₦airaland Forum

@Afam, i am guessing you are referring to military leadership because of the perceived decisiveness in action and more control over the vision of the leader. However, what happens if such power falls into the hands of someone who does not have the interests of the country at heart as has been the case? The current system has too much bureacracy which can stifle rapid progress, true. Due to the size of the government there is more room for corruption, true. However it has worked in many countries and the bottom line is that if a leader with vision really wants to, then there really is no excuse at all for snailed pace development. The system we have now if working effectively can actually be good because such size can see better control in the grass roots sense. The system is not necessarily the problem, but the people in the system, whichever it may be.

@SENATORJD, were they arrested because they are not above the law or arrested because there was a mob vying for their blood? Make the distiction, this kind of thing happens a lot, someone runs to the police station during mob action because they want protection not because they will be prosecuted. I believe it is more likely that they were detained for their own protection. If these police officers are dealt with, as far as i know it would be an exception to the rule. What about the police officers who shot at a taxi driver in Port Harcourt because the guy would not give them 20Naira. The bullet missed the guy and hit a pregnant lady and the lady died. Can you believe that? Because of 20Naira. Again, these are not one off, they happen in Nigeria. If care is not taking then when all the commotion dies down these officers will just be let loose. I think it is vital that these officers are prosectuted, if a mob is needed to make it happen then so be it. A precedence needs to be set.

What can drive someone crazy is the lack of any communication. Can be quite frustrating and has also become funny because now any time he opens his mouth to say anything people now see it as priviledge and you will be reading things online that are equivalent to "hey ya, im try make una leave am". LOL. But for real though, is his health going to become a serious issue?

Dis Guy:
I'm not too sure how this works but the money bugdeted for most department is not enough and N326b will go along way
the problem with the fund is some governors claim. its illegal at the same time they want it 'shared'
The nass and ministry of finance are the ones holding nigeria back!
the only things the NASS can approve at this time is an increase in their salaries, anything else will be postponed!
and the finance is blabbing on about not wanting to release money because of inflation!

very soon Nigerians will show yaradua their true colours!

LOL, don't hold your breath, you really underestimate the ammount of trash Nigerians can tolerate. From the way you speak one might think the population overthrew Abacha when to be honest everyone was just waiting for him to die. LOL 

@UARESTUPID, $365billion? Please can you provide the link to any news or provide evidence of such a claim? I am pretty sure that figure is wrong. You also paint a pretty rosy picture of life in Nigeria as to go to lengths to compare it with UK. Of course if someone is financially comfortable and stable in Nigeria they won't want to leave the country, after all home is home and there is definately no place like Nigeria. However you seem to lay claim that many people enjoy such financial stability, is that accurate though? What percentage of the population do you think enjoy such? You also say Nigeria is amazing if only NEPA can give stable power and there were good roads, etc. Those are pretty big ifs to ignore aren't they.  Is that the way things are now? That is also like saying living in hell won't be that bad if it wasn't so hot. So how does it become unpatriotic to speak the truth? Sorry but i don't buy that and i think it is even less patriotic to be dishonest about the situation especially since this way of seeing things makes people take the situation less urgently, leaving the masses (your fellow NIGERIANS) to continue to suffer. Why do we keep bringing up the issue of how foreigners or the west sees the country? Is their validation that important to you? Why can't we just forget about what people might think and focus on building together a country we can all be proud off? That way we won't have to come online and say things aren't that bad when they are. Take some time and drive round the country if you even can without getting robbed and then do you think you will still have this view of everyone living it large when you see all the poverty? Forgive me for being "unpatriotic" let me correct this error, Nigeria is amazing, we have everything we need and everyone lives large, we even have so much electricity that we even give some to Ghana. Citizens are so rich that they even try to find ways to give out money to other countries hence the notorious issue of 419 which is just a misunderstood avenue whereby Nigerians are trying to spread their wealth to other countries.
Sorry if it feels like i am picking on you because i don't mean to, but people tend to display misplaced anger. Should you be mad at londoner or at the situation? Is it londoner that is the reason there is no descent infrastructure or power in most of Nigeria?

One really has to ask, so if there was no protest does that mean that it would have been business as usual? Also keep in mind that this sort of trigger happy rubbish happens all the time, so how on earth will increasing salary as some have suggested improve the Nigerian police attitude towards the citizens they are meant to protect? If these police officers are not punished and thrown in jail and all the fiasco is allowed to die out then things will just continue. What happened to the officers that were selling weapons and ammunition to the Niger Delta militants? The Nigerian police force needs to be seriously rehabilitated, it is such a national disgrace that is just an indication of the wide spread decay in Nigerian institutions. These officers must be prosecuted. One more reason why state police forces might be a good idea so that states have more control over the disciplining and recruitment of police officers which at present is in federal control

Six policemen arrested over killing in Nigeria's Lagos state

LAGOS, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Six policemen in the Nigeria police force have been arrested in Nigeria's economic hub, Lagos State, following the killing of a 40-year-old man, Semiu Murtala, in his car on Saturday, according to the Lagos-based Punch newspaper reports on Tuesday.

   The deceased was said to be returning from a soccer practice onS aturday and was racing to beat the 7 a.m. local time commencement of the state monthly environmental sanitation exercise, when he was killed.

   According to the newspaper report, the trigger-happy policemen attached to the Idimu police station, a suburb area in Lagos, were said to be on patrol when the gory incident happened.

   Police authorities in the state had ordered the divisional police officer at Idimu, to fish out the culprits.

   It is learnt that a protest by youths in the area followed the dastardly act before the monarch in the area, Samson Balogun, intervened.

   Mallam Abdullah, the divisional police officer at Idimu, said all the policemen in the team that allegedly killed Murtala had been identified and ordered to be detained at the station.

   The spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Frank Mba, confirmed the arrest of the errant policemen, noting the police will surely make a discrete investigation into the matter.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/04/content_8308812.htm

@superboi, forget about US army for now and let us focus on the Nigerian Army. Without letting sentiments of possible past glories get in the way, what is there to be proud of about the Nigerian Army at present? Being objective, can you compare anything good with the sea of just simply unacceptabilities? Where does one begin?

@superboi, so is the Nigerian Army at present something to be proud off? You have never been had to part with your cash at a "check point"? Should you be mad at Xiomarra or at the situation?

It is sad that this is going on and this guy is basically going to waste years of his life. However, without getting sentimental what would we all have said if the "attempt" was successful and some guy with three kids and a mortgage parted with his life savings? The thought that this will serve as a significant detterent is laughable. You have a country were people in high positions steal money all the time and NOTHING happens to them, they are even celebrated and flaunt the ill gotten wealth in the faces of the starving masses in what is the height of insensitivity and nothing happens. Yet it is some student that will serve as deterrent? It is sad but he did commit a crime after all. @tboy, being mad at the judge because some political criminals are walking free will only make sense if political office holders where also prosecuted and focused on as well by the EFCC. The judge was just doing his job.

@Kobojunkie, the rant about democracy was just to explain that we could try whatever form of government we want and we have tried about three, but nothing will work if there is no political will. It is ridiculously simple. How many posts on Nairaland have discussed different forms of government, or better forms for Nigeria? That whole democracy thing was addressed at Xiomarra because she seemed to suggest that the base will show us an example or something of the sort to learn from. Hence i stated that if we have not been able to learn or sort ourselves out especially in this day and age it is because there is no will to do so hence that "learning by example" will not work if there is continued unwillingness. We keep returning back to this base issue because that is what this thread is meant to address, isn't it? We are beginning to go round in circles a bit but just so we are clear. If there is a talk of a base you won't mind it and i don't see its necessity or significant benefits. Is that OK for a summary?  

@Kobojunkie, LOL. That is where you are wrong my friend, after going on about this magical website through out yesterday, i visited it . This AFRICOM thing has been on the news lfor a while and yes at some point it is about the base. Just go through news headlines early this year and you will realise that the US was actually looking for host countries for AFRICOM bases. One last thing, maybe i misread your reply post but i never said democracy is not viable in Nigeria, i don't know where you got that from or wether you spelt something wrong.

@Xiomarra, but you make democratic politics sound needlessly complicated when in its essence it is actually basic and the very essence of democracy is a universal concept. There are also a lot of examples of countries that have blossomed not because they had US base in their country but because they wanted to develop and i am sure i don't need to give examples. I just still don't see the necessity of a base because what we should be concentrating on is awaking an actual non existent democracy in Nigeria whereby people and leaders think of the collective good as opposed to their own pockets only. Presidential democracy has worked in different countries but is not working in Nigeria why? Paliamentary system has worked in other countries, even communism is bringing development to some countries. You can force a horse to the stream but you can't force it to drink water. If the will is not there to change then you can surround Nigeria with American bases all you want but it would make no difference. In this day and age ignorance is not an excuse. You really think Nigeria is not progressing because they "dont know" about democracy or political will? It is not a complicated concept and the main power lies with the citizenry but i don't know what it will take for people to wake up. Doesn't democracy seem to be working in lagos? I know you people have called that state a lot but the fascination seems to be, "so it can work in Nigeria?" The will to change things.

@Xiomara, sure the army leaves a lot to be desired and that in itself is such an understatement. However what is going to genuinely solve the problem, political will or an american base? By the way when i refer to political i am also adding the citizenry into that equation and with all the problems Nigeria has i am yet to see one that i feel cannot be solved with political will.

What stinks is not the ammount at all, what stinks as usual is people that are part of the government claiming this one stole this this one stole that and yet nothing is done about it. Fine, i won't be surprised if money was stolen, however if there is no drive to prosecute why bore us with such trite? OBJ said he spent $6.5billion on power, house chairman went on BBC a few weeks ago and said so far they have recovered about $13billion and Yaradua said it is $10billion. Thinking this is about figures is not seeing the whole point. How many people have ever been successfully prosecuted and justifiably punished as a result of all of this rubbish? Someone will steal billions, his colleague will say he stole and then it ends there? This thing has happened too many times so if they are not going to do a thing about it then coming to tell us is just some really twisted self righteous, hypocritical trite. This is so frustrating because it is reminding me of when whatever his name was said the house was full of 419ers and he had evidence. What happened afterwards?? After all the hype he backed down and the excuse given was basically that his friends said they will not play with him anymore if he blabbed. Can you imagine? Just think about that for a second. With all the corruption in Nigeria, someone refused to take the opportunity to expose a lot of people and even possibly bring down some very highly placed so called "untouchables" and help the country and that was the excuse he gave for chickening out? Didn't the house now say they wanted to clear their name so they will hold a committee? What happened with the committee investigation into the allegation? Sometimes it feels we have short term memory. That guy should have been prosecuted after claiming he had evidence. If they are not bold enough and are too big a coward to take a stand against wrong then please these people should stop boring Nigerians with such news. The average Nigerian can guess where money has been siphoned and stolen, i mean, police equipment fund, with all the money and there was no marked improvement and then someone is coming to inform people that there was looting of the fund and it was all a scam. DUUUUH. So now they told us, what did they do? Another investigation, another fiasco, couple of weeks time Nigerians forgot everything waiting for the next one to be anmounced. Soon we will be informed there was also siphoning of funds and emmbezzlement and corruption linked to federal roads also and then that would also be shocking? If there is no plan on prosecuting then please why open mouth to insult 140million people? Yaradua's rule of law means nothing if the law is not enforced. There still exists the law for some people and the law for everyone else. So when rule of law is mentioned which rule of law is it? Is it the one for some people or the one for everyone else? Or is there any drive to make the law applicable to everyone? SICKENING

@Kobojunkie, however as someone stated earlier, AFRICOM is not an old thing, it is actually a new idea the US is trying to push forward. Which other African country has had AFRICOM in it? Because to the best of my knowledge almost all african countries rejected the idea.The whole economic and market approach i was using was just one approach but the motive behind using it was not as you say me saying we only need one kind of relationship. For me it is not about that at all, as i stated before countries share skills all the time and my stand on this is simply based on wether it is necessary. For me, i personally don't believe a US base is necessary, there can still be training etc without that, countries do it all the time. If not for the history of governance we have i would not be bothered as much about this because i will trust government to be sensible and look out for the best interest of Nigerians. However, given the whole bakassi fiasco and history of greed etc, i say that whatever decision is made, the whole thing should be scrutinised by the house and sorry but i still don't see the necessity of the base.

@savanaha, the whole "Great Prophet" thing is another auto edit thing that nairaland does, quite irritating to be honest, LOL. Just try writing Mu-hammed without any seperation, pot it and see what happens.
With regards to this whole fiasco, it means nothing unless he is prosecuted. If they are not willing to do it then they should please just shut up.

The bold thing to do is to encourage all states or regions to cater to ther own power needs. You never know, it might be good for our democracy, hence if a state wants to take power generation seriously then they can and people in states without power can then begin to ask their leaders why other states have power and they don't.

@Kobojunkie, using your example of china as a country which has gained, has china got any American bases on its soil? Aren't the chinese very protective of their sovereignity? Then going back to chinese relationship with Nigeria, the deals china has with Nigeria involve them handling projects like building of railways eg the Abuja to lagos etc and other huge projects which you can check for yourself to confirm as well as providing such knowledge and skill transfers to Nigerian workers. The relationship is one whereby we stand to gain a lot. Has china got a military base in Nigeria? I really still don't think it is fear mongering because we are after all talking about a military base. Countries share skills all the time among each other and you don't need to establish a military base for that to happen. Just a genuine question for you though, do you genuinely think the reason the US has for wanting to set up AFRICOM is to gain economically or open trade routes? How come India and other countries have been able to do this even with the high risk market that is Nigeria without involving military? Instead of trying to improve trade or "diplomatic relationship" by wooing the country with a better deal it is by establishing a military base that this will be achieved? Personally speaking for myself, it is not about fear as you claim, it is simply that i really don't think it is necessary, do you?

@Kobojunkie to be honest i really don't see the benefit this base would have either, so why don't you inform us on what you think the possible benefit would be? The examples you used before to cite possible benefits a US base on Nigerian soil will bring sounded like economical benefits. However i really don't see this because we don't need a base before we trade do we? How many years have people been shouting fair trade, fair trade, but it is when asian countries are coming in to offer a seemingly better deal with african countries that everyone is now realising the potential africa has? I really don't see the fear mongering in any of this, it is just that i really can't see the benefit and hence i asked you to name what you think they will be and i hope you won't mention military intervention because US army on Nigerian soil will not automatically mean that at all. However people should also understand because unlike Nigerian government US government always seem to hold the interest of the US people as number one priority (even if it is sometimes seen as being to the detrement of others) which is absolutely understandable as that is what a government should be doing. Hence we should be urging our government to do thesame so the question now remains, is this in Nigerian interest? What are the benefits of this and how long is this supposed base to exist in the country?

savanaha:
I think people who run the risk of being constantly attacked or have been constantly attacked should possess their own guns. If an armed robber comes to the house then blast them to hell in the name of Jesus while using a gun.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

LOL, this is funny. Given the open greediness of African leaders and the thirst for power and diregard for citizens all over the continent who on earth won't want to be the leader of this so called forsaken US of Africa? LOL. You want to watch "big men" fighting for positions in agbada? LOL. Small countries with failed leadership and agendas are not enough we now want to make a giant testament to poverty, mismanagement and wickedness in leadership? Talk about Frankenstein, LOL

@C_JAY, i did not hear the speech so i can't say, however i am sure OBJ, IBB, etc made speech also. Is there any tangible thing to point to though or any foundation or anything that is already in motion??

[quote author=Nigeria1. link=topic=137919.msg2316642#msg2316642 date=1212190781]http://.com

Sky Blue  and what the other name. We are yorubas and we have culture, if Fashaola is not ready to follow the Yoruba culture, he should resign. And his deputy should take over. You see a yoruba proverb says noone is enermy to  water. Why is that proverb. Water is the source of life and you can not be enermy to it. Obasanjo is the head of the PDP. The source of federal allocation comes from the federal. PDP control that. If he refuse to make friend with them. He should resign.

I want to tell you a story. There was a young man in school who use to visit his brother . The young man name is Umuru and the brother name is musa. This musa had a friend. His name was olu. When Olu came to see Musa, some time umuru was there and when there finish eating they ask umuru to get them one thing or the other. Even when olu would forget something in his car. He would ask Umuru to please go to his car and bring that thing. Olu and musa sometime would go to Musa and umuru mother house and eat.
Sometime Musa would send umuru to olu to collect one thing or the other in lagos.

Now do you know who is Musa?? Do you know who is Olu and do you know who is Umuru.??

olu is olusegun Obasanjo  and Umuru is the present  president  of Nigeria. Umuru Yar Adua,  and Musa was the president brother.

If you doubt how fashola is making the people of lagos loss out of the federal goodies. tell him to wear white agbada and take a white spotless goat to Otta and also have one white envelope. In the white envelope . Let fashola write one only one white WISH he want the federal govt to do for the people of lagos and See if in less than 48 hours the federal govt would not grant it.  Look if President Obasanjo calls President Yar Adua at 3 am in the morning, he would pick up the phone if it as call display.

What I am saying is that look there is no man in yorubaland that can tell the senators, governors, and house of assembly member of yoruba origin (90%) were to vote like Obasanjo , the other person is chief bode George. there are other 7  people but there are not many, one of the them is a woman. What is leadership?? A leader is a man that have power and followship. NoT A man that claim he is the leader of the Yorubas without power and goes to pay pressmen and chief  to call him  the leader of the yorubas.  leaders are not group of people who call themself Yoruba leaders without followship.
Governor Fashola must know  yoruba people wish.

http://.com[/quote]LOL, i really don't even know where to start or whether i am being silly for replying but you know what? I will indulge you. Did Fashola sign up to lead yoruba people or lead Lagos state? Do you have some kind of quote from him before he got elected whereby he said forget lagos but he was there not to serve lagos but to serve Yoruba people? When you see that something is wrong do you just shut your mouth and go along with it even if it is obviously wrong just to respect this "culture" you speak off? Sorry, but i believe a good name is better than many riches and i will have more respect personally for Fashola if he does not sell out and call black white just so that he can "call OBJ at 3 am" LOL. Politicians all over the world even get openly criticized by members of their own party if there is something to be said, not to even speak of the opposition sef, LOL. And then this whole idea of Fashola tending to OBJ and massaging his back so he can get favours is just, LOL, sorry it is just funny. In one year alone i can list solid achievements made by Fashola and they are much more than just road building, drainage system and beautifying lagos, get yourself informed about it. So he should leave all of that and focus on OBJ why? Get some favours from the president that he is even easily as far as i can see outperforming? So with all the butt kissing OBJ got during his eight years, then by your reasoning the federal government should have "granted" a lot of "wishes" so why is the country so messed up then? LOL, OBJ has turned into father christmas. And that whole Olu and Musa sitting on a tree story, sorry but the sentiment was completely wasted on me especially given the state of the country.
God bless and have a nice day.

@Nigeria 1, you wrote this: "Fashola role as governor is hold up the culture of the Yorubas". I don't even know where to begin. So that is the role of the governor of Lagos State? Is lagos no longer part of Nigeria? So only yorubas live in lagos? This whole tribal issue, i just don't know. My main surprise at the whole Fashola did not allegedly greet OBJ was, i just did not realise it was now illegal to not greet who you don't want to greet. Is it now against the law? If you don't really want to is it by force? You could argue he could at least be civil, etc but is it your problem? With all the things happening in Nigeria i really do not think whether Fashola greets or does not greet OBJ is even an issue in the first place or is it? So we should now focus on who does or does not want to play with OBJ anymore? LOL. I am impressed with the urgency Fashola is treating his state with and if he can put order in the chaos that is lagos of all cities in Nigeria during his term, then no on else has any excuse, NO ONE. Not even Yaradua, or any other governor or government of any state.

@Big B1, out of genuine interest, so what exactly are the problems that the "poor man" is up against which i can't seem to see? He could have done better? So what exactly is it that he has done in the first place which could be bettered? 75% is pretty high for what seems to be doing nothing isn't it? So isn't that going against the whole "embracing perfection" you speak off? My whole problem is that if you are giving this guy 75% for this then what on earth would warrant 90%? When he builds a road? I mean, if we set low standards then who do we blame but ourselves when we get mediocrity? So is the fact that someone is not a thief now a credible benchmark for what passes for a good president in Nigeria? If it is then i must say i can't see this light at the end of the tunnel. I like to believe there is much more to being a president than not stealing isn't there? You could say he is better than the previous guys to make comparison but unfortunately that does not really say anything and is not even a compliment given the history of bad governance Nigeria has, it is like someone telling you that you fine pass monkey.

@chrome does calmer political atmosphere necessarily mean there is progress? I may be wrong but i see the calmness as a result of the status quo being maintained and hence no feathers are being ruffled and the citizenry keep on taking everything the way it is, basically it is business as usual, so why won't things be calm especially for Nigeria where anything seems to go? So if Ibori was in jail and the rest of his ilk would there be a "calm" political atmosphere? If there wouldn't be then would that mean there is regression as opposed to progression? Now if this whole business as usual idea of looting etc, was fought against then would the policical atmosphere be calm? I really think not. Again, would that be a bad thing?

@superboi please have you got a link to the interview? This i have to see.

@storm0210, i don't believe anybody has said he can fix nigeria in a year. However what is most worrying is that Yaradua does not seem to be making any effort to actually change anything whatsoever. What effort has been made? What exactly? What processes are being put in place to fix anything? That is the problem for me anyway. We don't have a leader who wanted to sit tight or that people in a rare occassion in the history of Nigeria actually fought against it? OBJ ruled nigeria in military times, ruled again as a supposed "democrat" and then wanted to push for a third term. Is that not sit tight? I just don't see what democracy there is to celebrate but if you can then have a nice day

@Kobojunkie, i did not say we should pass up a beneficial opportunity, i am just considering if it could do more harm than good? And above all it is a shame though, it just goes to show how screwed up things really are. It is a shame that setting up a US base would seem like the only viable option to maintain some security when Nigeria actually could if it had the will and not just the corrupt belly. Case in point the police equipment fund. So in general, do you think it would be more beneficial considering a possible threat it might pose? Imagine Nigeria becoming a target, is it really implausible?