₦airaland Forum

banku:
We can learn from Maroko and turn it into mix housing, local stores, mum and pap bisiness enterprises.

Rich people do need working and middle class to enjoy their environment, otherwise they will continue to live under barbwire and iron with no exit in case of fire. Once they step out of their humogous prison homes, they step right into gutter.

How do u convert them

With mouth or prayer

Or should the Government just continue building more floating shacks in the slum so as to create a gigaslum

Or they should build a world class industry in the makoko waters without planned sewage disposal

And after conversion, how many jobs will it create

Where will the money to fund the project be generated from Sympathetic investors/rich men who watched welcome to Lagos??

I'm only asking. so that i can see your own perceived solution. It just might be better than the current situation, and you will win a supporter to your side.

banku:
No need to divert into name calling here but use your brains.

Between Airport and Subway, which create more jobs and businesses? Does mix income housing create jobs?

Have you ever heard about urban renewal? I bet not, your only convenience is what matters and these are people calling others fools. Go to anywhere in the world you copy blindly and see how they renew their cities block by block. All you guys want is megacity when you have not done anything about megaslums.

What type of local jobs and how many are crated from airports compared to mini buses, railways and yes Marva cars provided by the same Fashola. Do you realize that instead of independents drivers benefiting from rapid system, most have gone to cronies? But still a good step in the right direction.

Before anyone get offended by those who see themselves in the mirror only for their selfish and convenient ends only because votes do not count in Nigeria, we must look at their motives.

Afterall, these are the same people who are offended by people making the best they can out of dumps all over Nigeria as minority of you laugh to the banks on fat benefits.

Pure case of 80% percent dey work, 20 percent dey chop. But then you yahoo guys do not know any better. The poor are not begging for food, they want work to care for themselves and their families.

And what do you propose we do about the megaslums

Destroy them?

@labiyemmy:
Blind arguments as usual. Why is there any need for any developmental project in Nigeria- no need. We are all hungry for food, Fashola, please we are only interested in food, we are hungry and dieing!

Shooo!

He he he he

Well, i'm sure people will say Prof. Soyinka must have slept on the wrong side of his bed to be speaking against the documentary that "shows us what Lagos is all about"

For Nigerians in support of the BBC documentary title. . . keep paying homage to your slave-masters.

A BBC documentary series set in slum areas of Lagos has been branded "condescending" and "colonialist" by Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate and one of Nigeria's most famous living writers.

Speaking to the Guardian, Professor Soyinka said that Welcome to Lagos, the BBC2 observational documentary which follows various people in poor areas of the city, was "the most tendentious and lopsided programme" he had ever seen.

More . . . http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/apr/28/soyinka-bbc-lagos-documentaries-criticism

Otobroto:
Okay fine, you are talking about moving to a virgin land, so as to de-congest Lagos; How big is this virgin land that will decongest Lagos?

If someone who lives in a face me i face you gets a chance to move into a room and parlor. He will be really happy.

First of all watch the youtube video about it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk1bG57flNw

It is wrong to criticize with very little information.

The argument here should not be the need for such a project at all.

Otobroto:
Apart from projects like the free trade zone, which other project will give an investor quicker return for investment apart from housing? Please tell me?

True housing will bring lots of gains, but without being sentimental, i think bringing about means of employment is more important.

If houses are built, how do unemployed people become home owners. Projects like these will create jobs. Imagine Nigeria producing and exporting most of them made in china goods.

With the way the Governor of Lagos is going i think there is hope for everybody. It can never happen in one night, because it took us a while to get to the terrible stage we are in right now.

And everybody knows that it is very easy to destroy. Building i what requires time and skill.

Otobroto:
Still on my stand, the proposed new Lagos airport project would have been a welcomed development if many issues raised in the state are attended too. As I earlier said, if you go to Alimosho LGA, which is the biggest in Nigeria (in terms of population), you will be surprised at what you will see. Alimosho LGA, as recognised by Nigerian constitution extends towards Alagbado (where AIT is). Alagbado is in Ogun state, but extend close to that area. Now, if you must go by the events in Lagos, then you will know that, some of Fashola's policies are elitist in nature. This is concurred by his comment sometimes ago, that Lagos is not for everybody and this can be interpreted as; if you cannot cope, please go back to your village. The main land section of Lagos, is characterised by decay, and long neglect. I dont expect him to change the face of Lagos overnight, but those policies, that will touch the majority of those, that he taxes on daily, and monthly basis, should be priority. What do they need in the mainland, good motorable roads (and not just powering street lights with generators), pipe borne water, electricity (that will propel development), good quality education (and not just paying WAEC and NECO fees), creating atmosphere that will bring in investors, which on the other hand, create employment for these graduates, and skilled others.

These airport, will just benefit but a few. what is the population of those in the Island? Why is Fashola trying to rival the FG? I am not saying, in the long run, this project will not benefit Lagos, but do we need it now? Just as it was earlier stated, if INEC aptitude test, was to be held in Lagos, then Fashola would have seen the need to do more in other aspect, and leave this airport stuff for now. The less the jobs, the more the crime, and nothing one can do to that.

Meaningful infrastructural development in the already congested areas of Lagos will be difficult and will be with lots of casualties.

The restructuring of Oshodi is an example and projects like that will be very difficult. t will be like fetching water with a spoon.

Expanding and developing into unused/virgi.n parts of Lagos and iits environs is the way to go. that way you can get gradual de-congestion of congested areas and eventually  you will create alternatives for some people, so that when you decide to work on the already unplanned areas, it will not be too expensive or too difficult.

Please, lets be objective and not criticize for the sake of it.

Watch this video about the lekki free trade zone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk1bG57flNw

Look at the size of the project and the stage of development reached before you make any comments about an airport in Lekki.

With the so called FG vs State gov politics played in Nigeria, do you think MMIA will be of any use to a project this size.

And BTW, who will this project create jobs for

If the governor decides to wait until there is no poverty in Lagos before embarking on any major project, we will wait for a long time (the fact that some things are not perfect is not enough excuse not to do other things in the meantime). Thousands of people in search of jobs are pouring into Lagos daily.

A lot of people just make comments with their eyes closed.

The matter at hand should be transparency and quick execution of these projects, and not the need for it because right now Lagos needs everything it can get. There should be priorities, but lots of developments can go on in parallel without any disruption.

Hardtalk:
If the roads are good, and every other infrastructure is in place, we might say this man is bereft of ideas, so lets allow him, but Lagos is still far off expectation, so why another airport? Besides, how many people can afford air transportation in Lagos? All these talks about Lagos being 15million plus, does not hold water, as a very minute population can afford air transportation. If he is short of ideas, he should watch the BBC documentary about Lagos again. He will definitely know what to do. The fact that, it is PPP does not mean anything. PPP can provide houses. PPP can provide electricity. PPP can make the rail come back to live etc.

I advise that you take your own advice. The 15 million people talk doesn't hold water.

But go see if MMIA caters adequately for the few people that pass through it daily.

And please do not reply that he should upgrade the FG owned international airport.

1. If she is post pubertal, then this is NOT pedophilia.

Pedophilia


Clinical pedophilia

Clinically, pedophilia is defined, to give one definition (from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition, Text Revision, American Psychiatric Association): Diagnostic criteria for 302.2 Pedophilia

* A. Over a period of at least 6 months, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child or children (generally age 13 years or younger).
* B. The person has acted on these urges, or the sexual urges or fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.
* C. The person is at least age 16 years and at least 5 years older than the child or children in Criterion A.

It is pedophilia because even though she may be postpubertal, he is definitely more than 5 years older than the said child.

Someone mentioned that it is done in India. . . Well, i'll like to correct that it used to be done in India, but right now, if it done, it is done illegally. The legal age for marriage of a girl to an adult who is much older is 18 years.

chosen04:
Exactly, the same way PFIZER MANAGEMENT were arrested, tried and jailed by the govt of their 'headquarter' host country?

You make me LAUGH!!!!!

Am not against ''animal testing'' for your info. but that shouldnt be the reason why some one should claim that ABALAKA's vaccines and drugs didnt pass through such thus, unfit for human consumation. When he has challenged the world to reject him with the virus and he cure himself. I just admire him for using himeslf for the test cos he is 100% sure of the efficacy of his inventions.

Have you ever taken time to read any of his articles or his reply to critics? That guy would have gone places if ours is a place where ''creativity by citizens'' is celebrated/funded.

FYI it was the government that initiate d the investigations in order to sue pfizer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6241322.stm

If Dr. Abalaka's vaccine/cure is tested and successful, he will be celebrated and the first thing that will be said about him will be that he is Nigerian.

I would love for HIV to have a cure and i would love for a Nigerian to discover it. But still things have to be done the right way.

It has happened to me lots of times, and am sure to you too. When you think you have everything correct, only for you to fail.

We should always try as much as possible to avoid mistakes when we have the means to try. . . God knows how many viruses have already been created out of the errors of science.

Peace out.

@ziddy

Well, i think, of the 15million population of Lagos, a lot more than can be accommodated by the MMIA can afford to fly.

You can try to see for yourself.

chosen04:
Why is our govt usually interested in worshipping foreigners? Just wish Abalaka was a foreign, maybe there would have been the 1st ppl kissing his backside.

Well, according to your argument, we don't need NAFDAC. Business men can request that drugs should be made with 20% active ingredient and 80% off chalk as long as they have tried it on themselves

Drugs affect diseases that affect human lives in different ways. You can't claim to have created some wonder drug, make claims that it works without it being tested. I don't know how you don't understand that.

Drugs HAVE to be tested and shown to work with minimal side effects before they can be used on HUMANS. That is the rule!!!

I'm sure even Dr. Abalaka understands that and is working on doing that.

And, If he was a foreigner, he would have been arrested, sued to court and tried for using the "drugs" on humans without going through the appropriate means.

ziddy:
I know people will say we are always negative even when LASG is taking positive strides, but wasn't the objective of the whole LCC fiasco 'to decongest traffic on the Lekki-Epe Expressway'?

And what volume of air traffic is being expected that cannot be adequately handled by MM International Airport?

Abeg, lets not just criticize blindly.

The governor of Lagos is very resourceful.

First is MMIA handling the current volume of traffic it receives well.

I know your answer will be for expansion and upgrade of MMIA. . .

But, do you remember that when the LASG tried to fix, upgrade and increase the number of lanes leading on to the MMIA, the FG stopped them.

With the politics in Naija, many things don't work well. And the sharp governor is bringing about ways to circumvent all these.

Kobojunkie:
Oh!!! When I hear the word PROBE, especially when government is involved, I immediately think investigation into government affairs to ensure that rule of law is being followed. . .  why does the group need to have EVIDENCE for a probe to be conducted? Why isn't the assembly requiring the government open up it's books so it can be investigated to ensure the allegations are not true?

I don't even have a clue if any of the allegations made were factual or none( however, I do admire the audacity of the group, and the fact that some people out there understand what power they have in a democracy), but I am not even more curious than ever. I want to know how the money was actually spent.

Do you really think the assembly does not know what this is all about

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

dasa:
lets open our eyes well.

Did bbc show ghana, joburg or dakar? No it was lagos. The ducumentary praised the fighting spirit of the average nigerian and complimented our resourcefulness. After watching episode one. I felt proud.

If FG is not happy, they should develop every where and make sure such places do not exist, so there will be nowhere to film such.

I am even planning my own docu which i'll send to a foriegn media to air.

I agree, the title is a bit misleading. It should be welcome to lagos slums, so pple will know there are decent places in the city.

Fashola is doing great in my opinion. This rubs off badly on him, but hey, lagos still has lots of slums.

A lot of people are with you on this. The documentary was excellent, and showed us lives of true Nigerians.

But unfortunately, there are many people that think the title was appropriate because the BBC people get better brains or are superior to Nigerians.

chosen04:
Pls STOP mixing up issue since there is no gurantee that Rhesus Macaque monkey test is effective for HIV. SEE BELOW:-
==================================================
A fundamental problem with using macaques in vaccine research has been that they have different immune systems to humans. This means they cannot be infected with HIV-1 (although they are susceptible to certain strains of HIV-2), however they can be infected with SIV, or an SIV-HIV combination (‘chimeric’ virus) known as SHIV. A drug or vaccine that is effective in Rhesus monkeys infected with SIV or SHIV may not therefore be effective in humans with HIV.
=========================================================

I still challenge you to list mammals(human excluded) that suffers from HIV. Pls we are not talking of SIV-HIV (combination (‘chimeric’ virus) or SHIV. Its laughable when people try hard to mix up scientific speculation in debates of his nature.


I produce below a summary of the demerits of animal testing/why its ineffective when it comes to testing in case of HIV/AIDS- with no paraphrasing whatsoever

1) There is no firm evidence that animal testing has saved anyone’s life directly, particularly in the case of HIV – most drugs could probably have been developed without the use of animals.

2)It is no more ethical to give an animal a life-threatening illness than it is to give one to a human.

3) Monkeys and chimpanzees do not have identical immune systems to humans, and may not respond to drugs or vaccines in the same way. Rhesus macaques also cannot be directly infected with HIV. No HIV vaccine has yet been developed, despite many years of animal involvement.

4) Animals are often poor substitutes for humans, and some compounds that may well cause no harm to an animal, could seriously harm a human being. Likewise, a drug that is toxic to the animal it is tested on, may have no toxicity, and even therapeutic benefits in humans.

5)   An animal’s life is equal to a human’s and we have no right to assume otherwise simply because animals cannot express their pain and suffering in words [/color][color=#990000][/color][color=#990000]

Unfortunately, you completely misunderstood the article that i posted.

For everything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages.

You have listed the disadvantages, but definitely, the odds will go in favor of one of them.

And right now, the rules are that you conclude animal testing before you can go ahead with human trials.

There are also rules guarding the way these animals can be treated before they can be sacrificed.

And if the good doctor wants something good for mankind, he will go through all that process.

P.S. there was a drug trial by pfizer on Nigerian children in Kano a few years ago that was alleged to have gone bad resulting in deaths. It was believed that the pfizer scientists took advantage of the poor human rights situation in Nigeria. These are the kinds of things rules like that help to avoid.
linkhttp://allafrica.com/stories/201002120101.html

And i don't understand how you will say that asking for somebody to do things the right way is wrong.

Great move by the engineers. I wish them a successful launch!!!

Slowly but surely, we'll get there.

BTW. So, because electricity and water supply is unstable, every other thing should stand still

Is that how you people live your own lives

Nigerians are the greatest, unreasonable critics i have ever seen, and that is why we hardly move forward. There are too many other Nigerians standing around to draw you back!!!

ola olabiy:
and ziga, if you continue like this(not saying/denying the truth), how will it set you free? and that includes[b] freedom from the slum[/b].

exactly like i thought.

Remove them from the slum and give them a better life as you(almighty) deem fit.

^^^^^^
You think you know. . .

But, you have no idea about me. And unfortunately, unlike me, i have seen that you don't have the ability to look below where you stand and see other people there for who they really are.

The BBC guys were able to see the slum dwellers for who they really are, but the only thing you see is poor people that need help. I'm sure if you were in government, you will advocate that they be removed and given better jobs in clean places. aint

^^^^^^
Am sorry brother, but you are the one who is a slave to the world!!!

I on the other hand and all the slum dwellers you saw on that documentary are free men.

BTW, i don't care about whoever is in Government. I only respect people who have free minds!!!

Well, they've always said we are all bushmen because we don't do things like they do. So, who are we to argue.

PS. the documentary was focused on the life of these slum dwellers.

We are here making judgments whereas, the narrator never judged these guys but was in admiration of their lifestyle.

Black people will always be slaves in their minds.

ola olabiy:
this thread illustrates every thing bad about nigerians. that we are very silly is an understatement. sometimes, you wonder if black people are really HUMAN. dr watson once made this claim in london. that[b] our brains are not well-developed --by GOD[/b]. how can some people dispute the fact that 11 million lagosians live in slum? how many live in ikoyi/vi? at least 95 % of lagosians live in slum if you include facts like open drainage, constant electricity, wc, running water, fire fighting services(like fire blanket at home and smoke alarm) and access to safe cooking means like ovens, gas.

some idiots were even arguing about beaf's use of english.

but i believe we are human enough.why?
by reading the comments of people like ajanlekoko(who lives in lagos but really honest about the state of things), beaf, sagamite and many others.

to people like tensor and honerich(or what is he called?), i have one message for you-keep on celebrating ignorance.

Well, who do you think is more ignorant?

I think it is the person who looks down on other people's methods of doing things blindly. We are only limited by our knowledge. So, because i am not modern in the way you perceive it, then it means i am a slum dweller.

Don't get me wrong, there are slums in Lagos that need improval, and they were shown in the bbc documentary. But unlike you, bbc was biggin up the lives of these people.

i am raising these points because of the so called standards you have come up with in defining a slum.

So, because you think cooking with anything besides gas is unsafe, then i live in a slum?
because i don't have smoke alarm or a fire blanket, i live in a slum?
because i don't use a wc i live in a slum?

I agree that some things in Lagos/Nigeria need to be changed, and even a blind man will see that. Luckily, there have been good signs in recent times.

But using derogatory words on other people based on your inability to do things the way i do my things is extremely superficial.

Ochlux:
Helo Doc, thnks 4 your assitance.Lst wk,i suddenly could nt breath properly whl asleep,i produce a funny sound whn i try from my lungs.I ws rushed to a hospital & d doc sd i had pneumonia,I school in a hot part of North,since i startd staying dr,i cnt stay under an A.C comfortably or under a fan 4 long,& whn i sleep under a fan,i feel pains on my tommy,am out of school & back home,here,it rains almost daily.Is ths enough 4 me 2 contact pneumonia? 2nly,doc gave me some drugs & i could breath again,he also fixed me on drip & injects me 4 times daily,d antiseptic smell of hospital triggers my difficulty in breathing so am home,last night,i had same xperience.B4 i start gasping 4 air,it comes wit continous coughing dt pains my chest.Plz Dr wht is this?

The symptoms you had (chest pain, cough, difficulty with breathing) suggest pneumonia, but there are other conditions that may mimic a pneumonia in presentation.

In addition, if you have been having a fever, a pneumonia is a strong suspect. A chest X-ray, sputum tests, and blood tests may be helpful with confirming the diagnosis.

I believe your doctor already started you on antibiotics for pneumonia, so if you have been having a fever, that should stop. The other symptoms may resolve slowly because it takes some time for the body to heal itself after the antibiotics have cleared the infection.

Pneumonia is an infection and the organisms that cause it are carried in the air. I think the story about catching a cold/pneumonia from exposure to cold environment is a myth!!

Eating a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables and proteins will help your body to recover.

sunshine01:
Hi doc,

I have a friend who is having the problem of pelvic pain and also slight swollen of the pelvic. What do you think could possible be the cause?

Can you tell me what you really mean by pelvic pain and swollen pelvis. What part of the body are you talking about? bone? lower abdomen? groin?

J.Jay:
Hi doc, u're doing a wonderful job here. More grease to your elbow. Recently i've been developing rashes all over my body. It itches when i scrub with sponge & multiplies when i use disinfectants or antiseptic soaps. Is there any drug and/or cream i can take to kill it from d inside & outside respectively? I've been using skineal cream (which was trying) till i used dettol & an antiseptic soap again.

Skin conditions can be caused by a wide variety of things. Bacteria, fungi, allergies to things that make contact with your body, and even diseases in other systems of the body.

Unfortunately, skin problems are very difficult to diagnose without the doctor seeing what the skin lesions look like.

So, the only help i can give is to advice you to go visit a doctor/dermatologist, so that the condition can be diagnosed and the appropriate treatment, given.

Goodluck.

chosen04:
No pun intended. U seem to be a very dull debater. why will he test HIV/AIDS vaccines on animals when those creatures dont suffer such ailments? Wont you be the very 1st person to laugh at him if he claims he only experimented with those creatures.

Testing himself and family members is and still remains the very best way of proving to the world that he has developed a vaccine capabling of preventing HIV spread. The only question is why the world is not taking his open challenge seriously, if they have nothing to hid?

You need to get your facts correct too.

All drugs are first tried on uninfected animals for side effects.  And by the way, the virus can cause infections in other animals too. So the virus can be injected into those animals, and then the new drug will be tried on the infected animal.

Until all these are satisfactory, human trials should never be done.

Health risks for almost everybody else can be created and the will say its a mistake(if he creates some superinfection). Dr. Abalaka should know better than that.

Drug trials are highly controlled, and Doctors are supposed to be highly responsible people because their mistakes are often fatal.
http://www.avert.org/hiv-animal-testing.htm

I just watched the episode 2 of the documentary, and i must say that the producers had no intention of ridiculing the efforts of these hardworking Nigerians.

It is only unfortunate that the title and some statements made by them does not depict what the documentary is all about.

The documentary tried to show us the lives of these individuals, and how they make things work despite the difficulties.

The main message i got was that they tried to talk about the threat to the existence of these people by the new government and the Lagos mega-city drive.

And my opinion about that is, even though they seem happy and content, they deserve more than what they are currently getting. And things can be a lot better even with minimal changes.

I think it is a very big responsibility on the government, to find a way to preserve their community while they also try to improve the living conditions over there.
These are some of the characteristics that make us a unique people, and we should try to preserve these communities(with better living conditions) rather than destroy all of our heritage in the name of modernization.

Meddler:
The 1st few pages of this discussion are pretty enlightening. I didn't know we had a middle class in Nigeria. When did that happen? I just see a clear and cut line. You are either rich or poor no in betweens. Having said that, Nigeria is the RICHEST POOR COUNTRY I know. It's not that we don't have the resources or means to progress - because we do. The only fact it that everyone by that I mean the people at the top are only thinking about themselves and their families. Corruption and greed rules Nigeria

Now you might say "hey that's not true or there's corrupton every where even in the so called US" and you're right! the only problem is that as they are feeding their bank accounts they currently letting some trickle down to the masses. It's just a way of camouflaging their crimes.
There are so many ways to build our country up again but we need infrastructures and security in place. We need a pragmatic leader not an idealist -someone who understands the very fabric of our Nation.

I really want to go back to my birth land to contribute in any way possible but dang the move just scares the ish out of me. And that is just not right at all.

I love this line of your post.

At the stage we are, idealism will never work. First of all, we need leaders that can show the people that good things can happen/exist in Nigeria regardless of the bad.

That way, we can change the mindset of lots of Nigerians who have already been wired to think that only corruption can work.

And slowly, we will shift the good:bad ratio in favor of the good.

When we have won enough Nigerians over, idealism can work. And then, we will have lots of good people(patriotic converts) to fight in favor of what is right/just.

That is the only time we will be able to use the US to compare our state of development.

Sad, but true, right now, most of the people who ask that justice in Nigeria should be perfect probably have minimal stakes in the country.

Nigerians don't even know the true population of Nigeria, and then some reporter who spent a couple of days is telling how many of us live in Lagos slums.

I'm sure he already saw 2 million people while he was producing the documentary.

Maybe he should also tell us the total population of Lagos.

Rubbish!!!

Great initiative by the doctor.

But honestly, i don't think it will achieve much.

The children who currently have worms will be cured, but when they go back to their polluted source of water, when they continue with unhygienic ways, poor disposal of sewage, they will become reinfected. And all the money used to procure the drugs will have gone to waste.

Diseases need to be tackled at their source. We need people with the doctor's heart to be in positions where policies regarding sanitation and clean water can be implemented.