₦airaland Forum

jason123: Ikeja – Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Thursday in Ikeja signed the Lagos State Road Traffic Bill into law.

He said the law would not be implemented immediately, adding that a lot of public enlightenment would be carried out while copies distributed to residents.

The new law clearly spelt’s out what now constituted traffic offences in the state, as well as the penalty each attracted.

Another salient provision of the law is the prohibition of eating, counting money, making phone calls and engaging in other dangerous activities while driving, prescribing a fine of N30,000 for violators.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/08/fashola-signs-lagos-road-traffic-bill-into-law/

https://vml1.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Gov-Fashola-300x182.jpg?9d7bd4

^^^If the press reports about this law are to be believed, I would suggest those who drafted this law and the man who signed it should take a good look at their 'law' and what it seeks to criminalize. A few days ago, the story was that smoking at the wheel was prohibited. Now we are being told that eating at the wheel is also an egregious crime. What next?

Mr Fashola and company should stop wasting time and focus instead on the activities of the NURTW, NARTO and a motley crew of unkempt local government council staff at the so-called parks and bus stops. These fellows (in league with the thoroughly jaundiced duo of the NPF & the LASTMA) ARE the reason why traffic in this city does not flow freely. And while Messrs Fashola et al are at it, they should actually read the town planning edicts and bye-laws in place and ENFORCE the common sense provisions of these existing laws. Fixing the roads instead of wasting money organising senseless jamborees to celebrate the birthday of the party 'leader' would help too!

blackweaver: i pity these people, i hope they are armed sha; anyway seeing that oga presido is a man of slow action perhaps nothing will happen; but in the time of obj, this would have resulted in war. anyway if it works out then kudos to them; i wish them the best

^^^I reserve my comments on this declaration until more information comes in. What I will not let slide however, is the implied veneration (in your post) of Olusegun Obasanjo as some extraordinary statesman. He is not and only picks on targets far, far weaker.

Ikenna351: I really don't know much about 407. But I do know that most people that sold off their 406 to acquire 407 regretted doing so. They preferred the ruggedness and handling of the 406 to their newly acquired 407. Some as well prefered 407 to their previous 406s. But are good, depending on the test of the buyer or user. Do know that 406 was the last Peugeot product desined by Pininfarina. An Italian company that designed 504 and 505. Ferraris were also designed by the Pininfarina. Ever wondered why 504, 505 & 406 are damn good road handlers!

Not withstanding, its should be as good as other Lions as well. Go through the link below. You will find all you need about the pros and cons of 407.

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/peugeot/407/

Ikenna.

^^^Thanks, ikenna. I'm already familiar with carsurvey - i just wanted to get detailed real world experiences of users here in Nigeria outside Abuja and the big urban centres. I am seriously considering enrolling for a technician's course so that I can troubleshoot any potential problems if i were to decide to get a lion/camel for myself. Kudos to you - I think you once said in a prior thread that you were a self-taught mechanic. That's the way to go - car ownership becomes a joy when a user/owner can take care of most of the everyday faults (or at least can hold his own against the sharks who call themselves mechanics )

P.S. I had no idea that Nigerian mechanics call catcons "indomie". . .

sessydoo: U re very correct sir. Right from the days of Sanusi as FBN MD. Go and find out. the Mallam has personal beef for Erastus or else why has he not prosecuted other bank MD thieves? SLS is full of persona vendetta and selective victimisation making the industry that used to be the highest employer of labour to become a shadow of itself. A more intelligent person would do what SLS did (in a diff way) without casuing a systemic failure and panic in that industry. His own time is coming, when a King that knows NOT Pharao would reign and bring this Boko haram CBN Gov to judgement. he sold all the perceived weak banks to his cronies and political Godfathers at 1 kobo (God is watching ooo). pls Dont get me wrong oo, im not in support of what Erastus did, infact hes a disgrace to the banking institution BUT SLS and Co (Saraki, Aig, Layi Alabi etc) are worse off. SLS has killed the banking industry..its very sad and appalling. My heart bleeds for a nation so blessed with natural n human resources but cursed with thieves n rogues in Govt....when Sanusi finishes playing his Godfathers' scripts, he should tell us o. and to think dat some gullible consider this rogue called SLS as a saint...mtchewwwww. fresh air abegiiiiiii. His own judgement time is by the corner

Read occam's post.

He gave clear details of how Mr Akingbola broke the law.

That, my friend is the kind of post we want. Hard facts. Not the emotional outburst you have up there about 'personal vendetta and selective victimisation'. If indeed Mallam SLS is being selective then say so WITH FACTS to back your position up. Don't try to confuse people here with some careless talk about SLS 'making the industry that used to be the highest employer of labour to become a shadow of itself'. Banking is definitely NOT the biggest employer of labour in Nigeria.

Sir, Cecilia Ibru and Erastus Akingbola broke the law. Simple.

Go back and find out about how Nigerian bank management staff abused their positions and used margin trading to run their organisations aground. And do not give the impression that Erastus has been unfairly targeted. What of Bank PHB's Francis Atuche? What of Afribank's Seb Adigwe? What of Union Bank's fomer MD? Are they not facing trial too? Were they not charged?

Ikenna351: This thread is for Lion owners, aspiring owners, Lion admirers and friends of Lions (former Peugeot owners).

Ikenna.

I see the Masai Mara/Serengeti pride is back in town. I know I am among friends here.

A close relation is considering buying a late 2000s model 407 station wagon/estate. What are the pros and cons of this choice? I don't want mechanics to leech off her so I need to make a strong case for trouble-free ownership after she buys the car.

Any ideas? How important will constant software updates be in the scheme of things? I don't know of any good lion mechanics who can interprete fault codes - hell I don't even know what the Peugeot software is! Lexia?

Nigerian public officials do not even bother to hide their deep hatred of, and contempt for the Nigerian taxpayer anymore. And we deserve every bit of it.

12 months ago, I posted on a thread on this board about the outright refusal of the PDP-led federal government to do anything about the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Instead of building the road, federal agents fed us children's tales about 'powerful forces' being responsible for the failure of the concessionaire (Wale Babalakin's Bicourtney) to deliver.

The road is much worse now with the rainy season in full swing.

Today, the 'honourable' minister of works is feeding gullible Nigerians with more lies and untruths about "transaction advisers" and newly inaugurated "project steering committes".

The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is not a theoretical abstraction for me. I have travelled on that road for over 30 years. I have seen people die on that road. I have had a couple of near-misses myself. I have arrived on accident scenes literally seconds after the event. I have close relatives who suffered violent attacks by armed robbers on that road. There is very little anyone can tell me about that road that I don't already know.

Mike Onolememen's comments are a grave insult to the memory of those who died needless deaths on that federal highway. But he will get away with it because the ordinary Nigerian is a talker and not a doer; he expects very little from his leaders and demands even less.

As for Dedeike and D-explorer . . . I say well done. Keep up the work you are doing. You will get your reward in due course, as sure as night follows day. You have succeeded in your propaganda because of the stupidity and clannishness of millions of small-minded Nigerians who do not have any high minded ideas of how to put together a funcional nation-state in the 21st century. The issue is not GEJ, though you would like it to be, because that suits your purposes just fine. I always ask people this question: "Are you better off after 12 years of the PDP? Are you truly better off?"

They usually have no answer.

Acidosis: haha. . . .nairalanders won't understand.
Shey na justice ''nobody is above the law'' una dey find? Well, una don get am now . . Oya make una clap for una selves.

Una go tell us whether stealing, looting and laundering dey for civilian dictionary. .

^^Î saw some of your comments on the other thread when the news of the colonel & the Lagos State governor first broke.

From your posts on this matter, I presume you are either in the military or you have close ties to it.

The arrogance of you brasshats is breathtaking. It is not your fault though. A sense of entitlement developed over a 40 year period is not going to go away easily. But go away it must. And it will!

Doctors/nurses and other medical personnel rushing to the hospital/clinic are not allowed to drive on the BRT lane. Teachers who are responsible for educating the next generation are not allowed to drive on the BRT lane. These two professions (medicine & education) preserve life and give it meaning and yet, teachers and doctors have to play by the rules like everyone else. And Nigerian soldiers, who are nothing but legalized murderers expect to be given preferential treatment? What have soldiers done for this country to justify special treatment? What exactly?

This country has gone down the tube because of you soldiers. Today, baby-faced ex-generals who have done nothing noteworthy (other than fighting a bush war 35 years ago) own oil prospecting licenses (worth billions of dollars) and state assets acquired through dubious means. I ask again, what good has the military done for the rest of Nigeria?

While your job description is to destroy, this country needs those who can build.

Give way to those who can deliver. Your time has passed.

Okija_juju: The day the Head of Boko Haram was found to be a Yoruba man was the day I started preparing for war.. The South are on their own against a terrorist coalition of the North and West.. The Items recovered (Candle, Bells, Bible, Quran, a Picture of Jesus, a Cross) shows that this is now a collaboration between Fundamentalist Northern and Western muslims and Fundamentalist Western White-Garment Celestial Aladura Christians..
..

This nairaland is a mad, crazy place.

ypzilanti: Many people do not understand the level of decline we are facing as a nation.

It has got to the point where anyone with the means should have a plan B just in case.

^^^That's the truth up there. I'm surprised more posts do not have warnings like this.

He who has ears, let him hear.

The time for online debates and critiques has passed - we are marching inexorably towards the denouement.

Anyone who is smart should be prepared. The wise hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

edicolove: Intelligent people have been putting reasons forward and we are all learning. But f00ls like you just blab because it is so easy to make comments on a public forum, hiding behind anonymity. People like you cant even address a gathering of five people. lol

Aah. . . Edicolove. . . still angry at the world aren't you? Throwing insults around like grenades and lashing out at will?

Your feeble attempts at deception cannot move me. You try to defend the indefensible and you expect me to engage you in an argument? Remember you and I met on these boards a long time ago, when you tried to do the same old nonsense, defending the current administration's misadventures. I still stand by my words said to you then. Go through my posts and read them again.

edicolove: I don't support the move and I have my reasons but I have been reading many posts here and don't see anyone advancing any good reason why the move is bad. All I see are reactions coming from people's perception of Dame and of course, many conspiracy theories. Can someone really tell us why the move is wrong. Abdusalami's wife was a chief judge and didn't resign when her husband became president. There is nothing unconstitutional about the move. Secondly, saying the move is to chop more money is funny. She can definitely chop more money as a first lady than a perm sec. Also saying she can't speak english is also funny. 80% of government officials in north east and north west can't speak as good as Dame. So please give us a good reason why the move is wrong. Not some flimsy one. Thank you

Aah. . . edicolove. . . still speaking from both sides of your mouth, sir?

Beaf: Wrong move.

jmaine: Actually thought this news was a huge joke until this morning . . . . .This Seriake guy na correct D!cck

^^^You know its REALLY bad when you actually get to see posts like these from Messrs Beaf & Jermaine. No kidding.

Mandelaguy: Same reason why NNPC is being put up for sanity,probity and privatisation. The problem is that most of you read without proper analysis and news digestion. The corruption in that corporation was massive,just like in every key sector and establishment in this country. Anyway,enjoy your fruitless smear campaign.

^^^Madiba,

I 'agree' with you that the ignorant louts on this board ARE the problem. How dare they? Men and women who cannot 'read, analyse and digest' a bowl of alphabet soup, yet they want to talk about a federal institution like the NNPC, a national treasure soon to become under the current administration, the most efficient public enterprise in the Milky Way. I will support you sir, if you decide to use the "Spear of the Nation" to deal decisively with these rabble rousers and the antiquated desktops they type their garbage from. There is no place for 'smear campaigners' in the new, transformed Nigeria.

^^^op,

good points.

Kobojunkie: a) Name the Federal Roads have have been completed

b) Name the refineries that have been upgraded to 60% capacity making sure to tell us when the projects started, and when they ended (note it in the newspapers)

c) Massive overhauling of the power, aviation and agriculture you say. Please give us details of what has ACTUALLY been overhauled. We don't want the general flour used to paint the truth. What has really changed, that is what we want to know.

d) Where are the new universities you speak off. When were they really built? Are they currently up and running? Are they any better than the current universities? Name some of these regulatory frameworks that have been enhanced for the existing ones. This is the ministry of Education's website for to help you gather these 'facts' of yours http://www.fme.gov.ng/

e)Streamlining pay methods in the civil service . . can you give us real details on this?


Essentially, enough of the FLUFF! We want details of what has actually taken place. Not the general statements that are hard to verify. Each of the 5 question sets above is designed to help you explain what it is you really want to.
The President went on National TV and gave the nation fluff after spending billions of dollars of our money another 6 months. We don't want more fluffy-filled arguments from him or on his behalf. We want the facts --we want details and real information on what he has been spending our billions on.

Zutchy has left the building...

~Bluetooth:
He wont tell us he visited okija shrine o.typical ibo man.

Not surprised to see the comment about Maduka's ethnicity from you. Not surprised at all. You somehow find a way to turn nearly every thread you visit into garbage simply because its damn easy to start "tribal" e-fights - something you have gotten away with too easily for far too long. Put some effort into saying something meaningful for once man!!!

Mandelaguy: Are you not getting your answers? Rabble raisers,this page will not be enough to give you updates on developmental strides,expositions on corruption and directional leadership. The problem is that Nigerians want over 51 years of error and bad leadership to be fixed overnight,it will not work for us. We have to pull down the bad structures,before erecting solid ones. That is how renovations are done,but in our Naija case,it is total overhaul and demolition of old order before we can move forward and I see this man sincerely doing that,with opposing forces fighting to bring him down.

^^^
You are wrong to call me a 'rabble raiser' (whatever that means). I am fully aware that Nigeria has suffered severe degradation for 5 decades and it will take time to fix things. But I also know hypocrisy when I see it. I know sleight of hand when I see it. I know deception when I see it. And the current PDP-led government embodies all these things.

In the run up to the election, some of us did our best to warn voters of the consequences of their voting choices. I carefully avoided targeting GEJ for criticism (even though he deserves it) because that would have played into the hands of his handlers. The focus of my criticism was the PDP, and rightly so. But despite the incontrovertible evidence of mass failure of the ruling party at all levels of government for over 10 years, voters decided of their own free will in 2011, to again plunge into the abyss hands first, with the indelible ink still wet on their thumbs.

They "voted Jonathan and not the PDP". How smart.

It is with great sorrow that I say that the current administration cannot and will not succeed, as long as it continues with the way it is doing things. Why? It is peopled by thoroughly compromised individuals who are beholden to dark, sinister, interest groups, groups which will stop at nothing to make sure that the status quo ante remains undisturbed. Nigeria's progress is NOT their goal.


Mandelaguy, there are no opposing forces fighting to bring your principal down. He is doing a fine job of that all by himself, ably supported by cronies and hangers-on of every hue and shade.

ftmom: Number 5 soooooooo irks me

Btw, I know I am not a perfect writer myself, but you won't find me using "nyc" for "nice"

And there I was, thinking "nyc" stood for New York City.

I am finished. I clearly cannot survive with the New World Order.

It is hard to believe it is 11 months since this thread (and many others like it) was opened.

Nigerians are still waiting for an answer.

So much for the legacy of the "father of modern Nigeria", Olusegun Obasanjo.

No one who has the interest of this country at heart can talk about ALSCON without feeling bitter. From the withdrawal of Ferrostaal and the convoluted privatisation programme of the 90s to the shambolic mess we have today.

We all stood by and watched the failure of all the public enterprises that promised so much and eventually delivered nothing - ALSCON, Ajaokuta Steel Complex, NAFCON, etc. Now we are watching the so-called privatisation of these enterprises unravel before us because the whole process was a sham designed to enrich government officials and their cronies.

Instead of building manufacturing companies which would have actually made things and pulled people out of poverty, this country has become a case study in financialization with a banking elite whose net social contribution is negative. What a waste.

A pity I didn't see this topic earlier. Mr. Oluhmense has done a yeoman's job in stating the awful truth about the OBJ years as well as holding the press to account for its failure to speak truth to power.

Kudos to Mr. Oluhmense for this detailed piece on the evil that was the Obasanjo administration. Despite the wicked attempts at revisionism by some twisted hack writers on this board, that administration will always be remembered for its failure to leave a positive legacy in any shape or form. Not surprising though - it was led by a thoroughly corrupt individual with no redeeming features.

OBJ is nothing but a deceitful old fraud. Some of us can remember his opposition to the FOI bill - a bill he obstinately refused to support till he left the stage.

History will not be kind to him, no matter what his hagiographers try to conjure.

Beaf: Cut out the patronising attitude.
You don't know me, just as I don't know you, bruv.



If you do not see gender neutrality as a fundamental issue, then you are missing a really massive viewpoint. Our society is primitive, that is why we can accept such.
Again, the primitive nature of our society is due to the lack of thoroughness in even the smallest things; I cannot imagine any other country, but Nigeria having a constitution that refers to the occupant of a post as "he," instead a gender neutral term. The only countries where such might be acceptable are truly primitive places; the likes of Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to drive or vote; Swaziland, where all brea'sts belong to King Mswati etc.
A constitution is a country's blueprint, its DNA.

As for whether GEJ can take the credit for putting a woman forward, there is little anybody can do about it. All counter arguments have been k-legged, wobbly, easily killed, buried, torpedoed, marooned and destroyed; empty sentiment is no alternative. Its been done, dusted and marked as a historical moment invoked by GEJ.

https://www.nairaland.com/982020/justice-aloma-mariam-mukhtar-nigeria/1#11333319

^^^There's nothing patronising about my attitude. I've been on this board for quite a while and seen many, many of your posts. I had good reasons to say what I said.

Gender discrimination IS a big issue. It most certainly is. But you and I know that it is too complex a matter to be resolved by re-wording official documents. Your point that there is some implied causal link between our 'lack of thoroughness in small things' (such as our inability to use gender-neutral pronouns in official documents) and our 'primitive nature' (as you put it) is disingenuous.

So we rewrite all official documents to reflect our "gender neutrality" and effectively make personal pronouns such as "he" or "she" completely irrelevant. Then what? That will not put millions of girl-children in school. It will not reduce VVF. It won't shatter any glass ceilings. It will not reduce forced prostitution. It will not reduce gender-based income inequality. It will not make Nigerians view rape of the girl-child/woman with the seriousness it deserves. It will not make polyandry an option available to all Nigerian women.

Sir, we all know what our problems are. Your principal knows them too. And I know without the shadow of a doubt that personal pronouns are not one of them.

Beaf: Guy, when people fail the most obvious tests, what do you think will happen with more technical areas? It is a highly significant error for a law document not to be gender neutral, in fact, it casts the entire Nigerian system as primitive and intellectually woebegun (any surprises when you look at our society and state of development ). It is a very serious and shameful issue (deliberate or not).

Those buffoons that huddled together to generate such crap evidently never had women in their minds as equal to men, talkless of possessing the slightest modicum of sophistication and sense of propriety. That hints at a massive raft of other issues; some of which we are witnessing, while others are laying in wait like primed bombs.

That constituition is the root of all our problems, it is at the root of the chaos that riddles our society. You cannot build a solid structure on a foundation of sand. In many other ways than being sexist, our constitution is simply a stup!d collection of words that are accelerating our decent into the abyss.

^^^If I didn't know you better, Beaf, I would have taken the bait. but i'm not biting.

Pronouns are often used when referring to nations. The Russians often refer to "Mother Russia". Nigerians and Germans refer to "the fatherland". Is that sexist?

The personal pronoun "she" is also used to refer to inanimate objects (products of superior craftsmanship) like yachts, ships, automobiles etc. Is that sexist too?

Beaf, your "gender neutrality" arguement is a sideshow, a distraction. The real issue here is whether your principal can take the "credit" for "recommending" the appointment of Justice Aloma Mukhtar as CJN. And from the look of things, he cannot.

Beaf: All hail the apprentice lawyer! Lol!
My sister, you are too young to have a hating heart. Give praise where it is due (hail GEJ, ma), and come across in arguments like someone who is high minded; afterall, law (which you claim to be studying) is for high minds.



The use of the word, "he" in the constitution is patently sexist and an insult to all women and girls.
It only goes to show that the constitution was produced by unwashed Neanderthals and belly crawlers. As the standard for a country, our constitution falls well short, that word "he," in a document that should be gender nuetral, only points to much deeper issues elsewhere (and they are legion).
We are better off ripping the phucking thing to pieces and burning every last piece; it isn't even fit enough to wrap suya with.

^^^Beaf,


Come on!

You are having a laugh. I can see you want to argue today. . .

It is one thing to argue about the very serious problems we have with the Nigerian constitution (at least I agree with you on this point - that document bequeathed by a clique of usurping brasshats is deeply flawed). It is another thing to argue about the failure to use 'gender neutral' pronouns in the same document. I assure you that the second argument diminishes the first.

Beaf,



You can't be serious about the constitution excluding women from being appointed as CJN, simply because of the word 'he' used in the relevant section.

2buff: It starts with the removal of the immunity clause in the Nigerian constitution of those in power.
Your very constitution was founded on the values of corruption and unaccountability.
Unless the whole nation rises against it like they rose against fuel subsidy removal your plight will continue.

Sitting and wishing to be like X and Y is not going to help you.
You have been sitting and wishing for several decades now and no change has happened.
Continue and you will quickly find another decade has met you again, and another, and another yet in the same sorry state.

White man will not come and change your constitution for you.
Your leaders will not one day "use mind" to change your constitution for you because it is in their favor and supports their looting ways.
No. This is something the people need to really give a damn about.

The events of January 2012 showed you people THE POWER that comes when a whole nation rises up against evil rulers.
Because a stone sits at the top of a mountain, it should not think it is more important than the stones that form the base of it, lest they remind it on whom it stands on.
It was only through a nationwide strike, grinding to a halt the economy of the country, were the rulers moved to listen to the people and AT LEAST reach an acceptable compromise.
Without further shows of strength by the people, I tell you, your situation will not change in a hundred centuries.....unless Christ comes.

Tell them!!

The posts on this thread are appalling.

At the very least, the man's 'revelations' should prompt questions from us all, questions we should DEMAND answers to. Instead, we have had some posts that no doubt, will leave all right-thinking people thoroughly confused.

Ordinary Nigerians are their own worst enemies.

dedeike: ]@Betathings, you sound so petty. I saw you list my username as one of those who you feel are new entrants for Gej on Nairaland. Facts don't lie. I challenge you to review my profile in Nairaland. The outcome will show the world the reason why comments from you can never be taken seriously. My history in Nairaland is rich and impeccable. I even used Nairaland to mobilize support for Kevin Pam of BigBrother revolution as far back as 2009. Check my profile. The facts speak for itself. I understand your fears. You are very insecure and cannot stand divergent views. All you want is to come here to spread falsehood and blackmail GEJ to the pleasure of your paymasters unchallenged. I hve never taken a position in this forum without supplying cogent facts in support.I join issues with anybody irrespective of age,sex,religion,and date of entry into Nairaland. I challenge you to do same, not to spy on people's Profiles.

"I even used Nairaland to mobilize support for Kevin Pam of BigBrother revolution as far back as 2009."


^^^Oh... the joys of a life spent in the service of Mother Africa...

^^^
Faithin9ja,

Sir, please take your time to respond to my post. I'm not in a hurry. My key questions to you still remain unanswered.

I had no idea mister seedorf was still playing!!!

If I remember correctly, there was a time he had the distinction of being the only? (or one of 4) player(s) to win the champions league with 3? or 4? different clubs.

Still remember some wonder goal he scored almost from the halfway line at club level football a few years ago.

One of the best midfielders of his generation.

faithin9ja: firstly, in Nigeria anything controlled by government has systematically gotten worse over the 50 or so years of our independence. From education to health, anywhere you see government, whether local government, state government or federal government, the majority of the ministries and departments function badly.

Unfortunately the average Nigerian believes the government owes them a job, In the 1970's when we had 6 universities, graduates upon completed their education is was standard for the graduate to get a level 8 job, these jobs were really glorified 'welfare benefits'. Very little was done to promote production or stimulate the wider economy. Nigerians became used to going to an office, pushing papers around and then getting paid at the end of the month. We took this lackadaisical nature to work even in government owned businesses, Nigeria Airways, NPA, Federal Palace hotels, daily times, too many to name both at Federal level and State level. Instead of these businesses making a profit and gving money to the government they became a drain and conduit for employing 'your brothers and people from your area'.

During IBB's time, the world economy changed and many countries like Nigeria were forced to face reality and become real producers. The so-called 'middle class' suffered. People had to start fending for themselves. hence the growth of the private sector. But in our 'mindset'the damage had been done. People still feel that government owes them a 'job'. Nigerians still want to work in big companies, earn big money but never question 'what they do for those companies'. We are all upset when bankers lose their jobs and blame SLS, but have we considered that since SLS no depositor has lost a single kobo from a failed bank, unlike during Abacha, the bank chiefs have run off with the money and we still expect to be paying bank staff big salaries, diesel allowance, holiday allowance, etc. What have these bankers actually brought to their banks (and don't tell me about using fine girls to find deposits)

We as a nation have the same mindset when it comes to petrol. Why do we feel we have a right to cheap petrol?

Kerosene
Much tainted house of reps. report and we all know that NNPC have distorted the kerosene market. by NNPC allegedly selling 'subsidized kerosene' at their so-called 'mega fuel' stations. This stops anyone from importing kerosene on the international market, you wouldn't be able to sell the kerosene when you land your product. No bank will fund you for such a venture.


Corruption

Corruption is endemic in Nigeria. We all quote 'where man work e dey chop'. So if it is possible to arrest and prosecute all those involved in the subsidy scandal; the so-called marketeers and importers, the NNPC and all her subsidiaries, DPRC,etc, Customs, NPA officials, Navy, the bankers who provide the loans & FX, Ministry of Petroleum, then what happens? we replace these people with who? those thousands of trained, qualified, honest Nigerians who will immediately take up these positions and never falsify one single record, abi? does that answer your 160 million naira question?

Other countries

Many other countries have had similar issues with attempting to subsidize markets; even the EU had scandals running into 100's of millions with agriculture subsidies, Iran has had huge petrol shortages just like Nigeria despite being one of the largest producers of crude oil, they too cannot refine enough product for local consumption, Venezuela has adopted the socialist concept, which Russia, China and even Cuba have abandoned or are abandoning. we shall see how that works for the local supply of cheap petrol.

Buhari
you quote Buhari's trade by barter of the 1980's. how successful was this? this was an attempt to save FX (which later found it's way into the black market. On paper it sounds feasible; so we supply a refinery say in Spain with crude oil and they supply us PMS, ok but who distributes the PMS when it gets to Nigeria? If I have 2 petrol stations in Calabar, and I need allocation of the cheap petrol, who do I meet? I will praying I have a friend or brother in the relevant department to facilitate the allocation.

Diesel

You don't have to beg anyone to supply you diesel. Go Ibafon with your tanker, you find people begging you to buy. That's the power of the market, you don't have to speak Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo or even Tiv or Obubra, just hold your money and you will buy.

Petrol

We have no 'right' to cheap petrol afterall we don't buy subsided vehicles. Free the market and it will wipe out corruption at a stroke, there will still be some minor corruption, bankers will also collect something before they give you the loan to import, but the kickback won't be as high as it is now because the returns are less, customs and NNPC will always collect something for the relevant licences, but once again it won't be as high. (it will become a fixed fee just like clearing a car at Tin Can).

anyway that's enough social commentary for one day

Faithin9ja,

Sir, we are warming up . I will address the points you raised one by one:

It is true that in Nigeria, government (at all levels), through its ministries and departments has performed very poorly in delivering on its end of the social contract. In your previous post you asked why I or anyone else for that matter, would want the government to run anything at all, given its poor track record. Sir, I must tell you that your viewpoint is a dangerous path to tread. There will always be a need for government. (I’m sure you know what market failure means). Some goods will always be public goods. In your view sir, the solution to the failure of our public sector is a significant reduction in the size or scale of government. In other words, less government. I DISAGREE SIR. Less government is only a partial solution, and a debatable one at that . The solution is BETTER government. All too often, ‘free marketers’ have framed the question as one of Big Government versus Small Government, an argument that is ultimately useless if the question of the quality of government is not treated with the same importance. Reducing the size and scale of government (through privatization of state owned enterprises, cutbacks in social spending etc) without tackling the core issues – issues such as ethics, building strong institutions, enthroning system-wide checks and balances etc will simply lead to crony capitalism. Remember the privatization of PEs/SOEs during the IBB & OBJ eras? Remember the oligarchs in the old USSR after Gorbachev?

You made some good points, particularly about the need for public sector workers to be weaned off the sense of entitlement they have. But there ARE millions of Nigerians who have never worked for the government and do not intend to do so. The informal sector and the formal sector in Nigeria, - which is larger? The subsistence farmer in your village, the mechanic down the corner – what do they rely on government for? They do their jobs without any sense of entitlement. It isn’t their fault that low quality governments have, for several decades, condemned them to work on the margins in the informal sector, with few rights and even fewer obligations. Better Government sir, Better Government!!!! Not necessarily less!!!

Sir, you also claim that Nigerians have a sense of entitlement when it comes to petrol. You ask why we feel we have a right to ‘cheap’ petrol?! Sir, this topic has been debated extensively on these boards. I’m sure you are aware of the foolish position we are in, where Nigeria exports crude petroleum and imports finished petroleum products, simply because our governments/bureaucrats/technocrats destroyed their country’s refineries. What does it REALLY cost to produce and refine a litre of PMS, AGO and DKK (kero?) in Nigeria? And what is the TRUE landing cost of a litre of each of each of these items if imported? WE WANT THE TRUTH! You also claim that the NNPC has distorted the kerosene market by selling ‘subsidized’ kerosene (the same product on which you claim the ‘subsidy’ was lifted 9 years ago!). So, is there a subsidy (on kero) or not? You also mentioned that the NNPC’s distortion of the market through its sale of ‘subsidized kero’ stops anyone from importing profitably. Sir, please ask yourself an honest question: should Nigeria be importing even ONE litre of finished petroleum products? Should she? This is the question Nigerians are asking. People destroyed Nigeria’s refining capacity and created a fraudulent import scheme through a house of lies and tricks. Rather than take these people on, Nigerian governments have chosen the path of least resistance – the removal of the so-called subsidy. All right, remove the damn subsidy if you will. But only on the condition that those who sabotaged the refineries be tied to oil drums and shot in the chest. Anything else is nonsense.

Sir, I notice that you entered the realm of ‘possibilities’ when you mentioned the issue of tackling official corruption in your piece. You had brilliant, elegant, theoretical arguments to support laissez faire economics, but all of a sudden, you became a pragmatist when the issue of corruption came up. As I said earlier, this is the reason why so many academics/technocrats lose all credibility after public service in Nigeria. To reduce the issue of corruption to a footnote is the height of self-deception. We have to decide whether we are serious about solving our problems or not.

I mentioned at least 4 oil producing countries, some of which ‘subsidize’ the price at which the product is sold locally. I noticed you didn’t say anything about 3 of them, and curiously, you singled out the Venezuelans for criticism. What of the Saudis? And the Brazilians? (And also note the strides that Brazil has made in alternative energy, and the incentives to encourage its use. What has the Nigerian government done?). To prove that Nigeria is not alone in her folly, You also mentioned the Iranians having to deal with crippling fuel shortages resulting from inadequate local refining capacity. Perhaps, just perhaps, sanctions by the EU and the US over Iran’s nuclear programme (preventing the importation of spare parts for Iran's refineries)may have something to do with this, sir?

Sir, I said absolutely nothing about Buhari. Please go back and re-read my post. In it I also asked why we have had shortages in diesel and kerosene in the 9 years since the subsidy on these items was removed. You still have not really answered this question. You constantly refer to the availability of diesel at the moment. Are you telling me that in the 9 years since the subsidy on diesel was removed we have not had any shortage of diesel? Is that what you are saying? And I also note that you have admitted the ‘inevitability’ of corruption (although ‘minor’??!!) even after the market has been ‘freed’, (to use your own words). Sir, this admission by you simply reinforces what I have said all along. Official graft is the enemy. Not the so-called ‘subsidy’. Nigerians have to force their governments to be accountable. Markets, in of and by themselves, are imperfect. They will never be able to do what people have to do.

faithin9ja: This is the problem, you still want to use old methods to cure old problems, NNPC is bad, yet you still want government, NNPC or any other government agency to run or control anything? You have to change your mindset that anything controoled by government especially in Nigeria DOES NOT work.

The day government sets up a board or committee or agency to ensure cheap 'garri', that day there will be shortage of garri in the country. Stop comparing us to other countries.

when last was there diesel shortage in this country? what is the point of cheap commodities if the commodity is not available. Years ago under Buhari we had 'foreign exchange controls' which caused shortage of 'essential commodities'. In a failed effort to keep prices down, government started rationing these 'essential commodities' soap, rice, toilet roll, etc. There was widespread shortage.

Most people are too young remember that. During Abacha regime there was fuel scarcity 6 out of 12 months, we were forced to buy fuel from black market at 4 times the official price, this quite apart from the noxious fuel that Abacha cronies were importing.

Government should remove hand from petrol, the price will go up surely, only because the price is artificially low right now.

What right does any Nigerian have to cheap petrol?

Faithin9ja,

Sir, you claim that I want to use old methods to cure old problems. No sir!! You say this because I have chosen to ask the simplest question of all: Why have those who ran NNPC and other public utilities into the ground (through sheer criminality) not been punished? Laws were broken. Where are the consequences sir, for these people and their actions?

That sir, is the 160 million naira question.

It is becoming harder sir, to promote the idea of market forces while ignoring the complements which make these same forces work in other countries. A Harvard economics doctorate will not guarantee a free pass anymore - I am filled with a certain amount of satisfaction that the demystification of Nigeria's "Chicago boys" (& girls) is almost complete. (I refer here to the likes of the Minister of Finance who vigorously campaign for the removal of 'subsidies' but remain silent about shocking graft and larceny by public sector officials and their private sector collaborators. Apparently, in the technocrat's handbook, morality, ethics & law are irrelevant footnotes best handled by sociologists and other pretenders). NOI and co. will have us believe that 'subsidies' lead to macro-economic distortions and resource misallocation. What about corruption? What does that do to the economy? What do you 'free marketers' have to say about that?

Nigerians are a bit wiser now. They are beginning to ask a few questions. They may not know the intricacies of laissez faire economics but they do know when a public official has clearly abused his position and broken the law.


Sir, I noticed that you cleverly sidestepped my points about successful state-owned utilities in several other countries with your command that I "stop comparing us to other countries". Indeed, sir. I would have complied but facts are stubborn things. They will not go away even if we wish them to. Several oil producing countries with far, far higher standards of living than Nigeria DO 'subsidize' the prices of petroleum products. How do they do it?

I also noticed that you were silent about kerosene supply shortage in Nigeria, although you made a canny reference to diesel being widely available. Let me refresh your memory sir. In the last 3 years, there have been no less than 2 cases of severe nationwide shortage in the supply of kerosene.

Explain that if you can.

P.S. And what do you mean sir, that "I have to change my mindset that anything controlled by govt especially in Nigeria, does not work"?. Please explain.