₦airaland Forum

'I am a street boy from Port Harcourt'. I would love to see that as the headline on the morning paper. The man deserves exposure.

How can such people make laws for the good of the 'common' Nigerian citizen? Only those who rigged their way in would talk like that! Representatives my foot (to use the polite version). Yaradua, forget about Channels, the PDP is the single biggest threat to the national security and existence of Nigeria! I honestly don't know if to laugh or cry. I'm sure Nigeria has more to offer than people like the 'street boy from Port Harcourt'.

Interesting. I certainly am glad to see the back of Aja Nwachukwu, who has been absolutely clueless in the face of the ever deteriorating educational system. Likewise for Ibrahim in the Energy ministry, it's incredible she got that job in the first place and her performance was hogwash. I see that Alison has not been dropped, hope she's moved away from the transport ministry where she has not matched her words with action.
However, the whole exercise would be futile if they are not replaced with competent, visionary and proactive people who have good and relevant knowledge about their porfolios. Full judgement is reserved until I see who comes in but it can't get any worse than the last bunch, can it?

Ain't worried about Rafael, we need his sort of game today-attacking full back. Nani needs to be more consistent though.

I have very little confidence in the current House. Bankole is just trying to position himself for bigger things. On the car issue, I've read PAN's statement and it's not convincing. Thank God for people like Keyamo who continue to enlighten the people on these things. No wonder the Reps haven't passed the FOI bill. With the FOI, stuff like this would so easily be exposed.

Reckon it'll be 2-0, Tevez to score one of them.

Tevez has got to start today, probably alongside Berbatov. Also would like to see Rafael start as well, that kid has skills.

Well, I'll certainly try to give it a go, but only at home, never outside. If my system still rejects it, then that's it, no more. That's why people are different, we don't all like the same things.

Communities in Enugu are in despair due to recent landslides and yet this is what they want to spend 200million on?

This is sad. Nothing can make up for the degradation and psychological toture that those ladies are bound to be going through. I can imagine what their families are experiencing right now. There's no justification for this whatsoever. To those who are trying to suggest that those responsible were not necessarily freedom-fighters, I bet you would not be talking like that if you were in the shoes of the ladies or their families. There are no angles to this at all, it's criminal, simple as that.

DeepZone:
Very hilarious Youtube clip:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUVQDmLf7s



and even funnier one


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qUVQDmLf7s

Very funny. Watched #1 to #5. 3 and 5 are the funniest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sGjAWSUCNQ&feature=user

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Cq-KlvdXE&feature=related

inquisitiv:
In view of the intelligent suggestions coming up here,

1. Can we have all the e-mails of the house members so we can write them from our groupmail.

2. This is not a club but a growing national movement.

3. for every action you suggest you can as well implement it.

the yahoogroupmail has been created, someone else can create the media connection, i emphasize on this media angle because our message has to get out for the impact to be felt.

4. Someone who can create a website should do so (I wish i could) from where we can have a network like geting mass e-mails of nigerians for mass messaging.

Remember your role cannot be played by someone else, find out that role you can play and start now.

LONG LIVE NIGERIA!

LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!

For the Reps contacts, go to: http://www.nassnig.org/house/members.php, select any Rep for his/her profile and scroll down to where it says 'contact'. Some have their numbers, some e-mails and some no contact at all. And committees are here: http://www.nassnig.org/house/committees.php

Kobojunkie:
All the revolution Nigeria and in fact, most of Africa needs is for the people to get up and start playing their part in their government. Simple things like writing to your reps, calling them to tell them of your stance on issues, making sure to vote for candidates you truly believe are better for the job, and voicing your opinion goes a long way. Trying to create yet another "CLUB" in my opinion is not the way to go about this. Setting up a situation where all persons understand that they are part of the problem and providing them with information on how to FIX it, will work wonders. Just my opinion!!

For example, everyone here can start by contacting their reps and telling them their opinions on the FOI bill. There are provisions for mailing them on the NASS website though I don't know if that actually works. It's all good calling for this sort of revolution but people should also participate in government where possible. I believe if all of a sudden, reps started hearing consistently from their consituents on issues, it'll have an impact, however small. At least there'd be more foundations on which to hold them accountable and they might just start to take their seats more seriously.

carmelily:
A high percentage of serial murderers were found to be left-handed. Fact.

Also,

Department of Sociology, Minot State University, ND 58701.

One hundred and thirty male and 213 female college students responded to a self-report delinquency and crime measure and to a scale of sidedness preferences. Consistent with most of the literature on official delinquency and crime, left handedness was positively associated with involvement in several forms of delinquency (including some degree of criminality) among males. Other measures of sidedness among males largely failed to correlate with delinquency, however. Among females, sidedness was much less systematically related to delinquency than among males.

  Another side of the coin.

I don't think it matters really. It's just that more attention is paid to stuff like that because of the proportion of right-handed to left-handed people in my opinion. By the way, Obama is left-handed or at least signs with his left hand.

It is not something that cannot be salvaged, there was a time most Nigerians were hardworking, honest people. However, important foundations have to be laid and the start of it is leadership of the right kind.

Hi, does anyone know a good place to learn website-design located around Ikeja. It's for someone I know that has a few weeks free time coming up. He has done amateur web-sites using macromedia dreamweaver but wants to do some proper learning with the spare time he's got. Also, any idea of duration and cost. Thanks in advance for any responses.

The number one thing to do is for us to start practicing federalism as it should be. There is too much power at the center. The are many good ideas some people have mentioned but they would only be effective when states have their own police, education curriculum etc. This would ensure that when you have a state governor that is ready to tackle the issue or with good ideas, he would not be held back by the center. Any progress made can then have a ripple effect, however gradually.

DeepZone:
Lmao, if you finger print a Nigerian armed robber and set him free, you are on your own because his next port of call will be to attack that crime lab.

Well, that'll be a futile exercise because the information would be stored electronically and backed-up locally and centrally. And he'd get re-arrested.

DeepZone:
How can you do that successfully when we don't even have an ID # in Nigeria? You can  process a crime scene and identify the DNA but will you match it to a tree?. Again, the idea of crime lab should be national because a rapist from Ibadan can take a trip to lagos and commit a crime. How will you identify him if his information is not in the Lagos state database?

As RichyBlack pointed out, we have to start somewhere and Lagos should take the lead. I have no doubt other state would follow suit in due time. Also, the database will be for all crimes committed in Lagos, irrespective of where the person is from, and would be as detailed as possible in terms of contact details. I get the example you were trying to make above. However, such a guy's information would be in Lagos' database since the crime was committed there. In due time, I'm sure common sense would lead to the establishment of a law that mandates transmission of information from all states' databases to a central platform. This platform should also be accessible for the body handling federal crimes (if there is state police, then it will be necessary to have a body handling interstate and other federal crimes. Like I suggested in an earlier thread, EFCC should become Economic and Federal Crimes Commission and have a mandate to include interstate and all federal crimes, since they have a good platform to build on).

RichyBlacK:
Fine.

How about crime labs, building a fingerprint data bank, other biometric devices, forensic firearm identification, etc, to debunk those useless "na juju kill am" talk in Naija and solve crimes the way it should be solved?

For real, we need to invest especially in forensics. A state like Lagos seriously needs its own forensic/biometrics unit. Sometimes when I watch CSI, I can't but imagine how more effective solving cases would be in Lagos if we had even half of those equipment, labs and trained personnel to go with them. For one, all these recent unresolved murder cases would have a much better chance of being solved. I seriously hope that we get State police in the constitution review.

Lagos is not a religiously biased state and it should certainly stay that way. I didn't even know Fashola was a muslim until I saw it somewhere in the papers during a religious celebration and even then I only see him as a Nigerian who is governor of Lagos State. The main thing is whether he is performing or not, and religion does not influence that. Generally, to paraphrase an American commentator referring to his country, most Nigerians are moralistic (or in this case, religious) without being moral. All the religious and tribal angles to things is exhausting.

When will debates like this be a thing of the past? Must there always be an angle to everything?

I knew that the McCain camp would inject race into it at some point, but this is something else! Palin said everything else but "Obama is a terrorist". Did you see McCain smirk when some people were shouting those "terrorist" remarks? There is no way US would win her former allies back with these two in charge. If there is a law against inciting hatred in US, then they are actually guilty of breaking it. They are clearly inciting people, such that even the state security officials are investigating some of those remarks. A good leader would have cut them short, and they had every opportunity to but didn't. Palin has called an Obama presidency "dangerous" but it is a McCain-Palin presidency that would be even more dangerous. You think US has lost some allies? It'll be even worse with McCain and Palin in charge. Here's a good analysis:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/opinion/12rich.html?ref=opinion

And some links on the campaigns:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/mccain-does-nothing-as-cr_n_132366.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/06/in_fla_palin_goes_for_the_roug.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/another-mccain-palin-intr_n_132996.html

As I said earlier, people should take it easy on the bashing. If anyone thinks he is so aboveboard and is more capable, there's no law stopping such a person from contesting for public office. This is one of our problems in this country, we are good at scrutinizing but when it comes down to actually taking on the establishment, many are nowhere to be found. I'm all for scrutiny of potential public office holders, but it should be more objective than sentimental.

How many aspiring politicians have ever come to defend themselves on a public board like nairaland, with the sharper-than-knives tongues keyboards on here. He's been questioned and maybe insulted but keeps coming back to defend himself. That should count for something. Also, even if he did do all those things in those days (and some of the things mentioned are things many other guys do), is he not allowed to be a better person. Definitely, I know I had some approaches to certain things in life in my university days which I certainly don't have now. While I know a lot of us, including me, detest many of our politicians, we should be careful not to be hypocritical. I can assure you that there are some people who were probably worse oppressors in their university days but are good public servants now. If people were to judge some of us here based on how we were in our university days, I wonder how many will be fit for public office! Be careful how you judge, you may some time be judged by the same standards.

@ Dapo, if you truly have these positive ideas and attitude, just build on it and don't let people pull you down. People will always have something to say and the only way to prove them wrong is by your actions if you get the chance. With more people with genuine and positive ideas going into public service, we'll eventually be able to kick out all the old-time regressive people out. That's the direction we need to go and I hope that's what you intend to be a part of. There can never be perfection, but if we can make the bad politicians the minority, them this country would be better.

isbelhma:
is mantu not a nigerian? can u please leave his excellency along, now that he his resting.
he still remain a factor in nigerian politics and govt. affairs

if yorubas still respect that gorrila called obasanjo as their hero after stealing our money
and sleepnig with his sons wife now telling us he want to be close to god therefore becoming
the only hero of the yorubas.

what offence has mantu done that will make not to serve again.

your excellency.you still remain relevantin naija[color=#990000][/color]

Why must everything have a tribal angle to it?!! All i'm interested in is having competent, capable and visionary people heading those ministries. All this tribal spout is BS.

You guys should take it a bit easy on the bashing. Let him state the ideas and vision he wishes to pursue and then do any bashing based on that. The fact is that he seriously wants to contest for that seat and there is a chance he might well get it. Therefore, for me, I'm more interested in hearing the legislative positions he intends to pursue. What are his areas of interest and what are his proposals in those areas? Is he the like the current crop opposing probably the single most important bill we need in the FOI bill? These are the sort of things I'm interested in him responding to. So let us hear you, Mr. Dapo. Although I must say we've heard a lot of rhetoric in the past with little substance upon election.

olanajim:
So what is the solution? State police or Effective police?

State police.

Tribalism is a national cancer that has contributed a lot to where we are as a nation today. The very rubbish leaders we have had have used it to successfully polarize the various ethnic groups. It is something that would take at least a couple of decades to diminish (it cannot be wiped-out) in my opinion. However, the most effective tool to combat it, which is our educational system, is in tatters. The national policy makers have no vision and direction. We should totally re-engineer or educational system. Amongst other things, equality and anti-tribalism should be taught compulsorily at both elementary and secondary schools. Things like the fundamental rights as stated in the constitution should also be taught compulsorily at these levels. There are many (educated) people today, that if you showed them what the constitution actually says, would be in disbelief at some of the things they are entitiled to as Nigerians. Education is such a powerful tool, and any attempt to combat tribalism would be futile without it playing a central role. In addition, maybe we need a law that makes it a federal crime to incite, aid or practice tribalism or anything of a tribalistic nature.

For real. Sometimes I wonder what the policy makers in the government get paid for. Some of the solutions are staring them in the face. They all get so out of touch once in government, focusing on so-called 'bigger issues'. I think once the state police is established, EFCC should be given a larger scope on the national issues you mentioned, maybe renamed Economic and Federal Crimes Commission. They should handle all economic, financial and interstate crimes. I think they have a better capacity and platform to build on to handle these things and they have better qualified personnel to use as a standard to build a competent agency. If there is state police, the EFCC would automatically become totally independent, 100% responsible for it's own staffing and decisions and we won't see the whole nonsense that happened with Ribadu and NIPSS. The SSS should then focus on any issues related to national security.

Fhemmmy:
That might surely help by not just the NPF, but break the policing into states and into Municipalities and give each a budget that will take care of it and make sure that the monitoring body of the police is not polluted too, however, with all these, there is need to engage the youth in affairs of the nation.

Well, I think each state should be in full charge of the police force within it's boundaries. Once the state police is in operation, a state like Lagos that is in desperate need of community policing would be able to invest funds and pursue sound security policies. I believe that Gov. Fashola has good plans for the state's security but is reluctant to invest too heavily given the way the central force operates.

First step, we need state police in the upcoming constitution review.

I don't know if anyone else watched 'The World Uncovered' that was just shown on BBC World. I only caught the last 30 mins (it was a one hour programme). They were debating the if democracy had come to a halt in Arab countries and there were two people for and against each side - a journalist and a former ambassador amongst others. The debate between the panelists was followed by the last 30 of interactive session involving the audience, made up of mostly youths but including some middle-aged and older people.

Why can't we have things like this in Nigeria? The media need to be more proactive. Some would jump out and say things like that have no chance of working in Nigeria, however I disagree. For example, AIT or Channels should have organised something like that where issues like the FOI bill and the upcoming constitution review were discussed. A firm moderator would be in charge and people who get to be part of the audience would be warned to be civil and objective. They could have got one or two lawmakers (for the FOI and against), a respected columnist and maybe an ex-governor and put them on the spot to debate some issues. The subsequent interactive session would no doubt be interesting. The station would enlighten the public on the programme before hand and they would no doubt make money from sponsors as I'm sure it would be a well watched program. I know some channels already have programs where they talk about political issues but nothing interactive like this that I know.

Just a thought.