₦airaland Forum

zumbigbo:
We continue to delude ourselves in this world that we are civilised. The global level of carnage, ignorance, pain, tears and terror suggest otherwise. When they look back on our times in 3020 they will label this period as the 'nouveau dark ages'.

OK but when they also look back at 3020 in the year 4020, they will also label that period as a dark age. The point I was making is only relevant in today's context! You might look like a mad man today but like a genius tomorrow.

[quote author=Godman_n link=topic=817616.msg9698826#msg9698826 date=1323098932]It is very good that we evolved certain action for a better life.

But it is better if we can continuously improve on what we have. It is the best if we can do this based on reason and not just by copy-carting.

How does shoes look better than sandals in our clime is my question? Who does suits make us feel better than because we are copying a supposed better culture?

How do you feel on suit in our hot weather? How do you feel being on shoes for all days at work? Do you feel better with that or can it be improved up on. I mean real and measured improvement and not emotional improvement based on what we see other people do.

All I try to say is that we should be original and understand that we can express our selves better in a freer world devoid of unnecessary standard[/quote]There is an accepted "norm" in the business environment. As a customer, would you be more willing to part with your money when approached by a guy dressed like Lady Gaga or someone wearing an expensive suit? Your appearance goes a long way in creating a first impression on your potential client. However, once you’re past the first impression stage, your appearance does not really matter as much as your performance.

There’s nothing wrong in questioning the “norm” especially if you can’t find any justifiable rationalization for it being the “norm”. I have never been the follow-follow type and will never be. I also just don’t go against the grain just because…


Why do programmers wear jeans and t-shirt to work? Mostly because they do not interface with clients.

Sandals in Nigeria is not an “accepted” business wear especially if you interface with clients. There’s no way I would trust someone that looks hungry with my money and part of my assessment will be the person’s appearance.

[quote author=Godman_n link=topic=817616.msg9697556#msg9697556 date=1323091537]Can ask a similar question that once crossed my mind? Why must we wear shoes to work in niaja even when sandal or good slipons can do? Is there any health or even fashion reason to be on shoes (just like suits and ties) than just to be seen to be civil?

The white manufactured shoes because of their bad snowy weather. We wear it (even when it damages our fingers) to look "cool" because we have been made to believe to look otherwise isn't cool!

It is all about indoctrination. Societal standard which are mostly not build on reason[/quote]Why wear clothes to work? Why not just go bare the way you naturally appear?
Why go to the toilet to defecate? Wouldn't it be easier and more natural to just dig a hole in your yard?

Conformity is not always a bad thing and as humans evolved certain actions became the "civilized" or "accepted" thing to do. There’s nothing stopping anyone from going against the grain but the extent of your non-conformity will determine if people label you a mad man.

If your transmission is bad, just replace the transmission and not the engine. There's no need to do a manual conversion as your ECU and CVT computer will need to be reprogrammed/tricked and the transplant might not be straightforward without the right additional parts.

What year is your Murano and is it 4X4 or 4X2? CVT Transmission for a 2007 Murano 4X4 is about $1200-$2000 in the US NOT including shipping.

Having infinite gears, which is what a CVT transmission is, is one of those ideas that sound good on paper but crappy in the real world! Cars are heading there as can be seen with newer cars being 8-speed but a good execution of CVT is still a few years away. Audi and Nissan seem to be leading the charge.

Nobody drives or drove a really old car? I don’t know about the guy that said he had a 74 Morris Minor because it looks like they stopped making it in 1971.

My goal is to own something like "Eleanor" one day. This was the type of car from the movie Fast and Furious.

Mobile Phone
iPhone 4s - 3G

Pennywise:
I happened to have come across facts and information regarding Nigeria's oil business both in and outside NL. I dont belong to that sector.

These facts are about the variable and the non-variable factors. Some are clear and undisputed while some others are subject to debate. Now if you are keen on figures you will be amazed at how very little you know and I assume that you are an average Nigerian even though passionate about the future of this country.

Even the so-called undisputed areas are at best grey areas in proper formal business communication. So at best we can only opinionate in principle.

The working principle should be that Nigerians as citizens of an oil producing nation are entitled to priviledges. But at the same time investors should be encouraged unhindered to come into this sector

Agreed. I just don't want us to oversimplify the issue without understanding the true ramifications of what we are saying. Notwithstanding, it is the government’s job to understand the true extent of the issues and come up with a solution that is palatable to us.

I’m just afraid that even the so-called technocrats are also oversimplifying the issue by just thinking that removing the “subsidy” will solve our problems!

And we’ve not even touched the fraudulent jostling and blackhole accounting that will occur with the new found savings if the subsidy is removed.

Pennywise:
No one expects the Government to subsidize crude. The quagmire Nigeria finds itself now whether it is abt the cost of maintaining refineries (horrendous) in relation to building new ones, high level wheeling and dealing, manipulation of actual product imports in relation to what importers are being paid can all be reduced to the 10 letter word corruption. The less the govt is involved the better the   chances of a reasonable outcome. We have seen this in telecommunications.

It is for the investor like in any business to do his study and decide if this particular endeavour will be worth his while or simply walk away like u would in a pointless arguement.

What is not in doubt is that a lot of money awaits any diligent investor in Nigerian petrochemical business when the economy is fully liberalized. What we ask is allow for functional rifineries b4 you remove your 'subsidy'

Agreed. But I have a couple of questions:

1. How much should 1 liter of petrol sell for and should it be determined by market forces?
2. How much should the JV between NNPC and a multinational oil company sell a barrel of oil to the refinery? Should the price be determined by market forces?

What my questions are alluding to is how deregulation will affect everybody. The oil sector is not like the telecom sector because the telecom sector’s product is optional and nothing is needed from the government except a piece of "paper" that licenses them to transmit at a certain frequency. The oil sector needs crude oil from the government to function and more importantly, the price of the end product has a profound effect on everybody.

Pennywise:
This ought to be the first step. The refineries should be auctioned ASAP even if its at 2k apiece. Our concern shouldnt be about not getting true value from sale but finding a permanent solution to a perennial drain pipe. The purchasing owners can then figure out how to modernize and make truely productive refineries out of them.

It will be fraudulent for Jonathan to increase the price of fuel without credible measures to indicate that we can refine our crude and stop importation. This is a familiar road we have seen many times b4. Next there will be inflation and further devaluation of the Naira.

Nigerian civil societies/orgs cannot not just sit back and watch. It is time for them to prove their patriotism or otherwise justify the millions of dollars they get in patronage annually to make Nigeria livable. Nigeria should be made ungovernable if Jonathan goes ahead without these guarranttees.

The first step should be fully understanding and characterizing the problem, which is why I said a detailed study is needed. Who will buy a refinery that is required to sell its output at NGN 70 per liter if the cost of crude oil is unknown?

Crude oil + processing cost + cost of loan to acquire refinery >> cost per liter of petrol

Even if the refineries are working at 100% capacity today, do people really think that will make the price of gas cheaper?

The government is in a bind and they don’t know how to get out of it. If the refineries are working, they will need to be supplied with crude oil that is usually exported. This means that Nigeria will be earning less money from oil export especially if the oil wells are already pumping crude oil at capacity.

Well, that's problematic because Nigeria’s budget is tied directly to the money made from selling crude oil.

Also, at what price will the crude oil be supplied to the refineries - international market rate? How much will petrol be sold for?

Here’s a factoid: if the crude oil is not sold to the refineries at international market rate, that means that the crude oil will be subsidized because Nigeria will be making less money than could have been made if the barrels of crude oil were sold directly at the international market.

As things stand today, you might as well count the private sector out of refineries. There’s no way an investor will invest in a refinery that buys crude oil at a variable price and sells the finished gasoline product at a capped fixed price.

The bottom line is that removal of oil subsidy can only work when there’s a holistic approach to solving all the interdependencies. GEJ needs economists/mathematicians to perform a detailed study of the implications of removing oil subsidy and the necessary steps needed to get the refineries back online with the help of the private sector.

The next step would then be to find money to build the refineries back up and once built, the subsidy can then be “removed” and reallocated to subsidizing crude oil to the refineries because Nigerians can’t afford petrol at international rate. The oil silver lining is that the subsidy to the refineries will probably be less than what’s currently wasted today!

The truth is bitter and nobody is telling GEJ.

Loveaflame:
LOVE the four letter word that has TURNED THE LIVES OF MANY INTO MISERIES AND FEW INTO BLISS.Many are searching for their true love.Many have gone into countless heart breaking relationships seeking for this JEWEL.So many many think they have it in their relationship only to discover the illusions in what they assume to be love.
Why the so many chaos in marriages and love relationships today?The rate of divorce is alarming even among respected men of GOLD sorry men of GOD.The youth of this generation are caught in the cobweb of LUST AND MISTAKE IT FOR LOVE.
Is love real? Where can it be found?So many books have been written on this subject alone but the tears from broken relationships and marriages are even disturbing the angels above.I want to offer my understanding on this subject from a different angle accept it if you can or reject it to your own hurt especially if you are a female.
Love is NOT something to be sought after outside yourself. It is within you.You might not believe this.Love has to do with the personal values you place on yourself and the feelings of emotions backing the values.LOVE HAS TO DO WITH VALUES.
Until you understand this,you will never experience lasting inner peace.No man can devalue you when you love yourself dearly. YOUR SELF WORTH IS NOT DETERMINE BY OTHERS BUT BY THE PRICE YOU HAVE PLACED ON YOURSELF.
Until you love yourself base on your positive values you may Keep on searching for love from outside source.When people cry of broken heart it amazes me greatly.How on earth did your heart got broken if you did not sell it cheap?.That’s hard.I know.
Base on my research of broken relationships over 90% had involved sex.All in the name to prove your love to a guy you go to bed with him thinking that will make him to love you the more vise versa.Listen to this weird truth SEX IS NOT A PROVE OF LOVE.
You need to look deep down within,DO YOU REALLY LOVE YOURSELF?,DO YOU HAVE STRONG VALUES YOU WILL NOT COMPROMISE FOR ANYTHING ON EARTH?WHERE DO YOU DERIVE YOUR JOY OR HAPPINESS FROM?
If your answers to the questions above is base on external factors you will keep on having problems in relationships.In conclusion GOD IS LOVE IF YOU HAVE HIM THEN ITS IN YOU.Stop thinking that you must be loved by people ,friends,spouse,lovers to feel human.IF YOU LOVE YOURSELF SO MUCH ONLY THOSE WHO ARE OPERATING IN THE LEVEL OF YOUR LOVE FREQUENCY CAN GAIN ENTRANCE INTO THE ATM MACHINE OF YOUR HEART.

Sounds like you're mostly addressing “love” of one’s self. How about love that you have for others?

You can love yourself till eternity and still get hurt by others. You only have control over yourself and no amount of self-love can make someone else love you or continue to love you. Certain things are just out of your hands.

The only thing that you can hope for is that you find someone that you love and both of you share a love and commitment deep enough to overcome each other’s flaws.

Love has to be mutual for a relationship to work.

eros:
Noted. But like you rightly noted a V6 has more torque than a 4-cylinder equivalent and has more get up and go power which I have experienced severally on the high way when driving my V6.

Very true because once a car starts moving, the weight of the car is almost out of the equation unless you're turning. So if you need overtaking power or a car that still has more oomph left when you're at speed, a V6 will be better suited. You should try a well designed V8 at speed! The sound and eagerness to move at highway speed is to die for!

eros:
V6 Engines consumes less fuel on the highway and more fuel within the city and thats a fact. A V6 engine is a semi performance car and can never disappoint if you handle it very well on the highway.

Don't be quick to make bold assertions about something you don't fully understand.

2012 Honda Accord
3.5L[b] V6 engine[/b]
Automatic transmission
Up to 20 cty/30 hwy mpg

2012 Honda Accord
2.4L 4-cyl. engine
Automatic transmission
Up to 23 cty/34 hwy mpg

V6 semi-performance engine? The only real advantage of a V6 is that it will usually have more torque than a 4-cylinder equivalent, which means that the V6 will have more get up-and-go power. Torque is what moves the car. But having a V6 also means that the engine will weigh more which negates the get up-and-go power.

You can usually counter a V6 by force inducing a 4 cylinder engine by turbo or supercharging but that also comes at a cost - lag (time between pressing the gas and the car actually moving).

The short answer is "Yes" but here's the nuanced answer:

It benefits Nigerians because once removed there will be a serious blow to people’s bottom line (inflation); however, most of the benefit of the subsidy is going to a selected few.

The subsidy needs to go but [b]not [/b]before (1) the refineries are working at full capacity, and (2) there adequate structure in place to help the vulnerable cushion the effect of the price hike that is sure to follow.

A definition of the “vulnerable” might be someone that makes less than NGN100k per year. There could be a graduated voucher for people that make less than NGN100k per year.

manny4life:
Pick on me, lol, come on dude, it's just a conversation nothing more to it at least we are civilized about it, you're and I are entitled to each our own opinion, nevertheless, I'm not the type of person who goes on mouthing about people's incompetent laundry list although I did insist that he is incompetent. However, if someone raises an opinion to the contrary, that's where I step in. @texazzpete and a list of them know my opinion an this SLS issue from which I have made my point on firmly and sternly.

All you have listed, beyond doubt are absolutely necessary. These responsibilities are shared within the Three arms of government; however, CBN doesn't fit into neither of the three. I'm not doubting that there are indeed issues that resolve, however, what I'm saying is that the CBN policy revolves around the economy when looking at the macro aspect. Why I say he's incompetent is because his policies are lacking.

I'm glad that your issues with him are real and not guided by ethnic emotions that seem to be ruining rampant on this forum. There's absolutely nothing wrong in having a genuine disagreement with a person but most commenters seem to be blinded by tribal allegiance. In Yoruba, there’s a saying that when something is bad, it has no other name than being “bad”. Our disagreements should be based on objective reasoning and not tribal sentiments, which is why I said that “I’m glad” because we need exposed individuals, like yourself, to be objective and fair.

By the way, the CBN will dance to the tune of the Executive arm of the government. The governor has some autonomy but it has to be inline with that of the Executive branch.

He was a leader that fought vehemently for the people he represented unlike today's leaders who fight for their own selfish reasons.

Regardless of which side of his heroism debate you stand, you cannot deny the fact that he represented the Igbos to strive for what he believed, whether rightly or wrongly, was injustice towards his people. For that, the Igbos and other people that share his views will be forever grateful to him.

scholes23:
@ poster your right in your observations, 9ce one there. @ emperoh, your view abt european cars beta dan japanese cars is wrong cos japanese v6 cars hav beta fuel economy dan european v6 cars. Take 4 instance benz is an european made vehicle. Wud u tell me dat wen it comes 2 fuel economy its beta dan japanese cars lyk toyota, honda or even nissan. If those observations u made was abt benz, i'll understand bt as 4 those cars u talked abt, i'ld say a big NO 2 dat cos i disagree wit u or may b those cars u used were d china spec. So i'ld conclude, @poster 10 ova 10, @emperor, go and do more homework.

You have to compare apples to apples. Asian cars are usually not designed to extract every single ounce of horsepower out of the engine, which is why they are more efficient on average and also uninspiring to drive.

Here's an apple to apple comparison:

Nissan GTR is designed to extract horsepower out of the engine. It has a twin turbo 3.8L V6 engine with 530 hp and it gets 23 mpg highway (10.23 L/100km) / 16mpg city (14.7 L/100km).

Nissan GTR competes with Porsche Turbo. The Turbo also have a twin turbo 3.8 L V6 engine with 500 hp and gets 24 mpg highway/16mpg city.

The Porsche Turbo (German car) gets better gas mileage than the Nissan.

Generally speaking, it is hard comparing Asian cars with German cars because Germans focus on luxury and driving pleasure (engineering), and Asians focus on reliability and luxury.

Siena already pointed out some of the reasons why you cannot just generalize that 4 cylinders consume more fuel that 6 cylinders.

To get the best fuel mileage for your vehicle, there are certain things within your control and others without.

Here are things within your control:

1. Speeding affects your fuel/gas mileage but not as much as you think. How fast you get up to speed (accelerate to get to your cursing speed) affects your gas mileage more. The secret is to be light on the gas pedal. But driving over 100 mph will burn more fuel because you need more power to overcome air resistance. Take a look at your RPM gauge that shows how much the engine is revved, you burn more fuel the higher the needle moves. Try to keep it below 2000 rpm when cruising.

2. Starting and stopping burns more fuel, which means that you burn more fuel by using your brakes. Highway driving burns less fuel because you only need fuel to keep the momentum going. A body in motion will tend to stay in motion.

3. Heavy load burns more fuel.

4. Underinflated tire burns more fuel because it creates more resistance rolling the tires. For the same reason, bald tires will actually use less fuel but good luck when trying to stop.



Here are things out of your control:

1. The weight of the actual car.

2. The efficiency of the engine. Some cars just have a bad design.

3. High performance cars will usually use more fuel because of the design to get more horsepower out of the engine. There is no secret formula to generate power (air + fuel = fire/combustion) but the secret/knowledge becomes how well you can manage the exact time the combustion takes place (this is called “timing” and when you don’t get it right, your engine “knocks”) and what air-to-fuel ratio are you using which affect how “rich” or “lean” your car runs.

However, there’s a trade off in how you control all the parameters above and what the designer will do will depend on their goal. I left out compression of the engine, which relates to how much the engine is designed to compress (pressurize) fuel before it ignites. This is why some cars are designed to use higher rated octane than others. Higher rated octane will take a lot of pressure before it ignites but NOT cheaper fuel. When you use cheaper or bad fuel, the computers in the car will detect the knock and retard timing (run less efficiently) to stop the engine from knocking which will make you consume more fuel.

4. Gearing. A Z06 Corvette gets 24 miles per gallon (9.8 L/100km) on the highway even though it has a 7.0L V8 that generates 505hp and 470ft-lbs because the last gear is designed for highway cruising, which means that at highway speeds, the RPM is very low (less than 2000).


In summary, you cannot just say a 6 cylinder consume less fuel than a 4 cylinder. Actually, with everything else being equal, a 4 cylinder will consume less fuel because the weight of the engine will be lower and you have two fewer cylinders to move.

manny4life:
What assertions? That you cannot read the handwriting on the wall? SLS, though a strict fellow, but incompetent or that you cannot see what's going on behind closed doors? Look, kudos to Mr. SLS,however, awards doesn't shield the fact that there are pressing issues that needs resolve. Anyone who can't look beyond the thick walls should sorry.

Not trying to pick on you but you said he's "incompetent" without giving reasons. You're right that awards do not resolve the pressing issues that need to be solved but the fact that there are still unresolved pressing issues do not take away from the quality of work he's providing.

In the real world, answers to issues are rarely black or white; there will always be pros and cons, and winners and losers. But the goal of every public servant will be to resolve issues in a way that the pros outweigh the cons.

For example, there are very unpopular issues in Nigeria that has to be resolved and the solution will come at a great cost to the administration or person that is bold enough to resolve it.

1. Fuel subsidy has to be ended but steps need to be taken to ensure that the vulnerable won’t suffer disproportionately.

2. Electric tariff has to be raised. There’s no way you can get 24/7 electricity at the current tariff.

3. States have to be wined off oil money and they need to start generating their own revenue.

4. States should control whatever minerals that they find within their territory and pay taxes to the federal government. The oil from the Niger Delta region belongs to them but they need to pay taxes to the federal government.

5. States need to control their own police force.

6. Constitution needs to be changed so that whenever there’s a conflict in laws or authority between any state and the federal government, the federal government wins.

7. Etc.

[list]
[li] One would think that whites are more tolerant in UK considering that they were at the forefront of “civilization”. A college friend of mine, a British citizen, returned to UK after graduating with an engineering degree from the US. He returned less than a couple of years later to the US because he couldn’t stand the discrimination that he faced as a professional engineer. He’s now a US citizen. [/li]
[li] Someone suggested that blacks should go back to their country but what gives the whites the right to their country anymore than blacks who are legal citizens of the country? [/li]
[li] Her racial outburst is no different than the tribal outburst we witness here on Nairaland. The truth is that we would always try to find differences amongst ourselves for our own selfish interests. I laugh when people call for the break up of Nigeria like it is going to solve our inherent flaws. As long as the region breaking away to form a country is made up of two or more distinct groups, the minority group will end up getting the short end of the stick.[/li]

[/list]

manny4life:
I'm laughing so hard that I can't stop laughing enough. Chei, when SLS is done with Nigerian economy, we'll experience the results of putting an incompetent folk at the helm of affairs. Anyone who cannot see what's going on should please continue to praise our dear SLS because as far I'm concern, the man is what he is ---- Incompetent.

Care to back up your assertions?

manchy7531:
Good for him but he should remember that his brothers are suffering that is why dangote is the richest man in Africa but Bill get came all the way from United states to come Immunize his people.they need to help all those roaming Dogs on the road called almajiri and boko haram. and also leprosy, polio, bombing, illiteracy, almajirism, tes tse fly, poverty is alos very high which needs urgent attention.

You have to realize that in this world, we all have a part to play! We are like different pieces to a puzzle. If everybody plays their respective part, Nigeria will make great strides! Everybody cannot be GEJ, Dangote, Gani, Fela, Ojukwu, Sanusi, police officer, pure water maker, mechanic etc but if we all play our parts in our respective capacity or position, our problems will be solved.

Sanusi’s piece of the puzzle is to be the Central Bank Governor and part of his job is to make and implement policies that guide the banking sector.

What is your piece of the puzzle and how well are you playing the part?

bigdoo:
Well let's not forget that international recognition and being given awards are determined by the power and connections for lobby.  As far I'm concerned Sanusi is the worst CBN governor that Nigeria has ever had.  He is out of touch with the people and with the government.  His policies like establishment of Islamic banking, devaluation of the Naira and minmal withdrawal of money from banks by customers are silly to me and make no sense.  But I think that he has connections in high places, who are singing his praises and lobbying for his awards.  I am not his fan and I don't like his policies.

How come he's the only Nigerian that has friends in high places lobbying for his awards?

What the Mallam has shown is the change a single person can bring about. His actions might not be popular but he's doing what's right. See the following interview to gain more insight into his being.

[flash=400,250]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wHA85raNKk[/flash]

[flash=400,250]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL_U19K371w&feature=fvwp&NR=1[/flash]

Do other Yoruba dialects understand the "Lagos dialect" without being exposed to it?

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=812164.msg9650904#msg9650904 date=1322509355]"e" is used in central yoruba, that much I know.

In Ekiti, I believe we use "in" as a replacement for "e".

"e" is not only used for respect, but for a group of people. example : e wa --> Shouting out to a group of children to come your way. [/quote]I couldn't think of an example but you're right! I guess this also means that I shouldn't be offended when an Ekiti youngin replaces the word "in" for "e" when talking to me:-)

[quote author=Ileke-IdI link=topic=812164.msg9650689#msg9650689 date=1322506956]Youba dialects

North-West Yoruba (NWY).
[/b]Abẹokuta, Ibadan, Ọyọ, Ogun and Lagos (Eko) areas

[b]Central Yoruba (CY)
[/b]Igbomina, Yagba, Ilésà, Ifẹ, Ekiti, Akurẹ, Ẹfọn, and Ijẹbu areas.

[b]South-East Yoruba (SEY)
[/b]Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ondo, Ọwọ, Ikarẹ, Ṣagamu, and parts of Ijẹbu.




[b]North-West Yoruba is historically a part of the Ọyọ empire. In NWY dialects, Proto-Yoruba /gh/ (the velar fricative [ɣ]) and /gw/ have merged into /w/; the upper vowels /i ̣/ and /ụ/ were raised and merged with /i/ and /u/, just as their nasal counterparts, resulting in a vowel system with seven oral and three nasal vowels. Ethnographically, traditional government is based on a division of power between civil and war chiefs; lineage and descent are unilineal and agnatic.


South-East Yoruba was probably associated with the expansion of the Benin Empire after c. 1450 AD.[5] In contrast to NWY, lineage and descent are largely multilineal and cognatic, and the division of titles into war and civil is unknown. Linguistically, SEY has retained the /gh/ and /gw/ contrast, while it has lowered the nasal vowels /ịn/ and /ụn/ to /ẹn/ and /ọn/, respectively. SEY has collapsed the second and third person plural pronominal forms; thus, àn án wá can mean either 'you (pl.) came' or 'they came' in SEY dialects, whereas NWY for example has ẹ wá 'you (pl.) came' and wọ́n wá 'they came', respectively. The emergence of a plural of respect may have prevented coalescence of the two in NWY dialects.


Central Yoruba forms a transitional area in that the lexicon has much in common with NWY, whereas it shares many ethnographical features with SEY. Its vowel system is the least innovating (most stable) of the three dialect groups, having retained nine oral-vowel contrasts and six or seven nasal vowels, and an extensive vowel harmony system.

PS: Was Fulani ever in Yorubaland before colonial times? There's no traceable influence.[/quote]I never knew the word "e" (eh) is plural. Are you also saying the "plural of respect" is only used by SWY or the "e" originated from them?

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=812641.msg9650104#msg9650104 date=1322501730]Haba aboki

we are not saying subsidy should not be removed, but the necessary infrastructures are not in place for the government to remove subsidy yet.

How can subsidy be removed when we don't have our own refinaries that produce our own consumptive rate of crude oil. Aboki, no one has to be a chemical or economist to know this.[/quote]I understand what you're saying but there's no way investors will invest when the business model is unsustainable. On the other hand, the government can't just completely remove subsidy overnight as the shock will be too great for the average family to bear and might even cause inflation.

I think the government needs to set a ceiling price before deregulation and then allow any investor to come in by lowering the licensing requirements. This will allow for adequate competition that may force down the price ceiling. If the licensing requirements are too high, it will turn into another cement industry (cartels).

I once asked an acquaintance that said she's of Yoruba origin but grew up Ivory Coast how she would say "I want to eat" and she said "mo fe dunu", which literally translates to "I want to make my belly happy."

I guess she would be considered Agun or Ajase? But I know the francophones call them “Anago.”

I'm not an economist but I think people are getting "devaluation" all mixed up.

If Naira is devalued its benefit or lack thereof will depend on which side of the devaluation coin you’re on.

For avoidance of doubt, devaluing Naira means that the price of $1 will be higher in Naira. For example, if $1 is currently trading at NGN 155, it will trade at $1 = NGN 160 once devalued.

If you’re the Nigerian government, one of the ways devaluation will benefit you will be the availability of more Naira on hand for the same amount of exported crude oil. Since workers are being paid in Nigeria, having more Naira on hand makes it easier for the government to meet payroll without increasing number of barrels of exported oil.

If you’re an importer/consumer of goods, your goods will cost more in Naira. Since almost nothing is manufactured in Nigeria, price of goods will go up; hence, inflation.

If you’re a consumer that recently got the minimum wage, your purchasing power will not really improve or might even become lower because the price off goods will go up. You’ll be back to square one.

If you’re just a consumer that is not affected by the recent increment in wages, you’re screwed as you’re now poorer.


If Nigeria were a manufacturing economy, devaluing Naira would be ideal because products that you manufacture will become cheaper in the international market, which means you would sell and make more to meet demand. Selling more products means more profits, manpower, foreign exchange etc.

The only way growth can be spurred with the action taken by the CBN is due to the cost of borrowing. By keeping the cost stable, I now have more incentive to borrow money to build a factory as the cost of imported goods are now higher and I may be able to come in at a lower price point even when the cost of generating my own electricity is included.

In summary, his statements are factual but more beneficial to the government and local manufacturers.

atlantisls:
If you have a point, make it, and stop being silly! (I don't mean this in an abusive way though). Just for the records, the US will be glad to see Nigeria use that ship to patrol the Niger Delta. long and short, protect their interest in Nigerian OlL. Just for the record (and so you know), I started my first comment by talking about being taught about Saddam's acceptance of the copiers from America. That class was taught by a NASA programmer and someone really into US intel.  He said it point blank, there's just no limit to how far the US can go to get info. Somalia needs warships, we already have enough.

Seems that there's an ability to modify comments already quoted as you just modified you post. Cool.

I agree that your assertions about the copier sent to Iraq seem plausible. But unless Nigeria has another internal source for her technological needs, how can one be so sure that everything we import is not bugged?

My somewhat rhetorical questions are designed to get you to give more than a cursory thought to the subject at hand. Most countries worried about such a thing will manufacture the needed equipments in-house. Think China.

Also, with regards to the NASA guy, this is an anonymous forum and you don't know who I am nor do you know my background. For all you know, I could be a “nobody” or a wannabe just passing time on the internet or I could be someone with some inside knowledge.

I made the point a thousand ways already!!!! Reply to any one of them.

Wallie:
Tell me a single piece technical equipment used by the Nigerian military that is manufactured in Nigeria? How can you be so sure that what was purchased by the military wasn't bugged by US operatives?

Wallie:
, Moreover, look in the link below under Navy fleet to see how many other ships were acquired from the US. How about the ships acquired from UK and Germany? Are you sure those are safe? [/b]Pretty much every country that supplied a ship to Nigeria are considered die-hard allies of the US. [b]Maybe we should return all the ships as they could be bugged by their respective suppliers and the information gained will be given to the arch-enemy of Nigeria, the US?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Navy

While you're at it, you might want to monitor the computer parts, spare parts, machinery, technological equipment, food, and drinks coming from the US as they too might be bugged or used to read your mind!

ocelot2006:
What can bugging a ship do?hmmmmm, let's see. How about access to info on the ship, particularly from its CiC deck, from its electronic warfare suits, onboard weaponry, access to classified battle plans from the secure communication suits installed (satcom), and info on ship's location? You still think the gift is a great idea?

Anyway, I strongly suggest the navy sweeps the ship for bugs. Maybe call in the Chinese to help with that.

Tell me a single piece technical equipment used by the Nigerian military that is manufactured in Nigeria? How can you be so sure that what was purchased by the military wasn't bugged by US operatives?