nex:

Gbaramatu Youths will collapse in a few weeks - Nigerian Economists.

World economy has completely melted down months ago, is it today Nigerian economy will collapse? Then what has the economy been doing in the past 2 decades? So they felt that the economy has been robust since and it may now collapse in a few weeks. I will love to see that. Economy wey don die since and una dey inside, una no know, na now una dey predict say e wan collapse because hand touch una.

Trained graduate of medicine is working in a Commercial Bank and nobody realised that the whole country has collapsed a long time ago. For over 2 decades now, Nigeria has been surviving on 200,000 barrels per day. Yes. I didn't say 2 million. 200,000 barrels per day! All the extra money from the remaining 1.8 million barrels per day was what went into Ghana must go sacks, brown envelopes (or in our case, cartons), and Peugeot 504 boots. That extra money was what built VGC castles, bought private jets and Hilltop Villas. Acquired live airtime for celebrations and sponsored political rallies. That was the 1.8 million barrels O!

So generally, I care less if 30,000 barrels per day is made to flow into the creeks by MEND, as long as they don't call on any one else to clean up the mess or shout out pollution against the multinationals.

Now we'll manage money the way it should be. Abi did you actually believe that Nigeria was really gaining about $73 billion annually in 2007 from crude oil alone? How come to sign budget of N3 trillion ($24 billion) dey make dem sweat?

At least if we know that we have actually just $3.5 billion annually coming from only 200,000 barrels per day, the masses will bite anyone who tries to even look at that money too lustfully.

To my brothers in MEND, please carry on and as the 13% extra winds down to nothing in total, let's see who will suffer.

Lagosians, pay you taxes and earn those non-oil dollars. Since some have printed Passport others will soon require Visa.

Italian energy group Eni SpA which owns Agip in Nigeria yesterday declared a force majeure on some of its crude exports from Nigeria, following an act of sabotage on a pipeline located north of the Brass River field earlier in the week.
This is just as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, yesterday destroyed for the umpteenth time in recent weeks an oil installation belonging to US oil giant Chevron.
The attack on Agip’s pipeline on Tuesday resulted in oil production losses equivalent to 24,000 barrels per day, translating to about 4,800 barrels per day of Eni’s equity in Agip, the company confirmed.
MEND recently shifted its offensive against oil installations located outside Delta State and has in the last four weeks claimed responsibility for attacks on oil facilities including the Afremo oil field.
Last week, the Italian oil giant was said to have shut in production of around 33,000 barrels of oil and two million cubic metres of gas per day following the Bayelsa attack.
In its continuing offensive against oil installations, MEND yesterday destroyed the recently repaired Chevron pipeline linking Alero Creek through Abiteye to the Escravos export terminal in Delta State.
The attack which took place last night at 2000hrs was allegedly carried out by MEND fighters who waited till the completion of repair work on the pipeline before blowing it up for the second time in weeks.
MEND said it will only stop attacks after its leader, Henry Okah who has unconditionally accepted the offer of amnesty from the government, is released from detention and positive discussions are held.
The group disclosed that the attacks may even go on side by side the negotiations.
In a statement, MEND’s spokesman, Gbomo Jomo, said they were miffed by the fact that the federal government had shown so much eagerness to resume oil exports inspite of the sufferings of the people who were displaced by the bombings of the Joint Task Force last May.
They said they waited until the work which was done with over 200 soldiers on guard duty was completed before moving in to destroy the pipeline.
MEND expressed gratitude to soldiers guarding the facility for not challenging them while they carried out the action.
Jomo said that for trying to resume oil related activities without caring to resettle the displaced in Delta State, they will while talks on amnesty are ongoing, continue the destruction of oil facilities.
Prior to the renewed attacks on oil facilities in the region, Nigeria was said to have recorded a shut in of over one million barrel per day, bringing the country’s output to only a little over 1 million barrels per day.
Recent statistics released by the Department of Petroleum Resources about a fortnight ago, showed that production deferment due to the crisis in the oil-rich region was over 1 million barrels per day.
Statistics indicated that both reserves and daily output are on the decline due to restiveness in the Niger Delta, raising fears that the crisis may deter the country from achieving its set targets of 4 million barrels per day and reserves of 40 billion barrels by 2010.

Emma Amaize
GBARAMATU—Youth Council in Delta State yesterday expressed concern that the economy of the Nigerian state would be crippled in the next few weeks as a result of the damage of the facilities of oil companies in the Niger Delta by militants.

Already, the production capacity of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Delta State has fallen to 10,000 barrels per day from the initial 100,000 bpd.


Militants are also targeting to blow up Forcados Export Terminal which, if successful, would bring production to zero.
Delta State government is seriously affected by the offensive, as it is already clear that its allocations will drop and even the Delta State Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) may also face cash crunch.

The council in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting in Warri, signed by its president, Engr. Kennedy Brake, and two others, the council blamed the Joint Task Force (JTF) for the sad turn of events, saying it gave the Federal Government a false impression that soldiers would be able to protect the facilities.

According to the council, “on Monday, July 7, our monitoring team returned from the creeks of Escravos and beyond and confirmed that in the next few weeks, the Nigerian state will not have a tin of crude oil to export or refine in the country because all the major oil facilities in the country have been crippled .

“The Otunana trunk lines, pipelines, Makaraba pipelines, jackets, well-heads, Abitieye trun klines , pipelines, jackets, Dibi and Olero trunk lines, pipelines, wellheads, and even the Okan deep sea trunk line and pipelines have been sabotaged to the last core.

“The same applies to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), all its trunk lines and pipelines have been sabotaged, leaving the oil operators with forced measures to evacuate from the Niger-Delta . That is why we deemed it necessary to call on the international communities once more to note and intervene.

“All these are happening in the presence of the task force which boast on paper every day that they are equal to the task; we will fight to finish; we engaged them in gun battle; we will soon fish them out. If we may ask? Where was the task force who desecrated our homes in Gbaramatu kingdom when all the facilities were destroyed?

“Right now, Chevron cannot operate anymore because the militants have crippled all their facilities. Chevron is dying in silence because they [Chevron) think bringing armed troops to secure their facility is the best option, but now the militants have proven them wrong.

“The true owners of the area are the best and qualified people to secure the oil facilities in the region rather than outsiders.”

For the economy not to totally collapse, the youths called on President Umaru Yar’Adua to withdraw the JTF from the Niger Delta and implement the report of the Niger-Delta Technical Committee, headed by Mr. Ledum Mitee.

Sammy107_d:

Traditional African notions? naa

Litmus:

[b]All of below but choose your order.

1 It is easier to influence Ghana than it is to influence Nigeria

2 Nigeria was prominent in the Anglican Church protests against gay pastors/bishops (Obama likes to see himself as pro-gay)

3 Ghana peoples’ embarrassing welcome display when Clinton visited, provided an Ideal photo-call opportunity. Ever since then it is a country viewed as a place sure to give you the primordial cheery, massa pikinin welcome. When his popularity was low Bush tried to exploit this overzealous gratitude welcome only Ghana, out of all of Africa, is still capable of giving.

4 America is interested in stationing troops in Africa. Nigeria is against it but Ghana is more amenable to the idea

5) Western Countries hate the idea of taking African countries seriously. Nigeria wants to be taken seriously and is still eyeing a seat in the Security Council but Ghana is content to be patronised.


6) Nigerians are – to judge from this board – extremely happy and proud for Obama to go visit Ghana. If Nigerians and Ghanaians are overjoyed for Obama to visit Ghana so why not.

[/b]

Continue wishing yourselves bad luck; you'll not look too clever to foreigners.
George Bush was stupid, his election was rigged; everybody knew it, but were Americans going around calling him fool?

Me? I pray for the best for 9ja.

defman:

Good? When there was physical paper involved they still found a way to rig. Now it's electronic, do you know how easy it will be to rig? When the system starts counting votes from 1000 instead of 0. The only thing this will reduce is the violence associated with stealing ballot boxes and the like.

FBS:

Agreed they are corrupt but ask yourself, where do they take this money to? First bank or swiss bank?
One thing you fail to understand is this Africa has the European sytem and culture abruptly imposed on them but no developed infrastructure to accomodate them. Asian countires like China and Japan had developed a similarily organized society so it was much easier for them to adapt and compete with the Western world. You have to take these things into consideration. Europeans and east asians have reached the point they are at, over the course of centuries. It was a gradual process. You can't force a system down someone's throat and expect them to adapt completely overnight.
Physical, emotional, intellectual errosion took place in Africa and for way too long.

2011 election result to be released instantly’
Latest news
Written by Ismail Mudashir, Kaduna
Results of the 2011 general elections will be released almost instantly as it will be conducted with the newly introduced electronic voting system, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Maurice Iwu disclosed this yesterday in Kaduna.
Speaking when he paid Governor Mohammed Namadi Sambo of Kaduna a courtesy visit as a prelude to the first national stakeholders’ forum on the electronic system, he said Nigerians would be able to watch and record happenings in polling stations across the country as they unfold.

“States would be able to have their aggregates and judge for themselves the results of election in their respective polling booths even before we release the results. INEC is fully computerised to carry out the election using e-voting system. And this will make our work easier and better,’ but let me quickly admit that computer will not provide any solution to such things as when people have disease of the mind, when people refuse to accept defeat even when they lose elections,” he said.

George_D:

we should just outsource the governors' job and let them stay abroad permanently.
that way we know we know we have foreign governors

achinu:

Interesting read, I've never figured out why a political office holder in 9ja needs as many staff members as they do. They have a special adviser for so many things it makes absolute no sense. Yet you don't see what the heck they are advising on.
I've never held a political office in 9ja or anywhere else, but If you had to compare a governor in 9ja & one in the states where I reside & their retinue of aides it would blow your mind. I still can't grasp why our public officials are so wasteful of our resources, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong in traveling but when it becomes unnecessary then it needs to be curtailed.
I was just in abuja a few weeks ago & it blew my mind to see the homes/ properties that are owned by both serving & past office holders both civilian & military.

IKEYMAN!!!:

Religious violence looms in Kano • As non-muslims petition Yar’Adua over Hisbah
daily champion 29-06-09
COSMAS EKPUNOBI, Abuja

Another round of violence appears to be looming in Kano State as leaders of non-Muslim residents in the state has petitioned President Umaru YarAdua, and Senate President, David Mark over the renewed attack on the people and wanton destruction of alcoholic drinks by Hisbah command, an agent set up by the state government to implement Sharia legal system in the state.


Leaders of non indigenes in the state in a four page strong petition dated June 18 and made available to Daily Champion at the weekend declared that non Muslim would no longer fold their hands and watch the Hisbah command in the state unleash terror on innocent people under the guise of Sharia implementation.

In the petition, they accused Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and the Nigerian police force of conspiracy of silence.

They said the command had concentrated its attack in the recent times on non-Muslim residents in Sabon Gari, a predominantly non indigenes community in Kano State.

The aggrieved non Muslims under the aegis of ‘leaders of ethnic communities resident in Kano State’ in the letter said the government outfit had in a year destroyed over 30 trailer load of assorted drinks worth N250million.

The forum in the letter jointly signed by its president and secretary general Chief Tobias Idika and Prince Femi Adegoroye respectively alleged that the Hisbah command has taken over the job of Nigerian police and NDLEA in the state and mount road blocks in their search for alcoholic drinks in the state.

They said some luxurious bus drivers and owners of such items plying any of the federal high ways in the state were victims of the activities of Hisbah.

"Very fresh in memory is the incident of March 30 when Hisbah intercepted a truck conveying drinks to Maiduguri , after a thorough investigation by the Nigerian police , they charged the truck to a magistrate court which later released the truck upon finding that it was on transit plying a federal high way, but to the consternation of law abiding citizens, Hisbah after the court verdict , re arrested the truck at court premises , confiscated and destroyed the drinks."

"There would have been a mother of all riots in Kano on May 28 when Hisbah under the pretence of pursing a truck made attempt to unleash terror on Sabon Gari residents.

"To our greatest surprise, police and other security agents in Kano state have failed to be proactive , responsible and responsive on this issues, they seem to have been looking the other side while Hisbah constitue to disturb public peace.

"They said a number of bus drivers and owners of drinks have been arrested and detained by the police and taken to court of their choice,

"We as responsible citizens of this country and community burdened with the responsibility of ensuring peace and order are moved to draw the attention of the president on this matter and we wish that you act fast before things get out hand."