₦airaland Forum

[quote author=tosh_acer link=topic=273228.msg3879697#msg3879697 date=1242566401]What is the meaning of what you have just said?[/quote]Alarm bells go off and Nigerians still sleep.

I really hope they stop buying our petrol too.

Good job Obama.


Obama made shots during his inauguration regarding leaders who cling on to power using unorthodox means (i.e Nigeria).

If this wake up alarm is ignored by Nigerians as in previous times, then who is to blame?

Good thread.

Tribalism needs to beaten out of every African before we can move forward.

Reject it.

Years ago I stopped telling fellow nigerians what tribe my lineage is from. Simply Nigerian, more details, south Nigerian, more details, Delta State, more details, my penis is black. End of story.

Tribalism is irrelevant.

If ending tribalism is murder, I'll be happy to commit it a thousand times over.

biina:
That is a valid argument in a free market environment, hence not applicable as the Nigerian banking sector is regulated, with depositors having limited choices.
Also the average depositor is less informed and often does not see the hand writings on the wall until the palace is torn down. How many depositors review the annual report of their banks?

How many depositors of CityBank, RBC, Bank of Montreal, Barclays Bank, HSBC and Northern Rock reviewed the bank's annual statement before they deposited their money into their accounts?

mikeansy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70onHcye6_U

This video is so important it needs to be spammed so everyone can see.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70onHcye6_U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70onHcye6_U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70onHcye6_U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70onHcye6_U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70onHcye6_U


NOT 1, SINGLE, PERSECUTION AFTER THE VIOLENCE. NOT 1.


'nuff said.

nigeria, a product of its own people

I like the idea actually.

Too many interest groups and I'm a natural born sceptic, Nigerians will get bribed to make sure this plan never comes to fruition.

But the idea is very simple, halt the export of the crude and have it refined at home and export only refined oil, increasing jobs within the nation, increasing internal investment (new refining plants), income stays within the nation (we refine it, our citizens pay for it by purchasing something made at home hence money does not leave the nation), and it will allow us to industrialize and gain the experience in the fields.

It would be great, but in reality,

Anddddddd the protest finish and nobody noticed.


Moving on promptly on the next round of looting.


Governors, feel free to take whatever you need from the table.

biina:
Not entirely true, as those funds include money from depositors, a group they have a responsibility to.

If the depositors are unhappy with the way the banks are operating, they should take their money elsewhere.

I know that's their business but i was thinking last time.

I have never seen any other banks, Like RBS, ABN AMRO, FORTIS and many more Giant Banks Advertising like that on CNN. A minute costs them not less than half a million Naira and they do it everyday while they cant give their people loans without a collateral that covers the loan threefold.
I was Watching Larry king live This Morning in Holland and there it was : BANK PHB - INTERCONTINENTAL.

Four days ago in Berlin, I saw the same thing. Zenith Bank, UBA, blablabla,
What baffles me is they advertise this more than 20 times daily.
What for?Who are they advertising for here? What are they telling the westerners, that they have money to throw around while we sit back and blame Yar'adua.

I dont support that idea at all. People need the money down there.

Please don't complain about that.

Banks are private enterprises and they can do what they want with their money. Don't blame the bank's advertising for Nigeria's woes.

asha 80:
Nigeria will soon be competing with colombia.

No we won't.

Colombia's GDP for 44m people is 260 billion.


Nigeria's GDP is 144 billion.




Nigeria is far worse than Colombia ever was.

Mai Suya:
I'm not going to get into the politics of whether the Hisbah is right or wrong, but for the sake of the vociferous but largely ignorant contributors here, I like to categorically point out that with the exception of a few isolated cases carried out by overzealous men, they[b] do not [/b]routinely persecute law abiding non Muslims.

Moreover, any unbiased observer in Kano will surely agree that they have been very effective, much more than their near derelict, corruption ridden federal counterparts, in policing the state and keeping crime at the barest minimum; interestingly, the areas in Kano populated mainly by southerners eg Sabon gari, tend to have a higher than average crime rate mainly because their (hisbah) activities are limited there.

Sounds biased to me.

The Hisbah constantly harass Christians in the north. They constantly raid hotels and confiscate alcohol, they do not allow females to travel on bikes to work (and yes, Christian women too).

Nigeria has now been added to the international list of nations where religious freedoms are minimal, mainly due to the north's continued persistence of Shari'ah.

If we can send the army to battle MEND separatists, let us send the army to the north and end this rubbish at once.

There is a big problem with Islam that I foresee, and for those who have not read the Qur'an let me briefly explain,


The Qur'an is interpreted as the true words of 'god', and must be taken literally as such (unlike the bible and the jewish scriptures (knows as the T'rah)).

This has led to great speculation since the writing of the text [Qur'an], of how the abselute words of god should be interpreted. The Qur'an controls almost every aspect of life, from taxation, charity, marriage, slave ownership, punishment for crimes varying in different degrees of severity and so on.

This has lead to several 'schools of though' emerging through the study of the text by different islamic scholars, these being , Maliki Madhhab, Hanafi Madhhab, Shafi'i Madhhab, Hanbali Madhhab and our in-house favourite, Wahhabiya also known as the Salafi school.

At first, these may seem similar to Christianity's interpretation of the bible (Catholism, Protestant, Church of England, Orthodox etc) but this is not the case. All muslims are required to follow 5 basic prinicples (pillars) of islam.

1 -shahada,bearing witness that there is nothing worthy of worship but God and that Muhammad is God's messenger;
2 - salat, performing the prescribed Islamic prayer;
3 - zakat, almsgiving of a 2 1/2 % tax on one's asests;
4 - sawm, fasting from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan; and
5 - hajj, performing the pilgrimage to Mecca.


This is where the problem comes in.

All true muslims must put god's law, first and foremost before man's law (i.e PROGRESSIVE SECULAR LAW).

Therefore the housa muslims are doing what is required of them. They are doing what all GOOD muslims are supposed to do, place god's law ahead of any man made law.







This, is why I keep re-iterating that we need to knock the religion out of our country once and for all. We need to stamp out religion, and if it means throwing Christianity and Islam under the bus, then so be it.

We need to ban organized prayers, we need to improve our educational system, and we need to ban all forms of religion from government institutions.

If Attaturk can do it, we can do it too.

Rioting has taken place on two separate occasions in northern Nigeria. Bauchi state (purple on the map) is one of Nigeria's 12 states (out of 36) which has adopted sharia law. On Saturday February 2 in the city of Yana in Shira council area, Bauchi state, an allegation of blasphemy led Muslims to riot. The blasphemy was allegedly carried out by a Christian woman. As a result, Muslim youths beseiged the police station and set it on fire. The mob was calling for the lynching of the Christian woman. Police fired into the mob and one rioter was killed. This led to the mob attacking policemen's homes in the town, and setting Christian shops on fire. 44 people were arrested. The woman had been accused of "desecrating" a Koran.

On Saturday February 9, rioting erupted in Sumaila town in Kano state (green on the map). Zubairu Hamza, head of the Sumaila Council area, claimed that violence erupted after a group of youths began protesting against the distribution of a leaflet which was said to be slandering the founder of Islam.

The mob suspected that non-Muslim students from the Government Secondary School had initiated the circulation of the leaflets. One of these students was followed and he took refuge in the local police station. The police refused to hand this student to the mob for lynching, and violence began. Three people, a police inspector and two civilians were killed in the ensuing rioting. 25 people, including students from the Government Secondary School were arrested. Four cars and six motorcycles which had been parked at the police station had been burnt.

Kano police chief Aminu Yesufu said that as well as the deaths, "the divisional police station and everything inside, including ammunition, have been burned by the rioters." Twenty people were injured, including a local police officer who had a machete wound to his head.

Compass Direct claimed that the reason for the violence in Yana is that a Christian woman had refused an offer of marriage from a Muslim youth. Patience Yusuf, an orphan, was then accused by the Muslim man of blasphemy. Ms Yusuf was confronted at her home by the spurned suitor and other Muslims. She fled to the local police station.

In the violence, five churches - an ECWA church, a Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), an Apostolic Church, a Roman Catholic Church, and a Church of Christ in Nigeria - were burned to the ground. A thousand people were displaced.

On September 28, 2007 a similar riot happened at Tudun Wada in Kano state. Official estimates for that incident placed the death toll at nine Christians. Several churches were burned and non-Muslims' businesses and homes were destroyed. That incident had started when two Christian students were being bullied by Muslims. When the school principal arrived, the Muslims accused the Christians of drawing a picture of Mohammed on a mosque wall. An official later reported that the violence in Tudun Wada began after Christians refused to let another Christian convert to Islam.

In March 2007 in Gombe state (yellow on the map), a Christian woman teacher was lynched to death by her violent Muslim pupils. Oluwatoyin Olusase had been acting as an invigilator for an Islamic Knowledge religious exam. She was attacked outside the school, and accused of "desecrating" a Koran.

In February 2006 in Bauchi state a Christian teacher had tried to confiscate a copy of a Koran from a pupil who was reading it during her lesson. Rioting erupted and 5 people were killed and churches were burned down.

On June 28, 2006 in the state of NIger in the west of Nigeria a woman was lynched to death for allegedly dropping a letter containing "unprintable" statements about Mohammed and Christ. SHe was taken into protective custody at Izom police station, but when the mob got more aggressive, the police made plans to move her to a safer location. The mob snatched her and stoned her to death.

As happens all too frequently in Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy and Koran desecration are used to enact personal vengeance and to settle personal feuds or even gambling debts. Similarly in Nigeria's states which condone Sharia, Christians are a minority, and blasphemy is the flimsiest excuse used to persecute them.

It seems just like yesterday doen't it?


I don't think any country with a large muslim population can have peace. Whenever Islam takes a foothold (25%+) of the population, and the demands begin.

Nigeria's FG needs to grow some balls and stamp out organized religious movements.

On the bright side the streets are visibly cleaner.

Well, at least they have on the job training.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8047157.stm

Angry Nigerians take to streets

Heavy security was put on the streets during the march
Angry Nigerians have taken to the streets of the commercial capital Lagos to protest at what they say is the poor performance of the government.

Thousands walked to the government house in Ikeja to protest against rising fuel prices, low minimum wages and the slow electoral reform.

Armoured cars were stationed on the route to guard against unrest.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is planning a further protest on Friday in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta.

The government said the protests may be used "to cause chaos", and urged the NLC to return to negotiations.

Heavy security was put on the streets during the march.

The BBC's Fidelis Mbah in Lagos said the march grew as they picked up more people on the way.

"Commercial drivers, and motorcycle taxi operators are leaving their work and joining the protest," he said.

At every corner there are armed police, and at least four armoured cars followed the demonstration, our correspondent says.

Minimum demands

The NLC says further protests are planned for the southern Delta State and cities in the north over the next 10 days, before a second phase of demonstration throughout the country.



"We are determined to carry these protests to all nooks and crannies of the country," said NLC president Abdulwaheed Omar. "We are not afraid of the government."

The NLC wants the government to scrap its plans aimed at deregulating the oil sector, saying the move would lead to further fuel shortages and push up pump prices.

Nigeria imports some 85% of its oil petroleum product needs, despite being Africa's largest oil producer.

The NLC is also demanding higher minimum wages, currently about $38 (£25) per month, and electoral reforms to avoid a repeat of what it calls flawed polls in the past.

ElRazur:
Hahaha I made a few people convert already. Keep it up OP.

I had some Muslim friends back in college who were very religious, and literally forced me to read the Qu'Ran because it was so "beautiful" and I would convert as soon as I read and understood it.


Well I read it, didn't make me join Islam, in-fact it turned me off more from organized religion.

Well, at least now when someone argues with me and concludes "you don't understand my beautiful religion because you haven't read the Qu'ran",

I can retort and let them know I have and it’s nothing special, another big book of rules full of creative stories, similes, soliloquies and anecdotes about life in the 0600s.

Pathetic crackpot of a nation.

And we continue to glorify the arabs and their fake religion (esp our Northern brethren).

Facing Mecca praying bowing down six times a day toward a despotic ancient capital of the Arab world.


Despicable.

Kobojunkie:
Ban Nigerians completely!!! Do you not notice that those prayer and then going out to riot are Nigerians??

You are onto something.


I would ban tribalism, and all forms of it, with heavy repression and re-education of the "tribalised" nigerian mind, that in itself is a form of banning "nigerians" if you will.

We will never have a working, functioning nation until we consider ourselves, Nigerian 1st, and igbo/housa, etc 2nd.

Ban religious affinity, ban tribal association and outlaw outdated tribal practices, for a better future.

ElRazur:
Do you believe in freedom? If so, perhaps your ideas/proposals are a bit catch 22? You do not cut you nose to spite your own face. I think you will find that people have the right to practices whatever religion they want.

If they govt takes away such right, it would be hard to say that kind of govt. is truly the people's choice. It goes against the fundamentals of democracy, unless off course we are running a total authoritarian type of system. Where does it stop if such things where allowed? Do we stop albinos from pro-creating? Do we move hausa people up north and confined them there? I am sure you can see the chaos your ideas may bring.

On the other hand, the govt may perhaps intervene on religion if only absolutely necessary. I very much doubt a govt. intervention is needed in Nigeria right now.

For the record, I am an atheist.

I believe in the social contract (Jean-Jacques Rousseau), and that contract has been broken, religion in an organized fashion in Nigeria is irrelevant at best, dangerously violent at worst.

Notice most riots happen on fridays? After prayers?

"In the name of God, ", the favorite and most used phrase in Nigeria.


God? Do we really need?

With all this religious violence, is it perhaps time to curb religion in the country. Nigeria ranks amongst the world's worst in terms of religious freedom and there's constant tension and frequent outburst of violence.



Nigerians will idly sit around and phrase "god will save us, god save Nigeria, etc", instead of getting up and doing something to make our lives better and improve the community, we wait for a divine intervention that will never materialize.


I think its time Nigeria's government removes all aspects of religion from society, ban formal religious gatherings, and shut down religious buildings, as well the administration of re-education for those who received so called 'religous education' (i.e Alhajis).


Churches and mosques should be confiscated by the government and turned to museums or demolished for the development of other property.

Extreme, indeed, but needed and justified.

Discuss?

He might be.

But he hasn't actually done much anything at all.

Mozambique arrests 'dam plotters'

Four people who were plotting to sabotage one of the largest hydro-electric dams in Africa have been arrested in Mozambique, police say.

The detained were foreigners caught with materials designed to damage the Cahora Bassa dam in north-western Mozambique, according to state media.

The suspects were from South Africa, Botswana, Germany and Portugual, police reportedly said.

The accused allegedly tried to put a corrosive chemical in the dam turbines.

National police spokesperson Pedro Cossa told a weekly briefing in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, that 1,100lb (500kg) of the unidentified corrosive substance had been confiscated, reported the South African Press Association.

"The suspects were caught putting the substance into the dam's turbines," Mr Cossa was quoted as saying by Sapa.

The Cahora Bassa dam, on the Zambezi River, is a vital source of electricity for Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Built in 1974 when Mozambique was still a Portuguese territory, ownership of the dam transferred two years ago to the Mozambican government.

Mozambique is among African countries which have pledged to provide electricity to South Africa during next year's World Cup to prevent power cuts.


When I read shit like this it makes me think that people really out to get Africans. Why are there Germans trying to sabotage African power stations?!!!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8034327.stm

If we don't get our act together we'll just become like Haiti.

Useless, and no one will ever set foot in our country, even other west Africans.

Way out of Ekiti logjam — Yar'Adua    E-mail
Written by VANGUARD   
Sunday, 03 May 2009
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*Sends 7 bills to NASS
*Election riggers to get 10year ban

President Umaru Yar’Adua, reacting for the first time to the logjam created by the Ekiti State governorship rerun election, has proposed a two-pronged approach to resolve it.
First is what he terms “a quick resolution of this crisis” and the second, “speedy initiation of electoral reforms”

He has, accordingly, forwarded to the National Assembly seven political reform bills with a plea that they “be treated distinctly from the more holistic on-going constitutional reform process”.
The bills were essentially adopted from the recommendations of the Uwais Committee on Electoral Reforms.

The bills according to presidential spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, are:
* For an Act to Amend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Act Cap 15 LFN 2004 and other Matters connected thereto;

* For an Act to alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and for other Matters connected thereto;

* For an Act to establish the Electoral Offences Commission and for other related matters;

* For an Act to further Amend the Police Act 1967 Cap P19 2004 LFN and for Matters Connected Thereto;

* For an Act to establish the Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission and for other Matters Connected thereto; and

A Bill for an Act to Amend the Independent National Electoral Commission Act Cap 15 LFN 2004 and for other Matters Connected.

Image
President Umaru Yar'Adua
The President in separate letters to the Senate President, Chief David Mark and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, requested speedy passage of the bills in view of their “vital importance and in the larger national interest”.

The Bills, Mr. Adeniyi said in a statement entitled: “Between Ekiti Re-Run Election and Electoral Reform”, underscored the president’s “commitment to addressing the lapses and inadequacies which impinge on the quality and capability of the electoral process in our country so as to ensure that future elections meet acceptable international standards of fairness and transparency and restore integrity to the ballot box”.

Under the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution, for instance, there are provisions for independent candidature, prohibition of cross carpeting by elected office holders and funding of INEC as a first line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Besides, it provides for additional sanctions for persons convicted of electoral offences by declaring such convicts unfit to stand for election for 10 years.

On the stalemate in the Ekiti rerun, said the way out was “a quick resolution of the crisis and speedy initiation of electoral reforms”, adding: “the problem with elections in Nigeria is largely systemic”.
He is said to be “not unmindful of the fact that most members of our political elite are not ready to play by the rules and that they see politics as a do-or-die affair”.

Mr. Adeniyi in the statement said:
“What President Yar’Adua has pledged from the onset, and has been steadfast about, is that the electoral process in Ekiti State would be fair and transparent and that the will of the people as expressed in the ballot box would prevail. There has been no deviation from that solemn commitment.
“Now that the Resident Electoral Commissioner has re-appeared, there are two urgent orders of business.

The first is to diffuse the growing tension in Ekiti State by ensuring that the REC concludes the process by announcing the genuine results that would satisfy her conscience and her God. And the second is to commence apace the process that will prevent a re-occurrence of the Ekiti saga by instituting a robust electoral system that can accommodate keen contestation for power, level the playing field, keep the actors in check, and vouchsafe free, fair and acceptable elections.

The President is committed to both tasks. We should give him a chance”.

The Uwais Electoral Reform Committee set up by President Yar’Adua submitted its report on the 11th of December 2008.

In submitting the report of the committee to the President, Justice Uwais, said some of the recommendations made by the committee would require constitutional amendments to ensure their implementation.

Highlights of the six volume report
*The committee recommended among others the creation of additional 108 seats in the House of Representatives and that the seats be contested on proportional representation basis.
•Independent candidacy;

•No carpet crossing under any circumstances;

•Biased media reporting to attract N1,000,000.00; (WHOOOOAAAAA - strangles)
•Open Secret Ballot retained;

•Number of parties to be drastically reduced;

•SIECs to go;

•INEC to be unbundled;

•Electronic voting to be introduced;

•INEC Chairman, Deputy to be of different gender;(what does this matter - strangles)

•INEC positions to be advertised;

•Electoral Offences Commission, Political Parties, etc Registration and Regulatory Commission coming;

•No office_holder in the party should hold any position in government;

*Number of parties to be drastically reduced

Individual donations’ ceiling:
•President    = N20 million;

•Governor    = N15 million;

•Senate        = N10 million;

•House of Reps = N5 million;

•State Houses = N2.5 million

*Chairmanship of local government = N3 million;

•Councillorship = N500,000.00.


On the occasion the president said the presentation of the report marked “the beginning of a process; it will ensure that we lay a solid foundation for sustainment and establishment and deepening  of democracy.

“We will carefully study and implement, with the support of the National Assembly, those recommendations that will guarantee popular participation, ensure fairness and justice and bring credibility to the electoral process in Nigeria .

He said his administration was fully “committed to the implementation of the recommendations that have been put forward by this committee.

“And I want to call on all Nigerians to take this report and the recommendations contained therein very seriously and take it as a matter of national duty to this generation and future generation to ensure that all stakeholders — the National Assembly, executive, state governments, local governments, agencies of government that are involved in election — to bring to bear on the implementation process of the recommendations of the report of the committee the same commitment and patriotism the committee has shown to the execution of this assignment.”

According to the President, the decision of his government to  focus on the electoral reform is based on its conviction that “election is at the heart of democracy, hence they must not only be fair but must also be seen to be so by our people and the rest of the world.

“In the modern age elections are very important institutional process of validation of public choices and the final enactment of social consensus on leadership and governors. It is not an over emphasis on our part therefore to state that the role of free and fair election is fundamental to any democracy and to ensuring justice, equity and the rule of law.

“It is our abiding belief that failure in instituting an acceptable process by which the representatives of the people are chosen will definitely resort in failure in the long run.

The 22 members of the panel
Hon Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais, GCON, former Chief Justice of Nigeria. (Chairman)

Members
Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi, OFR, Retired Federal Permanent Secretary and Former Chief Electoral Officer of the Federation.

Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Member

Honourable Justice Godwin U Ononiba, former Chief Judge of Anambra State

Alhaji Musiliu Smith. CFR, Former Inspector General of Police

Mr Olisa Agbakoba. OON, SAN, FCIARB, former President, Nigerian Bar Association. (NBA)
Dr Sheik Ahmed Lemu. OON, OFR, former Grand Kahdi of Niger State.

Professor Attahiru M Jega. OFR, Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano.

Professor Grace Alele Williams. OFR, former Vice Chancellor of University of Benin.

Chief Mrs Toyin Olakunri. OFR, Former President, ICAN

Dr Jibrin Ibrahim

Professor Okon E Uya, FNAL, FHSN, FCPA, FABI, former Ambassador to Argentina

Professor Gambo Laraba Abdullahi.OON, former Minister of Women Affairs.

Mr Ndanusa O Alao. FNTE, MNIPR, MIIPR, MIICA, Managing Director, New Nigerian Newspapers.

Mr John E Odah, General Secretary, Nigerian Labour Congress.

Hajia Dije J Bala, former Permanent Secretary, Niger State

Major General Oladayo Popoola. (Rtd). OFR

Former Military Governor of Oyo and Ogun States.

Dr Steven Dike, Chairman, Advanced Management and Technology solutions.
Professor Abdulhmeed A Ujo, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja and former Resident

Electoral Commissioner, Kaduna.

Mr Festus Okoye, National Publicity Secretary, NBA and Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group

Alhaji Aliu Umaru, former Secretary, Electoral Commission.

Msgr Mathew Hassan Kukah, former Secretary General, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.

Professor T Ahire, Director Political Affairs Office, Presidency. ( Secretary).




http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/34907/41/

well well well, what have we here

Vladmir 2:
Is Abuja not safe too?.I see this as a polite insult. After all which country or city is completely safe,NEWYORK,LONDON,MADRID,BERLIN??

Yes, they are all FAR safer.

FAR, FAR, FAR, SAFER.

Are you trying to compare Lagos to London, Madrid, New York??

Drugs are good? No?

I wouldnt want to pass the night in NIgeria either is horrid.

Nigeria is so rotten and so many ignorant Nigerians think everything is just fine.

Lack of education, dumb ignorant tribesmen.



Not even sewage. Romans had sewers 2000 years ago. For fuks sake!

No, the remote village was "deeper inland" as the diamond dealer had told them.

The Lagos scene was part CGI. The Skyline was real but it was plastered against the film set to the bottom (the slum part).