₦airaland Forum

schoolboij:
Don't even go there. When it comes to ritualism and cannibalism, ibos are number one in Africa. Okija shrine is there for all to see. SW receives media coverage because it is the headquarters of Nigerian media. I don't expect you to understand though.

Even you know that you are lying through your teeth.
Okija was never about headless bodies, besides it was many years ago yet that's the only incident you guys anchor on.
People are beheaded daily in Ogun state, the world already know your region as the place for skull mining.
Soon human head will be your major export.

schoolboij:
Ibos and senseless comparism. SMH. Chinese are here to invest, unlike you lots that are running away from poverty. My region is way way behind that's why SW is obodoyinbo to you erosion ravaged villagers.

Igbos are not investing in your region?
You re now being very dishonest.

OkutaNla:
Don't waste your time with that boy. They can beat chest for Africa but Nigerians are not deceived. The poverty over there is so bad that they have started selling their children to survive and escape poverty, that is how bad things have gotten for them, and why they run to other regions in droves for survival. They would rather sell their children to find money to eat so they can later emigrate to Lagos and other parts of Nigeria. They will rather sell their children than go to farm. Yet they will still come here to beat their dry chests. It is a real pity.

It is better to sell children than to cut their heads. Your people harvest human heads and other body parts just to survive. Can it get any worse than that?

schoolboij:
I don't need to travel to know the region that sell their children just to eat. The region that poverty has chased away everybody to become internally displaced persons all over Nigeria. Keep deluding yourself.

Migration has nothing to do with poverty. Chinese are all over Africa seeking new frontiers does it mean Africa is richer or more prosperous than China? For your information, China may soon be the biggest economy in the world.
Travel to other parts of the country, you will be shocked that your region is way way behind.

Fools. Didn't rotimi Amaechi single handedly fund APC presidential campaign in 2015?
Foolish hypocrites

Unik3030:
u know fully well that SW is not poor n wretched unlike the east where u people hardly stay.u are trying to ask me d significance of Yoruba presidency to Nigeria but u have forgotten that that's d main reason soldiers kill u like mosquito every day.igbo presidency or Biafra n to compound your problem u can't get any.n back to d issue of head of state,name 2 Igbo president since d creation of Nigeria.if your south east is paradise,y don't u people stay in dat landlocked poo.even in the remotest village of osun state there are Igbos there.so u should know better

Continue deluding yourself. "Travel and see".

When did Joe Abah become the conscience Of Nigeria.? Could nt he just ignore the issue. Must he comment on everything?
Idiots like him who think they're more Nigerian than everybody are the problems of Igbo land.
The Oba of Lagos openly called for the extermination of Igbos, I didn't hear prominent Yorubas calling for his prosecution.

So only the guilty should cry out?
This is too senseless

Nbote:
So a candidate announcing his interest in running for a position under anoda party means d ppl are in support of d party?? Why some ppl no jus get sense?

.
I wonder. Very senseless thread.
Even Daura has some PDP members

Might be true. But proving it in court is another thing.

Chuksonyeike:
Did your werey oba of lagos resign when he made a worse comments about igbos

Don't mind the bloody hypocrites, they were cheering the useless Oba. Meanwhile his own proclamation was 10 times more hateful and dangerous.

6pax:
Eagle Island rd, slaughter rd, UOE rd, among others are standard roads with over 80% completion by the previous administration that your deceptive governor commissioned.
With lesser budgets at his disposal Amaechi during his first tenure was talking about monumental projects such as 606060...60 health center in 60 communities in 60 days, 700 public schools in 23 LGA, massive overseas scholarship, agricultural revolution, massive construction and reconstruction of roads, etc

No point arguing with you. I live around Trans Amadi. You say Slaughter road was 80% completed by Amaechi? I can't believe anybody could say such blatant lie. Amaechi dug up the road, making it impossible to access the rest of trans Amadi from Slaughter. This was the situation until Wike took over. How can excavating part of a road amount to 80%?completion. you may dislike Wike, but these are unnecessary lies.
Amaechi enjoyed the oil windfall, when oil was $100 +,
His allocations were 10 times what Wike gets today. How then can you say his budget was less?

6pax:
Truth be told wike is the most mediocre Governor Rivers state had ever had. He is the biggest propagandist. I am so surprised at the magnitude of party he convened recently just to commission abacha road that is less than 2km. A very narrow road that he didn't care to expand before dualising. He has been going around commissioning projects too trivial for a state local government to commission let alone for a state Government.

Amaechi the former governor built world standard roads...dual carriege broad ways with subdrainage system and pedestrian walkway as well as street light. These roads till date make up of 85% of major road currently in rivers state yet we didn't always see him convening party here and there to commission them. The Quality, "quntity" and length of Roads like NTA, Ada Gorge, Rumuola, opkoru, market, etc done by Amaechi will tell you that wike is a big scam.

Apart from his propaganda and commissioning scam he has killed the other sector of the economy in the State such as education, health, agriculture, human capital development, etc. These are the areas Rivers state was onece leading during Amaechi's time

I hate liars! Which road built by his predecessor did he commission?
Yes, Amaechi did well in his first term. Second term was zero. Amassing fund for buhari's election campaign.
Wike is doing great so far. Only a lying bastard will call him mediocre.

Pigsandidiots:
Even if I don't care about the award. Why are igbos the ones wailing over it since it was announced. I have read up to 4 different threads on this by the igbos since it was announced. Why are they whining about that thing. Some said it is only Yoruba fight, but same people will be asking Yoruba to free their biafra as if the Yorubas use rope to tie them down. They are quick to call Yoruba Fulani slave just cos Yoruba voted buhari. But in 1993, their own slavery was shown by the election result where they voted for Tofa, a Hausa Fulani. Same thing happened in 1999 when they voted obasanjo just cos Hausa Fulani wanted obj in power against falae, a candidate that Yoruba wanted, probably to please their northern masters. So why do they want to kill themselves on top of the posthumous thing?

You really got an apt moniker for yourself. You are exactly your moniker.
Why don't you get proper education so you don't kill us with your atrocious English. "why are Igbos keep wailing". What is that?

DaBullIT:
and When Ijoba carries this mofo for false information, they'll say it's witch hunt,

How do you know the information is false?
Defending blindly for a mere N30k. Are you not older than this chaps collecting 2m or 20m?

NORSIYK:
Okorocha is famously known for his substandard and counterfeit projects littered in owerri town, the life span of his projects are always 6 months after 6 months the projects are gone

This is why all well meaning Imolites are clamoring for HIS EXCELLENCY RT. HON. SIR. EMEKA IHEDIOHA. CON. KSC, to take over helms of affairs in Imo State for quality projects, prompt payment of civil servants salaries and qualitative education for our students.


Is time for owerri zone governor for fairness, equity and justice in Imo state

Long live HIS EXCELLENCY RT. HON. SIR. EMEKA IHEDIOHA. CON. KSC
Long live owerri zone
Long live Imo state.

Okorocha is a disaster but ihedioha is not an option at all.

For the records. Not one Nigerian leader past or present has any integrity.

Petroleum Trust Fraud
By Ray Ekpu
05 June 2018 | THE GUARDIAN

It is not known to this column how close Brigadier Sani Abacha was to Major General Muhammadu Buhari by December 1983. It was Abacha who announced at the end of a few minutes of martial music on new year’s eve that the government of President Shehu Shagari had been thrown into the dust bin of history. Buhari became the fulcrum of that history as Nigeria’s head of state. On August 27, 1985, there was another game, the Revolving Doors’ game. Buhari was out, thrown out, while Ibrahim Babangida, was in, thrown into the pinnacle of political power in Nigeria. Babangida clamped Buhari into the dungeon for some months where he cooled his feet, while his colleagues were bestriding the Nigerian political and military firmament like they owned the world. Babangida left or was forced to leave the throne after eight years of dangerous foot work. He called Chief Ernest Shonekan, a successful private sector entrepreneur, to come and take the baton of leadership.

He took it and as he was trying to hold it in his hand firmly, Abacha who had been eyeing the coveted prize greedily grabbed it in 1994. He immediately increased the price of petroleum products. The public rolled out a series of protests. As an appeasement measure, he set up the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) as an intervention development agency to bring succor to the people especially in the rural areas. He made Buhari the executive chairman of the Fund which he ran for five years (1994-1999).

Why did Abacha appoint Buhari the Executive Chairman of PTF? Was it as an atonement for the sin of standing by while he was overthrown by the Babangida Boys? Or was he just sympathetic seeing that the man had been left in the cold by Babangida since his ouster on August 27, 1985? Or was Abacha simply looking for a fabled disciplinarian who didn’t love money too much or the dirty part of it? Buhari needed that rehabilitation, physical, financial and reputational. He was eager to come in from the biting cold and be seen as a man who, despite the overthrow and detention, had kept his dignity and integrity such that Abacha who was Babangida’s man, could trust him with the big-wallet job.

The Petroleum Trust Fund was to intervene in such areas as roads and waterways, supply of educational materials, rehabilitation of educational infrastructure, food supply, health, water supply, etc. Buhari set up a capricious management structure and appointed Afri-Project Consortium (APC) led by a 42 year old man, Salihijo Ahmad. This Consortium was the sole manager of the PTF projects. Ahmad had admitted to Newswatch in an interview published by the magazine in its April 19, 1999 issue that it was APC that wrote the proposal which defined the mandate of the PTF. It suggested the criteria, procedure for selection and appointment of contractors, consultants and suppliers. It also worked out the monitoring mechanism adopted by the PTF. The APC had some 620 consulting firms reporting to it. It was the sole management consultants to the PTF. Most Nigerians had no idea how the PTF was run. It was when President Olusegun Obasanjo took over in 1999 and set up an interim management committee (IMC) headed by Dr Haroun Adamu to wind down the PTF that the worms crawled out of the can. That Interim Management Committee appointed three technical consultants to investigate various aspects of the PTF management. Their findings conducted independently were damning. When I read President Buhari’s remarks a few weeks ago in which he crowed about the achievements of the PTF under his leadership, I decided to do a facts-check since I knew that Newswatch had done a cover story titled “How Buhari ran PTF” which was published in its March 13, 2000 issue. This story was the product of a thorough investigation into the mammoth fraud as discovered by the technical consultants hired by the IMC. Details of the IMC report are distilled for you here. The findings: N144.51 billion had been given to PTF by the Federal Government during its lifetime; A residential estate was to be built at Wuse, Abuja, for N703 million but the technical consultants hired by IMC put the realistic valuation at about N328 million; Between July 1994 and July 1999, about N25 billion was either stolen or improperly expended; Extension of PTF headquarters was to gulp N650 million; Expired HIV/Aids drugs and kits worth N28 billion was supplied to several hospitals nationwide. This was confirmed by the Nigerian Guild of Medical Directors whose Secretary, Mr. Rowland Ogbonna, asked the Federal Government to withdraw the drugs immediately from all hospitals in the country. Many projects were abandoned while the completion rate of other projects was put at 30%; the sum of N500 million that the PTF deposited in a bank disappeared as soon as the IMC was announced. The bank agreed to pay the money after President Obasanjo read the Riot Act to the bank officials. On taking over, IMC discovered that there were no contract documents, drawings or specifications relating to projects. The APC could and did award contracts and vary the pricing without any reference to the PTF. Mr. Ahmad had asked the IMC officials to come and collect some documents in connection with all the transactions. On the day of the appointment he collapsed and died. The other members of the APC team claimed that they were not in a position to supply the documents.

There were more sordid revelations. The Afenifere did an analysis of the siting of the projects. The consumption of petroleum products by the South was 70% while that of the North was 30%. However, the distribution of the PTF projects was a reversal of the consumption pattern: 70% to the north and 30% to the south. All southern states had 4,440.43 kilometres of roads rehabilitated (24%) while states in the north had 13,870.47 kilometres rehabilitated (76%). Teaching Hospitals’ rehabilitation: South 38%, North 62%; Specialist hospitals: South 29%, North 71%; Food supply: South 17%, North 83%; National Health and Educational Rehabilitation Programme (NHERP): South 0% and North 100%; Vocational Programme: South 3%, North 97%; Primary School rehabilitation: South 12%, North 88%. Haroun Adamu acknowledged the gross imbalances in the sharing of the projects but regretted that his committee could not do much to remedy the situation since by the IMC mandate they could not embark on new projects.

From the findings there was massive fraud in PTF, fraudulently masquerading as achievements. The institution was a government intervention agency but run without the regulatory checks and balances that undergird the implementation of government projects. The Afri-Projects Consortium was just on its own, a loose canon with no authority to check it. Buhari was the Executive Chairman but he was absent-minded and had capriciously surrendered the operational powers of the PTF to APC without diligent supervision. The boys looted the place dry and there was no evidence that Buhari had an inkling of the huge corruption under his feet. Sometime before the IMC takeover, a newsmagazine, TheWeek, had interviewed him about the swirling corruption allegations. He said allegations of corruption against him were false. “My integrity is intact.” His friends said so too and even insinuated that Dr. Adamu was going after Buhari because the former dictator had detained him in 1994. Adamu told Newswatch: “I am not here to probe Buhari, No, that is not our mandate. Whatever happened when he was head of state is long forgotten. He is my friend.”

Buhari’s personal integrity was not soiled by the Petroleum Trust Fraud but he displayed supreme incompetence as a manager. As an Executive Chairman the buck stopped at his desk and no matter how you want to slice it he takes vicarious responsibility for the humongous fraud that took place in that institution. Secondly, the grossly lopsided distribution of the PTF projects between North and South is an awful testimonial for a man of his national standing to whom the nation through the coup makers had given the highest position in the land. His lopsided appointments today constitute a déjà vu.

When I read what he said about Abacha I was sorry for him. He said to a delegation, Buhari Support Group led by Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali. “I don’t care about the opinion you have on Abacha but I agreed to work with him and we constructed roads from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Benin, Onitsha and so on. We also touched education and health. One of the former Heads of State was bragging that he spent $16 billion on power in Nigeria. Where is the power?” The emerging confrontation between the two former dictators, former friends and former allies and now fierce foes, Obasanjo and Buhari, will receive the attention of this column in due course. For now, I think President Buhari’s open veneration of the kleptocratic and autocratic Abacha is a cause for nausea. At the 10th anniversary of Abacha’s death Buhari had given the fantastically corrupt Abacha a clean bill of integrity. Even at that time, Nigeria was running all over the world trying to retrieve the billions Abacha had scattered in several banks in several countries and several continents. The horrifying stories of the elimination of prominent politicians and businessmen by Abacha constitute a notorious portion of our national narrative. No matter how hard Buhari tries, no matter what he thinks of the despicable, despotic Abacha, no matter why he thinks the man was a saint he will never succeed in winning Nigerians to his side. He will only wake up with fleas since he chooses to be in bed with dogs.

Odingo1:
My fellow Igbos should hands off Yoruba political aspiration in Nigeria, whatever suit them let them do.

God knows the best, if Igbos have not gone into extinction in the last 50 years they will not go now even if Yoruba make Buhari the life president of Nigeria.

Time will tell,lets we Igbos focus on our own politics of Nigeria.

Yeah, but did they leave Igbos alone to back GEJ? What insults did Igbos not endure just cause they exercised their right to support whom pleased them.

deedeedee1:
Bitter loser! With the way Ibos are going with this and over-stepping their boundry, I hope they won't start crying victim when we retaliate? If a Yoruba man had said something like this, they would be crying everywhere. I wish they continue it so that they won't blame us when this escalate. Thank God that we are now in IT age. Anything you say is already is stored another person's computer to provide evidence.
bleeping ibo loser. If you like, don't get over the 2015 election.

Are you not crying everywhere now? Bunch of sophisticated morons

moufan:
the world is waking up to israeli attrocities and crimes against palestinians.

argentina led by messi refused to play against israel this week because of the israeli crimes against palestinians.more boycotts is coming. the world is embracing bds which means boycott israel, divest israel and sanction israel


#embracebds
#freepalestine

Stop lying! The Argentines were seriously threatened by the Islamic ragheads , they felt it was nt worth the trouble.

TonyeBarcanista:
Alex Ekweme is GCON, he earned it after he took oath of office as Vice President though he was formally awarded in 1998/2003.

I am not sure if Ojukwu was given any National award but I know that Chinua Achebe was first given OFR and was nominated for CFR which he turned down.

Ojukwu does not need any Nigerian award. His place in the hearts of genuine Igbos and lovers of freedom is very secure and more than adequate.

Why and how is Kingibe deserving of this honour?
He was against the June 12 agitation, if June 12 is democracy day, he contributed nothing to it.

See the thief talking tell us how you and Amaechi have looted Nimasa and NPN blind.

freeze001:
Caution must be exercised with this news. Correct reading shows that the Court of Appeal had ordered GTB to pay the judgment sum into an interest yielding account under the custody of the Chief Registrar of the Court. GTB appealed and filed a Stay which the Supreme COurt refused and has ordered that the bank pay the said sum to the interest-yielding account within 14 days again in the custody of the Chief Registrar. The substantive appeal has not been heard, It is only when the appeal is heard that the court will then pay the deposited sum to the winner. This is to prevent a situation where, when judgment is delivered, the winner is left in a difficult position of claiming the judgment sum because the bank might begin to pull other stunts that will necessitate unnecessary enforcement proceedings.

You are very correct. The heading is wrong

computer0810:
ipob are so pained coz they feel buhari is getting more popular in southwest with dis and dey depend on Yoruba so much to help them remove buhari but they are so daft to know that Yoruba will never form alliance with them knowing fully well that they are losers and political ignoramus that only make noise, noise don't win election

This is how you know a person too intellectually deficient to contribute meaningfully and articulately:They just abuse IPOB and walk out of thread. It is not compulsory to post. You can just read and learn.

Excellent message. We'll articulated. I'm impressed by this group. Yet the muric man claims to be a prof. How possible?

computer0810:
Yoruba with d tradition, Fulani with the killing, Hausa with d beggars, Igbo's with d wailing

Only a fool and a coward will not wail when dragged back to the 18th century by some rag headed mofos.

resurgent2019:
Since the Federal Government's announcement about June 12 as new democracy day, i have carefully studied the reaction of Nigerians to the news. Expectedly, the igbos are upset and throwing tantrums at the yorubas, which is not new. The igbos HATE yorubas. That is a topic that has been overstretched. But we {Yorubas} need to think with our heads clear: Do we for the reason of our need to continually best the igbos and for this post humous recognition of Abiola's stolen mandate, vote in Buhari for another 4 years? Because from the reactions i have seen from Yorubas so far, we might for reason of Buhari's decision, vote for him — June 12 democracy day change is for all intent and purposes, a greek gift, meant to curry Yoruba votes for 2019.

Not to be misunderstood, i as a yoruba man feel elated and honored by Buhari's gesture {which is long overdue}, but i deem it insufficent to warrant forgiveness for the hell that Buhari has subjected Nigerians for the past 3 years. Nigerians have indeed suffered under Buhari and our right to religious freedom has been severly violated. We must as omoluabi, eschew the temptation to return the hate of our southern neighbours. I must admit that i have felt bad reading igbo comments since yesterday about this honour done yorubas, but at the same time, i cannot forget the wanton killings and economic strangulation that has taken place in Nigeria under Buhari. What is the assurance that southerners wouldnt suffer more in Buhari's 2nd term given our experience in the 1st? There must be deep introspection on whether the actions of this Government aligns with the democratic ideals of MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi. If we think with a clear mind, we would conclude that both Abiola and Gani will be turning in their graves on what Nigeria has become under Buhari. I would not want to go into specifics about what we have suffered, as that would obscure the substance of my message to all omoluabi.

Let me reiterate, we must not descend into the cesspool of hate with the igbos, thus losing sight of our duty as the torch bearers of democratic principles and practices in Nigeria. There is no telling the dire consequences Nigeria will face in the next 4 years under this current regime. By all standards, Abiola and Gani deserve their post humous awards and we shall not repay their due recognition with our votes.

The political space should remain open and our votes accessible to other reasonable candidates in 2019! The orchestrators of this Buhari masterstroke are our brothers and they are well known to all Yorubas. They have done well to immortalise our brothers in death BUT they should not get our votes so EASILY.

YORUBA RONU OOOOOO...

Selah.

Because you hate Igbos right from the womb you imagine they equally hate you.
Rubbish, Igbos do not have time to hate anybody, they only want justice and a level playing ground. Igbos are less tolerant of the Hausa Fulani arrogance and born to rule mentality, this brings them at loggerheads with Yorubas who for reasons best known to them feel they must defend the Hausa Fulani ruling class at all cost..

tallestcash:
Ipob pigs and Biafra goat hatred and envy for YORUBA is the key factor behind Igbo setback in governing the affair of the country

OK. I agree with you but you that has been governing how are you better off than the average Igbo man or woman?