₦airaland Forum

papaejima1:
Bros have you really used the AK47 in combat and how accurately did it perform under real action and not a shooting range or training scenario?

I am waiting for your answer and pls don't come back with what a textbook said.

I have used it and others (G3, FN etc). I know what am saying. It depends on how you handle it. A marksman will always bring down his target within the effective range.

alexis:
Which one be effective? The guys is talking about accuracy. The reason is simple, the AK47 is made up of very few simple metal parts. It is very easy to assemble and disassemble. Because of these simple metal parts, it loses accuracy with recoil and it's harmonics are disturbed when it rides the railings and hit the back of the rifle.

Also, the hand rail is mostly made of wood which affects it during the heat and even in winter. Same reason it is harder for your door to open during the dry season and summer.

If the argument was that it is durable, then yes - the AK 47 is simple, durable and reliable simply because it has fewer parts. It has a decent calibre in the 7.62 by 39 which can pass through concrete blocks at close range. However, it is not an accurate weapon. The AR15 platform is a much better accurate weapon.

Simple put, I would prefer my enemies all have AK 47 at a long distance fight. At close quarters, they are deadly

I only corrected his assertion that the effective range of AK47 is 100. It is a range of 100-400m. It depends on the capability of the user.

It has set the tune for future occurrences to be arbitrated upon.

The Supreme Court on Friday said it dismissed the appeal of James Faleke of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Kogi governorship elections because the reliefs sought were “aberration, not known to law’’

The court, while giving reasons for its decisions of Sept. 20 on the elections also said that the respective appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Idris Wada failed because it was “frivolous’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the apex court panel of seven judges had unanimously dismissed the three appeals, respectively contesting the return of Gov. Yahaya Bello of the APC.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun who read the lead judgment in Faleke’s case said the court dismissed the appeal because the claims by the appellant were not supported by any extant laws.

“This is a simple law. Since the election, had not been completed and the final results issued by the electoral body, Faleke, as a running mate, cannot claim ‎victory in the election,’’ she said.

She held that Faleke was not qualified to benefit the votes the APC scored in the contest before the death of the party’s governorship candidate, Prince Audu Abubakar, because he did not meet the condition precedent.

Kekere-Ekun said that Faleke neither obtained nomination form nor substantively participated in the APC governorship primaries.

The Judge further said that INEC had already declared the election inconclusive before Audu’s sudden death.

Adducing reasons in support of Bello’s qualification, the Judge held that the Electoral Act gives room for substitutions of candidates on account of either death or withdrawal.

She said the extant law gives powers to political parties to take full charge of the process of selection of candidates for elections, adding that the court lacked the jurisdiction to stop them.

Kekere-Ekun, therefore, held that the substitution of the late governorship candidate of the party with Bello was apt.

“Nothing can be more apt as the governor had fully participated in the governorship primary election of the APC and came second after Abubakar.

“Unlike Faleke, who did not meet that condition, but was simply selected to be a deputy governor.

“By virtue of the provisions of Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution it is the political parties that actually contest elections.

“The governor having become candidate of APC, and legally sponsored by the same party can lay claim to the votes scored by the party in the Nov. 21, 2015 poll,’’ she held.

Faleke, the running mate to Abubakar had filed the appeal against Bello’s victory in the Dec.5, 2015 supplementary election.

He urged the court to return him as duly elected on the grounds that the Abubakar/Faleke ticket had already scored the majority votes of 240, 873 in the Nov.21, 2015 governorship election.

He contended that INEC acted in bad faith by declaring the election inconclusive because he (Faleke) should have been declared as governor after the death of Abubakar.

Similarly, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta in his lead judgment gave reasons why the apex court dismissed the appeals by PDP and Wada.

“The testimonies relied on by the appellants relate to qualification of the first respondent (Bello) and his alleged failure to personally nominate a running mate.

“They have also challenged his non-participation in Nov. 21, 2015 election and the combination of the votes and votes scored by late Abubakar.

“We join the tribunal and the appeal court to hold that the testimonies have no probable value,’’ he held.

Source: http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/kogi-supreme-court-gives-reasons-for-faleke-wadas-appeals-dismissal/

Onogiede:
What a silly imprudent words from this man,.the election was later maniculated by APC & INEC

Manipulated not maniculated.

Another apt view on the election. Let them go to court if they want it annulled. Meanwhile, Obaseki will continue to rejoice and get sworn in as the next governor of Edo state.

This piece is apt and captured the true reflection of events as it unfolded

The police in their usual self bundled the investigation and it's now a mess. A judge can throw the case out on technicalities.

Niyi Odebode, John Alechenu, Adelani Adepegba, Friday Olokor, Ade Adesomoju and Leke Baiyewu

The Federal Government has started searching for more facts that can further prove the involvement of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, in the alleged forgery of Senate Standing Rules, 2015.

 Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that the Police Special Investigation Panel had written the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, to demand for the records of the proceedings where the Senate rules were amended.

Following the realisation that the evidence against the men was not enough to secure their conviction in court, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had directed the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to dig further and get more evidence against the two senators.



Apart from Saraki and Ekweremadu, others facing trial over their alleged involvement in the forgery of the senate rules, include the former Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy, Mr. Benedict Efeturi.

The trial judge on June 27, 2016, admitted the defendants to bail and adjourned the matter for trial.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.

Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that the IGP had directed the SIP handling the investigation to get more evidence that could sustain the conviction of the accused persons for forgery.

 It was learnt that the panel, led by Ali Amodu, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, wrote a letter to  the National Assembly Clerk in August, 2016 and demanded the record of proceedings of the last Senate.

 The police also requested the clerk to clarify if the 7th Senate at any time amended the Senate Standing Orders 2011 and the extent of the amendment, if any.

 Sources stated that the panel also requested for copies of the Senate Standing Orders, 2015, as well as the Hansard (official record of debates) of June 9 and 24, 2015 to know what transpired on the floor of the Senate.

It was learnt that the panel, had in its letter, asked that the information should be dispatched before September 7.

 A source, who was familiar with the investigation, said that the clerk had yet to respond to the request, prompting the SIP to send a reminder about two weeks ago.

 The source said, “The SIP was expecting the clerk to send the copies of the senate standing rules, 2011 and 2015 to know if there was an amendment and the extent of such amendment. The police also demanded the record of the last proceeding of the 7th senate, but up till now, the clerk has not responded.

“The SIP has again sent a reminder to the clerk to fast-track its request. All these records are needed by the police to carry out a thorough probe into the case and ensure that the probe is rested once and for all.”

 Efforts made to get the Clerk to the National Assembly proved abortive as calls to his telephone did not go through. He also did not reply a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report on Friday evening.

In June, when the case was first filed in court before Saraki and other co-accused persons were arraigned, the Federal Government had deposed to an affidavit, attesting that investigations into the matter had been concluded.

In the charge sheet dated June 10, 2016 and signed by D.E Kaswe Esq., Principal State Counsel on behalf of the AGF, which was supported by an Affidavit of Completion of Investigation deposed to at the Federal High Court Registry, Abuja, on the same date by Okara Neji Jonah, a litigation officer in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, attested that the police had concluded its investigations.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the police failed to carry out a thorough investigation into the forgery case because the leadership of the Force was in a hurry to conclude the probe to please the Presidency.

The inconclusive investigation was carried out by detectives from the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.

 Renewed investigation abuse of judicial process—Saraki

Saraki, in his reaction, described the renewal of the investigation as an abuse of judicial process when the prosecutor had already dragged the suspects to court.

The Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, told one of our correspondents on Friday that only Saraki’s lawyers would continue to speak for him on the matter.

He said, “I would have preferred that our lawyers speak on the matter; they would have been able to spell out the legal implication of going to court, swearing to an affidavit that the investigation had been concluded, which is the fulcrum of taking the matter to court. To now say there will be a fresh investigation is like leaving the case in court, while looking for an evidence to justify your position. That will be a clear abuse of court process, just like our lawyers submitted on Wednesday. It is a clear case of abuse of court process.”

Ekweremadu, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, said his lawyers would speak on the matter.

He referred our correspondent to a statement by the Civil Liberties Organisation, which, according to him, strongly criticised how court processes were being abused in the forgery case.

 The Special Adviser to the Attorney-General of the Federation on Media and Publicity, Mr. Salisu Isah, could not be reached through his telephone on Friday as repeated calls made to the telephone line indicated that it was not available.

It’s all drama—Afenifere

 But the National Publicity Secretary of the Yoruba socio-political group, Yinka Odumakin, described the suit as a drama.

He stated, “I think it is all drama and we have better things to face. We have had enough of these shows. Our anti-corruption war has yet to secure one conviction in 16 months now and I don’t think Saraki would be the first causality.

“What we want to see is concrete actions to halt the dangerous slide that we are in as a country.”

On his part, the Executive Director of a faction of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Ohabuenyi Ezike, described the issue as a rude shock.

According to him, the  reopening of investigation by the AGF and IGP appears to corroborate “the position of the Senate that the names of the accused persons were politically generated as names of the Senate President, Dr. Olusola Saraki, and Senator Ike Ekweremadu could not in any way be related to the Proof of Evidence.”

The President of the Nigeria Voters’ Assembly, Mashood Erubami, said that the matter should be thoroughly investigated.

Erubami stated that sweeping the matter under the carpet would not conform with the spirit of the moment. This is the time that the President should send a strong signal to the world that he and his government believe in the fight against anything unethical.

“It is a pity that the police have been reluctant to let Nigerians know what their findings are on the alleged forgery case and nobody is sure of whose doorsteps the guilt over the matter is to be laid.

“It is not enough to make an allegation against a person; what is important is being able to prove the case against the person to secure conviction.”

Source: http://punchng.com/forgery-fg-searches-evidence-nail-saraki-ekweremadu/

Cc: lalasticlala, seun, mynd44

It'll come to pass

Change is here. That's how it should be.

Better

Cry me a river. Substantiate it.

Ok

Honeymoon don finish

Can someone tell me the difference(s) between politicians and journalists?

Na wa o

I laugh in swahili over those who believe this poo.

It could be true as my country no de carry last o. Naija I hail.

Na psychiatric patients be that o. Mayb Oga don suspect say they no complete.

seunmsg:
Read before commenting. The list above is very balanced between the north and south.

It is even 7 (south) against 6(north)

Dollars flying everywhere. More worrisome is the fact that they left the coffers of the government. No wonder the problem we have at hand

abuayman:
Hmmm

Long Live Abdullahi JG Muhammad
Director General NSCDC........... dats all

Long may he live and continue doing the good work he's presently doing.

Recession: Governors lavish billions of naira on bulletproof cars for selves, wives
September 24, 2016





Our correspondents

There are indications that some governors, their wives and deputy governors have continued to ride in expensive bulletproof vehicles in spite of the biting economic recession in the country.

Saturday PUNCH investigations revealed that the number of bulletproof vehicles in the convoy of 14 state governors, their deputies and wives is close to 100 while the citizens have been struggling to enjoy daily meals.

Findings by our correspondents revealed that the average cost of an armoured vehicle is about N75m. The cost could be more, depending on the level of armour recommended or requested by the buyer, and such depends on the location of use and the type of threat the owner is guarding against.



According to JPA Armouring Group, an armoured vehicle manufacturer in Germany, the cost of a bulletproof 2014 Lexus LX 570 starts from €192,000 (N89.3m), an armoured 2015 Toyota Prado starts from €125,000 (N58.1), while the cost of an armoured Toyota Land Cruiser starts from €149,000 (N69.2m), excluding shipping costs.

Another armoured vehicle manufacturer, Texas Armoring Corporation, in the United States, says armoured vehicles needed in West African countries tend to be more expensive and buyers from the region are often advised to adopt the T6 protection level because high-powered rifles are the predominant weapons used by criminals there.

Interestingly, many governors that have yet to pay their workers’ salaries for many months and who are blaming their inability to pay them on the dwindling monthly federal allocation have enough money to buy these vehicles for themselves and the use of their wives.

At the beginning of the year, the Federal Government and states recorded a drop in allocation from N387.77bn in December 2015 to N370.38bn in January 2016 when oil prices fell from $43.4 per barrel to $39.

In March 2016, allocations from the Federation Account to the three tiers of government declined by a whopping N18.2bn – from N299.74bn to N281.5bn, according to the Federation Account Allocation Committee.

But in spite of this, it was learnt that some of the governors, their deputies and wives still maintain ostentatious lifestyles.

Saturday PUNCH investigations showed that Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, and his deputy, Mr. Nuhu Gidado, have three bulletproof cars. A security source attached to the state Government House told one of our correspondents that while the governor uses two bulletproof cars, his deputy uses one.

The source said, “I can confirm that Governor Abubakar has two bulletproof cars while the deputy governor has one. The governor inherited two bulletproof Prado sport utility vehicles from his predecessor, Isa Yuguda.

“But just about a month ago, a new bulletproof car was acquired by the state government. The newly acquired bulletproof car is a Mercedes Benz 4matic. This car has yet to be put into use.”

The security source, however, said the governor and his deputy might need the bulletproof cars because of the precarious security situation in the state.

He said, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with the governor and his deputy using bulletproof cars. Definitely, they need these special cars because of the security situation in the country.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor on Media, Sabo Mohammed, admitted that both Abubakar and his deputy, Gidado are currently using bulletproof vehicles but said the cars were inherited from the past administration.

He, however, denied the recent purchase of a brand new Mercedes Benz 4matic bulletproof car by the state government.

When asked about the newly acquired bulletproof car by the state government, he laughed saying “how did you know that?”

“I can tell you without mincing words that the state has not bought any new bulletproof car for the governor. It is not true. I only read that of Kogi State recently but not in Bauchi,” Mohammed said.

Also, Saturday PUNCH learnt that there are no fewer than six bulletproof vehicles in the fleet of the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola.

A security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, listed the vehicles as three Mercedes Benz product, a bus, G-Class, and a 4matic and two Toyota Land cruisers.

It was also gathered that the state deputy governor, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, has one armoured Toyota Land cruiser.

But the Consultant on Information to Osun State Government, Mr. Sunday Akere, said he doubted that the governor had armoured cars in his fleet.

He said, “I can’t confirm that the governor has bulletproof cars. If at all there are bulletproof cars among his vehicles, they might be the ones he met in the Government House before he became the governor.”

Findings also showed that Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has at least four bulletproof vehicles. This is in addition to four others used by his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu, and the wife of the governor, Dr. Lynda Ayade.

Investigations revealed that the bulletproof cars in the pool of the governor’s convoy include a 2015 Range Rover Vogue, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (2015), BMW 7 series (2015) and Toyota Sequoia (2012).

The deputy governor uses a Range Rover Vogue (2015) and a BMW 5 series (2014), while the governor’s wife has a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (2015) and Lexus jeep (2010) bulletproof vehicles.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Ita, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to his mobile telephone.

A security expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that it was imperative for the governor and his deputy to use bulletproof vehicles because of criminal activities in some parts of the state.

He listed dangerous spots where the governor would, as a matter of necessity, visit periodically to include Akpabuyo and Bakassi local government areas where activities of militants had posed security threat for some time.

Findings also showed that two bulletproof Ford Expedition SUVs were among the fleet of the Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Masari.

It was learnt from a source in the government that the two vehicles were bought last year shortly after the governor’s inauguration.

The source said the condition of Nigerian roads and the general insecurity in the country might have informed the governor’s choice of the vehicles.

Investigation, however, revealed that the governor’s three wives were not permanently resident in Katsina, but stayed in Kaduna and Abuja and used to visit the state during important celebrations.

Findings further showed that no official vehicle was attached to the three wives, but it was learnt that they use three vehicles, namely: Mercedes Benz “C’’ Class, Honda (End of Discussion) and Peugeot 607.

A Government House source told one of our correspondents that the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and his wife, Olukemi, have three bulletproof SUVs.

He said, “The governor and his wife often use the bulletproof vehicles when they travel out of the state or to attend social and official functions.

“The governor was initially using a Toyota bulletproof car during his first term, but later added the Lexus Jeep to his fleet after he was inaugurated for a second term in office.”

The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, and his wife were said to have two bulletproof vehicles in their fleet.

The Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Jide Orintusin, confirmed to one of our correspondents that the governor was using the Toyota Land Cruiser bulletproof car he inherited from his predecessor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.

Orintusin, however, said that buying a new bulletproof car was not the priority of the governor now.

He said, “We are interested in the well-being of our people especially in this economic recession that is affecting the country. We do things in order of importance; the happiness of our people is our concern.”

Similarly, it was gathered that two armoured Mercedes Benz G-wagons were in the fleet of the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Of the about five exotic cars the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, is using, the Range Rover and E-Class Mercedes Benz car among them were suspected to be bulletproof cars. His wife, Omolewa’s Lexus SUV and Prado SUV were also suspected to be bulletproof vehicles.

The Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, declined to comment on whether any or all of the vehicles had bulletproof facility.

“For security reasons, I cannot answer that question,” he said.

In Benue State, Saturday PUNCH found that the number of bulletproof vehicles currently available for the use of the state governor, Samuel Ortom, his deputy and their spouses are 12.

One of our correspondents gathered that while Ortom and his wife are using five of the cars, the deputy governor and his spouse use three.

A source at the Government House said the immediate past governor, Gabriel Suswam, left six bulletproof cars for Ortom, while Suswam inherited two from the erstwhile governor, George Akume.

Investigation revealed that the model and year of each of the bulletproof vehicles belonging to  Ortom are 2012 Mercedes Benz S550; 2015 Mercedes S550; two 2014 BMW 7 series; 2015 Lexus LX; two Toyota Land Cruiser and two 2013 Escalade.

A Government House source said that each of the bulletproof vehicles cost between N70m and N120m.

The source added that Ortom bought two of the vehicles in addition to the eight purchased by Suswam.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Terver Akase, declined to comment on the bulletproof vehicles.

He said, ‘The question you put before me is purely security matter. Therefore, I cannot comment on that because if I do, it means I am exposing my boss to danger. It is not proper to ask me to tell you what kind of cars my governor is using. So, it is not right for me to disclose such information.”

The situation is the same in Enugu, Abia and Anambra states. It was gathered that the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has three armoured cars in his fleet. His Abia State counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu, has two armoured cars in his fleet.

Ikpeazu, whose convoy moves without siren, has one 2016 LX Lexus car, a Toyota land cruiser XXRL 2016 and Toyota Land Cruiser XXL 2015, among others.

Reacting to the development, the Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Louis Amoke, said Ugwuanyi had been using the vehicles he inherited from the previous administration in the state.

Amoke said the governor had not bought any official vehicle for himself since he came into office.

He added that the need for bulletproof vehicles was a security matter that concerns the Office of the Governor, and not necessarily the holder of the office.

James Eze, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Obiano on Media, neither answered calls made to his mobile telephone nor replied a text message sent to him.

Investigation also showed that Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has 10 vehicles in his convoy.

A Government House source said eight of the vehicles are Toyota Prado SUVs.

It was gathered that the governor’s main vehicle, a Toyota Landcruiser 2014 model, and his backup car, are armoured.

It was also learnt that Governor Mohammed Bindow of Adamawa State and his Delta State counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa, have many armoured vehicles in their fleet.

While a source said Bindow has two bulletproof Lexus LX cars in his fleet, Okowa is said to have four.

One of our correspondents gathered that of Okowa’s four bulletproof cars, three were bought in 2015 after his inauguration.

His wife, Edith, is also said to be using a bulletproof Lexus 570 jeep, which Okowa was said to have bought before he was elected as governor.

While giving the breakdown of the numbers, our sources said the governor has Benz 550 and Lexus 570 Jeep as official bulletproof vehicles.

An ex-security aide to a former governor in the state said two other bulletproof cars aside the four mentioned by Okowa’s aides were usually stationed in Abuja and Lagos.

The Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, said he was at a meeting and could not speak on the issue.

Security chiefs in the state also declined comment. They described the issue as classified information.

But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, explained that the vehicles were not meant for luxury but to provide security for the governor. He explained that presidents, governors and ministers are expected to have bulletproof vehicles to safeguard their lives.

Aniagwu added that the governor did not have more than the number of bulletproof vehicles he was required to have, but declined to give the number.

Yohanna Mathias, Chief Press Secretary to Bindow, said visitors to the state are being chauffeured in one car because the former administration left only two Toyota Prado (bulletproof) SUVs, two Hilux vans and one 406 Peugeot vehicle, which it uses to convey guests.

He also said the wife of the Governor does not have any bulletproof vehicle assigned to her, adding that the case was pathetic because the previous administration had boasted of over 60 vehicles, but that the current administration had inherited not more than seven vehicles.

A security expert, Patrick Agbam, says governors do not need more than two bulletproof vehicles in their fleet even if the economy is prosperous.

Considering the increase in poverty and hunger, he added that it was immoral for the governors to have spent huge amount of public funds on acquisition of bulletproof vehicles.

He said, “I don’t think the current economic reality requires governors to spend so much on acquiring bulletproof vehicles. I wouldn’t know how their security advisers convinced them to acquire more than two bulletproof vehicles.

“In security analysis, when poverty and hunger increase, there are bound to be increase in security threats, but that doesn’t mean they should spend so much money to acquire such vehicles. They could have used the money to cater for the citizens.

“If they do this, hunger will decrease and when hunger decreases, there will be decrease in security threat. Governance is about serving people. Even if we have a buoyant economy, governors and their deputies shouldn’t have more than one bulletproof vehicle each.”

An economist, Dr. Babatunde Abraham, referred to the governors’ action as economic sabotage.

He said, “It is not only when vandals destroy pipelines that we have economic sabotage. Spending state resources extravagantly is also economic sabotage. Even if there is no hunger, it is wasteful for any governor to have more than one bulletproof car, if they need it at all.”

Source:http://punchng.com/recession-governors-lavish-billions-naira-bulletproof-cars-selves-wives/

Cc: lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, obinoscopy, ishilove

Na so

Mr. Godwin Emefiele’s Report:

Quote
“It is either I do not understand economics and how exchange rates work or a vast majority of us Nigerians still don’t get how we have wrecked our country with our own curious choices.
Just this morning, I was listening to the radio and the lady on air went on and on about how she thought CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele was incompetent and should be sacked because the Naira was now exchanging at 309 or so to the USD.
“That view pretty much echoes the sentiments expressed by many people I know and it amazes me that there are Nigerians who actually think there is some magic POLICY that can make the Naira strong in the near term. If my economics and my understanding of the way the world works are right, then that is as far from the truth as Jesus Christ is black.
“The simple fact of the matter is that apart from oil that accounts for over 90% of our revenues, we really don’t have much of an economy. We hardly produce anything, we import even toothpicks, so exactly what policy is going to be implemented that will turn Nigeria into a top exporting economy in the near term? Where are our Apples, IBMs, Disneys, GMs, General Electrics, Coca Colas, Empire State buildings, Statues of Liberties, Lockheeds, Citibanks, JP Morgans, ExxonMobils, NBAs, Super Bowls etc? Let me bring that closer home.
“There was a time long ago when Nigeria had a truly strong economy and the naira was one to the dollar – even exchanged for higher than the USD, but that Nigeria is not this Nigeria. Sadly that Nigeria was laid by the British, and this Nigeria (if you don’t believe in the nonsensical imperialist conspiracies like me) – fueled by the DAMAGING Indigenization Decree, has been the creation of us Nigerians.
Back then we had a booming
economy.
We were either the top, or among the top exporters, of timbre, cocoa, groundnuts, rubber, palm oil, etc, in the world. Nigerians not only holidayed at home in their villages, at Yankari Games Reserve, at Obudu Cattle Ranch, at Oguta Lake, at Ikogosi springs, at Gurara Falls, at Mambilla Platueau, etc, we attracted international tourists who brought in loads of foreign exchange. Even Nigerian schools were foreign exchange earners because they attracted foreign students.
“We had different car assembly plants – Peugeot, Volkswagen, Anamco etc. Nigerian government officials only bought vehicles assembled in Nigeria for official cars. We had a thriving sports industry. We were not Man United or Chelsea fans, we were Rangers or IICC fans. We had the Nduka Odizors, people made money from sports. We also had companies like Lennards and Bata producing school shoes in their thousands, we had the thriving Nigerian Airways and the Aviation School in the north that produced some of the best pilots in the world. In those days if you were brilliant you were respected much more than the crass money-miss-road contractors of today. Most of the Aje Butters I knew had fathers who were university dons. Back then it meant something to ‘know book’. Our textile industry was alive and well. Just recently I watched a news report on the textile industry in Nigeria on CCTV News. Though the main focus was on the comatose status of the industry, I was stunned by the gigantic Kaduna Textile Mill built in 1957. I could go on and on.
“Today however, no thanks to our parents (and we must call them out the way Wole Soyinka did his generation) and many of us (and we should be remembered for failing our children if we continue like this), we have destroyed everything. Today for instance Nigerian football (which comes easy to me obviously) doesn’t appeal to us, we have to fly across thousands of miles to watch ‘our’ clubs play. Every year we collectively burn billions of Naira being fans of clubs that give us nothing back, but some ‘entertainment value’ – simple pleasures for which we are ready to destroy the future of our children.
“Well people, payback time is
here. Even with our ta-she-re
money we all want to wear
designer clothes and carry
designer bags, Armani, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton etc. We all want to drive jeeps with American specs, our children must now school overseas and acquire the necessary accents to come back home and bamboozle their ‘bush and crass’ contemporaries that they left behind. Who holidays in Nigeria anymore, is there Disneyland here? No one buys made-in-Nigeria school bags for their children, after all no
Superman or Incredible Hulk or Cinderella on them.
“We are no longer top exporters of anything and the demise of oil means we have zilch… zero. A country of 170M fashion-
conscious people has no textile industry. We take delight in showing how our made-in- Switzerland Aso Ebi is different class to everyone else’s. When we help our musicians grow and pay them millions, they repay us by immediately shipping the monies overseas to produce their “i-don-dey-different-level” music videos. It makes no difference that distinctly Zulu dancers are dancing to a Nigerian highlife song.
“As stars concerned they also
wed and holiday overseas to
impress us all. All the musicians who acknowledge their Ajegunle roots now speak in a cocktail of strange accents to symbolise how much they have blown their monies overseas. Were we a more serious people, the highly popular Kingsway Stores of the past would probably have a thousand outlets pan Nigeria today supporting a massive agriculture industry among others, but today we have the likes of SPAR, Shoprite,
dominating the retail industry
while Kingsway is dead.
“And we Nigerians make it a
special point to shop from the Oyinbos who have ‘cleaner shops’, ‘better this and better that’. For our personal pleasure we don’t mind them dominating us in our own backyard and shipping proceeds overseas. I could go on and on, but I don tire. Even as you are reading this, stop for a moment and look around you. What you see will probably explain why we are lucky it is not N1000 to the USD yet. And don’t think for a moment that it cannot get there.
“Just continue to wear your
Armani gear and Swiss-made
lace, continue to spend your
money on Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barca and encourage your children to do same. (My article tomorrow in my Saturday column in This Day is on the Nigerian champions Enyimba FC – Nigeria’s most successful club – not having a
sponsor, yet Nigerian brands pay over N600m to Man United and Arsenal for sponsorship to impress us.) Ehhh, no problem, continue to tell me the NPFL is rubbish or the clubs should clean up their act if they want sponsorship, mo gbo .
“Don’t curtail your interest in
choice wines ( we were the
number one champagne
consumers in the world in 2015), continue to love your American specs, cheer the education ministry for letting schools sink to pitiable levels, don’t fight them to improve our schools, don’t chide them for letting schools drop Nigerian history and embrace British, America and whatever else curricular.
“Carry on with your love of
French wines and Chinese silk, don’t bother about Jamiu Alli when there is Roger Federer.
Stock up on your Italian,
American, British products which you cannot live without, including the ‘baby soft’ toilet rolls produced only in that small unique village in England – the days are long gone since you were a broke student who used wet newspapers to wipe your butt.
“Don’t even consider holidaying in Nigeria, it’s too dangerous – you have to fulfill your dream of being Nigeria’s Henry Ford. Don’t listen to people like me who have a wardrobe full of only cheap adire that is actually cheaper than just one of your Tom Ford blazers. Please keep dressing in fine silk made in some exotic place so you can be addressed accordingly.
“Finally keep letting corrupt
leaders who have looted your
commonwealth and shipped all the monies overseas get away because to attack them does not fit your political narrative. Let us continue with the fine life, let us all continue to work for Oyinbo.
But don’t forget that there is
payback time and Emefiele is not your problem. Time for us all to look inwards.


Cc: lalasticlala, seun, mynd44, obinoscopy, ishilove

More here: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/09/got-trouble-cbn/

Nice move Mr. Governor. Let there be peace.

This dude is a typical politician.

Na wa o. Ritualist around. She got to thank God and those that saved her.

todayboy:
We are the best economy in africa under Jonathan

On paper, but we were not truthful to ourselves.

StephanieLuv:
Even our dead politicians in there graves won't even say such




RIP Dude
Coward



We will come to your burial and appreciate the 7 gun salute and the so called Nigerian Government and people will forget you.




I will not die for Nigeria, i repeat will not die for Nigeria.

Coward

Na wa o