₦airaland Forum

A poster said earlier:

"On my way home yesterday, I heard quite a number of callers to a call-in programme blaming the policemen for trying to arrest the soldier.

According to them, soldiers are "superior" to the police and so should not be challenged by the police."[i][/i]



Those “Nigerians” who called in to say that nonsense over the radio do not wish or deserve to live as free men and women in a sane society. And thankfully, their wish has been granted. They will never understand or experience what it means for them (as citizens) and the State to have an (arguably) mutually beneficial relationship, under one Law applicable to all. Never. It is the destiny of their generation. And they are fulfilling it.

There can be no redemption for such Nigerians who are obviously unable to see the link between the evils and excesses of military rule (over the past 50 years) and Nigeria’s descent into Hell. There is simply nothing that can be done for such people. They do not even know what’s right for them anymore. And when people have lost their moral compass, what do they have left?

Decent people would fight for a single law, applicable to all, with no special treatment for policemen, soldiers, airmen, naval ratings, customs men and other so-called “staff”. Not some illogical defence of the idea that soldiers are ‘superior’ (whatever the hell that means). But those Nigerians who called in to that radio station to defend the madness are not decent people by any stretch of the imagination. And as sure as night follows day, their dehumanization will begin anew in a short while. They want it and they WILL get it. The very soldiers they idolize will be back to finish the job they started over 4 decades ago.

It has been decreed.

@ OP,

Your best bet would be to go with the manufacturer's recommendations as shown in the owner's manual/service schedule.

Some owner's manuals make a distinction between normal and severe operating conditions, and recommend different servicing intervals for the two.

Driving in Lagos & several other Nigerian cities and towns would definitely fall under severe operating conditions (heavy traffic with lengthy idling periods, flooded, dusty & muddy roads , high ambient temperatures & high relative humidity, etc).

I service my vehicle every 5,000km (an oil change & oil filter change). That works fine for me.

@buldozer,

You claim i will never study the way you studied. All i can say is "thank God for that". I certainly do not want to end up like the bitter, broken soul you are.

You are acting out a script written by someone else and you don't even know it. Or maybe you do, which is even worse. Carry on.

@ bulldozer,


Your comments are a disgrace. If you ever passed through the 4 walls of a university/institution of higher learning and ever enjoyed anything fought for by student unionists and student reps, you should hang your head in shame.  

A student doctor is murdered and all you can spew forth is that garbage up there?

Quote from muami
« #85 on: April 08, 2011, 10:38 PM »

“My heart goes out to all those who died in the blast. Its actually strange that when the North was ruling, there was no bomb blast in the North. Now that GEJ would soon win, they are busy bombing themselves.”

Quote from muami
« #106 on: April 08, 2011, 11:08 PM »

“If you are 'cluefull', you would have realised that all the people you mentioned have something in common. They are all Northerrners. Its all about the wild wild north! Dont you get it?”

Quote from kleffReBIRTH
#219 on: April 09, 2011, 12:48 AM »

Muami! 4m your nam i kmw your a muslim n also an uneducated 1! If only u went 2 skul u wuld av seen da handwritins on da wal! Wat is an old fool lik buhari comin 2 do as da president? Let me gues! His gon totaly brok n needs 2 steal som money 4m nijas purs abi? Wel dat ent hapenin! Not in his lif tim! By da way, i urge u 2 try n advise your felo usles uneducated muslems in jos not 2 atempt any tin silly cos if dey do! Dey wil knw dat kaki no b leda! We wunt hasitat 2 hunt dem down lik whild animals dey!

Quote from muami
#223 on: April 09, 2011, 12:52 AM »

the only thing I understand from your 'long' post is the first word which incidentally is my name. No wonder the failure rate is so high now in Waec and Neco.


^^Confusion Break Bone (CBB).


Mr. kleffReBIRTH,

You don’t even know how to deceive your own self.

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, your post provoked some laughter from me. You clearly didn’t read the script before setting out on your mission and now you have set upon your fellow traveller muami with “friendly fire”. Your handlers must be seething with rage at how you have botched the simplest assignment given to any operative in the history of your unit. All you have succeeded in doing is providing comic relief for the main combatants on this thread.

Quote from Pharoh
#22 on: April 08, 2011, 08:21 PM »

“I am tired of Nigerians blaming pdp for everything that's why i mentioned it first because i know they will still come to blame pdp. We are so blinded that we cannot ask soul reaching question anymore because i very much doubt that this is the reason a police investigator will take in trying to resolve this disaster.”

Quote from Pharoh
#29 on: April 08, 2011, 08:42 PM »

“Do you honestly think it is easy to fight crime anywhere in the world and do you think the work of a security chief is that easy to do that you have to compare it with that of the INEC's Job. Have they been able to solve all the crime in united states, do you see what is happening in Mexico because they want to fight the drug mafia. Columbia is there to show you when they tried to fight the drug mafia as well.”

Quote from Pharoh
#37 on: April 08, 2011, 09:09 PM »

“You can't try to blame the government when it is clear that your definition of the government is the pdp all along. They are surely responsible for providing all that but the government we are talking about here goes all the way back even to the 1960s and 1970s. Like i told you before i surely
do blame the security chiefs for not doing their jobs but it is important for us to define this government that we are blaming. Anyone that wants to just blame the pdp government is not sincere about solving the problems of Nigeria and that's the issue i am raising.”


Mr. Pharoh,

Your sophistry remains unparalleled and will not go unchallenged. We have locked horns on this board before – I went through just one or two of your posts on previous threads ä long time ago and I decoded you right away. Those who are just figuring you out have indeed come late to the party.

I concede sir, your right to hold a contrary opinion, (whether it be for pecuniary reasons or not). The problem I have with you sir, is your doublespeak and thinly disguised attempts to portray yourself as a balanced critic genuinely interested in searching for the truth. Whereas only a cursory glance at your posting history reveals who and what you truly represent. Show your hand, man, show it, God damn it!!!! I never yet could trust a man who could speak from both sides of his mouth at the same time.

There are some people on this board who have declared their stand in favour of retaining the status quo and we know them for who they are. With them at least, we know where we stand. You on the other hand, craftily veer between statesman and demagogue, working hard to deceive the unwary and the undecided. Mixing just the right amount of truth and untruth to create doubt in the minds of the naive and the unschooled.

But you shall fail, fallen angel. You shall.

The “debate” is finally over. Definitely NOT as engaging as the NN24 one. Not by a long shot.

First of all, I must say that the criticism of GEJ’s spoken English is unfair. Apart from the odd error or malapropism, he speaks quite well.  As much as I dislike his administration and the PDP for an awful performance spanning 12 years, I must say he expresses himself well enough and communicates clearly. I cannot fault him on that score, and will not criticize him for being nervous or slightly jittery.

Having got that out of the way, I must state that this ‘debate’ fell far below the standard expected. There’s simply no other way to put it. The truth of the matter is that GEJ is the presidential candidate of the ruling party, which has been in power for the past 12 years. Whether his supporters admit it or not, this debate should have been a report card or score sheet on the performance of the GEJ administration and the PDP.

Which is why the soft, easy, slightly ambiguous questions were such a disgrace. A central theme running through GEJ’s monologue in this ‘debate’ was “we (GEJ and the PDP) will do this and we will do that over the next 2 to 3 to 4 years, - we plan to do ABC,  we intend to do XYZ”, etc.

GEJ  was able to respond in this manner because of the slightly shady way most of the so-called questions were phrased.

My friends at the NEDG, I must tell you: this is simply not good enough. Out of all the candidates, GEJ is the only candidate who can be legitimately asked in a direct fashion: “why have you and your party not done ABC, XYZ in the last 12 years? Why has the PDP failed to deliver on so many fronts, sir? And if you have done so poorly, why should anyone vote you in once again?”

That he was not asked these questions is a big shame. The moderators did not hold him accountable and that is a tragedy.

Well, what’s done is done. It will be showtime in less than 14 days. If in the end, Nigerians vote foolishly because “the man is humble", “he is simple”, “he no get wahala”, “Awusa wan kill am  ”, etc.  they will have no one but themselves to blame.

You get what you pay for.

Pharoh,

Going through your posts, i have come to the conclusion that you belong to one of the following groups of individuals listed below:

Group 1: You have been assigned by your paymasters the task of defending the PDP-led administration from any criticism on the web.


If this is the case, then I really don’t have much to say to you except to tell you to keep on keeping on. Work it brother, work it!!!! It is a hard sell I know, but you are doing your best. Nigeria is damn hard, and man must survive. But remember this: we will meet at Philippi. We surely will.


Group 2: You are not on the payroll of the PDP and are not profiting directly or indirectly from the status quo ante, but you genuinely believe that the PDP-led administration is the best option for this Republic.

In other words sir, you are a true believer. If this is your case sir, I am even more afraid, because you are more dangerous than all the elements in Group 1 put together. Why? Because you are not doing it for the money. You are doing it “for love”. And there are few things on this earth more terrifying than a misguided zealot determined to prove his dedication to the cause.


So, Pharoh, which group do you belong to?


You also said in one of your previous posts, and i quote:

It is like a robber going to rob a bank and the only thing he knows which he thinks is the biggest problem is to get pass the gate man at the gate. So i ask now what if he does not know how to move in the building or even how to open the safe where the money is. What if he even opens the safe and he does not know what to do with the money?.


P.S. It is interesting to note that in your post above, you used the analogy of a bank robber’s dilemma to describe the task which lies ahead of the leadership you recommend. Of the millions of appropriate analogies to choose from (analogies such as a ship’s captain, a bus/car driver, an airline pilot, a military commander) you choose the analogy of a bank robber?

Perhaps your analogy above expresses how you REALLY feel about public office, sir?

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard."
-- Henry Mencken

The Ides of March are indeed here. In less than 3 weeks, Nigerians will go to the polls to decide (nominally at least) who will lead them. We shall all see whether the elections will be free and fair. The clock is ticking.

To tell the truth, I am not surprised at the results of the Thisday/IPSOS poll. As distasteful as it sounds, the facts on the ground favour the PDP. The truth is, it does have the resources and structures to win. Sad but true. It is galling that the opposition could not get it together and form a viable coalition to struggle for power. BUT THERE COULD YET BE A TWIST IN THE TALE. The key thing though is this: THE ELECTIONS MUST BE, AND MUST BE SEEN TO BE FREE AND FAIR. Despite his many faults, ex-HOS M. Buhari is spot on in highlighting the implications of free and fair elections, a point which is perhaps lost on many listeners: Nigerians will have to live with the consequences of their choices (particularly at the federal level) for the next 4 years.

It is those consequences which give cause for concern. We can all be assured that the hell Nigeria is at the moment is nothing compared to what lies ahead in the next four years if the PDP is voted in. The signs are crystal clear. On this board, there are a few die-hard supporters of the GEJ regime, men (and women too! ) who have made it a point of duty to excuse and rationalize the many failures and excesses of the PDP-led administrations of the past 12 years. These people are clearly being paid to defend the indefensible, and I have nothing to say to them. There are also some of my countrymen & women on this board who do not live in Nigeria, and perhaps ignorantly, have decided to cast their lot with the ruling party. For this group I feel a mild irritation, but some education about the realities on the ground is usually enough to put them right.

My greatest contempt and ire however, is reserved for those of my country people who live here, work here and feel the fire, (day after day, night after night, 365 days a year) and perversely, still want to vote for 4 more years of serfdom. If this is not an advanced case of the Stockholm syndrome, I do not know what is. Nigerians rolled over and allowed deeply flawed elections to take place in 2003 & 2007. The cack-handed and duplicitous Obasanjo administration failed to deliver on so many counts, before “handing over” to the UMYA administration in 2007. That administration also failed to deliver, although interestingly, its many failures are scarcely remembered today (largely because of the death of UMYA). Truly, death forgives all.

The circle is now complete. Those who have ears - let them hear. Over the next 4 years, the PDP (if voted in next month) will carve up the commonwealth (on a scale never seen before) into little fiefdoms for party hacks to do with as they see fit, no questions asked. Over the next 48 months, the PDP will engage in the annual hollow ritual of passing budgets in which recurrent expenditure dwarfs capital expenditure (and the last week of the year in every federal ministry records more activity than the previous 51 weeks. The initiated know what i’m talking about here). The diesel & generator mafia will get even stronger despite energy & power tariff and price hikes. For at least part of the next 208 weeks, there will be a spike in violent crime, as those guns and bullets brought in to “persuade voters” find their way into general circulation and are then used to separate Nigerians from their property.

When these things start happening, I will personally curse out anyone on this board who complains, particularly if their posting records indicate that they were pro-PDP in the runup to the elections. Yes sirs, we must live in the hell we have created without whimpering or murmuring.

Actions have consequences. We must never forget that.

@Paris10,

A poor response from you (the excreta bit in your post). But you have the right to express it, i'll give you that.

I commended you for clarifying issues on the status of ms okoye's kids. Good job on your part. But you ruined things with your next reply which says  everything and yet nothing at the same time.

Anyway, like i said, you have the right to speak. So speak on.

The poster above just clarified issues for me.

I can see some of us are enraged at the woman's nerve in voicing out what many Nigerian women secretly agree with    .

But ms/mrs okoye is not the problem. We all know that 35 to 40 years ago, giving birth in North America or Europe (to guarantee a better life for your offspring) wasn't an issue. The question we should be asking is, why did things change and who is responsible?

And even more important, what are we going to do about it?

Do your research and vote in the next elections in April 2011. Make the right choices so that the oge okoyes of this world can have their children in any hamlet in Nigeria and their life chances will still be substantially similar to those of kids born elsewhere. Vote and protect that vote.

P.S. An election does not of itself and in itself mean democracy exists. But it is an important part of what democracy is. So please do not vote for a party/candidate and justify your choice by saying "they were going to win anyway", or "his diction is superb", or "he is from my ethnic group".  etc.

Vote for someone who will make sure your children have a country they can call their own.

The choice is ours to make.

To Netotse & the others who were pushing the whole "GEJ was right in congratulating Uti nwachukwu for winning BBA" thing:

I know this is a dead thread but i couldn't resist waking it up. I just finished watching the debate conducted by Next Newspapers among the presidential candidates - Mohammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Shekarau & Nuhu Ribadu. Inexplicably, GEJ failed to attend. However, less than 24 hours ago, the same GEJ was a guest of that paragon of interviewing excellence, Dapo Oyebanjo (also known as D'Banj), where he (GEJ) soliloquized at length about how he and the PDP are going to turn Nigeria from a cassava republic into i don't know what.

Is there a pattern here? GEJ continues to focus on trivia which can only be described as dangerous, while avoiding the things which really count. First BBA. And now, of all the people to conduct an exclusive interview with, d'banj is deemed most suitable?!!!!

All the other presidential candidates had the guts to attend the debate to prove the courage of their convictions to citizens of this Republic. . Even more important, they had enough respect for the electorate to attend a serious debate where hard questions would be asked. And man, a few of the questions were indeed hard! (at least by the standards most Nigerians are used to)

Perhaps GEJ would have been raked over the coals. Perhaps he may have come out better than expected. But we won't know because he didn't show. As i said when this thread was still active, Nigeria needs very serious work. Fraternizing with BBA "winners"and "koko masters" just won't cut it.

Joseph de Maistre said it once and it has been repeated a thousand times - a country gets the kind of government i.e. leaders it deserves. I have gone through some of the responses to the Utomi interview and the only reasonable emotion is weary resignation.  If the ’Elect’ (who i consider a fair number of people on this board to be, in a manner of speaking) reason in this way, then really, there’s no hope.

In the 2003 elections, I voted for the National Conscience Party’s presidential candidate (the late Gani Fawehinmi). In the 2007 election, I voted for the Áfrican Democratic Congress’ presidential candidate (Pat Utomi). In my naivete and folly, I genuinely believed these parties and their candidates had struck a chord with the electorate, and that Nigerians (to the last man & woman) were tired of robber barons and carpetbaggers and were prepared for change. Forlorn hope. Gani, Utomi et al failed, and failed badly.

Part of the reason why they failed was poor preparation and perhaps an underestimation of the scale of the challenge in contesting for (and wresting) power from the ruling party. Having said that, what shocked me most (in ’03 &’07) was the attitude of the voting blocs which i had thought would be the natural allies of the Gani Fawehinmi & Pat Utomi candidacies. In Utomi’s case, a lot of middle & upper class folk who should have understood and identified with what he was (and still is) saying, turned out to be his worst critics.  And rather than take a stand for truth, these folk cast their votes for death and darkness (the PDP), the results of which are plain for all to see.

Make no mistake about it: from the evidence i have before my eyes, it is going to get worse for Nigeria before it gets better. (That is, if its going to get better at all). The wise often say that life is about choices, and those choices have consequences. This holds true for individual citizens as well as for the collective called Nigeria. It cannot be otherwise.

@Wesley80 – the likes of Utomi & co have actually spent a lot of time and effort providing ‘real workable solutions and realistic alternatives’ to the status quo. If Nigerians have chosen not to take up the offer, then so be it. After all, he ran for office. What was Nigeria’s response?

And note that his ‘crashing the democracy’ comment should not be taken out of context. If you look closely, you’ll see that his recommendations tally with some of those of the proponents of a sovereign national conference, an idea that has been around for a long time. And while i agree that an SNC presents all kinds of problems in practice, the alternative (maintaining the status quo) is worse, much worse.

@Monkeyleg – you are spot on in your assessment of Nigerians. We (The People) are our own worst enemies. Some of us have derided Utomi et al for running for office. What else do we want these men to do?  There are only two options for getting power – ballots or bullets. Utomi has chosen ballots (at least for now) and yet he is being mocked for that choice?

@Rossike- enough with the provocation. The author of the article in the Christian Science Monitor link you provided was circumspect in his assessment of Nigeria’s chances as an emerging markets economy.  Very cautious indeed. He outlined the huge obstacles in the way (the energy/power crisis and the diesel & generator mafia profiting from it, a banking sector which has ignored the real sector in favour of an import-dependent trading/commercial sector, etc). The clear message in the article is that Nigeria’s intended membership of the club of emerging economies hangs upon some key conditions (and that list of conditions is by no means exhaustive in my view) being met. Will these conditions be met? NO. Not with the way the country’s institutions and political/business frameworks are currently structured.

And on the issue of foreign reserves, don’t forget the kind of country you live in and the kind of leaders you have. In a few months you might just end up eating your words. It is entirely possible that your 48 billion USD could be down to less than 5 billion in a few months time. We have seen this happen before.


P.S.  Utomi, like any other man, has his weaknesses. I am reasonably sure one of his biggest regrets is that his party was unable to form a strong coalition with the other opposition parties to challenge the PDP in the forthcoming elections. Agreed. But you cannot accuse him of woolly thinking or lacking vision. The real problem is those of us who should know better but have wilfully chosen to dismiss him as a crackpot with unworkable ideas.

Rossike,

Perhaps you and the poster you described as displaying “shameful ignorance” have some old scores to settle. But if you do not, then i can only describe your post as a provocation.

The fellow whom you advised to “educate yourself or shut up and stop disturbing us” simply voiced the frustration and disappointment of over 100 million souls in this country. He asked a question that resonates across the length and breadth of this country. “Why don’t we have electricity?”

It is a simple question, sir. And we do not want tortuous, complex explanations and excuses for answers. It is in bad taste for you to criminalize someone for demanding a simple answer to a legitimate question (a question you must have asked too at some point if you are honest with yourself and have lived in nigeria). The poster’s only crime (if you can call it that) is that he was not more virulent in his criticism of the GEJ administration and the PDP. But we are getting there slowly. The transition (of the majority) from muted dissent to violent rhetoric is almost complete. The next stage is (violent) mass action. Only time will tell whether we will get to this point.

I ran through the links you provided, did a few checks and was unable to come up with much information on ‘the Kaleidoscope International Business Forum” mentioned in one of the links. Maybe you could provide more info on this. But more to the point, the investment events, investment fora, road shows (and all the other junkets that federal agents burn your cash and mine on) do not guarantee anything. Several of these events have taken place over the last 5 years and the only visible outcome so far has been statements of intent & expressions of interest by the “world class” foreign investors we keep hearing so much about. When contracts have been signed, sealed and delivered (with harsh penalties for any counterparty which decides to renege) then perhaps your government will be taken seriously in its so-called quest for privatization of the PHCN. (And you know that PHCN’s privatization cannot proceed without a resolution of landmines such as the MYTO issue & emoluments/severance pay of power sector employees).

There’s really no need to belabour this matter. I have to log off soon since there have been two power cuts in the last 10 minutes. But I ask you – if the federal government has not been able to privatize the old NITEL successfully, why should anyone believe it will do a better job with PHCN?

Your statement about the “true situation and where the government stands” lacks merit. If truth be told, the fed government doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

You are more likely to have problems with dark green vehicles (as the shippers noted) - perhaps the Acura of one of the other posters has a lighter shade of green. This matter is just one more example of the strange (written or unwritten) "laws" that the Nigerian army has forced in order to confer some dubious priviledge on its largely inept and incompetent personnel. To the best of my knowledge, there is no other written or unwritten law prohibiting the use of blue or white (colours of the air force & navy) vehicles by civilians. Why the special treatment for soldiers?

Unfortunately, Nigeria being what it is, you could actually have some difficulty if you brought in your vehicle and you happened to run into some inebriated soldiers who want to prove a point. The sense of entitlement which so many of them have is something which runs through virtually all their interactions with civilians. I have actually heard stories of people (civilians) being forced to strip in public because these unfortunate souls had the nerve to wear dark green clothing (which as we all know, is reserved for the almighty nigerian army).

OP - If you do not want to respray your vehicle, then you might want to prepare for a confrontation at some point. And if at any time i see a yellow acura in lagos, then i'll know that my post has been long overtaken by events

Things are getting very interesting now. I can see Genbuhari has been doing a yeoman's job in selling his candidate (the real Buhari ) to everyone on Nairaland and beyond.

I had my reservations about Mr Buhari after some interviews he gave a few months ago to the NVS. I felt his responses were too vague and too general. And that is simply not good enough - the stakes are too high for the same old platitudes and generalist statements that Nigeria's geriatric politicos constantly mouth when they are helped onto the soapbox by their handlers and minders. If Buhari is a cut above such men, then let him prove it. I have thrown this question to genbuhari (the fake one on nairaland ) and i'm still waiting for an answer.

The near-unqualified support so many of us had for the Buhari regime of the 1980s has been tempered by time - we are much older and wiser now. That's why i'm very interested in the Buhari camp's response to some of the hard questions raised by beaf & others on this board (derived from articles and interviews by wole soyinka, naiwu osahon, omo omoruyi & others ) But I am keeping an open mind. To Buhari's credit, there is some goodwill from his first coming - whether this will be enough to upset the ruling party is the million pesewa question.

What is not even up for debate is my voting for the PDP or any of its candidates. How can any right thinking person vote for that rogues gallery full of venal old men who have failed their country and its unborn time and time again? How?

Hmm. Becomerich. Bandwith hogger extraordinaire.

A centrifuge of magic, madness and a hint(?!) of genius

And yet, in the middle of the mad laughter that his posts usually elicit, there are some serious questions that are difficult to overlook. If no other point has been made in his proposed contract with Nigeria/Benin/wherever, at least becomerich is pointing out some inconsistencies and contradictions in mr nuhu ribadu and what he and his broom-wielding party supposedly stand for. This is the same way some other fellow on another thread raised some hard questions on mr buhari and what he stands for too.

These questions will not go away.

All those who wish this country well agree that the PDP is accelerating into the abyss and it is determined to drag a hundred and fifty million+ souls down with it. And unfortunately, the primaries of the other major contenders (CPC, ACN) have shown them up to be cut from the same cloth as the PDP, although of a slightly less muddy hue.

Could becomerich be the One that this Republic has been waiting for? Is the 50 year wait finally over?

dvee's post:

"Witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch said that groups of armed men attacked the largely Muslim population of Kuru Karama around 10 a.m. on January 19, 2010."

Is the 2010 date in your post a typo?

ma dear Ma_J_Blige,


What's the 419?

Come now, I expected you to say a lot more than you did in your post.

If you think I'm not fit to be an adviser to the Federal Government, that's fine. Several people think so too. Hell, I think so too myself sometimes.

I am amused you think I'm a "foreigner", because I'm not. I'm very much a Nigerian, just as I think and hope you are too. And as for the "spewing nonsense" bit in your post, its unfortunate you think that of me. My words represent my take on the burning issues we have. Its nothing personal against your principal. Not at all.

I have said time and again that a country gets the leaders it deserves. This may seem harsh or unnecessarily provocative but its the truth.

No one should feign surprise at what is going on. At the heart of any functional democracy is one thing: accountability.

This accountability (of the leaders to the led) is missing in this republic. It has been missing in all the governments this country has had for 5 decades now. And without it, we are nothing and will never get to where we want to be.

Sadly, with each new government that comes in, the odds of getting the relationship right are getting smaller and smaller because the Citizens Action which is needed to FORCE that accountability is nowhere to be found.

The truth of the matter is that the PDP is not accountable to any of us. That, my friends, is the awful truth. It owes us nothing. It came into power by its own hands and a sprinkling of votes by some very gullible individuals who (hopefully) have now learnt the error of their ways. But it is not a people’s government. And since it is not, it would be asking too much expecting it to function like one.

Look at this: the-PDP led federal government has been publicly told by a committee of its own men (in a very rare moment of truth and candour) that the economy is breaking under the burden of a bloated, corpulent bureaucracy. And yet the sinecures continue, full speed ahead.

What does this mean? I’ll tell you what it means. By its actions, the PDP is telling all of us:

"Do your worst. We have (political) debts and favours to grant and/or call in. If in our horse-trading, we create a bureaucracy which becomes a deadweight on the economy and drowns it, then SO BE IT. After all, you are our slaves and are no better than the damned."

Before anyone thinks this is just about Mrs Ojukwu, let me say it is not just about her. It is about her appointment and ALL the other appointments that are simply not fit for purpose. You all know what I’m talking about - The Special Boards of Enquiry, the Presidential Task Forces, The Special Envoys, The Presidential Advisory Groups, the Senior Special Assistants/Advisers, the Special Councils etc. This has been on for over 3 decades and unfortunately the GEJ administration has continued with this dishonourable tradition.

But people, do not be fooled: contrary to what most of us here think, the GEJ-led PDP government knows EXACTLY what it is doing. It knows what it wants. The big question is: do we?

In three months time, this same question will be asked of us all. Kindly have your answers ready.

Just reading about this for the first time.

What a waste of a once-promising young mind.

The story was something else, though. Writing had me spellbound. Luke O' Brien is something close to a master of his craft.

Hmm.

I don't get the “As an elder statesman in Nigeria" bit. Did the brasshat's minions have to devalue his so-called apology with this declaration? What has being an "elder statesman" got to do with anything?

I am willing to bet that if Mr. Tekena hadn't threatened to raise hell, this 'apology' would not have been made. Nigerian soldiers/airmen/naval ratings continue to show time after time that they are men without an appreciation of the military code of honour. A waste of time and space and a total disgrace to their uniforms.

But none of this should surprise any of us. Right here on this thread, some supposedly rational people have made excuses for the madness of the ratings in this whole mess. And as long as such people exist, this nonsense will continue.

A country gets the kind of military it deserves.

The issues raised by members (on ad listings in the auto section) are still very much alive. Correct me if i'm wrong, but Admin gave the impression that this thread would be moderated on a daily basis. Is this still being done?

I still do not understand why there cannot be a child board for auto discussions. Other posters have raised this issue already and Admin's response was that "the situation is not yet bad enough" to create a child board. How bad is bad enough? I still have to trawl through tons & tons of ads (the same problem the mods attention was drawn to much earlier) to view discussions in the auto section which actually do help me learn something on automobiles. Other sections seem to have solved this ad listing problem. Why not the auto section?

Admin, rethink your position. You have (or had) a good thing going on the auto boards. Don't throw it away. A lot of knowledgeable and experienced people whom the rest of us can learn from simply do not post anymore, precisely because of this ad confusion.

Act promptly to resolve this matter.

People sometimes get the kind of society they deserve.

I admit that life in Nigeria is so difficult that we find humor in the most unlikely places (just to maintain our sanity). For this reason, the jokes being made about the alleged assault of the comedians by soldiers do not surprise me. But we HAVE to draw the line at some point.  For over 4 decades, Nigerians have lived with frequent displays of casual brutality by uniformed men. Random acts of sometimes extreme violence by these men (whose uniforms are bought with taxpayers money) have become part and parcel of Nigerian society.

Until we all decide that this kind of behaviour MUST stop, we will not go anywhere.

In case some of us have forgotten, soldiers played a huge part in kickstarting (and accelerating) this country's descent into hell. The senior officers robbed all of us blind during their stints as armies of occupation, while the NCOs and junior members of the thoroughly jaundiced force called the Nigerian army/navy/airforce get their kicks out of beating civilians senseless on the streets. And some of us cheer them on and make excuses for their behaviour.  Where is the outrage?

Its up to us. As long as we tolerate it, the oppression will continue.

Facts indeed are stubborn things 

Surely those hurling insults (the so-called GEJ supporters) on this thread can do better!

Someone (Akainzo) has posted evidence directly contradicting claims made by a servant of the Republic concerning the 2011 budget.

Its up to the GEJ hatchetmen to provide superior evidence or cease fire!!!

P.S. I honestly expected a better argument from the GEJ men here. Proper damage control on their part should have involved a response along the lines of "Akainzo, a budget is a statement of intent - the real test is at the END of the budget cycle, when we will all see that execution (and not just intent) IS the issue. What was the degree/level of compliance/execution of the 2010 budget (which as you know, was the brainchild of the late UMYA and not our man GEJ  ) at the end of the budget cycle? Aganga may have got some of his figures muddled up  but you will see in 2012 (assuming GEJ is elected this year ) that on all counts, Nigeria's fiscal position in 2011 will be significantly better than that of 2010, etc."

Surely GEJ's men CAN do better!!! (By the way, there are some big gaps in Atiku's comments which i am very surprised the GEJ camp has not yet picked on).

@ info@lpf



Indeed the people perish for lack of knowledge. But I have heard worse stories than yours - much, much worse.

I have come to terms with local mechanics - all bets are off when dealing with them, particularly when newer cars are involved. Some of our local mechs simply do not have a clue about diagnostics kits for detecting faults. They do not have the hardware and have not been trained and of course, they can't handle even the most basic problems that crop up.

But it may shock you to know that some of the so-called authorised dealers and service centres are just as bad. At least, with good old Lateef & Kabiru (my local mechanics), I know what the score is. I hover around Lateef & Co. like a hawk whenever i take my car in for repairs - I buy parts and spares myself and make sure they are fitted there and then - i don't want any explanations about how palm oil (instead of engine oil) ended up in the sump. The ''authorised dealers" on the other hand, usually do not allow customers to go into the workshop/service bay. And that sir, is the heart of the matter. I recently took in my car for routine servicing at the brand's so-called mobile workshop, and was lucky enough to observe firsthand all that was going on. The first sign of trouble was the "funnel" used to prevent spillage of the engine oil while pouring it into the block - it was nothing other than a used plastic water bottle, with the lower half sawn off. (??!!). The second sign of trouble was the case from which the oil itself was being poured - it was a grimy old plastic keg. At this point, i got angry and insisted on knowing the source of the oil, its API rating, etc. The best the service technicians could do was show me a large metal drum, more or less saying "na dere we dey get am from". No further details.

Needless to say, I havent been back there since. Very dissappointing. Surely, the sombrero in the oval can do better.

Quote from: Outstrip on November 08, 2009, 04:33 PM

"My dad has always followed the rules and that did not change when he first moved back home to Nigeria. There was a bad situation were he was driving and the person behind him felt he was not driving fast enough and started using his car to push my dad's car. My dad said he could not believe it. He told the guy that they needed to maintain their lane and the guy was like we know dey do that for here. What really irritated my dad was that someone will just decide that they can use their vehicle to bump yours to make you go faster. I don't know how people can drive like human beings under such conditions. "

   

genbuhari,

i agree with some of your points. i sometimes think of what might have been - if buhari had not been pushed out. But things have changed a lot since the early 1980s. I agree with you that Buhari has a moral stature that the other potential candidates (Atiku, GEJ, etc) lack. There are big, (very big indeed) question marks surrounding Atiku's wealth . I also remember the furore and public anger without which GEJ would not have declared his assets - he refused to do so until long after late UMYA had made his own asset declaration. GEJ also has the moral burden of a spouse who has been linked with some shocking revelations . (Although i should add that Buhari's critics point to his tenure as petroleum minister in the late 1970s - the story goes that a lot of public money grew wings and flew out of the window under his watch. Knowing you, i'm sure you will rebut this in your next post )

But Nigeria of today needs a lot of work. And Buhari's plan so far seems very vague. I do not know if this is deliberate. He granted some interviews to nigeriavillagesquare and the specifics of how he intends to save the Republic were simply not there in that lengthy interview. I''m not asking for micro-details of his plan for Nigeria, but the vague, broad generalizations buhari made in that interview do not show an appreciation of the rot in the system. What are Buhari's views on the Land Use Act, and how to unlock the true potential of land as a factor of production (the way its been done in South America and other developing country blocs?) How does he intend to fix the Nigeria police? How will he turn around the expenditure profile of the FGN - a profile in which recurrent expenditure still dwarfs capital expenditure (the way it has done for decades)? How will he bring the issue of taxes (and how Nigerians view taxes) to the front burner and restructure the whole citizen-state relationship in relation to the tax burden we bear? You may argue that he's keeping his cards to his chest and doesn't want to show his hand too early. That may be true. But we have passed the stage of generalizations - i leave the the empty generalizations to the typical nigerian politician. If buhari is a cut above the others, let him prove it.

He has a plan. Its up to him to show this.

Joabgaje,

Sorry for the late response. Been meaning to reply for quite a while - hope this helps and isn't coming too late. Unfortunately, i've never owned or driven the FJ Cruiser - never even seen one at really close quarters. From what i've been able to glean though, it seems (the 4WD version at least) to be very capable off road since it is based on the Platform of Toyota's FJ 40 (distant ancestor of today's Landcruiser) introduced in the middle of the last century.

The 2007 model came with 3 drivetrains: RWD with auto transmission, part time 4WD with 5 speed auto transmission and permanent 4WD with a six speed manual. Features are briefly described below:

RWD: (normal two wheel) RWD drivetrain, but with traction control.

Part time 4WD with 5 speed autobox: RWD is the default mode in normal driving conditions. Torque is routed to the front wheels in poorer road conditions. The driver engages 4WD by means of a switch on the dashboard. For even tougher off road conditions, the 4WD autobox has an (optional) lockable rear differential (controlled by a switch on the dash). 4WD is not to be used on dry pavement.

Permanent 4WD with 6 speed manual: Also has a RWD bias, with 60% of torque sent to the rear wheels in normal driving. On poorer roads, up to 53% of torque may be (automatically) sent to the front axle when rear wheels start losing traction. Also has low range gearing and a lockable centre differential. 4WD is active on all surfaces including dry pavement.


I don't know which model year you are interested in but it seems the 6 speed manual with the manual box is the best for serious off roading. Its set up is slightly more sophisticated than that of the 5 speed autobox with the electronic (dashboard operated) 4WD button. Once I'm able to get any reviews on the 5 speed autobox with the auxiliary gearstick, i'll post.

Perhaps i should add that both the part time and full time versions of the car got good reviews and either version should meet the needs of most buyers.

FACT: Mr Buhari plotted a coup and overthrew a civilian government. He receives certain benefits as a former Head of State which we may argue he is simply not entitled to. As some have said here on this board, he should be tried for treason.

But his coup succeeded. If it had failed, we wouldn't be discussing this here - he would probably have been jailed or shot. Maybe what we the people should do is begin the fight to remove all former military heads of state from the NEC - it doesn't quite add up for coupists to do their thing, seize power and then be rewarded with the status of statesmen. But that's a topic for another day.

I should also say I personally would not vote for Mr. Buhari. He granted some interviews to the press a few months ago and I was expecting a lot more detail from him on his policies if voted in. Unfortunately, I saw a lot of general statements which several other candidates have also made verbatim. So what's the difference between him and them? I am yet to be fully convinced about the merits of a Buhari presidency. Perhaps i will change my mind - only time will tell.

But having said all that, the full story of the buhari regime is not being told. As some have pointed out - the excesses and brutality of some soldiers during that regime is common knowledge. But we all lost something - all of us - when the WAI programme was thrown out of the window. Some of those posting on this board were too young then to understand, but Nigerians were beginning - albeit slowly - to understand the need for some order and structure in public space. Sure, some of the enforcement was messy and arbitrary, but it was a start, and it WAS beginning to take root. I never thought I would put pen to paper to say something good about the Buhari years, but the evidence is before us. Twenty five years later and Nigeria is real marlboro country, more lawless and indisciplined than you could ever have imagined.

Some other posters have drawn up a report card (or it a charge sheet ) for the buhari years. I will join the debate very soon. But I think its only fair to present a balanced picture of the man and his regime.

And another thing - buhari is often criticized for the prominent role that late idiagbon played in his adminisration - buhari is made out by critics to be a weak leader who relied excessively on his 2-i-c.  When i hear this being said i shake my head and wonder if human beings will ever be satisfied. The buhari regime was a military junta, whose principal members (buhari at least) seemed largely without the massive egos that we have come to accept as prerequisites for leadership. Is that really a bad thing?

It is not a character weakness or deficiency if you delegate responsibility or authority. It seems we think it is. Maybe this explains why Nigeria has been cursed with dictators - perhaps deep down Nigerians have a perverse love for overly authoritarian leaders.

To his credit, Buhari did not have anything to prove and so late idiagbon carried out his duties as CoS, SMC, without any hindrance. Imagine, if in Nigeria's ethnically charged polity, buhari had listened to the warmongers of today and decided to 'cut idiagbon to size'. some of those criticizing buhari as 'weak', would have found a whole new set of epithets to describe him. Which is why i find it sad that Atiku could say (oh the irony of it!) that "even when he (buhari) was military head of state others were governing for him". Atiku has told the whole world of his tribulations as VP in the hands of his principal. I find it strange that he should criticize Buhari for having the very qualities which OBJ was roundly (and justifiedly) criticized for lacking.

Just my thots.

@Siena,

Noticed your reference to Dangel and its conversion of PSA cars - i didn't know that.

Aah - the 'venerable' 504. I've had a long, turbulent, sometimes violent history with this car. Will discuss that in full some other time. Its enough to say that there were good times and bad times - although the bad times were so bad that i questioned my own sanity sometimes. There were things which that 504 did to me which made me actually want to beg the Good Lord to call me home . But if there's one car I can say was made for this country, it would have to be the 504. Indestructible. Sometimes headstrong, noisy and quarrelsome (just like my countrypeople ) but built to last. Damn. They don't build them like that anymore.

I'm even more interested in the other member of the PSA group - Citroen. If only french cars had the reliability of the Japanese then perhaps more buyers would have bought Citroens and the company would have found it profitable to set up shop here. I've overheard conversations among people who i would have said had absolutely no interest in cars, only for them to amaze me with vivid descriptions of the DS and CX of years gone by. That oil and gas suspension was definitely something to get people talking - its a pity the new models no longer drop completely after the ignition has been switched off. There were few things more fascinating when i was growing up than watching a DS or CX slowly rise prior to ''take off".