₦airaland Forum

Obi1kenobi:
Really? Could have fooled us. You "form" what we're not just about everyday on this forum. I see you abandon your fake Afrocentrism when it suits you to have immature digs at Ghana - a country I vividly remember you trying to paint as a rising star of Africa when the argument suited you in the past. So it's funny to see the schadenfreude glorying in their reported downturn.

And I've seen Ghanians here do little beyond trying to defend themselves from insecure attack dog Nigerians on here who are obsessed with them. A very weird obsession.

^^^^
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Gloria3389:
see water Don pass garri for naija case....I have a lot to do than looking for what can't be found.....

^^^^
You owe it to yourself to perform your civic duty. You have the right to a decent life in which you can have a shot at achieving your goals. Or don't you? You concede that our leaders have fallen short. So what are you going to do about it? Complain and do nothing?

At election time you have the opportunity to cast a ballot to determine how you will live (not exist!!) for the next 4 years. It is a serious matter and not one to be treated casually or lightly. (Maybe part of our problem is that flag independence came 'relatively' easily. The South Africans for example (who were massacred in their thousands by apartheid's footsoldiers) tend to take politics more seriously. They remember that the right to choose their leaders came at a great cost.)

The choice is up to you. You can get interested NOW and start asking hard questions about who you want to lead you (not just at the federal level but also at the state and LG levels, and not just the executive but the legislature too). You can do your research and decide who is worthy of your vote before casting that vote early next year, be it in pouring rain or under the scorching sun.

Or you can stay indoors and enjoy yourself on your playstation on election day, 'hoping' and 'praying' that somehow, someway, with no effort on your part (or the part of others who share your current view), things will 'miraculously' turn out right.

The choice is yours.

xtervaganza:
lol.....i used to be like you



Let's be honest with ourselves, the canals know who the next president is.


And as much as we like to deny it, our votes don't count

^^^^
Lol.

Nigerian youths need to decide. Now.

The inertia and apathy of the youth leaves me speechless sometimes. Elections come round once in four years and Nigerian youths (who stand to lose the most if this country continues its journey into Hell) can't be bothered to stand in the sun to vote. Because its 'hot' and there's pushing and shoving?

Nigerian youths do not want to take responsibility for the future they want. They want a society that works but they do not want to carry out the simplest, most basic civic responsibilities. How will you get results then?

Do not take this the wrong way. I am exhorting you and others to stand up and be counted.

Gloria3389:
u know our votes do not count most times.... it's just for formality jare

^^^^
The question you should ask is 'why do our votes not count? what gives anyone the right to (illegally) nullify or invalidate my vote?'

Are you just going to lie back and accept the theft of your rights?

xtervaganza:
sorry bro, my previous votes did not change anything



And besides I can't bake myself in the sun all in the name of voting. I'm above that now (sorry) I rather stay indoor and watch TV or play my ps3

^^^
This is just so, so sad to read.

You say that you are now 'above' baking yourself in the sun to vote.

If you really understood the power and sanctity of your right to vote, you would NOT have written what you wrote up here. I hope it is only frustration (which by the way, we all feel) with the Nigerian situation which provoked your comments.

Think carefully about the things you have said.

ROSSIKE:
There are far more than 1.5 million. Far more than 1.5 out of every 170 Nigerians runs a successful business.

^^^^
Kindly provide proof of this. I would like to know the parameters used for measuring business success here.

I am not a US citizen. Yet I have before me a pdf file titled 'Public Disclosure Financial Report' which shows Barack Obama's net worth in fine detail as at 2012. This document is freely available on the web:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/05/16/us/politics/16disclosure-doc.html?_r=1&

http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/356575/the-presidents-and-vice-presidents-financial.pdf

Anyone with a valid reason to do so can get the most recent updates to this Report by going online to http://www.whitehouse.gov/public-forms/oge278.

Is it not confusion that I can get the US president's networth at the click of a mouse button and I cannot do the same for the president of my country?

anonimi:
You agree that GEJ followed the example of Yaradua. Why have other elected public officers at the state and LGA levels as well as in the legislative houses not also followed GEJ's example
Is it not fair to ask such a question?

Are we not being clueless as a nation to not also put pressure via the media on all these other elected officers to also publicly declare their assets

Do you know if the law requires that it be repeated and if yes, how frequently

^^^^
You ask why state and LG officers have not 'followed' GEJ's example. Well sir, there is no 'example' to follow.

There is no need to create a false dichotomy here. A search of even these NL boards will reveal quite a number of posters advocating public asset declaration across ALL arms and tiers of government. The idea of public asset declaration for ALL public officers is not a new one. It has been around for a long time - a web search will prove this. Nobody is singling GEJ out for special condemnation. And even if he WAS being singled out, so what? Is he not Nigeria's highest official? If not him then who?

I notice you have sidestepped my points about the transparency/morality behind a public asset declaration and you have chosen to focus on the technicalities and legal arguments behind repeat declarations and their frequency. Interesting.

Kindly 'educate' me on the provisions of the law regarding repeat declarations. I want to learn. I await your comments.

anonimi:
Please tell us of any other elected official ALIVE who has also declared his assets as GEJ did ALREADY.

Do you know the provisions of the relevant law on REPEAT declaration and how frequently/regularly it should be done

^^^^
You seem to imply that GEJ's 'forced' asset declaration of 2007 is some major achievement on his part. For the avoidance of doubt, let me reiterate:

GEJ declared his assets publicly only because his principal, Yaradua had declared his, and the media pressure on him to follow suit was getting unbearable. If GEJ's public asset declaration of 2007 was voluntary, why has it not been repeated in the last 7 years?

I do not intend to get into a sideshow about whether or not GEJ is the only living elected official who declared his assets publicly 7 years ago. I also do not want to get into technicalities on the legal provisions for repeat declarations. Such arguments or debates would be a distraction and nothing more.

Nigerian law did not require Yaradua to declare his assets publicly. Correct me if I am wrong but the law only requires declaration to the Code of Conduct Bureau. Despite Yaradua's faults (and indeed they were many), he saw it fit to declare his assets publicly for all Nigerians to see as a matter of public morality. Yaradua did not try to hide under the opacity of the Code of Conduct Bureau requirement. Why is it so hard for Jonathan to follow that example?

anonimi:
He declared his assets publicly in 2007 following the example of the late President Yar'Adua.

If I am not mistaken, GEJ remains the only elected officer ALIVE who has declared his assets publicly.

^^^^
He declared his assets in 2007 because he had no choice. Yaradua had declared his assets and the press was putting immense pressure on Jonathan to do the same.

It is noteworthy that GEJ has refused to declare his assets publicly since 2007, even going as far as swearing recently on national TV in protest against legitimate public scrutiny of his net worth. What does that say about him?

Good one!

I will reserve my comments on the performance of Mr. Akpabio's administration until I get full information on the state's finances and budget. Sadly, the recent pension 'crisis' spoke volumes about what to expect when the full story of the current AKSG is told.

The comments of some posters here denouncing road construction are disturbing. Without in any way holding brief for the AKSG, it should never be forgotten that infrastructure ranks up there with education as the archetypal public good.

It is up to the people of Akwa Ibom to determine if they have been shortchanged by their current government. Time will tell whether these projects being commissioned were smokesecreens for graft and grand larceny.

We will see.

OP, Good post.

The thread should be moved to the education sector since that was where Prof Idachaba came into prominence. He was a teacher in the true sense of the word, from the beginning to the end.

Go forth into the Light and the Rest of the Most High, Sir!

sultaan: From my perspective we as a people decided to put unsafe automobile on bad road drive carelessly and when a series of related bad situations get together there was a fatal accident on that location. This kind of accident happen way to frequent for us not to be able to reduce. It does not matter who was there because it could anyone next time we just have to change our culture this is way past behavior.

There is nothing wrong with documenting things are they are if you can because for those who van make changes they see thing as is not as told

^^^^
I actually want to pursue this matter further so an eyewitness account does matter. It will help me when I want to refer to the incident.

There is a point I have been trying to make from page 1 of this thread. Most roads are public goods. We all need government to make it possible for us to use public goods safely. It is good to educate people about good road etiquette. It is good to appeal to people's sense of responsibility concerning the safe use of our roads. But in the end, that will not be enough. It is the threat of punishment that will be far more effective in keeping dangerous drivers in check.

Everything goes back to the accountability of governments to their people. The solution to the problem is a chain of fear. Dangerous drivers should be afraid of the government. The government should be afraid of the electorate. The electorate should be afraid of needless, premature death on our roads. And the circle is now complete.

When roads are poorly designed, poorly constructed and poorly maintained, people WILL die.

When there are no consequences for driving under the influence (of shepe, kain-kain, shine your eye, burukutu etc), people WILL drink and drive and people WILL die.

When there are no consequences for unsafe, poorly maintained vehicles, people WILL die.

When there are no consequences for illegal acquisition of vehicle & driver's licenses, people WILL die.

And so on.

These points I have listed above are government responsibilities, full stop. Any government that cannot fix these things does not deserve to be called a government and should be severely punished by the voting public. The problem is this: does the voting public even KNOW that the government owes them a duty to fulfill the responsibilities I have listed above as well as throughout this thread? I leave you all to answer. Everything rests on this question.

ratiken: There is no better chance than now for PDP to help us recover Lagos from the strong and evil hold of Tinubu snd his friends

^^^
I see.

Your comments on the road accident thread are all beginning to make sense now.

You pretend to be an objective fellow with the good of his fellow man at heart but you are just another paid party hack at heart.

debbie: I can see some human beings are too ashamed to accept the truth even when it is facing them.This thread is all about the rot and dirtiness in major parts of lagos state.It is an ignorant fellow that will see all these pictures and still doubt.W ho are you defending? fashola as i said and will always say it has done little or nothing for the majority of the citizens.One structure will be erected and will be repaired over and over again,while some places have not been touched.The last time i checked his tenure will end before May 2015.....Dont be sentimental and fight over nothing.When we see the pictures of other state,we will still condemn it and speak out.
So i urge all these political bigots to keep quite and face the shame and failure.
Back to the topic.if you know kosofe bus stop going to mile12 where those keke people load,you will surely cry for that road....yet they are taxed daily and on every loading they do.....please dont just come here and talk rubbish if you have not been to that road at least today.
Secondly the major street called OLADELE where you have APOSTOLIC GRAMMAR SCHOOL,WITH THE KOSOFE SENIOR AND JUNIOR SCHOOLS all along this stretch of road,you will understand that the road is worst than the one leading to hell.One will see some nursery kids passing through the gutters and fighting their way with okada,because the road is just toooo bad and whenever it rains your car will cry out.

YET SOMEONE WILL COME AND START SHIFTING BLAMES ON WHO? THE LCDA? WHO PUT THEM THERE? IS IT NOT THE STATE GOVERNMENT?
Please face the truth and accept the reality.

^^^^
There is nothing more to say. You have said it all.

As I have said time without number, it is up to the people to hold their leaders accountable. If they refuse to do so, then the living conditions shown in these pictures will be their lot forever. And ever.

I am amazed at the response of the LASG defenders on this thread. This is hard evidence of the failure and the venality of the crooks and rogues in the LASG and this feeble defence (i.e. 'why didn't the OP take pictures of Lekki/Ikoyi'?) is all they can come up with? Keep dodging the issue and lets see where that takes you. Hypocrites.

Performance does not have any need for propaganda.

Themaingate: it's so sad that the owner of this thread can value making the front page more than saving human.

as at the time this picture was taking road safety guys have not arrive and this accident happened right in my front because we were all coming from camp together but we were on different bus, infact 2 of the persons that did not die in this accident actually beg to board our own bus but it was already full.

my point is that the poster would have probably save some souls first before rushing to have a snap shot. the job was left to only a few of us while majority were busy snapping even when the road safety guys came they warned everyone against this.

the bus driver ran away without injury

the trailer driver ran away

God knows Best and He is the Best Judge

^^^^
Can you give us the details of what happened and how the accident occurred? From what you posted it seems a trailer was involved?

I want to follow up on this matter so an eyewitness' account would be invaluable. Please give details - time of accident, location, sequence of events etc. This info would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

naijababe: What business do universities have with halls of residence? It's no wonder they don't have any money and I suppose that's expected to subsidized too?

^^^They are heavily subsidized. (At least they were when I was in school)

There was a thriving secondary market for the sale (at a significant markup) of bed spaces in these halls of residence. That's why I'm advocating non-residential universities.

mbulela: I will not be surprised if she privatizes conjugal rights to her partners. The lady sees privatization in everything.

^^^

bushdoc9919: Sorry to but in....apologies if I seem too persistent.

Well....back when Fashola graduated from Uniben in 1987...there were just slightly over 100,000 Nigerian university students.(When GEJ was a student in the 70's there were 80,000 students nationwide).

Just to show you how numbers have risen...in 2004 at my alma mater...there were 70,000 students.

The problem with subsidizing education in Nigeria is that there are too many students for the subsidies to work.

^^^^
Even in countries with strong institutions, hikes in the cost of education, transport and other basics are fiercely resisted.

The venality of Nigerian public officials is what makes these price hikes doubly galling.

The 'subsidy' on fuel has to go. The 'subsidy' on education has to go. Public enterprises must go. Sales! Everything must go!

The only thing which has refused to 'go' is the remuneration of our public officials. I'm sure you are aware of the public officers pension bills passed in Akwa Ibom and Lagos states (among others). Do those bills approach anything remotely close to an equitable distribution of resources?

mbulela: The porous inefficient bureaucracies is a battle to be fought but it still does not mean that tertiary education will be free or should be free.
It is a luxury that plays an important part in our future as a society. Placing the right value will help us redress the imbalance in our educational system.
There are more important issues than even the fees in universities. How in God's green earth does a society that intends to be taken serious end up with a political enforcer like Nyesom Wike as minister for education for over 18 months now? Is that a form of educational Russian roulette?
Educational policy frameworks are such complex and integral parts of societal development,yet we use such positions of power to reward Man Fridays!!
Are these the kind of barbarians you expect to pour 3 trillion naira into education at any level?
Na wa for us o!

^^^^
Rising prices are an inescapable fact of life. Even grizzled old Marxists accept this truth, albeit grudgingly.

What rankles is when ordinary people are compelled to tighten their belts while the powers that be continue to make corpulence a style statement.

It would be easier to justify education subsidy removal if public sector officials cleansed the rot in public sector itself. But they won't do that. That's far too hard. Its far easier to pick on low income demographics who have no power.

And what is sad is that they have the Ijeoma Nwaogugwu's of this world to provide the intellectual cover for their actions.

bushdoc9919: To answer your question (partially....and this is not a defense as you think it is!).

1.Lagos will have an IGR of N466billion naira...let's round it up to N500bn

2.Lagos has 10 million people.(2006 CENSUS....might now be 15-20million)..so that amounts to N50,000 per resident if we split the IGR.

3.There are 60000 students....undergrad and post grad in LASU.

4.It costs between N600,000 to N2,000,000 every year to train a student in Nigerian university.

5.Now do the math....based on the N2million figure...... N120,000,000,000(One hundred and twenty billion naira on just LASU...)....which amounts to 25% of the Lagos IGR (And we haven't talked about other costs).

6.Would you spend one quarter of your state budget on just the university?

^^^
Thanks for the statistical breakdown - and don't worry, I am not holding you accountable as defender of the LASG...

I'm not sure I agree with the figures. I really would like to know how the costing was done. While it is clear that the engineering, science & technology, medical sciences, nursing, etc. fields will have higher student costs, I wonder about students in the arts, the humanities and the social sciences. Will their costs rise as high as 600k per annum?

What are the line items in the expense profile per student? That is where the answers lie. I will be very grateful if the full balance sheet and P & L per student could be made available.

P.S. There are times when I have wondered if it would not be beneficial for universities to do away with halls in residence and shift that cost to students IF THEY MUST. Halls of residence can then be converted to commercial use to shore up university finances.

mbulela: No wonder it took you so long to reply.
you were preparing a bomb for Ijeoma.
I am not a big fan of Ijeoma as she sees everything through that free market lens.
However, I think she has a point in the sense that we cannot expect tot have free (or almost free) tertiary education. In the face of more pressing needs,it is not possible. There is no long grammar about it. Unfortunately,that FOI issue will remain a log around BRF's neck and strengthen the hands of his detractors.

^^^
You bet I was preparing a missile for her. We have to keep those who shape public opinion honest or we are all in trouble.

Pardon me for sounding cynical but I believe there is a long term agenda behind the push towards the privatization (and that is what it is) of university education in Nigeria. Let me explain.

Many moons ago, when the earth was still flat, I was a secondary school student in form 2 (before it was changed to JSS 2) and civics was part of the school curriculum. I took a few classes and then for reasons which were never fully explained, the subject was removed from the school curriculum. To this day, I am not aware of civics being taught in any of our schools at that level. Correct me if I am wrong. Was it a coincidence that this took place under a military dictatorship in the mid-1980s? I leave you to be the judge.

In the last century, there were strong demonstrations in US universities against the involvement of the US in Vietnam. The epicentre of these demonstrations were public universities (although it is only fair to state here that there were also strong demonstrations against in the war in private US universities too). Nigerian university students have long followed this 'tradition' of taking a position on social issues, both local (SAP, fuel subsidy etc) and international (SA's policy of apartheid). Is any one in any doubt about the outcome for social justice and activism when Nigeria's universities become free market outposts? Again I leave you to be the judge.

I agree with you that university education cannot be free. (although one part of me bristles that Babatunde Fashola, Ebele Jonathan who are all products of public universities, have decided to pull up the ladder after climbing to the top. I have not been able to get details of Ijeoma's education but I would be surprised if she was not educated in a Nigerian public university). The question is: how come so many of those who say university education is NOT a public good ARE graduates of Nigerian public universities?

I would like it if they could answer me. They cannot plug the leaks and waste in their porous, inefficient bureaucracies but they consider university education to be the exclusive preserve of the wealthy.



"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." - Helder Camara

Ijeoma writes persuasively. The problem is that most of her pieces are amoral, pro-free market treatises that are deafeningly silent about tackling the institutional failures which breed (and sustain) the life blighting systemic corruption Nigeria is (in)famous for.

A long time ago she took a position firmly in favour of the removal of the so-called subsidy on fuel, a position she articulated at will in her weekly journal with a mainstream paper. What she and the other subsidy removal proponents failed to answer convincingly is why Nigeria's refineries are not working and we need to import expensive foreign fuel in the first place. Without importation there would be no need for a subsidy! And this country has no business importing refined fuel since she has the raw material under her soil and the technology to refine is also available. Till this moment, Nigerians have not been told the whole truth about how much it costs to produce and refine a litre of fuel locally versus how much it costs to import a litre of refined fuel. And I think we all know the reason why.

In this piece above she has also declared her stand in favour of the removal of the subsidy on university education. She has made some convincing useful points especially about Nigeria's inexplicable institutionalized discrimination against technical education. Other points such as her linking excessive salt consumption in Jos to the crisis in higher education simply do not have merit.

How much does it cost to train and graduate a LASU student in each discipline? Ijeoma talks about investigative journalism possibly revealing uncomfortable truths about the state of UI, Unilag and UNN facilities. Fine. What is revealing is that she did not have anything to say about a probing searchlight being beamed on the finances of the federal government or the LASG. There will also be very uncomfortable and inconvenient truths there, the kind that propelled the LASG governor to say the FOI does not apply to states. The kind that propelled the president to say he doesn't give a 'damn' on national TV.

You can't private the gains and socialize the losses.

akeweje: Hold on VolvoS60, there is still one more thing to add. I've gone through your posts on this thread and you've made very good points. I want to commend you for passing across your messages without insulting others. Regulatory failure is one of the biggest factors affecting our development in Nigeria. I agree with you. I know you agreed with some other people that paradigm shift for drivers is important but you don't feel, from your several posts, that it's as strong as government failure( that may be my assumption going through your posts though because you stressed govt failure more than others).

^^^^
Good to hear you are doing fine. Wish you a full and complete recovery and many more years of trouble free motoring.

I didn't quote your entire post up here so that it wouldn't take up too much space (but I read every word). Where do I start? I will start by saying that I have been around for quite a while - i threw in a reference to the FRSC's glory days to let others know that I've seen quite a bit. I started learning how to drive (far too early I must admit) in 1988 but I was too young to get a driver's licence then, so I had to wait a few years before taking my driving test. (Which I promptly failed but that's a story for some other time).

I still remember that I was the odd man out among my peers because I was the only one who drove with a seatbelt. (My father always drove with a seatbelt and insisted that my siblings and I do the same. But he took the time to explain why - he mentioned what seat belt pre-tensioners do, how the belt prevents you from smashing your chest against the steering wheel in a collision, etc.). I still remember that it was years after I had started driving with a belt that the FRSC made it compulsory to do so. I still remember the resistance from the general public and the warnings by the FRSC for non-compliance. But eventually, the motoring public bought into the idea and today, most drivers wear their belts.

Why this history lesson? Simply to prove that people respond to incentives, rewards and penalties. It is the way of the world - it always has been and always will be. Steer people in the right direction by appropriately applying rewards, penalties and incentives AND they will respond. Distort the reward system and watch things break down.

I do not believe there is any competition or tension between regulatory effectiveness and a shift in paradigms/behavioural patterns. Not at all. I consider them to be complementary. However, I think regulation requires more attention because it is the driver for the so-called paradigm shift one of the other posters spoke about so disingenuously. As I asked earlier: how will this paradigm shift take place? On its own? Of course not. A change in behavioural patterns will come only through a mixture of education AND the proper application of rewards and penalties. And that sir, is a government responsibility, FULL STOP. And why is it a government responsibility?

It is a government responsibility because roads are public goods.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me repeat what I said earlier about drivers in developed countries where the system works. Most of these drivers would love to routinely drive at 500km/hr on the highways if they could do so without any consequences. But they can't. The system will chew them up and spit them out if they are caught breaking the speed limit and/or causing death or injury to others - we are talking of heavy fines, life driving bans, suspended sentences or jail time. And motorists in these countries know that the law and its enforcers are out there waiting for them to put one foot wrong. That is where the difference lies.

You spoke at length about Nigeria's very serious problems and I must admit that we could be here for the next 100 days and we still wouldn't have finished listing them. Where I do agree with you is that we (and by we I mean all Nigerians) have refused to take responsibility for the disaster we have become and how to solve it. If you go through my posts on this thread (and other threads over the past few years) I have always stressed the importance of Nigerians holding their leaders accountable. It is a thing of great sorrow to me that millions of Nigerians do not have a personal understanding of what the Social Contract is and what it truly means. At every opportunity I tell people that they have the power to change their quality of life if they choose their leaders wisely and hold them accountable. A poster on another thread put it beautifully - he/she said 'Nigerians are in jail but they don't know they have the keys'.

I do not know why Nigerians do not treat their political choices with the seriousness such choices require. Too many Nigerians cannot be bothered to vote. Or when they do vote, they spend as much time researching their voting choices as they would on which outfit to wear to the next meaningless party/social event. Or when they vote and their votes are stolen (or their choice is subverted in some other shape or form), they make some feeble, halfhearted motions of resistance. When the inevitable outcome of poor governance is then made manifest, Nigerians spend hours, weeks and years complaining about the poor choices THEY made. Is this the mark of a serious people?

You spoke at length about the breakdown in our value system, mores and social fabric. The solution is to choose leaders who will restore faith and put this house back together again. But we the people have to do the hard work of choosing wisely and that is where we have proved, time and time again to be lazy, unfocused, ignorant and stupid. Nobody is going to make that leadership choice for us. As we make our bed so we shall lie on it.

I will dispense with the generalities and get down to specifics. Nigeria has very serious structural problems. She is a federation in name only. Some of her laws such as the Land Use Act belong to the last century. There is no justification for the so-called security votes commanded by governors - this is nothing more than a slush fund, full stop. Elected Nigerian public officials as a matter of national security should be required by law to declare their assets publicly to the media - the current charade with the Code of Conduct Bureau MUST stop. There must be FULL implementation of all the provisions of white papers such as the Uwais Report on electoral reform. For our own survival we must build our institutions - we need strong institutions and not strong people. I could go on and on.

Have we as Nigerians (the elite in particular) made any of these things campaign issues which potential candidates MUST address to our satisfaction? No we have not. Do we intend to? Your guess is as good as mine.

BigBashiru: Why are you calling on God and God to have mercy. And why are you blaming the Govt? Nigerians sef. Irresponsible drivers are responsible FIRST. Though the roads are bad, it is the responsibility of drivers to drive responsibly and obey rules.

I do not know the exact circumstances of this incident but I am calling on Nigerians to take responsibility for their lives, quit blaming the government and ask God to help then act responsibly not after praying you are doing 160km/hr and believe "God will help his people"

^^^^
If YOU drive responsibly and other drivers do not, what happens? If YOU drive sensibly and other drivers do not, and they endanger your life where do you get recourse?

Can you see why you need government? You need the government to protect you from the reckless behaviour and decisions of others in the use of a public good i.e. the highway.

As I said in my other posts, it is the fear of punishment that reins in the craziness of drivers in developed countries. Drivers in these places would drive recklessly if they could get away with it. But that's the whole point: they can't get away with it. The government, acting on behalf of the people who elected it, makes sure of this.

I hope you read me now.

jawjaw1: You are absolutely spot on. The average driver is the same all over the world. We would be in a hurry to get anywhere at neck breaking speed or detest driving at 50km/h when the road is free. The huge difference between the safety on Nigerian roads and roads in developed countries is the control. The police making intercity and highway patrols and aided with speed scanners and road side cameras provides the absolute control that prevents drivers from speeding to their deaths and causing the death of others.

For drivers in these parts of the world, the fear of a speeding ticket or demerit points on your licence is the beginning of wisdom. A speeding ticket can wipe away your savings or hard earnings in a day. The demerit points show on your driving abstract (driving record) and can deny you job oppurtunities. If the demerit points accumulate, your licence can be suspended and if you are caught driving without licence you could go to jail.

Its that simple, CONTROL is the answer. If you have an agency that adequately exercises control of driving behaviour on the roads all these needless accidents and deaths will reduce to the bearest minimum. The blame finally falls on government to build, fund and train such an agency. FULLSTOP.

^^^^
You have said it all. There isn't much more to add.

saxywale: Also, influx of cars with miles/hour on their gauge is a big problem too. People can't tell the difference between miles and kilometers.

^^^^That's a key point you mention here. I didn't even think of that.

jimmy4x: Yea, it's a dual carriageway

^^^^
It is interesting that two other posters on this thread dispute your assertion about the road being in good shape. Anyway, I will take your point as given.

Something which has been lost on so many posters here (and yet highlighted by some others) is that there are many factors which are important for road safety. The physical condition of the road is one. The design of the road is another. The presence of functional road signs is another. The effectiveness of law enforcement is another. And so on.

These factors must all be in sync for the system to work. That is the message I am trying to get across.


P.S. Correct me if I am wrong but the dual carriage way begins from Ibadan, goes through Ife and other small towns and eventually ends before Akure? From that point onward, if i remember correctly, it is a single lane carriage way all the way to Okene (if you are headed in that direction). With the volume of traffic on that entire stretch and beyond, nothing but a dual carriage way is acceptable.

Rogers210: If you are going to sympathize, you can do so without necessarily blaming the government. There are myriads of other causes of road accidents apart from bad road. When will people like you take up responsibility for your destiny and stop pointing fingers ?

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Mr Rogers, kindly go through all my posts on this thread to have an idea of where I am coming from. You are absolutely right that there are several causes of RTAs apart from bad roads. What people need to understand is that these other causes have government failure (to varying degrees) as a common (though often remote or indirect) denominator. My other posts talk about this in detail. Go through them and tell me if your views are still unchanged.

lawanson44: @volvos60, ceasare and other dimwits who are busy blaming government... What has the government got to do with the accident? Perhaps, the driver of the bus was Goodluck Jonathan or David Mark abi? The driver who was over-speeding should not be held accountable but government right?

[size=18pt]It is only lazy people and failures who use Government as an excuse for anything bad that happens.[/size]

^^^
Your post (and the language therein) shows you up for what you are...

I have addressed in detail other posters who had substantive comments. You sir, do not qualify.

jimmy4x: Don't blame this on Nigerian roads please, I drive on that road, going from ife to Erin ijesha and coming back, the road is very good, I can say that, could be the driver's fault, too much speed or something else.
But that Ife - Ilesha express road is very very good, still used the road recently sef.
May their souls RIP

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I have driven on that road too. Several times. I have a question for you sir: Is the road a dual carriageway? I have a reason for asking this question and your response will determine my answer to you.

I have addressed the issue of driver's fault/negligence in another post. But I will recap here.

Nigerian drivers have roughly the same urges as European, North American, Japanese etc. drivers. We all have things to do and places to go to. We would all drive at 500km/h if we could. The difference is that in these other places, the consequences for death and injury to others (as a result of my negligence or carelessness) are severe. I could be banned from driving for life or do jail time. It is the fear of these consequences that keeps the majority of drivers in these other places in check.

Until we get the regulation bit to work properly, the carnage will continue.