be worried about another military coup occuring, how is that progression? Those days should be left behind if we claim to be democratic. The part highlighted in bold and many others are things required for meaningful development and progress to occur.

9jaganja:
My uncle said they are planning a more organized shopping mall not a golf field like rumour has it. one that will be inspected weekly but will have the traders pay little taxes. Many more demolishing to come in Lagos state as his friend who is a commissioner in Lagos told him. He said the fear is that foreign investors with more money to invest with might kill the local Business women and men just like they did in Jamaica. So they are trying as hard as possible to make sure Nigerian traders have all the shares in the plan.

It's a good thing but I doubt by the time bribes come in millions of dollars they'll keep their words.
Many foreign companies now have their eyes on Nigeria because they know Nigerians are demanding and are willing to pay for better life. MTN and Vmobile has exposed us to some good and danger.

Tell your rich uncles abroad to invest in Nigeria now else we'll lose the wealth that comes with large population and be left with poverty that comes with it just like crude oil has done us.

What i highlighted in bold is one thing that bothers me a bit. I hope that Nigeria gets flooded with investors in order to improve the economy, create jobs, create services, generate revenue for government via taxation etc. I also hope that a significant chunk of such investors are Nigerians or that Nigerians earn some stake in the investments. Perhaps this is a good time to start addressing policies that are both pro business and economically sound and inviting to investors but also protects the nation's wealth. Perhaps something in line with america's take on it whereby a foreign citizen can not solely own more than a certain percentage of big businesses like airlines.

Another of these threads? 
It is amusing that there are soo many "I have a dream" threads and no where near as many "we have a strategy - sign up let us actualise it" thread. Imagine if all of these "i have a dream" threads were replaced by threads which were bent on not tackiling the whole problem of Nigeria but tackling different areas so that people can sign up to different areas of their interest or expertise whereby a strategy is outlined to achieve something. We seem to have a rich pool of people on nairaland in terms of skills, ideas, etc, are we all just going to keep dreaming? I am yet to see a genuinely serious thread that is pro active and inviting even with the rare "revolution" threads. Seems the "revolution" didn't last long. Hard to understand considering so many people claim to want to make a difference. Guess it is one of the paradoxes of Nigeria.

debosky:
The problem here is not education - the Okada men know what they need to do, but in a desperately poor environment, they will do anything necessary to avoid compliance, because to them, it is a matter of additional cost - Helmets cost money!

Poverty makes people drive with faulty brakes, hoping and 'praying' that nothing happens - is it that they don't know brakes can save lives? People will 'manage' as much as possible.

People who are so poor and feckless that they put their lives at risk will not simply change if 'educated' - that is why enforcement is needed. People will try to get away with whatever they can, be it plastic helmets, buckets or calabashes

Due to the hard nature of life in Nigeria, we've become very fatalistic - that is not as a result of lack of education, simply staying alive (even barely) is what most people are doing, so risk taking is no big deal. This is why there must be increased effort to monitor, sanction and ensure compliance. Adverts will not make unruly okada men comply, they need a big stick to force the issue.

In agrement, enforcement is the issue and a huge chunk of it seems to be just downright indscipline and unwillingness to comply which seems instilled in the nature of the country's inhabitants. So will the line of "education" also need to be stressed in obeying traffic lights? Will it also need to be stressed to traders who sell on roads and make everywhere into a market while causing huge traffic (like reported in 'former' oshodi) whereby manhours and time are lost and wasted in these unecessary traffics? I will agree somethings need education, but these scenarios to me don't seem to be ignorance at all but just plain indiscipline which can be dealt with by law enforcement.

If the BRT project gets extended and more integrated into the lagos transport system, and the ferry service which is already in operation also gets extended and these services cover a wider area, etc, then i really don't see why okadas or canoe as form of public transport should be in operation anymore. To be honest, they seem a nuissance, cause a lot of accident and ride without abandon. A lot of people have been reported to have been seriously injured as a result of "the okada experience". If okadas are going to be supported as a viable source of transport or as some "Nigerian thing" then the system really needs to be renovated and riders have to pass tests and be in compliance, and the numbers really have to be reduced. From some news articles on lagos last year, Okadas seem to have also become a choice vehicle for armed robbers since it means easy get away by winding through lagos traffic, plus the versatility of the vehicles make "ride and snatch" quite an easy job. Getting the transport system right is integral to a functioning economy and is hence of great importance.

lucabrasi:
@skyblue
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=4960797231

its still in the formative stages,and we ll appreciate any inputs,
@damisohttp
i tire o,i v been in doors most of the week, here u go,we will appreciate any contributions

ah, i see you have to be a member of facebook to view the contents. Too bad, i am not into facebook or myspace or bebo or any of that
When you have jthe information elsewhere let me know.

lucabrasi:
i see what you mean,what I'm trying to say is that i don't hate nigeria as an entity because if you think about it,we nigerians both old and young brought every problem on ourselves, nigerian land has given us natural resources,nice weather e.t.c everything we require to be a great nation but we messed up by the way we handled things,thats why i said i don't hate "nigeria, as an entity or nation"

the statement applies to me as well but I'm just highlighting a problem with us in the diaspora as well, i wish i could but what if i don't have leadership qualities?remember that is part of the problems nigeria is facing, some who don't have the potential for leadership forcing themselves on the populace, between how r you enjoying the weather today ;Dwe have started something little that i have posted in the culture section on one of jjyou's thread,hit me up if you want more info, like i said i don't see myself as a leader more of the strategist in the background,which is a sector i flourish more intellectually in

If it is something genuine i am interested

texazzpete:
Surely you see the irony in your post, considering the fact that Ribadu went nowhere near the untouchables you refer to. All the people arrested were disposable in one way or another.
Anenih, Bode George, Andy Uba, Danjuma, Jerry Useni, Babangidaall these people went scot free.

Who did he arrest? spent forces like Tafa balogun, out-of-favour governors like Alams? Yahoo crimelords like Ajudua with little political capital?

You people claim that our problem is from our leaders. Why did Ribadu do nothing to curb babangida who stole billions of dollars?
You claim Ribadu's dismissal is sending a wrong signal. What kind of signal is it when you arrest only the weak and leave the strong cabal to enjoy their stolen loot?

Please let someone asnwer the above question in bolded font.

There's little wonder why we're in such a sorry state when people have this kind of mindset. Ribadu was hired to head the EFCC, given sweeping powers and provided with an armed force to go with it. His jurisdiction involved proscuting all cases of Economic and financial crimes. We expected him to do just that. Pity some Nigerians have such low expectations.

Performed admirably? i think not. of all the Governors he claimed to have dossiers on, how many were prosecuted. At least he stayed on in the EFCC job for a while after the Governors lost their immunities at the end of their terms. Where were the flurry of arrests e led Nigerians to believe he was going to carry out?

Only the weak feared Ribadu. The inner PDP caucus moved unhindered.

Nigerians are easily satisfied with rhetoric. Play to the gallery and they'll be eating from your palms. Perhaps Yar'Adua should hire a better publicist.

LOOOL.
Permit me to attempt to answer your question. I don't believe anyone is claiming Ribadu did a good job, well i am not anyway (except Ibime  ). You could argue that Ribadu played to the gallery and all of that, but the simple truth is that there was never before any "serious" attempt at actually addressing the issue of corruption in Nigeria, hence the support for the fight on corruption which you might be confusing with support for Ribadu. When corruption fighting is discussed i immediately think of the organisation EFCC and not Ribadu, hence the arguement that is was beyond Ribadu and more of a movement against corruption. I totally agree that the fight was not completely sincere and genuine and lots of people were not touched.

Expectations were great and to be honest reducing corrutpion in government in Nigeria to a miniscule ammount seems as simple as successfully prosecuting IBB and Obasanjo and a few more and making sure that these people see the inside of a jail for a considerable ammount of time then everyone knows you are serious and there is an actual fight. That or revert to the idea brought up before of death by stoning  . Expectations were great but given that Nigerians were lead to believe that there was an actual war on corruption, support was also understandably great. Do you want to fault people for that? What message has been sent by getting rid of Ribadu? The problem was not neccessarily that Ribadu was gotten rid of (not for me anyway), but simply how he was gotten rid off. Sending him of to school? LOL. In a country whereby people pretty much have no trust for government and see government officers from the president down as institutionalised thieves, deception was not the best way to go and it was quite patronising. It was symptomatic of what happened with the election tribunal. I was of the view that the election should have been scrapped because it was a disgrace and robbery, simple as. However the insulting part of the whole electoral fiasco was the reasons given for not annulling the monumental disgrace. People took consolation from the fact that just under half of the judges presiding over the case were "pro annulment" shows it was a "fair" and genuine hearing and attempt by the judiciary. How convenient that just over half of the presiding judges were pre "putting the nail in the coffin for democracy"? I instead decided not to buy into what i thought was a scripted play that was even too bad to make hollywood trash. So what message was being sent then and what message was being sent to Nigerians by the way Ribadu was handled? In its simplest form it said - We don't care about what anyone thinks or about getting your approval enough to be honest or sincere with you, you all aren't worth it. Thats what i took from it anyway.

felifeli:
Illegally dislodged trader ? I will be surprised if there is even ONE of them  who is "illegally dislodged" , being all street trading illegally.

Let's face it there is no easy or "creative" way to deal with filth , lawlessness , crime, and indolence . It has to be hard and to shock people back to life . ANYONE who is living in Lagos and has no job and no discernible "business" other than selling groundnuts in a tray in traffic and harassing people to buy used underwear or some other useless nick-nack by sticking it into their face , should be made to feel unwelcome and also actively hounded out of such an expensive place as  Lagos because they are merely serious crimes just looking for a place to happen.

LOL, you seem to be well versed in selling used underwear in oshodi and all the nuances involved in sucessfully marketing the product .
Unfortunately poverty isn't always a life style choice.

doyin13:
I haven't had time to read the full quote, but if chidi's excerpt
is anything to go by. . . .then I think many still misunderstand
the apprehension of 'Ribadu supporters'', if I can be referred to
as such anyway.

This goes way beyond more than Ribadu the man. This is more
about the people who feel they are untouchable, a cabal whose hornet
Ribadu undoubtedly disturbed. A message is being sent, that we are simply
pawns, pieces on a board, while the Kings and Queens cart off the loot.

Ribadu's might have been selective justice, but we sure would be a lot better off
if we had finally got rid of those he selected.

I share similar view. We will continue ignoring the issues and make it about people to our own detriment. Instead of making the idea of holding someone responsible for bad fiscal management we make it about the person ivolved and if we like him or not; instead of making the issue about whether one was corrupt or not we make it about who they are and where they are from. This is all folly and to the detriment of the nation, simple as that. Nigerians will continue to cheat themselves out of progress if this continues because it seems highly placed people have perfected the act of taking advantage of such stupidity.

fyneguy:
Those criticizing this action don't understand the problem with our people.

You are talking about alternatives abi? When tankers were blocking the roads in Apapa, the government provided alternative park for them. Did they use the alternative? NO! they still block the roads at Apapa.

When Tejuoso market got burnt, they provided an alternative for the traders. Most of them did not go! you still see them hanging around.

We should be bold enough to say the truth here! There are shops inside Oshodi. Many of these traders would rather trade on the streets, because they will get more patronage than the guys in the shops.

Let He that wants to trade go rent a shop!, ranting about providing alternatives is just a cover up for the real issues. Our people should learn to do the right things, not cutting corners, thinking others who are orderly are not smart.

Glad you were bold enough to be sincere. A huge chunk of it is discipline which on a national level in pretty much every aspect is lacking. Hence, Lagos being a very Nigerian city just shows that and i don't see anything wrong with instilling a culture of discipline at all. It is easy for one to be sentimental considering we are talking of people here, it would be even worrying if people did not consider the human side of it. However like you have stated, the mess was there because it was allowed to happen. Consider the implications of manhours lost in traffic alone and that makes it worth it. Less time in traffic and more time being productive at work, reduction in crime which such a chaotic situation invites, a more attractive environment for more added value industries and businesses that can generate more cash and even hire more people, the list goes on.

On the other hand, a number of people keep on saying things like "lagos is not for everybody". Though that may be true in some aspects, but at a point it does begin to sound elitist and amusing when people throw in names like New York and London. Abuja is a beautiful city but to be honest it is a very elitist one (personal opinion). It seems to be for the rich alone. A good city in my view should be able to cater to people of varying economic classes and dispositions and places like New York, Paris, Tokyo and to a lesser extent London have this characteristic of being able to accomodate people from a wide income spectrum and that is one of the beauties of these places, it wecomes everyone and there is opportunity for everyone.

The problem with Lagos on the other hand is Nigeria. Can you imagine if there was no Abuja or to a lesser extent Port Harcourt? You can't fault people for wanting to go to the cities in Nigeria especially with what it actually means to live in rural Nigeria (isolation from development, etc). Using that as an excuse does not address the problem at all. Lagos cannot continue to bare the dreams of all Nigerians. Lagos is the smallest state and yet is projected to be one of the most populated cities in the world in years from now. I have already took it to heart that Nigeria does not have a functioning presidency or federal government, which is a shame because a good way to decongest Lagos is for other cities and states to develop too so that not everyone would be flocking to the delusional "promised land" that is meant to be lagos. Lagos cannot comtinue to bear the aspirations of all Nigerians because expecting it to cope with such would be quite an ask. Port Harcourt needs to get its act together and so do cities like Ibadan, Kano, Enugu etc. All these cities with all the money and amusingly they have been usurped by a city like Calabar which in a state with one of the lowest allocations can boast to be the cleanest city in the country.

gadogado:
@tayo-d. can you even begin to compare arab hatred for blacks to western hatred?what the european powers did to plunder and systematically destroy black and african peoples is not even remotely comparable to what arabs did.arabs only spread islam to blacks in africa and that wasnt even through force,it was through trade relations.arabs did take slaves from tanzania but it wasnt nearly as cruel as the atlantic slave trade.today there are still black arabs all over the gulf especially kuwait and oman and if you've ever been to that area,you'll see that they're treated as equals.

Secondly,everybody in the world hates black people because theyve been made to beleive we're backward and uncivilized.there isint a place in this world you can go to that people don't have a certain contempt and disdain for africans whether hidden or exposed!!but i know for sure that european hate for blacks by far surpasses the arabs.

the darfur situation your talking about makes you brain washed and quite ill informed.the so called sudanese 'arabs' are black.if you look at their skin,they look exactly like the fulani of nigeria,they're black.the sudanese govt is controlled by the arab speaking people of the north and this is because when the british gave them independence,they said the arabs were more enlightened than the darker negroes of the south.and left the country in their control.darfur has rebels,the rebels wanted to cede from the larger sudan and no responsible govt will just allow a part of the country to cede for no reason be it china,india or america.so the govt. and the rebels began clashing and some how mercineries called the supporter of APC got involved.all this rubbish about genocide is western propaganda. nothing more!!! and you're silly to beleive what the western media puts out.

I'm sure you'll agree when i say the western media is evil.have you not seen the images of africa that they put out.have you not seen the image theyve created for us on a global scale.the hunger,disease and poverty that they say africa is all about.these are things that they tell the world.and you're going to sit and beleive this darfur crap.wow its all anti islamic campaign of america and western powers.because I'm sure if youve been to africa then you know its nothing like the western media shows it to be.

so please go and enlighten yourself before typing anything.you should be embarrassed that i exposed your ignorance and this should motivate you to go on some fact finding missions.

Funny how this whole thread has become about everything around the actual case. So should this issue be fueled by "a certain group hates me hence they must be wrong"? If you are going to make it about so then at least don't be coy with information or stingy with the truth. Islam was spread in Africa true trading? Honestly? LOL. With regards to the slave tradery; slave tradery was wrong, period. However its intresting you mentioned nothing about the trans-sahara trade of african slaves which if you read up on might actually shock you in its terms of magnitude. Not trying to be a pest, really, but i prefer sincerity and if you are going to argue don't be stingy with the truth because it just sounds like you are being desceptive. This is of course if you really did not know in which case i apologise, but i will advice you read up on basic history of even regions like Western Africa. No need to respond cos i am ldone with this thread anyway.

romeo:
And your AC is the "holy" party? talking about digression , Maybe you work for him.

My point is that government should have the electorate in their mind before any action in a true democracy, And not behaving like bunch of touts. Sure they warned them of the impending destruction, that's always their argument! We warned them!!

I mentioned computer village not because i support non payment of tax by traders, But because i feel the Fashola guy and his people can make the traders pay taxes without "push me I push you". And he's all over the place with Push me I push You attitude.

I ask you skyblue! Is Fashola the governor of the oshodi traders or Governor of Lagos beautification? If we make Lagos so beautiful without food on the tables of the residents, then how do we prolong the beauty?

Warning the Traders is not enough but relocating them before destruction is what he must have done. A very simple logic. But you will still overlook the details to pick on the lines that interest you most to fill a whole page with letters.

I am sure you are a great person but with the part highlighted in bold i don't even know why i am bothering posting a reply. If you got bored of reading my post half way in you should have just said so instead of ignoring it all to jump at some conclusion for the sake of it. I could bring up issues about creating a more orderly environment to attract bigger businesses with the capacity to hire more people and pay better and hence put food on the table but i already addressed that so i won't again. All i can say is, if you feel so strongly about street trading why don't you go do it with your friends in central london or manhattan naija style? Perhaps you could organise some "wares" in baskets and plant you stall on the subway or on the sidewalk and then see what happens. Such isn't tolerated in many places in the world, in singapore it is even illegal to spit out gum on the pavement. We would all go to these places and marvel at the orderliness and yet when such is attempted in Nigemria that is when people will protest. They won't protest at government to be more fiscally responsible, corrupt leaders will walk the streets and no one will do anything, but this is what will unite? LOL. The issue is to me is alternatives, simple as that and to be honest nothing more.

MandingoII:
Nigeria HATES itself.

Look at the Leaders - a bunch of dumb a@@ men. Whose aim is to money grab as much as possible from the Oil companies and STARVE their own people.

Look at the People - a bunch of cowardly sycophants doing NOTHING to uplift themselves.

Nobody hates Nigeria.

Nigeria hates herself.

Yep, Nigeria seems to hate sucess. That is the only logical reason because it seems troible is gone through to make sure the most foolish choices are made. Take the power situation for instance. The Federal government seems to believe the way to fix the issue is by talking about it. Yar Adua has talked about this issue right from "campaigning" pre-election and yet what on earth has been done in the power sector? What policy direction has been taken? What have the funds assigned for the power sector which were in the previous budget spent on? Now this is the annoying part, the federal government does not want to do anything about power, ok, let states do something about it. No, because whatever power states can generate needs to go into the National grid. Doe it make sense? Do we even really need to go into quota system? The educational system of the northern part of the country will not be developed, no, the answer is allegedly to accept students who in lot of cases perform worse than their peers in order to fill a quota, instead of actually developing the educational sector. See what i mean? This doesn't seem to be neglect at all, it seems to be an actual forced attempt to make sure Nigeria continues to regress until the country jumps off the proverbial precipice it seems to have been playing and dancing on for soo long.

romeo:
This is what happens when we applaud the closure of markets like computer village. The Fashola man is acting like a bush man! This kind of things happen when there is no democracy, He knows very well he will not need their votes to extend his tenure in office. He will rig his way and still put another after his tenure.

If he will need their votes come election time he must have provided alternatives for this poor families. It's just like "Fu-ck all ya, Eko oni baje"

Why don't we focus on the issue instead of sidestepping all over the place? What were the major alternatives partywise in Lagos? PDP? A party that boasts IBB, OBJ, Odilli, Ibori and other horrors from beyond is a party you thought would have been a better alternative? Computer village was allegedly closed because of tax issues. If that was the case then why defend illegality? Let us not digress.

It is understandably sad when such things happen because we are dealing with people and families. However, the truth is that lagos is years behind in development when it comes to catering for its population and i am sure we all know this, right? The infrastructure in lagos is one that was developed decades ago to cope with a mush lesser population. For things to begin to be put right, order needs to be instilled. Was oshodi ever a legal market to begin with? I will seriously contest this especially taking into consideration that vendors even operate on a railway line. I feel the most reasonable contribution or point raised so far has been the issue of alternatives. To the best of my knowledge markets are being built around lagos, to different degrees of completion and perhaps this could have been handled better. However the issue with discipline should not be buried in the understandable sentimentality that is attached to the human situation. Markets can so easily pop up anywhere in Nigeria and not because people necessarily have it as their dream to open a stall or to put a few bunches of bananas in a basin and sitting by the roadsides, but simply because people need to earn a living. Hence everybody wants to open market stalls, with detriment to the usability and the quality of the roads on which they ply. Perhaps it is not an overexhaggeration to suggest that any form of pavements that are soreley lacking on Nigerian roads, if built with the current climate of indiscipline and everything goes, will be swallowed up by traders.

Yes people need to make a living and hence i suggest that the issue is much more than create an alternative market. How many markets would need to be created in order to swallow and accomodate the huge masses of unemplyed who need to make a living and all of them not even needing to be there i might add. The issue is in job creation and creating man environment for such to thrive. I have always wondered what wall of obscene difficulty seems to exist in Nigeria with job creation, i have to assume there is another dimension to it because i really can't see what the issue is. Things need to be done all over the place hence jobs are there to be done and created especially with the lofty and yet achievable goals Lagos government is setting for itself. Create jobs so that not every "joe degree" will see the need to open market anywhere. In order to actually make the market more legitimate then i am of the view that taxes have to be involved. I believe so because taxes could serve as a deterrent to just anybody opening or purchasing a stall and serve to attract enterprising people with ideas, etc who are serious about the trade and this could serve to create a more orderly market environment and when i refer to tax i don't mean these illegal ones paid to agberos and touts, i mean taxes paid to the government. Taxes which could be used to upkeep the market and hence even crenate jobs for that need? Nigeria is wasting its most important resource, people. People which would translate to skills, abilities, work force, taxes, etc. Perhaps a more humane approach would have sufficed, but the issue of order needs to be tackled. Do we know if warnings were issued before the demolition exercises were carried out? In the not too distant past this administration also cleared some markets and moved the traders to a prepared place, would such also be the case here? Do we know if that is on the cards or is this all jumping on the band wagon?
What kind of serious business could have thrived with oshodi just outside its door?

Lagosboy:
If you read my comments you quoted well you would understand there is no religous bias of any sort. All i said was that even christians are proesting agains israeli aggression and making a point that this war should be looked at from a political point simple!!!! Where have i injected religious bias??

You firs question:

Palestinian territories comprises the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem.

Israel in 2005 withdrew from only Gaza and consolidated its hold on the west bank. It increased the settlement  which is against the UN resoutions and internatioal law. Isreal built its wall deep into palestinant land which is illegal.

Israel withdrew from Gaza and blocked its airspace, blocked its sea on the mediteranian and closed the land crossings. They withdrew and made Gaza a glorified prison. The ceasefire 6 months ago included Israel lifting the blockade but Israel did not lift it having signed the ceasefire.(they broke the ceasfire) but the rocket were minimal.

At the end of the ceasfire Hamas offered to extend it if israel would lift the blockade but Israel refused and Hamas fired rockets in protest of the civilian population that had been starved by Israel for 18 months due to the siege on Gaza.

What sense isit in leaving the room then surrounding the room - is that withdrawal?

your question 2

If i were Israel i would simply withdraw to my 1967 borders , give up my stolen lands - West bank, Jerusalem, Gaza give the golan heights to syria and let the palestinans be. If they still attack me then i have a right to attack them and defend myself.

Why did israel put up a blockade against Gaza? You make it sound like this purposeful isolation from Gaza that Israel set up was just for the sake of it as opposed to protecting itself from suicicde bomber. You have a scenario whereby in the past few days even people from Iran have been volunteering themselves for suicide mission against Israel (who send them message?) and we are going to pretend as if such is fantasy? Sorry, but i disagree. Leaving the room and surrounding the room to me is still leaving the room. Last time i checked Gaza was not landlocked in Israel, so what happened to its other borders? Why are rockets not being fired at its other neighbours?

Lagosboy:
I just feel ashamed that we Nigerians can never for once look at issues without religous bias. Christians are been killed in Gaza. Christians in Bethelehem the birth place of Jesus held protest rally yesterday against the aggression.

I was at a rally in london on saturday Jewish rabbis were there to protest against Zionism and israel's war crimes. The rally was addressed by Tony Benn a cgirstian, George Gallowey a christian. Bishops and reverend protesting against the aggression of israel and here we are black Nigerians out of hatred for islam supporting every action of the Israeli state.

Israel have been killing palestinians before Hamas was founded. Remember the Jenin massacre in 2000 if anyone remebers. Remember Goldstein who entered a mousque and killed 18 people while saying their prayers in the 90's.

Israel is illegally occupying the West bank of palestine, building settlement which is against the UN charter and resolutions, which is against international law.

The black zionists of nigeria are not seeing the political issues at stake but just "hamas are extremist so they should be bombed" Lets have conscience.

A Norwegian doctor said yesterday 28% of the dead are children , A large chunk women and very few men which could be fighters or civilians. This is a westerner talking not an arab he is treating victims at the largest hospital in Gaza Ashifa hospital.

The UN general Assembly president calls israels action monstrous!

French President Condmend the ground offensive and also rockets

The security council made a resolution agains Israel but US vetoes it.

Someone here made reference to churches in Nigeria being burnt. I don't understand the correlation in the least what has this got to do with the Israel palestinian conflict.  We just have to read and take religion away from our heads and lookt at the politcs of the conflict!!!

Palestinian land shall be liberated

Victory is Certain and Near!!!!!!!!

can't we Nigerians reason and reject religious bigotry.

Well, you are entitled to your views and i respect them so please grant me the opportunity to express mine. I don't feel shame but rather dissappointment and a sense of irony that while you are accusing people of religous bias and bigotry you are then trying to paint everyone who does not agree with you as a "zionist". What on earth do you know about me? I am sorry, but you using quotes from the UN or whatever famous person you want to use does not solidify your point with me, what will is discussion or reasonable arguement with what i would perceive to be substance and if at the end of the day we don't agree, the sky won't fall. I just have 2 questions for you. Isreal had left gaza before this latest conflict, so what "occupied" land do you speak off? If you were isreal and you were being fired at all this while and no one seemed to be taking notice and the missles were getting closer to major urban areas, what would you do?

Frizy:
No, there is no proportionality when we know this warfare is just a guerrilla war. Israel with the aid of the United States have been able to secure a military complex. However, whenever Palestine seeks to acquire weapons in order to protect itself, it's seen as illegal. In there own land? The air strikes Gaza suffered in days would not have happened if Gaza had self propeller heat seekers to blast off the F-16. So there is no proportionality, Israel's blockage to all humanitarian efforts, Israel's red alert on newly achieved weapons by Hamas, and Israel's control of land, sea, and air so that- for a proportionality they need to allow the free flow of weaponry and arsenals particularly from Iran and other Muslims State. For proportionality they need tanks, and fighter jets, for proportionality they need to allow Palestinians master the art of war rather using stones as a form of defense.

Because, why must the US equip Israel and lay sanctions on any individual/country/organization that beliefs his pledge to the Palestinians. Why?. Why must you think you're right and call others terrorist? . Don't you think you're also a terror to them?

If Gaza had F-16s where would Israel have been today? Do you really believe Hamas would have not used such weapons against Israel considering it was firing rockets into Israel for what seems to be a 'just for the sake of it' scenario? Are you just choosing believe that if Israel was not supported by anyone it would not have been destoyed by a combinaltion of groups and nations like HAMS, Iran, etc whose governments have shown ka disdain for Israel, to put it lightly?

@JustGood, very interesting first post. I thought Israel had been out of the Gaza strip for some years now, so what armed robbery of land are you talking about? I have been purposely avoiding discussing this on Nairaland because it seems quite a lot of people are just willing to close their eyes to what has really been happening. @JustGood, how long have arabs/"palestines" been in the west bank region and how long have the Jews been there, before we start throwing around words like "occupiers"? I hope we haven't lost the ability to look through the news with our own objectvity as oppossed to taking everything CNN, BBC, Sky, etc say as the complete picture. Then to use the words "bully" in this situation, how amusing. I hope people are not afraid of being honest as opposed to being stifled by political correctness because being PC is quite unNigerian : ). War hardly does have winners (in my view) and it is a shame that there has been civillian casualties.

When 9/11 happened did anyone call al qaeda bullies? You may not agree with the war in iraq but that is not why i raised the issue. There was the attack in London, did anyone call the attackers "bullies". Has Israel automatically become the bully because it can more than adequately defend itself? Perhaps lsome people would sleep better if Israel went to defend itself with cane and catapult. Rockets were being lunched from Gaza for a period of years and nothing was being said. THe rockests were being lunched from schools, hospitals, etc, in a densely populated region and no one was calling anyone bullies. Now a people are defending themselves and it suddenly becomes an issue of "moderation"? Now all the famous faces are coming out to condemn the fight in Gaza, where were they when Israel was taking bombs from Hamas? Is this some global prank or is there some information i am so badly not taking into consideration?

Again its a shame that innocent people are being caught up in this mess but let us not pretend as if it was out of the blue. It was not even pre emptive, it was defence. So what should Israel have done? Wait while Hamas obtains even longer ranging missles that can hit major cities in Israel? The world we live in is quite worrisome indeed. How long will the rest of the world continue to cower under the blanket of political correctness all in an attempt of not "offending" a certain group of people before we get the next dose of rampage and suicide bombings? And such are being "bullied"? Again, how amusing. Whatever happens, for peace to reign a longer lasting solution needs to be obtained so it won't just be a return to the norm when all eyes shift from Gaza. A huge chunk of this seems to be propaganda (to me anyway).

This is nothing short of embarassing and would have been more embarassing if the "nominees" actually turned up for the event. If i remember correctly Peter Odilli got awards for best governor during his tenure too, how hilarious. You would think you were watching trash TV like the grammys or something of the sort. Can't wait till they do the "most evil leader" edition too. Of course you won't put it past Abacha to come back to life for one night only just for the occasion, strutting it out on the red carpet to the media fare with IBB, Obasanjo, Ibori, Odilli and co also vying for the camera spot too while they get asked "who are you wearing?". LOL. They are public servants, so what is this? Sure this isn't really a euphemism for "who has stolen the least"? 

"Sign the darn petition or take a hike".
I so suscribe to that view. We could argue about the pitfalls of Ribadu's tenure etc, but for those who want to do something about it and actually act towards what they perceive as an injustice as opposed to the usual blind lip service i respect that. This is of course considering how rare it is to see Nigerians act towads correcting what some might see as injustice even if others might not see it as such. It is time the idea of standing up and being counted begins to become entrenched in Nigeria. A country of over 140million with its citizens being continuously pushed around and subjected to living like animals in their own country by a few select in their own government? I don't see it as the giant of africa at all. Actually is embarassing when people say that, as it should be. See how this immediately actually transcends Ribadu? If you don't want to sign the petition just walk on by, it isn't that difficult.

To be honest what i am interested in right now is seeing a posting or article that contains a detailed review which shows how money that was in the last budget that was past was spent. The first budget that caused so much trouble and took soo long to pass if i am not mistaked ran into the trillions of naira. You have to keep in mind that this was budget mainly for federal government spending (again if i am not mistaken). It seemed at the time that everything was budgeted, even money for roads, power, etc, all put in the budget. What has the money been used for?

matesun:
Description

The giant of Africa, a land that is flowing with milk and honey of various mineral resourses located on the continent of Africa on the coast of West Africa. The country named NIGERIA meaning "niger area". Nigeria was granted full independence in October 1960, as a federation of three regions (northern, western, and eastern) under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary form of government. Under the constitution, each of the three regions retained a substantial measure of self-government. The federal government was given exclusive powers in defense and security, foreign relations, and commercial and fiscal policies. In October 1963, Nigeria altered its relationship with the United Kingdom by proclaiming itself a federal republic and promulgating a new constitution. A fourth region (the midwest) was established that year. From the outset, Nigeria's ethnic, regional, and religious tensions were magnified by the significant disparities in economic and educational development between the south and the north.
The climate is tropical Nigeria's climate is tropical, with a long wet season in the south lasting from May to October, and a shorter wet season in the north from June to September. Temperatures are highest between February and April in the south, ranging from 26°C to 32°C in March.

These are the words of the Mr President:

I CONSIDER it appropriate at this juncture to take a closer look at the two key buzzwords that have in recent times been ingrained in the polity in order to ascertain whether or not there is any connection between the two. The link or otherwise between the two would give insight into whether or not the Yar'Adua administration would be able to achieve these grand agendas. The two fashionable catchphrases are "Vision 2020" on one hand and the "Seven-Point Agenda" on the,


The Yar'adua's 7-Point Agenda

THE YAR’ADUA’S 7-POINT AGENDA

POWER AND ENERGY – The infrastructural reforms in this critical sector through the development of sufficient and adequate power supply will be to ensure Nigeria’s ability to develop as a modern economy and an industrial nation by the year 2015.

FOOD SECURITY – This reform is primarily agrarian based. The emphasis on the development of modern technology, research, financial injection into research, production and development of agricultural inputs will revolutionalize the agricultural sector leading to a 5 – 10 fold increase in yield and production. This will result in massive domestic and commercial outputs and technological knowledge transfer to farmers.

WEALTH CREATION – By virtue of its reliance on revenue from non-renewal oil, Nigeria has yet to develop industrially. This reform is focused on wealth creation through diversified production especially in the agricultural and solid mineral sector. This requires Nigerians to choose to work, as hard work by all is required to achieve this reform.

TRANSPORT SECTOR – The transportation sector in Nigeria with its poor roads networks is an inefficient means of mass transit of people and goods. With a goal of a modernized industrialized Nigeria, it is mandatory that Nigeria develops its transport sector. The PDP government has already started this process by the ongoing rehabilitation and modernization of the railway. While the reforms might take some time to take effect, it is a need that must be addressed.

LAND REFORMS – While hundreds of billions of dollars have been lost through unused government-owned landed asset, changes in the land laws and the emergence of land reforms will optimize Nigeria’s growth through the release of lands for commercialized farming and other large scale business by the private sector. The final result will ensure improvements and boosts to the production and wealth creation initiatives.

SECURITY – An unfriendly security climate precludes both external and internal investment into the nation. Thus, security will be seen as not only a constitutional requirement but also as a necessary infrastructure for the development of a modern Nigerian economy. With its particular needs, the Niger Delta security issue will be the primary focus, marshaled not with physical policing or military security, but through honest and accurate dialogue between the people and the Federal Government.

EDUCATION – The two-fold reforms in the educational sector will ensure firstly the minimum acceptable international standards of education for all. With that achieved, a strategic educational development plan will ensure excellence in both the tutoring and learning of skills in science and technology by students who will be seen as the future innovators and industrialists of Nigeria. This reform will be achieved through massive injection into the Education sector.

To this end, there is need to support the Mr President 7-point agenda in order to realise and achieve the desire vision for the laydown activities for vision 2020 and the seven point agenda. I will like to seek for comments, suggestions and construtive ideals of the entire nigerians towards this great plans. Comments, suggestions and construtive ideals are welcome via this mail
naijacontribute@ymail.com[color=#006600][/color]

What plan? Why don't we play a little game? Can anyone go through the list a.k.a "7 point agenda" and inform us on what plan or to even make it simpler, what actions (of any kind) have been instigated by the current administration to realise what could as well be a shopping list that reads 'maggi, bread, okro and pure water'? This topic has been discussed so much that its arguements have been relegated to the "pipe dreams of yesteryear" considering that the person in charge of giving direction for others to follow does not seem to have a clue himself. What happens to a rudderless or captainless ship? If talk could achieve things Nigerian politicians would have talked Nigeria into being a paradise with the countless rhetoric and catch phraes (WAI-war against indiscipline; "7-point agenda"; "rule of law"; "stake holders forum" the list seems endless.

I desperately hope that Nigerians will become wise to all this rubbish and begin to judge the so called leaders based on works and not on how many catch phrases a so called "leader" can generate. Oh, i even forgot my new favourite, "masterplan". It is not just abuja that has masterplan - apparently. Don't be surprised if we hear master plan for Yar Adua's toilet and backyard. What is most annoying about all of this infactuation with phrases is what seems the complete misunderstanding and ignorance displayed by those who use it. Stake holders forum? Who are the real stake holders in Nigeria? Who are those that actually have more of a stake in the country? A struggling familiy in Nigeria that has no other option or no means to search for "greener pastures" outside the country and hence have to endure the hardships of non existent health care, jobs, etc? Or perhaps are the stake holders the mafia-like cartel of politicians who have basically migrated all family members abroad, with properties everywhere in the world and an easy escape from the actual problems in Nigeria whereby a simple cough can easily warrant a check up in germany? People who might feel they have nothing to lose if Nigeria remains in its ever continuing decline into the abyss of foolishness and folly?

It might surprise some people the rate at which the country called Nigeria would develop if public leaders actually had no escape from the country and had to be treated along with their families in Nigerian public hospitals, educate their family in Nigerian public schools, etc. Perhaps when one of their daughters come home and inform 'daddy' they had to "service" a university lecturer with a diploma in teaching in order to be passed then and only then would educational reforms will be seriously addressed. Honestly, what kind of graduates are being released from the Nigerian enducational system? Perhaps when one of their friends or family members get blown while trying to refill a generator then the power sector might see renewed leadership and reforms. Perhaps when someone they know has to experience the horror of actually being admitted in a Nigerian hospital then things might begin to get addressed. So it basically seems what is needed are genuine stakeholders and hence the questions. Is Yar Ardua a stake holder? If Yar Adua is a stake holder and it is taking soo long to implement any of the things on the list ("7 point agenda" then are we willing to accept we might just have a really insensitive president or just a really mentally slow one or perhaps something else? Who takes time to smell the flowers and pet the neighbour's dog when their house is up in flames? Hopefully now Dora Akunyili is 'minister of Information' stake holders but at home and abroad might begin to get some answers and progress. Talk is cheap.