₦airaland Forum

bawamolo, selling more handouts? lol. If the hand outs were actually with useful and genuine content and substance then i might be more convinced, although handouts should come as part of the lecture. I still don't get your research arguement. There has to be something on the ground and that is not what research funds are there for. So what can ASUU do differently? And about that suggestion with fund raisers. LOL. Fundraising in Nigeria at this point? What happened to police equipment fund, or funding by public for OBJs library, those are not the only cases by the way. But Nigerians can't keep paying taxes for services they don't get.

romeo:
Yeah typical of Nigerians!!

We are short sighted most of the times, The banking reforms carried out by the CBN was criticised by some people in Nigeria but today a good majority of Nigerians are benefitting from it

Money spraying is one obnoxious ostentatious way of intimidating the the poor, We are all asking why there is too much crime and corruption in Nigeria and not so in other countries that are way poorer than our dear nation!!

The answer is that the poor youths can not stand the pressure coming from money spraying machines during festivities and thus making every youth to be too money conscious
The law is good if it can help keep the Naira bills clean and healthy

Romeo, i you really seriously saying that the youths of today are taking up armed robbery and there is soo much violence because of spraying? Are you really trying to make that arguement? I guess i was wrong, forget that there are no jobs around, that the universities are on strike a lot, that government rather hire foreign companies because the institution does not work, that there is no job creation, that the youth might feel cheated because politicians continue to rob Nigerian youths everyday and they can't seem to retaliate but go against society. Forget all that people, once we kill this spraying habit, all of this would go away. Solodu should forget about improving value of Naira, about economic reforms other than redenominating, about the welfare of banks and banking refoms, about creating an avenue for small busineeses to be profitable, i could go on. But please let us all forget about all of this, everyone stop. THE BAN ON SPRAYING IS THE ANSWER TO NIGERIA'S PROBLEMS

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bawomolo i don't think that research fundings are used to build institutions. Research funding is used for just exactly that, research work. The fund is used to buy materials for the research, and all the things that a particular research entails. It can be used to buy research equipment but given that  researches can be about anything, i don't think that has anything to do with this. That arguement might only stand for private institutions and even with that, it is not used to build private institutions. There has to be something on the ground so i don't think research fund has anything to do with this. So you are saying that every single university in Nigeria should get research funding to use to build the roads in institutions, to buy something as basic as micrscopes, to provide security on campus, provide descent rooms that can be passed off as lecture halls, to buy basic equipment that an instituion should have? What i am thinking now is what ASUU can do different? They strike and all the government says is 'go back to work'. Yaradua has not done anything so far and i beginning to think, i can't believe we might be stuck with him. I hope the next four years aren't marked with inaction.

I can't believe the news i just read. Maurice Iwu is to conduct the re-elections that the various electoral tribunals in the country ordered. I just , i am speechless. I mean. What is Yaradua doing? Isn't this insulting? Should we really expect different results? If he re runs the elections being ordered and he is allowed, then i don't see how we won't be back to square one, i.e going to tribunals to re-nullify the re-elections and order re-re-elections. Wasn't electoral reform one of the things Yaradua made such noise about? To get back to the topic, Yaradua's 7 point agenda is as vague as they come and right now as much as i can see, it is mere rhetoric at best (that is even being kind). He does not go into any form of detail as to how he intends to go about on the 'agendas'. To improve the situation with the police, his idea has being to set up a security council (right?). The council is made up of past police leaders etc. Just reading that he has also set up a council to tackle the energy sector. So is this saying that he had no ideas at all on how to go about his agendas and that all he planned to do was set up councils made up of people that might have questionable standings? I really want to give Yaradua benefit of doubt and i so deperately want to be proved wrong because it would mean change. But as long as i have seen, all he has done so far since he got into office is not steal. Lord have mercy.

at father ab, if you were the ASUU chairman, would you want your daughters to school in Nigeria if you could afford by some other means to send them abroad? So it is completely understandable and is even a testament to the state of our affairs that even ASUU chairman wants his daughters to get a good education (that is abroad). He is simply being a good parent. People in power go abraod to treat headache but won't fix the health sector, it is just a vicious cycle. There are so many youths without jobs and with nothing to do, and hence no surprise that armed robbery has increased to such an appaling state. Education has the potential to inspire people to be passionate about something, it also has the potential to introduce knowledge to people, knowledge which can be used to lift them out of poverty. I just can't believe the neglect something as important as education has suffered in Nigeria. The neglect has meant that a lot of the good lecturers have left the country to teach abroad. Why you may ask? Because in Nigeria education is not appreciated at all. Lesotho is one of the poorest countries in Africa and University lecturers are among the highest paid people in the country and they are paid more than in Nigeria. I visited Lesotho and the University of Lesotho puts all Universities i have seen in Nigeria to shame (hands down). And this is a country which relies a lot on aid, yet they know the importance of that sector. Compare that to Nigeria?

seguno, a more appropriate analogy in this case would be, a man is blind, deaf, dumb and has a fly that keeps perching on his face for 2 seconds every three hours. A medical team with all the ability to cure his blindness and dumbness, etc, come and kill the fly. Then pack up all their medical equipment and return home.

The news that ASUU is planning a 5 day warning strike got me thinking. The disdain the Nigerian government has seemed to show towards education never ceases to amaze me and just goes to show a real lack of understanding into the role education plays, especially at university level. The sector is so messed up and impoverished with no direction, leadership or serious needed funding. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS. And let me explain why? At the way things are going, we are squandering the potential of our intelligent youths who go through the education system which has a lack of basic facilities and outdated information. Even without loking at things from that prospect of underfunding, many of our universities have lecturers with questionable standings. A friend of mine who was just starting in an institution in Rivers State was telling me when i visited Port Harcourt that one of her lecturers came into the class and boldly told them straight out that if they did not buy his book, they will fail. Apparently, buying the book gets you 50% of the course mark. If you pay him some money (forgotten the ammount), you get another extra 10%. And guess what, the book was completely useless, i read through it briefly and it contained very vague information that a reasonable child could write up so it was no surprise that he wrote it. So by just buying the useless book and the paying some money, you have passed that course? At what point has the knowledge transfer or skill in all of this been achieved? Let us also not forget about those lecturers who insist that for the female students to pass the course, they must sleep with them! Most institutions don't even have adequate measures in place to check these things. I asked her to report the lecturer to the institution about the whole book issue. Apparently that is shooting yourslef in the foot because most cases, he would just get scolded then he would come back to make sure the student who reported him fails. The sad part is that there are some good lecturers (quite a significant number too) in some Nigerian institutions but the reports you hear sometimes is very disheartening. How does this affect Nigeria you may ask? I will tell you how. So at the end of the day we have a lot of people leaving our institutions with degrees, so how do you know if it was due to their ability as students or just simply by buying books and sleeping with lecturers that a student achieved that degree? You have graduates claiming to be engineers, doctors and so on. When they graduate, if they work in Nigeria they become part of the Nigerian work force, they would become part of Nation building. Would you feel confident living in a house that a one handed beggar you just picked of the streets built? Is it any wonder that our country's infrastructure is built mostly by foreigners? The Nigerian government has no confidence in Nigerian graduates (and very understandably so). Now this is the part that is really annoying. They have no confidence because they know the situation on the ground, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO FIX IT? If as even the blind leaders of Nigeria aknowledge 'children are our future' then we are destroying our future. ASUU keeps striking and what are they asking for? VERY BASIC THINGS. They keep asking for funding from the government to improve the institutions. Buy some lab equipment, some books, etc. This is what they have been striking mostly about and asking for. I was informed that the last time Ghana had a strike it lasted for well over a year (forgotten how long but it was quite long). They got the message to the government and the sector in ghana was given due attention and since then there has never been a strike in Ghana till today. A lot of people leave Nigeria to go to Ghana because their institutions frankly puts Nigerian ones to shame (hands down). We have students who apply for a 4 year course leaving in like 8 years because of strike and the government continues to ignore this sector. This even affects the economy because we keep paying foreigners a lot to do things that Nigerian graduates should be able to do, i am sure if Yaradua's toilet in aso rock gets blocked he even gets german engineers to fix it. What hope is there for the education sector in Nigeria?

at bawomolo, the etteh arguement wasn't me saying corruption should not be fought. it was simply an analogy to show that time spent on one thing simply means time not spent on something else. It is simply up to us to now judge wether there aren't more important things that time could be spent on, what do you think? Also, i agree with you that taking care of Naira should be encouraged, but placing a law? Come on.
You also said we control the government? Are we speaking of thesame Nigeria?

at texazzpete, interesting first  point but what you seem to be missing is that time spent on what we all seem to be agreeing is not a priority right now is time not spent on the more 'important' priorities that can really make a difference. The members of the house of assembly spent so much time on the whole Eteh saga (because the woman was too stubborn), what was the consequence?  Has the budget been passed yet? Further delay of the budget being passed meant further delay of the implementation of the budget, hence further delay in development. So you see? Spending time on stuff like this is consequential. I did not say spraying of Naira is not 'abuse' of the naira but for the last time, PRIORITY. God bless 

At 4 Play, haven't we been informed throughout the thread that the measure is attacking "spraying" alone? So with your reasoning isn't my arguement as you said 'valid'. Even if this law is meant to attack all abuse of Naira, that is, mamaput women, police men, market people in general, bus drivers and conductors, suya joints, taxi driver, the list goes on, how on earth would such a law be enforced. I am not purposely being hostile but i would genuinely like you to enlighten me on how this law would be enforced. To me it is just what has come to be a trade mark of the Nigerian government, complete lack of priority and understanding of the situation. Do people spray diamonds encrusted paper in owambe? The naira has no value so to people it is pretty much inconsequential to spray. Give the paper they are throwing value first then we can begin to have this debate. Money is meant to be durable and that is why i am sure egg shells were never used as currency throughout history. Even without that arguement, there are so many issues to tackle and Solodu is attacking this? Forget about the durability arguement sef, give the paper value then we can begin to go after laws which stop what when compared to the WHOLE picture is pretty inconcequential in Nigeria. This my friends is simply putting the cart before the horse.

at 4 Play and emiemi, so you are saying this is actually a priority? Just a simple question. With the state of the nation right now, policies that could be fowarded to improve the economic situation, the value of the naira, improve in the banking sector to support business, moving our economy to make it less dependent on resources by encouraging small businesses and all this host of issues that Solodu can focus on, you are saying THIS is a priority? That is my simple and humble qusetion. Spraying comes no where close to accounting for most of the abuse of the naira that should be designed to stand wear and tear longer and hence have a longer cycle for all those giving the impression that our economy is so bad because of Naira abuse. So are we saying that the situation with our economy is so sound right now that the only way forward Solodu can take out of so many other things to tackle is to stop spraying? People please i say again, PRIORITY.

I hope and pray that this law hasn't been passed. My main reason is simply that it would confirm my fears that Yaradua's government is such a sham for lack of a better word. Sure he looks like a nice man but he is a rubbish leader (if this law has been passed). The freedom of information bill has not been passed, the energy sector remains the way it is, there has been no significant change made to the leadership of INEC or INEC itself and yet we are really actually talking about this? One word my friends, priority. This government is turning out to be all talk no action and ultimately DIRECTIONLESS. For cryng out loud he is a leader, so let him LEAD. I seriously doubt that Solodu has the power to declare any law, if he does then what is the legislature there for (forgot, they are debating about how we dress). With each passing day the news becomes more disheartening and shows lack of leadership. Gas flaring was meant to have stopped by now, but the deadline has been moved AGAIN to the end of this year. Isn't gas flaring the major contributor to the ecological degradation people in the Niger Delta are complaining about? And guess what, there are even rumours that the deadline would be postphoned, AGAIN. We need a man with spine to stand up to multinational corporations because our country is meant to be lead by the president not multinationals. As president he is meant to be the leader of the PDP and yet look at how roudy and undisciplined PDP is. Sorry to deviate from topic, but to get back to it, one word, priority. Although i don't think spraying contributes to even a fifth of the abused Naira, i still think Soludu has his priorities completely wrong if this is what he is really focusing on. For those that argue from the whole 'money has to be used to make new ones' angle, can you please give some estimate as to how much you think it costs to print money? Major abuse of Naira as i can gather is from everyday use like market women fishing around in their bra to give you change, etc. Ultimately, if our notes had value people won't be so eager to 'abuse' it and take better care of their money. I'm sorry but i believe it really is that simple. In england it is very easy to see 2p or 1p on the ground. However, you would never see a note on the ground or rough handled. Why? because the currency has value. Isn't this what Soludu should be focusing on? Even without that, a £20 note is surprisingly durable even considering it is not the most commonly used. If people in charge have really run out of ideas and direction, they should let others lead.

The 'government' might not make money from there being no light (eg selling generators, etc), but certain individuals do because there is a lot of money to be made. And quite a good number of these people are in government. Rivers State government did not make money from Port Harcourt Airport being closed but a certain individual did and he was part of the government. Does it really matter?

The only major downsides to the election being annulled that i can think of are the instability it might cause, we have to waste more resources on another election and it might be a window of opportunity for certain individuals to further hold the country to ransom. However, it would also mean that Nigeria is given another opportunity to potentially rid itself of a PDP president. I would genuinely like to be proven wrong but i seriously do believe that PDP is the cancer of Nigeria. All sensible and well meaning Nigerians in PDP should leave that party because it is holding Nigeria hostage. PDP has single handedly institutionalised electoral fraud. They might not have started it but it has become normality for them. I am not even sure they know it is criminal. In some states there is no opposition in power and quite a few states have all local government chairmanship positions held by the PDP. Does it mean those states are crazy about PDP, no. But elections have become a platform in Nigeria for PDP to show its hate for democracy by the rigging, thuggery and violence that is carried out by its members. I have not actually ever heard sound debates about 'the issues' during elections in Nigeria. If Nigerian elections were about that and the people were allowed to choose, i believe Pat Utomi would have had a very good chance of getting the presidency. Atiku and Buhari are not the only candidates to choose from. But who are we trying to deceive here? We all know that at present Nigeria isn't really a democracy because the people don't have the power. I rephrase. The people have the power but they just don't seem to realise it. Just remids me of that scene from the Disney/Pixar movie Bugs Life, when all the ants stand up to the grass hoppers. Might be a 'childish' analogy but i think the major fear held by those who don't want a new election is that we are walking into the unknown, we haven't been in this position before. But as long as we KICK out Maurice Iwu and get a credible electoral body then although there are unknowns and risks, i personally believe that the potential gains are worth the potential risks.

This is the kind of rubbish i am talking about. The police and security agents in Nigeria don't know what their role is in society. They are one of, if not the most undisciplined group in Nigeria. What is even worse in these case is if the peron they were 'escorting' knew what was going on and said nothing. This is not servant leadership, it is this whole 'big man' attitude. There must be a way to get this in the papers, i am sure some journalists must read this site. We can't just keep letting things go on like this. Check out for more Nigerian sites, and let us try and get this in Nigerian papers.

It really is so sad because selfish and greedy men profit from all the chaos in Nigeria. You think a huge ammount of money is not being made from there being no light? How many generators do you think are sold in Nigeria? Then buying diesel for it which is not made in Nigeria even though we have soo much crude oil. Like being lost at sea and dying of thirst. Do you see the pattern? People make money from chaos and it is so sad because these people are among the people we have chosen to lead us. If you want to destroy NEPA, then create competition . That is it. NEPA has complete and utter monopoly of the Nigerian population. It is so sad because that is the only reason they treat their customers like trash because we have to put up with them. You think if there was an alternative anyone would want to stay with NEPA? Then to keep customers they will have to improve their services. Let me give you another example of how greedy men profit from chaos. Port Harcourt Airport (an International airport to an important city) was closed for about 2 years. The excuse by the then governor was that it needed maintenance. Apparently it has now been reopened and there was not much visible change so what were they maintaining? The airport being closed created chaos because a lot of people needed to fly to port harcourt. Conveniently, a 'temporary' airport was opened at airforce base near the city, but since it was on airforce base it was conveniently too small for a lot of airlines to operate via it. So only two airlines could operate flights to Port Harcourt the oil city for about 2 years. That is how Arik air started, and who owns Arik air again? Wasn't their a report claiming that Arik airline belongs to Peter Odili (ex governor of rivers state)? We have no working refinery in this country, but one of our ex governors owns one in another country, so fuel can be imported. The evil that men do. Some of our politicians have found a new excuse for innaction. They make our problems seem ridiculously complicated and impossible to solve. Do we all really believe that fixing the power supply in Nigeria is that imposible? Do we really believe that curbing corruption is a ridiculous dream and that we should just accept it as part of our national life? These things can be attacked but as i said, too many greedy selfish people who are too blind to see that their selfishness is holding the nation back, profit from the chaos. When they go back to there communities after looting those same people, those same people welcome them, they get visits from all manner of chiefs and ministers (in the case of Alams even Vice President). The sad truth is that we are complaining about increase in crime in Nigeria but why won't crime increase when we are reminded each day by those in power that crime pays? The evil that men do !!!

Do you know where his 'rule of law' stance becomes insulting? The whole INEC fiasco. One of the biggest insult to the Nigerian people by Yaradua's administration is not the fact that INEC conducted the most shameful elections in our history, involved themselves with election malpractise and thuggery, and all of that, the bigger insult is that with all the proof available Maurice Iwu and INEC have not even been properly investigated. The repeated local government elections conducted in one of the Northern States and ibadan were again marred with violence and thuggery. Why on earth should it have been better when thesame INEC with thesame Maurice Iwu were conducting the elections? It is like planting banana and expecting yam to be produced during havest. It just reminds me of one of the most irritating quotes i heard. Apparently when the people of Edo state were complaining after Lucky Igbenidions first term in office and time for election came, guess what his father said in his defence? "Luck fail, Lucky Fail, if una pikin fail exam una no go let am take the exam again"? Well,  what can one say? I may be wrong and i like to give people a chance, but i think people have mistaken Yaradua's lack of courage to act and lead the country for humility and meekness.

sleekmike, you are basing your judgement about who was the better candidate on only 3 major contenders to last election. But i believe there were much more. I still strongly believe that Yaradua would have been voted for not because people believed he had a plan for Nigeria, but come on, who else would you have gone for? The ex Vice President who admitted he looted the treasury but in his defence said Obasanjo looted more? Or the ex military dictator who would have probably made a difference but was rumoured to have had controversial views on sharia (basically wanting to implement sharia in more northern states). Yaradua was chosen because he was a lesser of three evils. We could have gone for risky candidates or the "safe bet". What vision does Yaradua have for Nigeria? He was not even planning to run for the presidency, so are we saying he is a good president because he is not corrupt, or does not steal? Because if that is our criteria for what passes as a good president then we are doomed. He isn't bad, but he isn't good either, he is mediocre, with a very vague "7 point agenda". We are tired of potential. Nigeria is a potentially rich country but are we? Potential is different from reality. He might have potential, but that is not what is on the ground. Judge by the results not by potential. 9 months on and he can't pass the simple FOI bill.

What has an okada or moloue driver driving on the wrong side of the road got to do with the police beating up a LATSMA official for telling them that what they were doing was wrong and disorderly and going against what they (the police) should actually stand for (law and order)? How does increasing pay improve the character and principles of the police force? I do believe taking better care of the police force financially is a good step, but i just don't agreee that it is what is needed to revolutionise the police force. How does increased pay stop them from cutting through filling station queues to get petrol for free? I just don't see it. The Nigerian police seems to be a paradox in itself. They are the police that are meant to be maintaining law and order which i continue to insist is much more than catching armed robbers, yet they are among the most disorderly and indisciplined in the society. How would increased pay change that? They might stop asking for twenty naira bribes, but how does that improve the character, principles and values of the force? They need to understand what role the police should play in the society. How ironic that Nigerians are actually scared of there own police force.

I think the problem with the Nigerian police force goes beyond under equipment, i think the major problem is that they don't know the roles they are supposed to play in society. They don't understand that they are there to protect Nigerians and uphold the law. Upholding the law is more than stopping armed robberies. I remember the story someone used in article as an insight into the Nigerian police force. She told a story of a LATSMA official in lagos who was pursued by some police officers in their police van and beaten up in his bosses compound where he went to seek protection. Do you know why he was beaten up? He was conducting traffic and the police van disregarded this and just drove anyhow they wanted, making traffice worse, when he querried and questioned this, they chased and seriously beat him up. I guess they probably couldn't believe the audacity he had to question them for being in the wrong. Most people in Nigeria are even scared of the police and rightly so. My cousin and some family members even informed me that in Port Harcourt sometime last year (might have been longer) a police officer from a group off them that were collecting bribes shot at a car and the bullet passed through the guy and also hit and killed a pregnant woman. Why did they do this? The man did not want to give them twenty naira bribe. And by the way, this was in broad daylight and i am sure the bullet used was worth more than 20naira. So what has this, especially the beating up of the LATSMA official in lagos got to do with not being paid well enough? And by the way, these are just examples of things that happen in everyday Nigerian life. The Nigerian police just don't fully understand what role they are supposed to play in the society, so how would just increasing their pay change this? I think there is so much more to it than that.

All i have to ask is this, has the freedom of information bill been passed or have they all forgotten about that? This government is quite testing in the patience department. I remember the big fuss Yaradua and the legislators made about that bill when he came into power and close to 9 months in power the bill has not been passed even considering the importance it has. A bill declaring Tinapa a free trade zone too has not been passed and hence the project is as good as dead till that happens. All these things and this is what they are delibrating? After the huge accusations of 419 and all that in the house of assmebly they want to be the moral beacon in our society and tell us to be 'descent', does anyone see the irony? Yaradua doesn't seem to have a plan for Nigeria after all. I used the word seem because i still want to give him the benefit of doubt. Until the freedom of information bill is passed, i will coninue to see Yaradua's rule of law thing as one big sham. People please, how long does it take them to 'read' through the bill (for the 100th time) before it is passed? Sounds like a euphemism for innaction and makes you wonder if they are not just looking for clever ways to put in loop holes.

4 Play, a decisive government with a vision and clear plans does not automatically translate to a dictatorship. Right now the only part of Nigeria that has that kind of leadership is Lagos, and I am not from the state, yet i can see what Fashola stands for and his vision. What on earth does Yaradua stand for? Not all changes need to take 10 to 20 years. It shouldn’t take that long to finish and construct more power stations, it shouldn’t take that long to improve and renovate the infrastructure of the major cities. With just those changes alone, the speed at which things would change might shock you. People both in Nigeria and abroad are just dying to invest in the country but are waiting for things to improve. My major fear is that the whole excuse of things taking time can be a new excuse used by Nigerian politicians to carry on with the whole business as usual attitude of looting and mismanagement. I can imagine a governor stealing all the money in his state and leaving office with the excuse that he did what he could but ‘change takes time’. Even Yaradua’s whole rule of law gimmick has become a tool used by greedy politicians to keep looting and escape punishment. As far as i can see, Yaradua’s leadership stands for nothing. I may be wrong but i just can’t see what he stands for. Not trying to be hostile, just being honest. What is his vision for Nigeria? “Where there is no vision the people perish”. Decisiveness with a vision and democracy and not two mutually exclusive concepts, but in a lot of cases sign of good leadership because it shows someone with a plan and vision. It does not have to be one or the other. While some changes do genuinely take time i personally believe that the whole idea is overplayed and  while some changes do take time, i believe that excuse is a slogan in the making for our failed politicians if we are not careful. Take care and God Bless.   

Dis Guy, i don't think you took a few things into consideration and a revolution does not have to be a violent thing, it can in most cases be a revolution in our thinking and stance to stop taking rubbish. First of all, Bonny in Rivers State has been enjoying uninterrupted power supply for quite a while now and i am talking years. LNG which operates there supplies the whole island with electricity and the people simply pay for what they use (pre paid meters). With pre paid meters power is even cheaper because believe it or not NEPA is a very corrupt organisation and the people coming to your house just write up the bills when they go there by their judgement on how much money you have. Secondly, there are power power stations in various stages of completion around the country, they are in various stages of completion because of the level of corruption that was evident in the last administration. Also, from your reasoning you create the impression that the government can only do one thing at a time, that the president personally goes to oversee and manage each project and hence only one thing can be done at a time. So what on earth are all the ministries there for? In an ideal situation, they won't build a power station before they realise the distribution system is weak. Don't underestimate Nigeria, it is abundantly blessed which is why it is even more frustrating to see its potential squandered. You said revolutions never work? What about the french revolution? I envy france because due to that revolution, the government doesn't mess around with its citizens, since they know what is possible and what has happened in the past. The french revolution was a very long time ago but its meaning and significance and change still echoes in france to this day. I am not trying to compare france to Nigeria but just trying to counter your claim that revolutions never work. We have governments and president who see themselves as answerable to a very few select (the so called 'godfathers') instead of being answerable to the Nigerian masses. I could go on, but i would end it with this. I very much disagree with you that with a 'well behaved' government we wil need to wait 10 to 20 years, i believe that things can revolutionarily change in like 4-5 years. I hope you don't detect hostility from me, i am just passionate about Nigeria . But for arguement sake, let us assume you are right. So you say with amazing governance it will take 10 to 20 years for things to change? So how long would it take with the kind of governance we have now? 50 to 100? and you still think we don't need drastic measures?

I believe Nigeria needs nothing short of a revolution to survive. Instead what we keep getting are very poor imitations of the real thing. The day Nigerians collectively get angry (and rightly so) and say enough is enough is the day that country will change. But not every one seems to want that change badly enough. We get angry over stuff for a very short while then it all dies away. Has the Freedom of information bill been passed? What is happening to Ibori's case, he was meant to have had a court appearance i think last week, but there was a "judiciary strike". We don't believe one man can make a difference because we have never had that man in power before. I mean what on earth did we expect from a man who did not aspire to be president in the first place? The trouble with Nigerian politics is that people don't get in because they want to make a change, they get in because they want to be in the position to become very rich easily to the detriment of everyone else. They are not just selfish but greedy. If you want to really see who wants to serve Nigeria well, then let a law be passed which stops the president and ministers and governors from having more than a fixed ammount in any of their accounts per month and pay them minimum wage (of course they will be fed and sheltered with tax payers money), then you will see what would happen. I have a very strong feeling that over 90 percent of the members of PDP would go and get a real job. Our leaders don't see the fact that they are in the position to lead a great nation and improve the lives of so many as a priviledge, instead they see themselves as God's gift to us.
I do believe that even if the election was not rigged, out of the three major players Yaradua would still have won, not because people thought he would make a great president, but because he was a lesser of three evils. Now isn't that just a very very sad state of affairs ?

To respond to oldie's comment, when i mean insulted i mean the name calling people are frequently subjected to in this forum. An no i wouldn't have preferred a bad person as a president, i just think the fact that he is a good person (allegedly), does not make him a good president. There is so much more to the presidency than that. I think you misunderstood what i said and should read my post again as i don't think there is anything i need to add to it. I don't want to keep repeating. Have a nice day and God bless.

i have resisted registering on this forum for so long because i don't want to be insulted, lol. Concerning this discussion i believe sometimes people in Nigeria can be so easily wooed and impressed by things that should be expected as norm given the situation and i understand where Kobojunkie is coming from. I remember going on the government websites of some of Rivers State and in a state so richly blessed in natural resources and a state also enjoying a significant ammount in state derivation from the federal budget, what the then governor ('Dr' Peter Odilli) saw as worth flaunting as things his administration had achieved was some off the most insulting trite like, buying a few buses (which i never saw in use when i was in Port Harcourt), buying a few taxis (which were later sold), building a block of flats (which is now run down), etc. He also ran down the state, and under his leadership Rivers State became a lawless state run by cults and militants. With the ammount of money he stole he is even richer than oprah. Compare the rivers state website to the lagos one which flaunted the achievements of the current governor Fashola and even more important, detailed and well evaluated future PLANS on how to move the state foward with foundations already taking shape. An agressive rehabilitation of infrastructure, improvement of business environment by rehabilitaing, maintaining and beautifying the lagos island CBD (central business district) hence creating a more inviting environment for big businesses, the list just goes on and you can find out for yourself.
The point i am trying to make is that Nigerians can be so easily wooed and impressed by sanity and normality and understandably so. After so many years of misrule, mismanagement and plunder, things that should be seen as norm and just get a nod of approval seem like things worth celebrating. I honestly believe that nigerians can be too easily forgiving, that is why somebody can burn a whole state but as long as he builds a school some will say 'leave am, at least the man try sha'. Although you have to take into consideration the fact that it is Nigeria, i do believe that by holding our leaders more accountable and setting higher standards we can get more from them. Simply put, if we make such a huge deal about the president not spending his 'pocket money' then is there all there is to the presidency? Does that make him a good president? A good person probably, i can't say as i don't know him personally. But i think it is a testament to the state of our affairs if what passes as a good president is a president that is not corrupt. Like giving a child a pat on the back for not stealing or shooting his mother. Don't get me wrong, i am not necessarily anti Yardua, i just think this whole thing should be looked at as commendable on his character as a person not as a president.