₦airaland Forum

Quote from: ojdollars on Today at 05:59:37 AM

Instead of cursing them, pray for them. Some had the right intention to serve, but immediately they were elected to that office, a force grip them and they suddenly embark on a different journey.



May The Force be with you too, sir.

texazzpete:
This Tambuwal deserves to be flogged with barbed wire!

scanthecar,

does it work on all vehicles?

Kobojunkie:
Honestly, I think these idiots did all this intentionally -- I think they intentionally useless most of what we have so they could sell it for a buck or two to one of theirs, and in turn own a piece of the result that way.

Spot on.

This, and why we the people let it happen, is the real issue.

We all know that the real source of our problems is that we (the 150 million+ members of the miserable collective called Nigeria) have failed to hold our leaders accountable. That, sir/madame, is the REAL problem. That is our curse and our burden.

Nigerian public enterprises did not run themselves into the ground. People did. I refuse to buy or be sold the argument that public enterprises are destined to fail since they do not have profit maximization as their overriding objective. People made decisions and took actions (some of them criminal) which killed those public enterprises. If we had any spine or morals we would INSIST that those people be held accountable.

That, sir/madame, would be irrefutable proof of our individual and collective morality. Not annual pilgrimages to religious shrines and empty, hollow proclamations of piety at every turn.

Every day that someone says the public officials who destroyed NITEL, ASC, NAFCON, ALSCON, etc. cannot be brought to justice because:  “we cannot dwell on the past” or “we need to move the country forward”, this country dies a little.

Justice is what separates man from the beasts in the field.


And if (just for argument’s sake) it is accepted that public enterprises contain within them the seeds of their own destruction, and that privatization is both inevitable and beneficial, then what can explain the abuse of the process in the Nigerian case? The crony capitalism on display in the case of so-called ‘reforming’ states like Nigeria is a central issue in explaining why ‘reform’ in Nigeria and other client states has failed to live up to expectations. It is interesting to observe how the most fervent defenders of the idea of privatization (or ‘reform’, as they prefer to call it) are strangely silent when confronted with hard evidence of the lack of transparency of the reform process itself (in several of the real world examples we have). They deny or excuse away  the negative impact of this opaqueness on the outcomes we wish for.

This sirs, is fraudulent.

It is the height of deceit for neoclassicists to proclaim the merits of ‘reform’, remain silent in the face of egregious abuse of the ‘reform’ process, and then glibly claim that such examples ‘do not qualify as genuine reforms’.

It is disingenuous to champion the cause of ‘reform’, turn a blind eye to sweetheart deals and outright theft (of state assets) , and then turn around to say: “well, the lack of transparency does not diminish the strength of the concept of reform”, or “privatization and reform is never clearcut and is sometimes messy”.

It is dishonest (and ultimately self defeating) to support the concept of reform and at the same time relegate the transparency of the process to the sidelines. Is the dichotomy not plain to see?

It may well turn out that crony capitalism will pose more of a threat to capitalism than socialism ever did. But that sirs, is a debate for some other time.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me emphasize once again – Nigerians need to hold their leaders accountable.

There is no alternative.

I am waiting to see what the response of the Nigerian authorities will be.

Fellows like these students should be well received by senate presidents and other high government officials. Some Nigerians have done very well at Mathematics Olympiads, Chess? Olympiads etc. but i am yet to hear of a high profile reception of these achievers (upon their return) by the powers that be. Instead, it is 'Big Brother Africa' winners and also-rans that get to meet with the likes of David Mark.

We are watching.

Johndoe100:
The president has a point, but you people are not looking at the issue rationally. Most of de govs spend half of term on election and 1st year learning. This will let them have focus on work and time to do it.

1025:
@johndoe100,

may God kill u, your point alonside your rationale.

^^^
(I really shouldn't be laughing at 1025's comments but i couldn't resist it. I'm sorry )

mbulela:
that is the reason why some patriotic Nigerians like myself are asking for an ammendment to the bill.
No need for elections in future.Neither primaries,secondary and all what not.present occupants should stay there for life and in the event oftheir death,they must have it written in their will who inherits their post and it must not be subject to any court of law.Infact we can ask Odili to help us obtain an indefinite injunction against the chosen beneficiary of the inherited position.
This will save us all this billions that Inec and jega would need for future elections and would ensure that GEJ is able to spread permanent fresh air to every corner of this great nation.
4 years is not enough,neither is 6 years enough. A lifetime is barely appropriate.
continuity is essential.
GEJ for life!!!

Reference:
No Volvo, no one is Mr. Babalakin of issues here. Yes, he is one rotten con man, seeking to reap where he did not sow. Bad, bad man but we have not created alternatives for ourselves. We remain a nation where people seek individual advantage. We have no corporate structure. We are unable to do basic things for ourselves. If those who claim to rule over us seek only of themselves must everyone follow this model. I repeat a single defaulter does not make a business un-viable. None of those distressed banks was brought down by a single individual or a single investment. Even CBN won't permit that level of risk but why is it so hard to move forward.

If like a poster rightly affirmed banks have tried to take over MM2 and have bee prevented because of government corruption the that's where the problem lies, government. So we should be moving away from them rather and seeking alternatives rather than cozing up and depending on them. Dunno you but as we speak these same government and its corrupt operatives are raising their wages and paying for it with our taxes and collective wealth. Will everyone enjoy this raise, no but everyone will feel its negative impact - that is less and less money to provide infrastructure.

Why is it that Nigerians only excel in things that only personally benefit them. Zenith bank has done up the street in V.I. around its corporate hq. for which there's no benefit. Why can't it provide funds for the even much more along the expressway for which tolls can be paid and revenues generated. I don't get it. We Nigerians sometimes behave like the battered housewife that returns time and time again to her abuser. When are we going to get it that since government has seen we can provide ourselves with electricity, water, security and the lot they expect a natural progression to roads as well. Or when will we get it that it is better for a hundred people to gather together and buy themselves a 100 kva generator than purchase one unit 'I pass my neighbour' each.

@ Reference,

Sir,

In some ways we are on the same page. I believe there's always room for us as a people to try to cultivate a "can-do" mentality. In some respects we are far, far behind some other countries I won't list here - some of these nationalities are better than us in terms of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and getting things done (when faced with a challenge). I am with you on your observations that we do have to wean ourselves off the “government must do everything” mentality. But my support for this viewpoint is qualified, as you will see in the rest of my post. . .

Let me also state that I have nothing against Babalakin/Bicourtney personally or PPP/concessioning arrangements. If anything, I am 110% in favour of Nigerian companies building infrastructure, locking in value here and creating jobs for their countrymen. What I actually consider Bicourtney ‘s experience in this case to be however, is a symptom of a bigger malaise – the malaise being the crony capitalism which provides the Bicourtneys of this world with an unfair advantage at the taxpayer’s expense. How can the PDP-led government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria justify a concession of this magnitude and several years later all we have are unacceptable excuses such as ”all they (the banks) can give is money for a year or two years and what you need is money for 15 years".

How much lower can we sink?

Sir, you proposed a moving away from government (because of corruption) and seeking alternatives rather than depending on them. I presume you are referring to a movement away from contracting arrangements towards PPP & concessioning in the provision of public infrastructure. But you see, the decay in the Nigerian State is apparent even in the execution of an arrangement (concessioning) in which there is no capital outlay or risk by the government. Please refer to the 3 questions I asked in my first post in this thread. All the Nigerian State (I use this term interchangeably with the term ‘government’) had to do was superintend the award of the concession and ensure that the interests of taxpayers were fully protected. That was all. And yet several years later we are stuck with a failed concession, a failed road and still nobody has been punished? How can this be?

Sir, I do not believe, as you have said, that we should try to find an alternative to forcing the Nigerian state to live up to what I consider to be its responsibilities. No sir. There are minimum standards that every State worth its salt should not fall below. And that is where our problem is.

Sir, the Nigerian State MUST be held accountable. There is no alternative to us forcing this accountability to come into being. This accountability of the citizen and the state (to each other) is at the heart of the Social Contract. In its simplest form this relationship can be loosely described as: "I (citizen VolvoS60) pay my taxes (among other obligations), obey laws and in return I expect the State to fulfill certain obligations to me." Quid Pro Quo.


Reference – I smiled sadly when I read the last part of your post. I put it to you sir, that the Nigerian State is like a parasite with a death wish that is determined to destroy itself and its hosts (you and I). Please do not for a moment think that the State will leave you in peace to provide your own electricity, water, security, roads (and other assets), while it feeds on petrodollars, undisturbed. For a while, all may seem calm, but not for long. Like all parasites, it will NEVER be satisfied. It will soon turn its attentions to you and these assets (assets which strictly speaking, should be public goods, but which were provided by you and other taxpayers at great private cost) and conjure 1001 reasons to feed on you too, reaping where it did not sow. That is the natural order of things if the rot is not stemmed. Its like a cancer. If you don't cut it out (in this context, I mean forcing the state to be accountable) you die.

If I provide my own security, water, electricity, pay for roads etc. then there is a question which inevitably comes up: Where is the State? What is its usefulness to me? Do we all become mini-states within the State?

^^^^

sir,

would you care to explain your comments a bit further? are you absolving mr babalakin? the government? or both?

@mbulela,

You are welcome. The rot is deep(so, so deep) but we will tear this tower of evil down.

There is no alternative.

Very sad.

We'll have to wait until there's an investigation. According to the report, his son stated that the man was diabetic. Perhaps his diabetes may have had some effect on his mental state? Hypoglycemia? Hyperglycemia?

Maybe the physicians on this board have something to say about this. . .

The inmates are still running the Nigerian asylum.

According to Mr Babalakin "There’s nobody who wants to give out money. This road was given to Nigerian Banks to finance; Nigerian Banks don’t have a long-term contract. We were holding meetings upon meetings, but you discover that all they can give is money for a year or two years and what you need is money for 15 years".

Indeed.

How did Bicourtney win the concession to begin with if the funding aspect had not been sorted out? And if it is clear that it cannot deliver, why has the concession (or concessioning or whatever) not been revoked? And what compensation will be paid to taxpayers for the losses incurred as a result of non-performance?

These are the questions Nigerians should ask and DEMAND answers to. I drive on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway regularly and the waste of human lives on that road is truly heartbreaking. I have seen horrific accidents on that road in which this country's best and brightest (people in their most productive years) have been killed or maimed because of very poor road conditions (although i should add that there are also other reasons for the high rate of casualties. But that's a matter for another day).


Mr Bablakin, BUILD THE DAMN ROAD OR REQUEST FOR THE CONCESSION TO BE TRANSFERRED TO MORE CAPABLE HANDS. We are tired of excuses. While you talk about ''powerful forces" and other nonsense, people are dying on that highway.

I hope Nigerians can see the consequences of their actions (or lack thereof).  After several years of PDP-led administrations at the centre, our public infrastructure continues to deteriorate. Yet people continue to wallow in the kind of self-delusion that feeds statements like "i voted for Jonathan & not the PDP".

You get what you pay for.

Yes. I hope so too. For all our sakes . . .

Hmm.

I looked through the pictures posted by Tpia and the canals all seemed to share one feature: cleanliness.

Clear Water.

No 'la casera' bottles. No 'pure' water satchets. No 'gala' wrappers. No 'recharge cards'. Nothing.

Maybe a duck or two, paddling its way home, but that's about it.

Are we saying we can't have something similar? Are we saying we can't get it right after so long?

How hard can it be?

Amefu mi,

Abu me le?

@ Coogar,

I notice the gradual introduction of disclaimers and qualifiers in your arguement about why Mrs. A and her spouse do not share the same last name.   Well, I won't say much more on this - in good time the reason for the difference in names will be made clear. It may indeed BE as you have argued - she has her maiden name on her passport and this is why she and spouse do not share the last name.

And then again, it may NOT BE as you have argued. As JJM has so eloquently and persuasively pointed out, more sinister reasons CAN AND DO exist for a couple not sharing the same last name, particularly in the context of this matter we are discussing, spanning 14 odd pages  . But I will give Mrs. A the benefit of the doubt until new information is made available. I saw the difference in the names and it struck me as odd. Indeed there may be nothing to it . . .

One thing which stands out in this case is that we (or at least I) don't have full information except for what is in the public domain. If you are in the same position as I am, you would do well to refrain from sweeping assertions which you cannot prove beyond all reasonable doubt.

And one more thing . . . tone down the insults. You do your arguement no justice by liberally lacing your points with one invective after the other. I enjoy frank exchanges as much as the next person,   but there is a thin line between healthy, robust debate/argument and plain verbal abuse. Don't cross that line. I say this because your 'opponents'   on this thread have been quite civil (compared to some of the stuff on other threads).

coogar:
because bimbo must have had her international passport before she got married and she answers her maiden name on it.
the brits will identify her with the name on her passport not the mr and mrs whatever they bear in nigeria. it's a no brainer.

@ Coogar,

Sir, are you absolutely sure of what you have written up there? Are you sure sir? Are you really, really sure?

coogar:
are you the sister behind me with a shady chewing stick in her mouth? i hail you o.


because bimbo must have had her international passport before she got married and she answers her maiden name on it.
the brits will identify her with the name on her passport not the mr and mrs whatever they bear in nigeria. it's a no brainer.

Please explain sir, what you mean by "ïts a no-brainer".

Ah. . . yekini.

those were the days. . .

I still remember the feverish excitement whenever the team played with yekini, amokachie, amunike? and others up front in the Nations Cup and World Cup of that time. Hearing english commentators howling "YEKINIIII!!!" (in an accent you could mistake for an Ibadan indigene's) whenever an opportunity was taken or missed  - that was something else.

Yekini truly was gifted. I still remember some weird goal he scored (during the Nation's cup?) from some impossible angle on the right wing. A bit like dutchman Van Basten's strike in the Euro cup of the mid?/late? 80s.

A pity things didn't work out too well for him (yekini) over time -  i think his marriage crumbled and he had other personal and career problems too. And maybe he should have sought out and celebrated with teammates after scoring against bulgaria (don't know if that would have made any difference to the infighting we have been told about). But he will always be remembered as one of this country's top strikers.

This thread is smoking!!


Perhaps someone could put me through on something which isn't too clear to me. Why do Mrs. A and her husband (as reported so far) have different names? I don't know whether I have missed something here?

Posted by: gohome Today at 01:18:02 PM


"Obviously, The rules were breached . She does not have recourse to NHS funds.But that is totally different from She breached the rules. She did not force the doctors at gun point to deliver her baby andput them in very special intensive care unit. The officials knew what the bill would look like (200k) as they carried on with life saving procedures. This same officials were not also expecting her to pay 200k? who pays 200k for child birth?



@ Gohome,


    !!!


Sir, you are something else. You must teach me how to glide like mercury in the effortless way you have just demonstrated above. No kidding.

Anyway, I'm glad the bigger picture is something we both agree on - we must force change from our public officials to reverse Nigeria's descent into hell. This is a matter of life and death.

#238 Posted by VolvoS60

@ Gohome,

Okay Gohome. I understand you now . The scenario you painted in your post # 202 (I didn't bother reproducing the entire post) is one of three possible scenarios– Mrs A could be (i) completely innocent, (ii) partially innocent and (iii) completely fraudulent.

In scenario (i), the proof of which you so dramatically conveyed in your post (#202), Mrs A is completely innocent. But I have a question, and my question is this: Innocent of what crime? What is the charge? What law has she allegedly broken?


#239 posted by Gohome

ask those who called her a criminal



@ Gohome,

No, sir. That’s not good enough. I’m asking YOU because you took me up on my very 1st post on this thread. Let me say it loud and clear - I have not at any point accused Mrs. A of orchestrating anything – be it fraud, intent to deceive, or other unsavoury motives. No. Re-read my prior posts.

What I have done is comment on whether Mrs . A’s actions (not her motives or intentions) breached the terms and conditions under which she was granted entry into the UK. It is incontrovertible that a recourse to public funds was made on her behalf (in the course of her giving birth in the UK) and she (so far) had been unable to repay. . . that sir, is the ‘illegality’ I referred to earlier.

That was what I referred to in my previous posts, and I mentioned the implications her case could have for immigration rules in the future. . . As I said before, I have avoided ascribing any motives to Mrs. A. That is slippery terrain and I can’t prove anything there. I am sticking to the facts of the case and have consistently tried my best to give Mrs. A the benefit of the doubt.

Sir, I marvel at the skilful way you have assigned my post (# 222) to the “fraudulent scenario” category without my consent. You can’t shave my head in my absence . I have not imputed any negative motives to Mrs. A’s actions (although I fully understand the frustration of those on this thread who have).

I am aware, as we all are, that in the end, the British authorities could very well waive Mrs. A’s bill (on humanitarian grounds), but that is a separate matter altogether. Having said that, let us not lose sight of the real issue here: The state of our hospitals and the state of Nigeria as a whole. A former head of state once left Nigeria for Germany to treat “catarrh” because . . . Nigeria’s ‘hospitals’ are places where people (ordinary people, of course) essentially go to die.

That is what we should focus on.

I’ve got to stop here. I’m presiding in court today .

#202 Posted by Gohome:

“At this point with the information we have and where the information is coming from, This woman you accused of orchestrating this can be

i completely innocent
ii Partially innocent
iii completely fraudulent

Completely innocent (proof)

It is common knowledge. . ."


@ Gohome,

Okay Gohome. I understand you now . The scenario you painted in your post # 202 (I didn't bother reproducing the entire post) is one of three possible scenarios– Mrs A could be (i) completely innocent, (ii) partially innocent and (iii) completely fraudulent.

In scenario (i), the proof of which you so dramatically conveyed in your post (#202), Mrs A is completely innocent. But I have a question, and my question is this: Innocent of what crime? What is the charge? What law has she allegedly broken?

Nice cut & thrust exchange we have going on here, Gohome. But I stand by my story. . .


Post # 202 by Gohome:

“It is common knowledge for women to take fertility drugs in Nigeria. They do this to aid conception and not to boost it. She obviously did not plan to give birth to five kids. she planned to give birth to one. The media is making you think otherwise. let me quote the dailymail, Bimbo Ayelabola, 33, applied for a six-month visitor's visa soon after discovering she was pregnant, travelling to the UK without her husband to visit her three sisters.

would she have known she had five kids in her soon after she discovered she was pregnant, obviously not. which means, she probably thought of just having a baby or two just like any other person and pay the bills just like any other person”.


@Gohome:

Take a look at your post I have reproduced above and note the italicized parts: These are very strong (I repeat, very strong) assumptions to make about someone who I presume is unknown to you. You are really going out on a limb when you make the kind of sweeping statements I have highlighted in your post above. Let me take them one by one:


“She obviously did not plan to give birth to five kids. she planned to give birth to one.”

Sir, we do not know the above for a fact. It is impossible for you and I to speculate from a distance on Mrs. A’s birth plans and my next comment seals this point.


“would she have known she had five kids in her soon after she discovered she was pregnant, obviously not.”

Sir, again I must say that you are being a bit presumptuous here. It is really pushing it quite a bit to confidently assert, (as you have done) that Mrs. A was unaware of the number of foetuses in her womb soon after she discovered she was pregnant. (By the way, what does ‘soon’ mean? A day? A week? A month? A year?)

It appears that medical sonography reveals the presence of multiple foetuses as early as 17 to 24 weeks after conception. I would like to think that given the circumstances (prior miscarriage and use of fertility drugs), a scan would have been done quite early in her pregnancy, given her medical history. But I do not know for sure, which means it would be prudent to avoid comments (such as yours) which contain definitive assertions.

If you notice, I have carefully avoided casting aspersions on Mrs A’s credibility and her motives. I have avoided accusing her of orchestrating anything, as you so eloquently put it. I am sticking to the actions and events as they have unfolded so far.

Thanks for the Grisham & DSK references – I will look them up one of these days when I am no longer on the Bench and I have more time on my hands. . .

Post # 11 by "violent":

"Justice in Nigeria is soooo full of shyt!. . .a man can spend the rest of his life behind bars or face the hangman's noose if he had stabbed a friend to death over an argument (not that he really intends to). . .but animals that kill in thousands are now free to be called friends of the president, and would now roam our streets freely, perhaps even get paid a monthly wage at the taxpayers expense.

I am so angered, if the right opportunity arises, i'd beat the President black and blue."

# 189 Posted by Gohome:

“I repeat, it is not illegal for a health tourist to use the NHS system. illegality will arise when she doesn't pay. and she can opt out based on humanitarian grounds. (similar to what asylum seekers do).”

@Gohome:
Your post above is the crux of the matter. Mrs Bimbo Ayelabola, from what we can see, simply CANNOT pay. This is the “illegality” that is riling some UK taxpayers (and it is not the only thing, I must add. I won’t even go into the matter of her purported application for an extension of stay – this is another sore point guaranteed to further inflame the situation).


#189 Posted by Gohome:

“Remove criminality from your mind. Assume she is a US citizen and ask yourself. What will she gain by doing what she did? if her intentions were exactly what you read in your so called public domain which as far as i am concerned is the media was to find a way through the system, if she had plans from the onset to conceive 5 babies and let the bills run in such away that she wont be able to pay (I doubt that) then the US should have been her destination, or canada where child birth is free.”

@Gohome:

I assure you sir, criminality is far from my mind.  You made me a judge, remember?

Sir, as for your point about the US or Canada (rather than the UK) being a more suitable destination for Mrs Bimbo if indeed she wanted to take advantage of the system - I must say your point is neither here nor there. We simply cannot speculate on that. We have no clue what Mrs Ayelabola’s immigration status is with either of these 2 countries, and cannot make any strong assumptions about this from a distance. We do not know if she had applied for a visa to these countries and her application was accepted or turned down. We simply do not know.

And sir, your point about me assuming Mrs Bimbo were a US citizen and what she stood to gain is not clear to me. Maybe you could explain further?


#189 Posted by Gohome:

“I understand your fears. She will deny others coming legally, blah blah, she will tarnish our image, yada yada yada, but that is selfish. can cameron cough out 200k, i doubt, will the children be left to suffer and probably die because of your selfishness, no way”

@Gohome:

You can’t dismiss the fears and concerns of others on the consequences of Mrs Bimbo’s actions. These concerns are legitimate. Too many responses on this thread have been very emotional e.g. your point above about the children being left to suffer and die because of my “selfishness”.

My selfishness or altruism is not the issue sir. I would like to believe that it is the wish of us all that Mrs Bimbo’s kids will live long, healthy and happy lives. But her actions up to this point will have consequences, (some of them grave) for us all. This is something you must admit.

And the 50 million Naira question I asked earlier still stands: Why, oh why has Nigeria turned into a 4th world country and why isn’t someone being tied to a barrel and shot for this?

#149 Posted by VolvoS60:

“Emotions are running very high on this thread. 

Someone (a poster) mentioned the case of kuwaiti nationals in a similar situation. The big difference is that the Kuwaiti government stepped in and paid up. I think if we conduct a poll on this board (on whether the Nigerian government will stand up to deliver in the same way), we all know what the results are likely to be”.

@Gohome,

You said my comments above ‘’were not completely true’’. Which part exactly? The part (as posted by Amarush) about the Kuwaiti government footing the bill for a Kuwaiti couple in the same situation as Mrs Bimbo & spouse? Or the part about the average Nigerian’s (on this forum) expectations about the Nigerian government doing something similar? Which part please?


#125 Posted by Gohome:

[b]“Its a pity you have been reduced to this. you are definitely not human. What is your own problem with this woman that is not even a criminal. You complain about taxpayers money, rubbish. do you know how much of my tax is used to foot the bill in Libya. Do you know how much of my tax is used to foot the bill of lazy white citizens? have you asked yourself how much the royal wedding cost? sometimes in life we are faced with choices in which we choose the lesser of two evil, on humanitarian ground, which is also very legal this babies should be given citizenship (God bless America). We are talking about babies here, traumatizing the woman by slamming her with this kind of bill can affect the woman which will also affect the babies. Its possible this woman dint plan this. She probably took those fertility drugs just to be able to conceive and not to give birth to 5kids Shes got relatives in Britain, i am sure they wont be in support of her action. who will feed this children. Even a senior manager with 60000 pound per annum and a 50% tax( not to talk of council tax and accommodation) here in the UK cant afford to feed the woman, not to talk of 5 kids

Stop be selfish about image this image that, the media is twisting your brains. When it comes to mending immigration laws, Nigerians would definitely not be in the top ten least. you stay in the Uk you should know better.”[/b]


@Gohome:

Your post above was directed to Claremont and not me to begin with so I can’t say much about it. However, i do agree with you that if indeed you are a UK taxpayer, you are well within your rights to have a say in how your money is spent. Just as millions of other UK taxpayers who may have a contrary opinion have the same right to be heard. 



#156 Posted by Gohome:

“Judge, why do you base your assertions over THESUN investigation. Have you heard this woman's story. Do you think this woman wanted to give birth to five kids.  go and ask your mother what it felt like when she gave birth to you. And stop saying illegality. It is not. at least not yet. She is Human. Those kids are too. She can file by using humanitarian grounds, if she wins, its not illegal. its still the law. Illegality, moral and ethics are different things. Illegality is logic, moral and ethics are relative. I wouldn't call illegal the flamboyant lifestyles of our MPs and Royal family illegal, buh damn i will call it unethical.”

@Gohome,

My “assertions” which you refer to above, have nothing to do with the SUN newspaper. Mrs Bimbo’s story is in the public domain, and for every paper that has tried to damn her as one more in a long line of ‘foreign spongers’, there’s one which is at least a bit sympathetic to her case. The key facts in her case are relatively clear. And sir, without intending to be legalistic about it, it seems that Mrs. Bimbo has breached the terms under which she was granted entry to the UK. That sir, is the illegality I was referring to in my post. Perhaps she and her solicitors may have some new information to disclose but as at now, this is all we have to go on.

And sir, be careful when you say things like “morality and ethics are relative”. We can use comments like that to justify anything and everything under the sun.

@ lady t,

you r welcome. Just my take on this matter.

Do some posters have unresolved issues with one another? The insults are getting out of hand.

Emotions are running very high on this thread.  

Someone (a poster) mentioned the case of kuwaiti nationals in a similar situation. The big difference is that the Kuwaiti government stepped in and paid up. I think if we conduct a poll on this board (on whether the Nigerian government will stand up to deliver in the same way), we all know what the results are likely to be.

Whether we like it or not, UK taxpayers have a right to voice their concerns about how their taxes are spent. Their political system is far from perfect, but there is a measure of accountability which is absent in Nigeria. British nationals pay their taxes and expect to have a say in how those taxes are spent. And if they are not comfortable with the idea of their taxes being used to pay medical expenses of ''foreigners", those are their rights as British nationals. Those rights cannot be taken away from them sir.

And yes, some of us are (justifiably) very angry about british imperialism and how europe underdeveloped Africa but that cannot excuse the moral schizophrenia some of us here on this board are exhibiting. What is wrong is wrong. Some posters have tried to justify illegality by recounting the atrocities the british committed in Africa centuries ago but that mindset is flawed, deeply flawed. The battle to get back our stolen artefacts and treasures is a separate matter that can and should be fought on a different platform. Not by individual attempts to beat the system. Because in the end, cases like this lady's simply lead to much tougher immigration rules that make it harder for everyone else.  

Having said that, the biggest question we should ask (as another poster did earlier) is why infant and maternal mortality rates are so high in Nigeria? Why?

Simple. They are high because we are ignorant cowards, all 150 million+ of us.    

We have (or sat back and watched while a few of us, our kith and kin who live and walk among us) created a hell on earth and forced us all to live in it. There is no reason why Nigeria should be what it is. None whatsoever. But we are spineless and gutless, preferring to flee or murmur instead of fighting for what's right.

The Sahara desert is littered with the passports, bones and skulls of young and not so young Nigerians who preferred to take that risky journey rather than stay in Nigeria. We will never get it right until we as a people demand that someone explain why this and other forms of suicidal behaviour are the norm among so many Nigerians. Why should a country's brightest and most promising young people lose hope in the system to the point where they are ready to go anywhere but Nigeria?

Why?

What's "muff access"?

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ASK why the poor have no food, they call me a communist". - Archbishop Dom Helder Camara of Brazil.

OP: You are indeed on the path to enlightenment. If you succeed in making even one soul ask himself the questions you listed (and not rest till he gets the answers), then your work is done.

This is just the beginning.