₦airaland Forum

RIP, Doctor.

You and others like you take it for the team, and often don't get the credit you deserve.

You and others like you do your jobs without fanfare and often die unsung. And yet you are down to earth and true to your calling. Unlike some people in uniform we know.

I am yet to hear of doctors/nurses/lab technicians flogging people in the streets with stethoscopes because these non-doctors had the audacity to wear white coats or scrubs without going through the rigours of medical school.

I am yet to hear of doctors/nurses/lab technicians going on social media to demand 'respect' because they are keeping us safe from deadly communicable diseases while we non-doctors are safely asleep in bed.

I have not yet seen any doctor/nurse/lab technician jump into a bus and refuse to pay his/her fare because he/she is medical 'staff'.

I have not seen doctors/nurses/lab technicians drive against traffic, syringes drawn, claiming special privileges to endanger other road users.

I have not seen doctors/nurses/lab technicians jump queues (because they are members of the NMA or other medical bodies) and then beat up any one who questions their actions.

I could go on and on.

The sacrifices of all medical personnel - not just doctors but nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, paramedics, etc. are appreciated. You are NOT perfect but you often try to do the best you can - and without the massive sense of entitlement that some other uniformed 'professionals' have.

You will not walk alone. Rest in peace, Dr. Ndukwu.

PataAlhaja:
A Ph.D is never a prerequisite in becoming a Professor. That's the global standard. The fact that the practice in our shabby Nigerian universities negates the global standard doesn't make it normal. Osinbajo must have written some research papers and proven some hypothesis and theories to have been made a Professor by UNILAG even without a Ph.D. Those are what you need to become a Professor in any "sane" university ... and not a Ph.D

And for your information, Wole Soyinka had his doctorate in the early 70s, few years before he became a Professor of comparative literature at Ife ...

Stop to dey lie anyhow!

Meanwhile, never in your life compare WS and Osinbajo. They are not of the same profession ... and are "Kings" in their respective fields.

^^^^

No Sir.

It is possible (but improbable) that nowadays, an individual can become a professor without a PhD. Forty years ago, it was quite common here and abroad but times have changed, both in our 'shabby' universities and the 'non-shabby' ones outside this country. Nowadays exceptions (to the PhD "requirement" ) are made where an individual has made outstanding contributions to knowledge in his/her field or discipline. You have acknowledged this in your own comments above: "Osinbajo must have written some research papers and proven some hypothesis and theories to have been made a Professor by UNILAG even without a Ph.D".

Which of course raises the question: what is Osinbajo's scholarly contribution to his field to justify his 'professorship'?. what has he done in the practice of law to advance the discipline? It should not be hard to provide the cases, journal citations, and publications to prove this. This is not the time for conjecture. You say he must have written some research papers, proven some hypothesis and theories...

Then prove your claims, sir.

Nigeria Army.

Victory is from Allah.

Abagworo:
Surely a set up. He looks responsible enough to negotiate terms before service.

^^^

midehi2:
That guy is too cute to rape someone

^^^^

Damage control after the crumple zone has 'crumpled' and the air bags have deployed.

What does the SSA (Dabiri) mean by "The members, led by the Matriarch of MLK, Naomi Barbara King"?

Naomi Barbara King was the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jnr's sister in law. She is the widow of the late civil rights leader's younger brother. She is not the late Rev. King's wife, sister or mother. How the SSA conferred the title of 'matriarch' on her is anybody's guess - although it must be acknowledged that Mrs Naomi King was also a civil rights leader in those difficult times.

This is very poor of the federal government. Very poor. What a waste of time and money.

On a related note - why is it that when so many of our failing, ailing governments want some PR burnishing, they turn to prominent African Americans? The Abacha regime did something similar with Carol Moseley Braun. Now this.

Rubbish.

Just found out that the federal government's statement was signed by Abdul Rahman Balogun, the Special Assistant to Dabiri Erewa (who is Buhari's senior special assistant on foreign and diaspora (sic)).

So the SSA has her own SA.

We are not serious.

Jakumo:
Spitting cobras are real and very common throughout Africa, so their existence is not a matter of speculation at all. They can launch highly acidic spray that can reach out to targets as far as ten feet away, with surprising accuracy, and they do aim for the eyes of their target, in the same way that bees in attack mode swarm the eyes of their victims.

I have seen a European snake collector nearly blinded by a spitting cobra in Nigeria, when he was attempting to subdue the serpent in order to make it a part of his venomous snake collection that he kept at home at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitting_cobra

^^^^

Interesting point.

I grew up hearing several stories about the damage that cobra venom could do to human eyes if one was unfortunate enough to be spat at. There is almost no village in Nigeria where the locals don't have stories and warnings about potential blindness from spitting cobra venom, particularly if the snake is agitated and hooded up. There are even stories about our cobras spitting without provocation.

That's why it is strange that so many online sources state that forest cobras do not spit their venom - the wikipedia entry on forest cobras explicitly states this and more reputable sources and several herpetologists also make the same claim. Are we really expected to believe that it is only Mozambican cobras that spray venom at potential predators when local lore says we have spitting cobras here too?

ElGood:
Who can identify this kind of cobra? I will like to know.

^^

It looks like a forest cobra, commonly found in the west African sub-region as well as parts of central Africa. They are good swimmers and competent climbers and can be identified by the yellow markings on the dorsal area. They are shy snakes but unfortunately, they regularly find their way into human habitats in search of rats and other prey - often with disastrous consequences for people unlucky enough to run into them.

There are suggestions that forest cobras may also have the ability to spit their venom when threatened although there isn't much of a consensus on this. What is not in doubt is that they are dangerous snakes that are highly likely to strike if cornered or threatened.

P.S. Some posters here keep mentioning king cobras but king cobras are NOT native to Africa. Even though the forest cobra specimen in this thread is quite large, it is nothing near the size of a king cobra - a fully grown king cobra would simply be too large to squeeze through a normal sized toilet bowl.

traeces:
When you say Paul condemned Peter, I beg to disagree, reprimand should be the word and you may want to look the 2 words up in a dictionary.

Remember Jesus? The Jews brought to him a woman caught in the very act so as to get him to decide her fate, what did he do? "Let him that is without sin cast the first stone".

Remember David? Not only did he sleep with Uriah's wife, he murdered Uriah and others to cover up. Yet even under the law, God confronted David and after his repentance made it to becoming a man after God's own heart.

After all is said and done, it is between them and God. I have my own issues to sort out really.

^^^^
No sir.

I am no Bible scholar but I remember reading that the woman who was caught in adultery was commanded to "go and sin no more" when her accusers had all left.

In your own words above, David, after his repentance, became a man after God's own heart.

Do you see the themes at work here in the two examples you just gave?

Acknowledgement of error.

Contrition. Repentance.

Redemption.

Not stubborn, stony silence or indifference. Not excuses or rationalization of justification of wrongdoing. Or even worse, platitudes about things being "between them and God" . As some other posters have pointed out here, the members of the Church are accountable to one another - and yes that includes the pastor - if anything he/she should be held to an even higher standard. To say otherwise is to mislead the flock.

mercyville:
People are not interested in what anybody takes right now.They strongly had before but the deep and naked corruption in the whole of Nigeria has really affected everyone(even under Buhari that a lot of people trusted a little more than the others).Why some people support BAT is because of the phenomenal growth that had been the portion of Lagos since he came on board.I believe with the rate Lagos is going,it will eventually become the first economy in Africa.All Africans leaders are so corrupt that Africa as a whole stinks.Let Lagos continue to grow.I support exposing the rot but I desire,most,the phenomenal growth and this is what Tinubu has brought to Lagos.I do not know him from Adams but people said what he steals,he invests in Lagos and empowers people.A lot of politicrooks are stealing like him and ruining their states but his has been positivity for Lagos since his emergence.I beg free him jooor Don't kill my Lagos.Eshu ta mo lojo to tipe,o San ju Angeli ti a ko gburo lodun mefa.

^^^^



Indeed.

voicelez:
The shame of being called a bloody civilian or coward makes it hard for most of them to resign but you can actually resign if you want to, my dad is a major in the army

^^^^


Shame?

deomelllo:
I don't even see the issue people are crying over here. The language says AB or any other designated persons. The insertion did not preferences or arrogate anything special to AB, it just referenced AB because it's the company the state is dealing with a the moment and going further, it says or any other designated persons.

I'd understand if the language gave some kind of preference or privilege to AB.

This is a very silly outcry and baseless argument.

^^^^

Indeed.

Etfash:
I don't know why many people still see Nigeria as a sane country.
In 2006, the army was the one that expelled the incesaant hold up along Unibadan/Bodija road. Prior to this time, you will not believe that 2 vehicles could pass together on each of those lanes, because these thugs will clog one side of the road. Road users will horn continually to pass. When the army came, I never knew that place was that wide. A guy tried to misbehave, the beating he received made him realize he wasn't relating with the police or other paramilitary bodies.

Guys, Nigeria has gone haywire and an average Nigerian has developed somega unusually thick skin at the expense of his or her neighbor'so wellbeing.
With the military coming to the scene, I just imagine how free that place would be now.

Let's work with what we have and who we are. We don't have to do everything the way it is done in other climes, we are a unique people. We should always factor our uniqueness into our policies. This will enable us achieve our objectives in a timely and cost effective manner.

^^^^

No sir.

Traffic management is not army work.

This view you have expressed here is what emboldens Nigerian soldiers/naval ratings/airmen to do whatever they like, whenever they like and to whomever they like.

You are right about Nigeria not being a sane country. But the military's role in midwifing and sustaining our national psychosis is undeniable. You don't need to look far to confirm this - and our history also confirms it. But as you would expect, the military will always dispute this and make the thoroughly bogus claim that 'bloody civilians' are the cause of Nigeria's problems. It is in the military's own selfish interest to give the impression that nothing in this place will work unless they they come and bash a few heads together. How else will they justify overthrowing governments in order to teach the rest of us how to properly run a country?

As you put it, those who 'misbehave' need to know that the army is not like "the police and other paramilitary bodies". That statement says it all. You sound like a student of history - with your reference to events of 2006. It may interest you to know that in this country, the military did everything within its power over the last 50 plus years to emasculate the police - simply because the police was the last (armed) bulwark against military adventurism into government. Unfortunately for us all, that process of emasculation was completed a long time ago and we are all paying the price, every damn day.

Traffic management is not army work!!

It is no secret that the police in some other countries do their jobs (traffic management included!) and do them well. But if that is allowed to happen here, then the halo over every Nigerian soldier's head will evaporate. And that must not be allowed to happen. The messianic complex that is every Nigerian brasshat's birthright MUST be preserved.

I repeat: traffic management is not army work!!!

sooperrescue:
Thanks my guy. The mod must really be eating ethiopian chat and it is affecting his capacity to moderate a forum. Volvos60, I will respond to your comment later but please help me check your owner's manual if the fuel type is lead or unleaded

^^^^

Unleaded fuel, RON 91 or higher.

delpee:
I don't understand why her case alone is receiving so much attention. The reality is that many of the wealthy people in this country derived their wealth from or through the government. Oil blocks, import waivers, beneficial laws with insider knowledge, indirect monopolies, outright looting etc

When we learn to follow due process without fear or favor and punish those who refuse to comply, things will change.

^^^^
You have a point. Her case is not an isolated one.

She is getting attention however, because she is 'preaching'. That is what stings so many ordinary Nigerians - a woman who benefited from an opaque OPL allocation under a corrupt military dictatorship is sermonizing about 'faith', hope and love . It rings damn hollow.

That is why she's under fire.

This national culture of 'man know man' in getting things done will continue to cost us dearly. It was the same thinking at work in Bi-Courtney getting a concession to build federal expressways during the Obasanjo administration - only for Babalakin/BiCourtney to start looking for non-existent funding after getting the concession. Which serious country or people do this sort of thing? That's why that expressway is still under construction today, nearly two decades later.

Big blind country.

Yankee101:
No one would have given her that oil field if they thought it was viable. She was given a bad 'prospect' in the deep offshore when we had not yet fully even deployed offshore drilling in Nigeria. Dem give her marshland/wasteland.

There are oil field owners who lose money. Go and check. I can buy an oil field right now in the United States if I wish. But will it be viable? Most likely not. But that was the gamble she took. No one wants to talk about that risk.

When they finally hit oil the FG tried to collect it back under Obasanjo. She went broke fighting it to the Supreme Court. So shut your mouth if what you see and critisize is the final product and don't know what pressure the ingredients had to go through to become a beautiful cake. Shut your mouth!

^^^
Perhaps you could give a few details about how much was paid by Alakija in Naira and kobo for the OPL?

Alariiwo:
What do you expect from parasites?

One of them opened Biafraland for them but you'll never see them there. They sleep and wake up on Nairaland looking for Yoruba affairs and Buhari to poke nose on.

Yet they want biafra.. confused lots

^^^


Under pressure!!

Diversionary tactics have their limits. People are wiser now. The old tricks are no longer working.

This thread has said nothing about ethnicity. Deal with it!

Focus, man, focus!

IkpuNnu:
Ipob/ PDP miscreants wailing as usual....

Baba pepper the idiotic Jews the more...

Useless, hate filled and idiotic pigs of Biafra..

^^^


Registered on 6th February 2018

Under pressure to deliver

Running scared!

Alariiwo:
This is bad..

And to think we have a govt. makes the whole thing worse

^^^^

sooperrescue:
You are very correct but how can mobil 1 esp be expensive at 14k? The mobil 1 Usa has different types but the ones that rings a bell is the advanced full synthetic and the extended performance. That is even higher than the esp. For the esp, it is the only oil recommended for Peugeot cars and not the synthetic blend total q9000 that will damage the engine. Last friday, I was performing carbon cleaning on a 2008 camry and the sludge in that engine was very thick. When we opened the oil chamber , at the top, there was even no sight of the oil in the engine. Using cheap oils are harmful to your engines and you should please use the recommended oil for your car. The issue with the European oil is that they are not made for US specs of automobiles. Same way, US oil producers can't make oil for European cars except it is explicitly stated. The Us specs cars is dominant in the Nigerian auto space and therefore the engine oils should be for those cars it was made for. We are now on Tv on Autoxpat channel 255 mitv on sundays at 7pm for infomation about your car.. Stay tuned.



It will work well with your car but if price is a factor, yku might regret those 20w 50 oils that you put in your car

^^^^
Fair point.

It is one thing to pay a lot and get what you pay for. It is another thing to pay a lot and get less than what you are paying for. That's the issue with this controversy over Nigerian market Mobil 1 versus US market Mobil 1. The issue needs to be resolved ASAP - Mobil 1 is the most expensive oil sold here (if I am not mistaken) so consumers should get value for their money.

But the labeling on Nigerian market Mobil 1 does list some of the most recent approvals (e.g. dexos 2) and it also has an API rating of SN. These are solid credentials - is the oil so bad if it has these ratings and approvals? I am getting to the point where I may have to pay for a UOA (if the cost isn't too high) at the next service just to set the record straight.

You made a point about US spec versus Euro spec vehicles. The problem is that some vehicles are neither . My 2012 Camry and 2008 RAV4 were bought here. Will they use Euro spec oils or US spec oils (or 9ja spec )? And most of these oils do have both Euro approvals (ACEA) and US approvals (SAE, API) anyway.

In the end I just tried to follow the rules and find out what worked for me. The owners manuals for my vehicles actually list 20w 50 (API SL/SM) as approved oil and so I used 20w 50 oil for years - after all, the manuals said it was ok to do so. (And 20w 50 oil is far more common here and more affordable than other viscosities - the only 5w 30 oil I see on sale here is expensive synthetic oil). I only decided to switch to 5w 30 on the strength of a post by Siena a couple of years ago and I haven't looked back, to be honest. But that was a personal decision I made. The question is why Toyota would approve the use of 20w 50 oil if indeed it is unsuitable for Toyota engines?

I'll probably source my lubricants independently. Liquimoly has some oils specifically for Asian (Toyota, etc) cars. Toyota also has its own branded oils (although we hear its the same Mobil 1 being rebranded under the Toyota nameplate). There's also Motul. I'll be looking in that direction.

Bloody hell.

The Mobil 1 (5w 30, SN) sold here is damn expensive. It really stings to read here that it is rubbish and a waste of money.

I tried the importers (of the US manufactured Mobil 1) mentioned here in this thread but they run out of stock from time to time.

To complicate matters, I hear that the US Mobil 1 is not really synthetic - I hear it is made from mineral base stocks unlike the oils from Europe which are fully synthetic and are made from 100% synthetic base stocks. For this reason I decided to try out Liquimoly - went to Liquimoly rep in Nigeria to buy some stock from them but they were not ready to do business - rather poor customer service on their part.

Motul reps in Nigeria said they were not authorized to sell lubricants - apparently their role is limited to brand promotion and events management but nothing in the way of actually selling the stuff which really counts.

At this rate people will be better off making their own sourcing arrangements. It WILL cost more but it seems the only way to guarantee peace of mind.

aforosco:
Our problem in this Nation are people who are just there to blame people without fact or evidence.You are saying you have not hrd about his impact someone whom only spent one yr in office and gave out scholarship of 200m for his senatorial indegene.If i want to ask you what do you want to hear?

^^^


Googling this man just throws up youtube dance videos. Perhaps someone can tell us more about the bills he has passed and things like that. You know - the things lawmakers are supposed to do.

Perhaps this man's supporters can tell us more about his 'professorship'. What does he profess and at which institution?

Does he have a PhD? Any published articles in peer reviewed journals?

A google search throws up several youtube dance videos but little else. There is an ademola adeleke who google lists as a professor but that is a different person.

The wikipedia entry on this man should be edited- he should be content with being described as a politician. Or better still, a dancer.

It would be good to know for the record if is it illegal to purchase and/or use bullet proof vests (be they local or imported).

Surprising how some posters are mocking 'oyibo stupidity' as the cause of death in some of the mishaps listed by the OP.

Sometimes when you don't know, you just don't know.

The forest cobra is one of the most common snakes in Nigeria. It can be identified by its hood and the yellow striations and markings on its underbelly and other body parts. It is a good swimmer and climber and unfortunately, it routinely finds its way into human habitats. That's why so many of them are killed by humans.

However, it is still a deadly snake that becomes highly aggressive when threatened or cornered. Not to be trifled with at all. And yet some Nigerians don't know it is a venomous snake or how to handle it. I still remember the shock i felt on seeing pictures on a thread here (https://www.nairaland.com/3502796/snake-killed-mouau-fish-farm)where Nigerian students were basically fooling around with a dead forest cobra (with the head still intact). They were unaware that the bite reflex of some snakes is still active even after they are 'dead' . Some snakes have been known to bite through their own lower jaws long after 'death'.

Snakes should be treated with respect. The inexperienced should stay out of their way and avoid contact and they'll be fine.

It is not a king cobra. It is a forest cobra native to our continent and found (though not exclusively) in the West African sub region.

The king cobra is native to Asia and not found in Africa. It is a much longer and larger snake than the forest cobra.

Both snakes however are venomous and not to be trifled with.

seguno2:
Osinbajo was already a devil. He has only been revealed fully on the national stage.
Was he not the Lagos state Attorney General who drafted the bogus pension plan for Tinubu in 2007
He was already a devil all by himself.

^^^^
Ah...

Wasn't that the pension plan with some indefensible provisions? Like the pension plan of the former Cross River State? governor which came out at the same time or a while later?

And today we are being force fed daily with information about how the 'pensioner' is progressiveness personified.

How soon we forget...

Absuchat:
Chances are there that he never got to the caller before been abducted. also, he may have been abducted after meeting with the caller.

I noticed how everyone is pointing accusing fingers on the caller here on nairaland, this is one of the reasons why the Nigeria prison is full of convicted innocent people, who proper investigation could have lead to their exoneration.

We however dwell in a society where deductive reasoning reigns Supreme, even on the side of the police force.

I wish him safe return as soon as possible.
But in case he doesn't make it, and his last caller knows nothing about it... I wish him (the caller fair trial).

^^^^
Truth

greiboy:
No one is on trial here.

She only told her story, you are the one here trying to soil her name by up digging irrelevant post to support your assertion. At least, I am glad you gave her some credit for her achievements.

Here is a actual newspaper of the woman making a case for herself. You will be able to spot where she talk about her court case and how long it took for her before her company struck crude oil.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/made-billionaire-obasanjo-tells-folorunsho-alakija/

^^^


We can agree to disagree.

You claim I am trying to soil the woman's name by digging up irrelevant posts.

I have made my point with facts and I have kept the conversation civil. I took the trouble to look up your reference but you called my reference thread 'irrelevant'. . To each his own.

Perhaps you would prefer to engage those who called your heroine unprintable names.

greiboy:
Do you understand she argued a case in the court for nearly 12 years before she could gain full access to the oil bloc

Did you realize that she wasn't only the person lucky enough to be given such oil bloc ?

Do you know what is needed to seize an opportunity?

Do you know the effort needed to run a successful business in a country like Nigeria?

If you can answer all the aforementioned questions, then you will realize my reasons for using "diligence" and "hard work" in my previous comment.

You will also understand the reasons I had correct the misconceptions of some of her haters

^^^^
I'll address your points one by one:

Do you understand she argued a case in the court for nearly 12 years before she could gain full access to the oil bloc?

It might be a good idea for you to give the details of that lawsuit here and how it supports your argument about hard work on the part of the owner.


Did you realize that she wasn't only the person lucky enough to be given such oil bloc ?

That's exactly my point. You do acknowledge that 'luck' played a big part in getting that licence. Kind of stands the whole 'hard work' argument on its head. Yes, other beneficiaries frittered away their blocs and FAMFA's vice chairman (as she was then) didn't waste hers. But the key point is how the bloc was gotten to begin with.

Do you know what is needed to seize an opportunity?

Yes sir, I do! You seize some every day and so do I! I wager that there are millions of Nigerians who could have equally seized the 'opportunity' she was given and done just as well or even better. I can't prove it of course, but I can bet on it.


Do you know the effort needed to run a successful business in a country like Nigeria?

Yes I do. Everyday is a struggle and some days are worse than others. And success remains elusive. But you do it anyway.


I'll refer you to a 20+ page thread from 2012 on Mrs Alakija:

https://www.nairaland.com/1115686/africas-richest-woman-nigerian-folorunsho/14#13204850

I'll leave you with one of my posts on that thread:

"FAMFA's vice-chairman (i.e. Alakija) may indeed have the boldness and heart of a lion but that is not what's on trial here. What is on trial here is an OPL allocation process (of which FAMFA is a direct beneficiary) that is opaque and guaranteed to raise suspicion of unethical behviour. Why is this so hard for everyone to understand? It is in everyone's interest (including future OPL winners) that the allocation process be transparent, fair and seen to be fair. This means future winners will never have to worry about being tar brushed as beneficiaries of the worst kind of crony capitalism."

greiboy:
How can some people just wake up and insult others from the comfort of their phone

This woman was neither a government official nor the wife of a president but she is the richest woman in Nigeria, according to Forbes

This must have taken a lot of hard work and diligence to achieve, regardless of the alleged support she got from politicians. if it was that easy, why didn't the members of my family and your families gain similar favors.


let us learn to respect or at least acknowledge achievements of others because that is the only way we can understand what it takes to achieve something in life.

Well done ma

^^^^
You don't necessarily have to agree with those who are cursing her out. But you are treading a dangerous path with your talk about 'hard work and diligence'. You surely can't support the primitive patronage system of which this woman was a beneficiary.

Do your investigations about the allocation of OMLs and OPLs in the military regimes of the 80s and you'll understand why people are upset with all of this.

delpee:
Well, many others got their licences the easy way too yet they achieved nothing. Honour to whom honour is due. She focused on making something out of the opportunity given to her (whichever way) and is a resounding success today.

She was a staff of one of the biggest merchant banks in the 80s/90s. That also probably equipped her with financial wisdom. She's a trained secretary (UK) apart from being a fashion designer.

^^^
No ma'am.

Not sure I agree with you.

The reason why the woman's comments are generating controversy is this: she was a beneficiary of a notoriously opaque OPL allocation process. That's all.

She gained but the country as a whole lost. Allocation of OPLs and OMLs shouldn't be a private lottery.